#you’ve successfully one-upped father’s offer
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Zuko, banished, no crew, no uncle, no quest for the avatar. Says "fuck this" aka, if I can get back to caldera maybe I can convince my dad to take me back. Horribly wounded thirteen year old finds dragons, starts a civil war by accident
Zuko didn’t think he was still delirious. The Sun Warrior’s healer hadn’t wanted him to leave yet, but—
But he’s standing here, back in the throne room, and the room is set up again for another war meeting so maybe he should have waited before coming in. But the guards hadn’t even asked him—or anyone inside—before they’d thrown the double doors open, so. He’d thought father wasn’t busy.
The general he thought he was going to fight at the Agni Kai is here, and so are all the others, even uncle. And father, at the head of the table, standing.
Father is the only one standing. Everyone else is... They’re kneeling.
When he’d come back to the palace, the servants in the courtyard he’d landed in had hurried to open the doors for him, all the way here. And the guards had let him in. And now the whole room is kneeling except for father who—
He doesn’t look like he did on the Agni Kai field. Father had been… he’d been so calm, then. He’d been doing what he had to do, to instruct Zuko, to correct him.
Now he just looks angry.
So. So Zuko is screwing this up, too. He practiced his speech the whole way home, it was a good speech, he’d based it on the one the Stone Prince made to his father the Mountain Emperor when he’d come home to beg forgiveness, bringing the treasures of the Ice Spirit with him as tribute. But Zuko doesn’t remember how he was going to start. And the flames behind father are getting higher, and hotter, and Zuko is okay now with flames that flicker with purples and golds and greens, but red flame is—
It’s so hot against his face—
“Father,” he croaks. “Father, I’ve returned. With dragons.”
He is so, so stupid. Ran and Shaw have flanked him from the courtyard, have wound through hallways paralleling his path, are snaking between the pillars of the room until coils of red and blue dwarf everything here. Ran breathes her own flames out, and the fires before the throne shift from Ozai’s reds to the shimmering rainbow-sparks of dragonfire.
“A sign from Agni,” Uncle Iroh says. He’s bowed like the rest, but Zuko can see his eyes, and there’s the same glimmer there that father and Azula get before they do something Zuko should have seen coming.
“You dare,” father says, and Zuko isn’t sure if it’s him or uncle he’s talking to. But when he takes a step forward it’s towards Zuko and when he raises a fist it’s towards Zuko and when he makes the fire it’s towards Zuko and—
(And Zuko cowered the first time the dragons tried to show him their flames. It was all around him, swirling, and he hit his knees and shoved his face against his arms because he’d learned better than to look up.
The fire stopped, and a whiskered nose nudged him, and then there was a huge scaly coil loosely wound around him until he was done crying, so at least the Sun Warriors below hadn’t seen how pathetic he was.
After that, it was… they made it a game. Little puffs of flames, the kind of sparks he used to make to keep Azula from getting fussy in her crib, until she was old enough to climb out and go exploring with him instead.
He flinched at first, a lot, but they didn’t hurt. Didn’t even hit him. And then it really was a game, where he would spin their colors in with his own flames, and send them back, and they’d keep playing as the flames got bigger and bigger but somehow they never got scary again.
When he’d stopped flinching at all, when he wasn’t a coward around his own element, he knew he was ready to return home. Grandfather had once welcomed uncle home with honors for killing dragons. So father would accept his apologies if he brought home two live dragons, right? Making friends with dragons had to be harder than killing them.)
Father’s flames were… they were just red. Zuko didn’t realize what he was doing until the war ministers were gasping. By then he was already spinning father’s flames with his own, mixing in all the colors father’s had lacked, and.
And sending them back.
(Batting fire around with dragons had not given Zuko a realistic grasp on the heat tolerance of the average abusive father.)
Uncle was not the first to bow, when Zuko had first entered. This time, he is.
“Fire Lord Zuko,” he says.
The war ministers are not prepared to countermand the Dragon of the West. Or literal dragons. They never left their knees, and they don’t start now. Foreheads touch the ground.
Zuko… Fire Lord Zuko’s first order is to take his father to the healers. He’ll let him stay there, longer than Ozai let Zuko.
(You can read this and other prompts at AO3. And longer stories, too. <3)
#his second order of business is to let Azula ride a dragon#because he is not interested in assassination attempts#and he did bring back TWO dragons#Azula: hmm. I get to be the crown princess AND have a dragon?#you’ve successfully one-upped father’s offer#continue to do so Zuzu#and we won’t have any problems#Avatar The Last Airbender#atla#Zuko#Ozai#Dragons#Ran and Shaw#ficlet#Hello Dragons Here
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Silent Night
Joel Miller x f!reader
Summary: You’re home for the holidays and Joel isn't gonna let a drinking contest or a house full of people stop him.
Warnings: PWP ofc, established relationship, mentions of drinking/alcohol, having to keep quiet?, oral (f&m receiving), thigh grinding, creampie, breeding kink, come play, getting caught, I think that's all lmk if I missed anything
w/c: 6.6k
a/n: hiii everyone! I am in fact alive! I'm finally on break from school and this is just a lil something I wrote real quick bc I've been in the holiday spirit since before October even ended hehehe :) Anyway, thank u to the actual loml @undrthelights for beta reading and finding the perfect pics!! It's nice to be back! Please leave a comment letting me know if you liked it, support is what keeps writers going!! Love u all!!
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Your hips grind a little harder against his thigh, a soft sight falling from your lips as he licks and sucks at the spot under your ear that drives you absolutely wild.
“I don't think I can be quiet” you whisper, gasping softly when his tongue swipes over your pulse.
"You can" he mumbles against the side of your neck, the vibrations of his voice and his warm breath against your skin sending burning hot sparks down your spine.
“You can do whatever I ask, can’t you baby?”
You can hear them downstairs, muffled sounds of Joel and several other of your family members talking and laughing while they sip on the fancy whiskey that your dad was saving for the occasion. You opted out of it, quickly taking up the offer of the first hour or two of alone time you’ve had since you arrived at your parents house two days ago instead. You figured Joel could use the time too, talking with your dad and uncles and cousins about whatever men talk about when they’re doing whiskey tasting in the mancave of a basement.
You managed to avoid getting roped into watching a shitty Hallmark Christmas movie with the rest of your family or helping them prep for the big dinner tomorrow. After successfully sneaking away to your old childhood bedroom that’s now redecorated as a simple guest room, you're left with nothing to do besides relax. First up was a long shower with the water so hot you nearly scalded your skin, and now you’re cozied up in bed, nose buried deep in the middle of your book while the rest of the house buzzed with muted background noise.
Time passes without you noticing, too engrossed in your book to keep track, but eventually the bedroom door creaks open, pulling you back to reality. You’re about to tell off whoever is at the door for interrupting you, but you immediately soften when Joel slips inside, quietly closing the door behind him.
He looks so sweet, wrapped up in a thick dark brown sweater, his curls flopping over his forehead, a light dusting of pink on his cheeks and the bridge of his nose with a lopsided smile. His eyes are soft, warm, and a bit glassy as he looks at you like you’re the best thing he ever did see.
"Think your dad is trying to kill me" he says, his words slurring just a bit as he crosses the room over to the bed.
You giggle, watching him plop down on the bed on his back, his head rolling over to look at you, "Are you surprised? He does this to you every year."
It's true, every holiday at your parents house, your dad insists on the whiskey "tasting", which is really just him pouring heavy handed shots and glasses and seeing who's going to be the last one to tap out. Usually it's just him and his brothers in the end, hashing out some decades old sibling rivalry in the form of a drinking contest. And ever since the first time you brought Joel home for the holiday five years ago, your father has insisted on dragging him down there and challenging him too.
The first year was the worst with Joel not heeding any of your warnings about how much liquor your dad would actually push on him. Joel was so sick by the end of the night that he made best friends with the toilet and passed out on the couch, then spent most of the next morning with a massive hangover, apologizing profusely to your dad about it who just laughed and said that he can try again next year.
Thankfully, Joel knows his limits now and has made peace with the fact that he'll never beat your dad at his own game. It doesn't mean that the challenge doesn't still stand.
"No" he mumbles, a dopey smile spreading across his face, "Guess I jus' never expect him to pour shots big enough to knock out a horse"
"How many did you have this time?" You ask, bookmarking your place in the book before setting it aside, sitting up a little straighter and adjusting the pillows behind your back.
"Jus' three."
"Oh, so you are just a lightweight then?"
"I'm not a fuckin' lightweight" he grumbles with a dramatic pout.
You laugh as you turn to lay on your side, propping yourself up on your elbow. Your hand instinctively falls to his hair, a small content sigh falling from his lips as your fingertips skate across his hairline and glide through his soft curls. scooting closer to him and reaching down to run your fingers through his hair, "Okay, baby" you hum, smiling when his eyes fall shut as your nails gently scratch his scalp, "If you say so."
Joel melts under your touch, like a cat basking in the sun, a lazy little grin on his face and a dreamy, far off look in his eyes. His face is still flushed, the tips of his ears and the tops of his cheeks a rosy shade of pink, his lips slightly parted, a few more stray curls falling across his forehead. He looks absolutely gorgeous, and the soft, tender look in his eyes when he finally looks back up at you melts you from the inside out.
You cup the side of his face in your hand and ;ean in to press a lingering kiss to his forehead. "You're so cute when you're drunk" you murmur, moving kissing his cheek.
"M'not drunk"
You pull back to look him in the eye, smiling, "Sure you're not"
"I'm not" he whines, "M'just a lil' tipsy."
"Alright" you hum, pressing a quick kiss to his pouty lips.
Joel follows your mouth with the softest whine when you start to pull back, his large hand cupping the back of your head, holding you still while he kisses you, needy, but still so sweet. The taste of whiskey is heavy on his tongue as it slides against yours, a soft, satisfied noise rumbling in his chest when you part your lips further, kissing him deeper.
When he finally lets you break the kiss, you're left just a little breathless and dazed, a giddy feeling swirling low in your belly. His pupils are blown when he looks up at you, his lips spit slick and plump, a lopsided smile on his face. He turns a little more on his side facing you, his fingers fiddling with the hem of your t-shirt until his hand slips easily underneath like it was meant to be there. The warmth of his palm smoothing up and down the curve of your spine is soothing, his fingers gently tracing over your ribs and the dip of your waist, the slight scratch of his calluses over your skin sending a shiver down your spine.
His eyes are half-lidded as he stares at your lips, licking his own. Realistically, you knew exactly what was going to happen as soon as he entered the bedroom. You know how he gets when he's like this, soft, sweet, and incredibly needy. With all the amount of times he tugged you into a bar bathroom after he's had a few, or when Tommy drops him off after a night out and he's already halfway to undressing you before the front door even shuts. You know he's trouble like this, but you can never deny him when he's looking at you like that, like you're the only thing he needs, the only thing he's ever needed.
He leans in to kiss you again, slow and sweet, his fingers splaying on your lower back and keeping you close. His mouth moves languidly against yours, the tip of his tongue tracing your bottle lip and his teeth sinking in the slightest bit to nip and tug, pulling a desperate little sound out from the back of your throat.
He sighs at the small sound and starts to lean into you more, using his weight to roll you over until you're flat on your back with him hovering above you, his forearms on either side of your head with his knees bracketing your hips. The kisses grow hungrier, wetter, more insistent, his mouth moving against yours like he's trying to breathe the very air from your lungs.
He shifts a bit and you moan softly into his mouth when his thigh slots between yours, the firm muscle of his thigh pushing right up against the apex of your thighs, the perfect amount of pressure to make heat spark and smolder in your belly. He does it again, rocking his thigh up against you just a little harder, swallowing the needy whimper that you let out, the heat and friction making you ache.
You can’t help but grind against his thigh, the seam of your sweatpants pressing against the damp spot that’s already forming on your panties and digging into your clit just right. You’re chasing the growing pleasure, the firmness of his thigh and the intoxicating taste of whiskey on his soft lips mixed with the faint trace of his peppermint toothpaste. You’d give anything to have him, for him to take you, but the sounds of laughter and chatter coming from downstairs is a rude reminder of reality.
"Joel" you warn with absolutely no heat in your voice, his lips grazing the sensitive spot under your ear, "We can't.”
He ignores you for a beat, crashing his lips back on yours and kissing you until he needs to come up for air.
"We can" he says, his voice gravelly and thick with want, the deep rumble vibrating in his chest. "We're bein' real quiet"
His lips trail across the line of your jaw and up your cheek before landing on your mouth again. The slow, lazy drag of his tongue against yours makes you throb, another soft when escaping you and the muscles in your legs and stomach tightening as you make no effort to stop moving against his thigh.
“Everyone will hear us” you try feebly, knowing it’s futile.
Joel smirks against your lips, the bastard. “Nah. I’ll be quiet.”
You know he's a damn liar and a bad one at that. In what world could you be quiet with his hands and mouth on you, with his thick cock buried deep inside you, stretching you out and filling you up so good that your toes curl? And in what world could he be quiet, not running his mouth about how good you feel, how pretty you look stuffed full of him, how well you take him. You know exactly how it'll go, if the numerous failed previous attempts are anything to go by.
But then his lips are on the side of your neck, and you're forgetting why it matters. You let your eyes fall shut as his lips press gentle, wet kisses up and down the column of your throat, the stubble on his cheeks and chin scratching and tickling in the best way. You're quickly forgetting why this was a bad idea to begin with.
Your hips grind a little harder against his thigh, a soft sight falling from your lips as he licks and sucks at the spot under your ear that drives you absolutely wild. “I don't think I can,” you whisper, gasping softly when his tongue swipes over your pulse point.
"You can" he mumbles against the side of your neck, the vibrations of his voice and his warm breath against your skin sending burning hot sparks down your spine. “You can do whatever I ask, can’t you baby?”
“I don’t- oh…”
The rest of your sentence dies on the tip of your tongue as he pushes his thigh against you, grinding it up against your core in a way that has your head spinning and toes curling, the pleasure sharp and delicious as it melts into your veins.
“That’s right” he murmurs, pressing a chaste kiss to the corner of your mouth. “You’ll do whatever I say, huh?”
There’s a pause and when you open your eyes, his are dark, his pupils blown wide, the deep brown nearly swallowed whole. His hair is tousled and curlier than ever, a few loose strands hanging in his face. His lips are slightly parted, swollen, red, and sick and shiny from your kisses. He’s an absolute sight and you can’t help but nod, eager to do whatever he wants, whatever he asks, because god it’s always worth it.
His eyes crinkle a bit at the corners and the lopsided smirk on his face widens. He’s the fucking devil.
Just the thought of him taking you with the rest of the house full of your extended family is making your veins buzz, excitement bubbling low in your belly. But you're well aware of just how thin the walls are and how nosy some members of your family are and you can't fathom how awkward it would be to come down for breakfast the next morning after the whole house heard you getting absolutely railed.
"It’ll be okay" he assures, reading your thoughts, his hands slipping under your shirt again. The fabric bunches up over his wrists as he slides his palms up your torso to cup your breasts, his thumbs brushing over your nipples. "M’not gonna let anyone else hear you. Just me."
Fuck.
His simple words are enough to convince you, not that you needed much convincing in the first place. He had you wrapped around his finger and him around yours, and there was no way you were going to say no to what you know will come next. A jolt of electricity shoots down your spine and settles hot and heavy in the pit of your stomach. Your resolve breaks, your legs falling open further, letting him get even closer, and Joel lets out a soft, happy noise against your mouth.
"Atta girl" he hums, his voice rough and deep, "So good for me, aren't ya baby?"
"Always" you manage to reply, the word more of a sigh as you arch your back, his thumb teasing your nipple until it's pebbled and hard.
He gives into you easily, tugging your shirt up and over your head. His mouth lands on your chest as soon as it’s exposed, immediately licking and kissing across your collarbones and the swell of your breast. He noses along the valley between them, the coarse hair of his beard tickling your skin and making you giggle. You can feel him grinning against your skin before he nips and sucks at the supple flesh until a red mark rises to the surface.
You squirm beneath him, his leg still nestled perfectly between yours and pressing against you every time he shifts. The pressure is building in your gut, your clit aching and throbbing. The feeling is almost too much with his hot wet mouth now wrapped around your nipple, his tongue swirling around the stiff peak making it harder and harder for you to keep quiet.
“Joel,” you hiss, the word half warning and half plea.
“Hush, baby” he mumbles against your skin. His fingers replace his mouth, pinching and teasing your swollen, spit-slick nipple as he kisses across your chest to lavish your other nipple with the same attention.
“Gotta be quiet, remember?” he says when he pulls back, releasing your nipple with a wet pop. “Unless you want everyone hearin’ ya”
You open your mouth to say something in protest, to tell him that he’s making things a lot harder right now, but then he starts moving, sliding down the bed and the words die in your throat. The look he gives you as he settles on his stomach between your thighs is sinful, his eyes dark and mischievous, his lips pulled up into a smirk.
He hooks his fingers in the waistband of your sweats, slowly pulling them along with your panties down your legs, leaving you completely bare. Your stomach swoops at the sight of his eyes trained to your center and your thighs twitch, wanting to snap shut and hide. But his hands on both of your thighs keep you spread open for him. You swallow thickly, your breath catching in your throat, the anticipation building in the pit of your belly as your slick starts to drip down the cleft of your ass.
Joel’s mouth falls open slightly, a shaky breath escaping him. “Fuck, baby” he sighs, tongue darting out to lick his cherry red lips, his eyes glazing over. A small, content smile tugs at the corners of your mouth, a swell of pride blossoming in your chest. He looks wrecked, like a starving man eyeing his first meal, and the way he's looking at you so intently, like you're the best thing he's ever seen, the thing that's kept him alive all these years, is making your heart pound almost painfully in your chest.
“Fucking gorgeous,” he praises, his hand running along the inside of your thigh. “And all mine.”
Like he can’t wait another second, he’s leaning in and licking a long, wet stripe up your center, dragging his tongue through your folds from your leaking hole to your swollen, needy clit. The feeling of his tongue on you pulls a soft, broken sound from you. You clap your hand over your mouth as your head spins, a rush of pleasure washing over you making the muscles in your thighs and stomach twitch and flex.
He does it again and again, and every time his tongue flicks over the swollen bud, you let out a soft whine that sounds far too loud in the otherwise quiet room.
He groans against you, his mouth already wet and messy as he laps at your pussy like he's starving for it, like he would die without tasting you. His eyes are locked on yours, the look in them so dark and primal that it makes your walls clench, more slick freely leaking out of you and onto his tongue. He laps it up happily, his fingers digging into your hips, holding you steady as his mouth works your clit.
He lets out a quiet, breathy moan when you slide your hand through his hair once again, your fingers tangling in and pulling on the soft brown strands. His eyes flutter shut, a shuddery exhale falling from his parted lips, and the feeling of his warm breath fanning over your wet, sensitive center has you stifling another high pitched whimper.
You roll your hips up against his face, desperate for more, and he gets the hint, the flat of his tongue swiping up through your folds a few more times before he dips it into your entrance, pushing in and out while his nose nudges at your clit. You're writhing beneath him, tugging at his hair, trying so hard to be quiet but failing miserably, soft, desperate little noises pouring out of your mouth. You know he's loving it too, making no effort to keep your noises at bay, not giving a single fuck about who might hear.
He moans against your cunt, the vibrations making you jolt, your hips rolling up to meet him. You're panting, the hand that isn't buried in his hair gripping the sheets tight enough that your knuckles turn white, and your back arches when his tongue fucks in and out of you faster, rougher.
"Joel, fuck" you gasp, "I- I'm-
He growls, the sound muffled by your pussy, the vibrations and the feeling of his stubble dragging along your inner thighs making your toes curl, the familiar coil in your belly tightening, your thighs trembling.
He doubles down, bringing a hand between your legs to replace his tongue with two thick fingers sinking into you and curling up against that spot inside you that has you seeing stars, his tongue circling your clit while his fingers pump in and out of you, his mouth and hand working in tandem to pull you apart.
"Fuck, I'm close" you whimper, his fingers crooking against that spot inside of you, sending white hot fire coursing through your veins as your slick leaks down his fingers and into his palm like hot honey.
He hums, sucking your clit between his lips, and your legs clamp around his head, your hand tightening in his hair as your orgasm crashes over you, your back arching off the mattress, a muffled, broken moan spilling out from behind your hand. He fucks you through it, his tongue flattening out against your clit while the tips of his fingers rub against that sweet spot inside of you, sending more sparks of pleasure tingling up and down your spine.
When it's too much, when the sensitivity makes tears prick in the corners of your eyes, you make a feeble attempt to push him away. He pulls back, sitting up on his knees, his chin and cheeks wet with your slick, his pupils blown so wide that the brown is almost completely swallowed up by black. He stares at you, his gaze so heavy and intense that it makes another shiver run down your spine.
"You're not being very quiet" he smirks as he moves off the bed to stand up.
You roll your eyes, still coming down from the aftershocks, your thighs quivering, "Yeah, no shit" you mutter, propping yourself up on your elbows.
He chuckles as he pulls off his sweater and the t-shirt underneath it before he starts unbuckling his belt and working on his jeans. You sit up, shuffling closer to the edge of the bed, reaching out and batting his hands away, taking over and quickly unfastening the button and pulling the zipper down.
He doesn't protest, letting you push his jeans and boxers down his legs until he kicks them all the way off. Your mouth waters at the sight of his thick, hard cock hanging heavy between his legs, flushed a deep red with slippery precum beading at the tip. You reach out, wrapping your hand around the base and taking a moment or two to revel in the familiar weight and warmth of him in your hand.
He shudders, a low moan rumbling in his chest, his eyes slipping shut as his hand moves to cup the back of your head. He watches you intently as you take your time, lazily stroking him, rubbing the pad of your thumb over the leaking tip and tracing the throbbing veins that run along the sides. His breathing grows heavy, his jaw clenching and his stomach muscles twitching as he tries so hard not to buck his hips up into the loose circle of your fist.
"C'mon, sweetheart" he pleads, the words leaving his mouth as a low, breathless groan, "Get me all nice and wet for you."
He doesn't have to ask twice. You lean forward and you dart your tongue out to lap up the bead of precum, humming at the salty, bitter taste of it, swirling the flat of your tongue over the head of his cock, your hand pumping the rest of his shaft. His breath catches in his throat, a stuttered curse falling from his lips when you dip your tongue into the slit, teasing more precum out.
He groans, his grip on the back of your head tightening, urging you to take him into the warm, wet heat of your mouth. You sink down, flattening your tongue and taking him all the way until he hits the back of your throat, the tip of his cock brushing against the roof of your mouth. You breathe through your nose, hollowing your cheeks, swallowing around him, and the deep, guttural groan that he lets out has you squirming, slick leaking out of your cunt and onto the sheets below.
"There ya go" he pants, his head lolling back, "Oh, baby, that's it. S'fuckin' perfect."
You pull off, a string of spit and precum connecting his cock to your bottom lip, and you look up at him through your lashes.
"Need to be quiet" you remind him, "Or else I'll stop"
He lets out a shaky breath and nods, swallowing hard, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat. He's not used to keeping quiet, not used to not telling you how good you feel, not used to not begging you to let him cum in that low, raspy tone that never fails to make you weak.
"I'll be good," he whispers, breathless and needy. "Promise."
Your stomach swoops at his words, arousal burning bright in your belly. Unable to stay away for much longer, you lean forward, pressing a soft kiss to the head of his cock. His hips jerk, another drop of precum leaking out. You lick it up, swirling your tongue around the sensitive, swollen tip before sinking down again. You take him into the wet heat of your mouth, hollowing your cheeks and swallowing around him, bobbing your head slowly and steadily.
He bites his lip hard enough to draw blood trying with all his might to keep his noises in as you drool all over his cock. He can't take his eyes off you, watching the way he disappears into the slick heat of your mouth. You look so pretty with your lips wrapped around him, spit dripping down his cock and leaking out the corners of your mouth while your eyes water as you take him as far as you can.
You take him deeper, and you swallow, your throat convulsing around him, and the way his whole body shudders makes you smile, proud of the effect you have on him. He's so big and thick, and you both know you can't fit him all the way down your throat, but seeing you try your best is enough to make his thighs start to shake.
His cock hits the back of your throat again and again, the tip dipping into the soft, warm, tight space, and Joel's breathing is getting heavier and faster, his jaw clenched and his eyebrows knitted together.
"Shit" he grits out under his breath, "That's it, sweetheart. That's fuckin' it."
The praise goes straight between your legs, a fresh wave of slick leaking out of you and it's too tempting to resist, so you slip your hand between your thighs and rub circles around your clit, moaning softly around his cock.
He hisses, his eyes snapping down, watching your hand disappear between your legs.
"Are you touchin' yourself?" he asks, the words coming out rough and choked, his eyebrows raised.
You nod, sliding a finger into yourself, and you pull off his cock, panting, a thin strand of spit connecting the head to your bottom lip.
"Can't help it" you whine pathetically, your voice already raspy from how far his cock had been down your throat.
Joel groans, his dick twitching, and he's had enough. He takes a step back, and you let go, a little confused and worried that you've done something wrong. But he just takes hold of your arms and yanks you off the bed, his strong hands easily manhandling you, and then he's pushing you, turning you around and bending you over the side of the mattress.
"Oh" you breathe out, bracing yourself on your forearms, arching your back, sticking your ass up in the air.
You don't have to wait long for him to move. His hand is smoothing over your ass, the other one guiding his cock towards your sopping cunt. He teases the tip between your folds, spreading your slick and dragging his head over your swollen clit a few times before lining himself up and sinking in.
You bite down on the inside of your cheek to keep quiet, letting out a stuttering breath, the familiar, delicious burn of his thick cock stretching you out making your eyes roll back into your head. You've made peace with the face that you'll never be used to his size. It'll always be too much, the feeling of him pushing into, forcing your walls to make room for him will always make you clench and shiver.
He's got his hands on your hips, holding you steady as he bottoms out, his hips flush with the curve of your ass with the tip of his cock pressed against your cervix. He holds himself there for a moment, both of you adjusting to the feeling, and you're trying so hard not to moan, to keep your noises muffled by the mattress, and you know Joel's struggling too, his jaw clenched tight and his brow furrowed.
"Good girl" he whispers, his fingers digging into the soft flesh of your hips, "Taking my cock so well, aren't ya?"
You nod, whimpering, your fingers twisting in the sheets.
He pulls back and thrusts back in, setting a steady, slow rhythm, the wet slide of his cock making the most obscene sounds. And it's driving you crazy, the need to let out loud, your chest burning with the effort of keeping your noises in. He keeps his pace slow, not wanting to make more noise with his hips snapping against your ass. It’s nearly tortuous though, the drag of his cock in and out of you so slow that you can feel every ridge as he takes his sweet time. You can only handle it for a few moments before the tingling hints of pain from the stretch subside and the burning need for him to fuck you senseless takes over.
"Joel" you whine, "Faster, please."
He leans over you, his front pressed against your back, his lips grazing the shell of your ear. "You're not gonna stay quiet if I do," he says, his voice deep and gravelly, "Just take what I give you, sweetheart."
You're so worked up, the slow pace makes you even more desperate for him, and you can't help it, you need more, and you reach a hand back and grab his hip, urging him to speed up.
"I-I'll try" you promise, "Please, just- Just fuck me, Joel, please"
He hesitates, but the way you're squirming beneath him is so tempting, and the way his cock is throbbing and dripping inside of you is telling him that he needs more too.
Before you can say anything else, he's pulling back, the thick, heavy weight of him sliding out of you. You whimper at sudden empty feeling but you don't have time to complain before he's flipping you over onto your back and scooting you up the bed before climbing on top of you. You can’t help but notice how big he is, the muscles flexing smoothly in his strong arms that box you in as he hovers above you, nearly encompassing your entire body underneath his. His mouth is on yours before you can even blink, his tongue slipping past your lips and kissing you like his life depends on it.
He settles between your legs, his hips nestled in the cradle of your thighs, his cock dragging along your clit again warm and heavy, and you gasp, the sound swallowed by his mouth. You're squirming again, desperate to feel him stretch you out more and he takes mercy on you, reaching between your bodies and grabbing the base of his cock, guiding the thick head towards your entrance.
"Gotta be quiet, baby" he warns, his eyes boring into yours as he looks down at you. "Those pretty noises are just for me, yeah? Can't have anyone hearin' 'em."
You nod frantically and the next second he's pushing in, the fat head of his cock forcing its way into you and bottoming out in one smooth motion. You let out a gasp that's definitely too loud but Joel is quick to remedy it, his hand coming up to cover your mouth, his fingers splaying across your cheek.
"Shh" he shushes you, his hips rolling, the slow, lazy drag of his cock against your walls making you clench around him. Your eyes roll back, your back arching as his hand stops all the whiny little sounds you can't help but make. He continues to fuck you slow and deep, his cock sliding in and out of your soaking wet cunt, the filthy sounds of skin slapping against skin echoing softly in the room.
You can't take your eyes off him, watching his eyes squeeze shut, the muscles in his arms and shoulders flexing as he fucks you, his brows knitted together and his teeth sunk into his bottom lip. He looks beautiful like this, sweat glistening on his skin, his jaw tight, and his eyes shut tight, his mouth hanging open with his breaths coming out in soft, barely audible pants.
"Mmm" he hums, his hips picking up speed, his cock pushing impossibly deeper. "You feel so fuckin' good, baby. Fuck."
You reflexively clench around him and a shudder runs through his whole body.
"Gettin' real tight" he pants, "Tryna milk the cum right outta me, huh? Tryna make me fill up that pretty pussy?"
You whimper into his palm, your pussy fluttering, a fresh wave of slick coating his cock, and he groans, his hips picking up speed.
"S'what you want?" he asks in a hushed tone, his hand still pressed firmly over your mouth. "You want me to fill you up? Make a mess of that pretty pussy? Breed you until you're fuckin' stuffed, baby girl?"
Your back arches off the bed, the coil in your belly so tight that you think you might pass out. He's rambling, his thrusts losing rhythm, his breathing getting ragged and choppy, his chest heaving and his thighs shaking.
"That's it" he coaxes when you tighten around him even more, "Can feel it, can feel how close you are. Go on, baby, cum on my cock. Wanna feel that tight, wet cunt cum all over my cock, please, baby."
His hips snap forward, his cock pushing deep into you, the tip rubbing against the spongy spot deep inside you that makes the coil in your belly finally snap. Your eyes roll back, a muffled, broken moan falling from your lips as your entire body convulses, your orgasm washing over you and making your toes curl as your walls flutter around his cock buried to the hilt inside of you.
Joel lets out a deep, low groan, his hips stuttering as he fucks you through your orgasm. His hand slips away from your mouth so he can grip your hips with both hands, his fingers digging into the soft flesh, holding you in place so he can chase after his own release. His chest is tight as he holds in his grunts and groans, but it’s barely any use with the lewd noises that fill the room as your pussy gushes around him, your slick leaking past the tight seal of your walls around him and dripping down to his balls.
"Oh, shit, baby. Christ,” he chokes out, his stomach muscles clenching as his hips slam into yours, his cock pushing impossibly deeper and harder. “Keep makin’ a mess, keep lettin’ me feel it. That’s it. Fuckin’ hell.”
You can feel his cock starting to throb inside of you and you know he’s close. And you can’t stop the words from leaving your mouth, the need to let him know just how good he’s making you feel is destroying any bit of common sense.
“Want you to fill me up,” you whine. “Please, Joel, wanna feel it.”
That’s all it takes. His jaw clenches, his nose scrunching as his eyes squeeze shut. His cock twitches and pulses as he buries himself as deep as he can get before spilling into, filling you with thick, hot ropes of his cum. His hips jerking and stuttering d you clench around him, squeezing and milking him for everything he has while he buries his face in the crook of your neck, muffling his broken, ragged moans against your skin.
"So good,” he whimpers. “Fuckin’ perfect.”
The praise goes straight between your legs and you wrap your arm around his shoulders, trying to pull him closer. He lifts his head, his palm resting on your cheek as he lifts his head and presses his lips against yours, kissing you languidly. His hips rock back and forth lazily, pushing his cum in as deep as he can get it. You melt into the bed underneath him, the only things keeping you tethered to the earth being your fingers combing through his hair and your legs tightening around his waist.
When he finally pulls away, he rests his forehead against yours, and you're both left panting, trying to catch your breath. You listen to the muffled sounds of people downstairs, the movie playing and their drunken voices filtering in through the door, and Joel must be thinking the same thing because he chuckles.
"Well" he says, his thumb rubbing back and forth over your cheekbone, "I don't think anyone heard us."
"You better hope they didn't" you retort, a grin on your face. Joel rolls his eyes. "That's a weird way to say thank you" he teases. You start to laugh, but the sound dies in your throat, morphing to a whimper instead when he starts pulling out his softening cock.
"Joel" you whine, but he doesn't stop. "Joel, please. It's-"
He's not listening, he's too focused on the way his cock looks when he pulls out. The tip slips out of you, and the rest follows, and his eyes widen as he watches a string of thick, sticky cum stretch from the tip of his cock to your cunt. It breaks, falling to your thigh, and he licks his lips. He can't tear his eyes away, watching the way your cunt flutters, and his cum starts to drip out, running down your slit, the obscene sight making Joel's spent cock twitch.
"Shit" he mutters under his breath, "Ain't that a pretty picture."
He reaches down, dragging a finger through the mess of cum and slick and gathering it on his finger before pushing it back into your cunt. You clench around the digit before he sighs and pulls it back out.
"Gonna be leaking all day tomorrow" he murmurs, almost to himself.
You whimper, the thought of having him dripping out of you all day like that has renewed arousal already seeping into your veins.
“It’s okay” he assures you, leaning down to press a kiss to your forehead. “I’ll take care ya. Clean you up and put my cock back in right where it belongs, how’s that sound, hm?”
You sigh, nodding, a wave of fatigue washing over you. “Sounds perfect,” you agree.
You watch as he climbs off of you and starts to move, but a sudden, sharp sound of knuckles knocking on the other side of the bedroom door makes you both freeze.
“You two are fucking disgusting!” the voice of your cousin calls out, accompanied by the sound of a couple other people giggling and laughing. “Put some goddamn clothes on and get down here!”
You and Joel exchange glances, his eyes wide and apologetic, his cheeks burning bright red as you give him a look that says I told you so.
“Alright, alright, we’re coming” he yells back.
“We’re coming! Oh, yeah we’re coming!” another voice teases, the sound of everyone bursting out laughing quickly follows.
“We’re never doing that again” Joel mutters and you can’t help but chuckle.
“Yeah right. Keep telling yourself that”
Thank you for reading!!! Plsss let me know if you enjoyed hehehe
#joel miller smut#joel miller x f!reader#joel miller x you#joel miller one shot#joel miller fic#the last of us#tlou fic#joel miller#pedro pascal characters
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Wolves of Tokyo: Savage Good Boy
Pairing: alpha!Fushiguro Toji x omega!f!reader
Summary: Pressured to choose a husband, you make a rebellious choice after a stranger comes to your rescue.
Warnings: abo dynamics, misogynistic themes, some violence, creepy alphas, love hotel, smut (fingering, p in v, knotting), biting, mutual bonding, mdni
Word Count: 8.5k
A/N: Here goes my first nosedive into abo. This is going to be a whole series with different jjk men and their readers. First up is Hana! But even though I’ve given her a name it’s more to make writing/reading easier the further along we get. I try to be as inclusive as I can therefore there are no physical descriptions, so anyone can read and hopefully picture themselves. Enjoy!
Series Masterlist / Playlist
There are many wolf clans in the city of Tokyo. But the Gojo, Kamo, and Zen’in families stand above all others. Power, wealth, and status are the pillars that have supported them for generations.
Your family is less prominent, just one rung below, though sought after for its long history of birthing powerful and gifted offspring. A blessing, your father says, the heavens bestowed upon your clan. But you’ve only ever regarded it as a curse.
Not only do you have the unfortunate luck of being born a woman, but also an omega. You’re even more unfortunate to have been born to your father, the head of your clan and the one forcing you into an arranged marriage.
“Do you know how many omegas would kill to be in your position?” he asks, voice tinged with frustration.
“Probably, like, a ton.”
You’re upside down on the sofa, legs hanging over the back and face looking out through the floor to ceiling windows of the living room. Your father’s penthouse offers an enviable view of the city. Among the patchwork constellations of lit windows of office buildings, you marvel at Tokyo Tower, turned upside down from your position, shining in all her glory.
“And yet you treat this with such contempt?”
Your father’s voice interrupts your city gazing. You hear his heavy footsteps echo against the hardwood floors as he comes to block your view. You refuse to raise your eyes to him, already familiar with the image of his crossed arms and rigid posture when he scolds you.
“Forgive me, father,” the words roll off your tongue dry and indifferent, “for not being so eager to sell myself off like some prized cattle.”
“You can’t keep pushing this meeting off,” he argues. “The other clans are getting restless. Soon they won’t be asking, but demanding.”
You roll your eyes and sit up so your feet are planted on the floor and your head is upright again. This time you turn your gaze up at your father, not cowering under his stern expression.
“You realize we don’t care about any of this, right? Satoru and I have been friends since we were children, and we both agree this is so archaic. Choso spends more time at that animal shelter than at home.” Your hands clutch the edges of the seat. A sour taste settles on your tongue. “And I’d claw my own eyes out before marrying Naoya. He’s the only one you’ve all successfully indoctrinated into this misogynistic bullshit.”
Pushing off the couch, you stride past your father and plant yourself beside the window. You pull your legs against your chest and rest your head on your knees. Your father’s footsteps come closer. His hand reaches toward your head and gives you a gentle pet, but you shake him off and scoot further away.
“What am I going to do with you?”
You can hear fondness creeping in his voice, but you won’t allow it to sway you.
“How about not forcing me to marry someone I don’t want to,” you quip.
Your father sighs.
“Our clan has kept itself alive and thriving for generations through marriage pacts. If we—”
“Maybe we don’t have to anymore,” you interrupt, looking at him with imploring eyes. “It’s a new time, father. Things are different now.”
“Not for us.”
He looks at you like you’re a child again. A sad smile that suggests you don’t understand anything about the way the world works. But you do know, and it’s not a world you want to live in anymore.
You and Satoru talk about the changes you want to make within the top clans. And you’re committed, you want to see it happen, but sometimes it seems impossible. At times you feel so small and so lonely. As a male alpha, Satoru doesn’t fully understand your fears, just like you don’t his. And you know he gets insecure like you do. The only difference is that he has someone to confide in, to support him unconditionally. You don’t. Which is why it’s so important for your husband to be someone of the same mind as you. Not someone who will keep you trapped underneath his thumb.
“If mother was here she’d be on my side.”
You huff, burying your head in your arms. You feel the warmth of your father next to you as he comes closer again. This time when he puts his arm around you, you don’t move away.
“If your mother was here she’d want you to make a smart decision.” He speaks with a sorrow you can’t fully comprehend. You lost a mother, but he lost a wife. A mate. “She’d want you to be protected and provided for. Each of the clans is offering that.”
“Wouldn’t she also want me to be happy?”
He chuckles. “You’re just like her.”
You lift your head. He stares at you with glassy eyes.
“Beautiful and wise,” he says. A loving smile curves his lips. “And stubborn.”
Your father’s expression turns somber. You already know what he sees in your face, in every feature that composes your physical identity. You see it every time you step in front of a mirror. A near identical copy of your mother. A living, breathing reminder that she once walked the earth, long enough to give you her likeness.
“I miss her,” you say, dropping your head onto his shoulder.
“So do I.”
You make sure your father is asleep before leaving the apartment. You close the door carefully behind you and take the elevator to the lobby. It’s nearly midnight, the usual time you step out, and your neighborhood is as you anticipate, quiet.
The walk to the train station is quick. You tap your fare card on the reader and head underground to catch the last local train to Shinjuku. You’ll most likely have to take a cab home, but you’ll figure that out later. Conversations with your father always leave you mentally drained and the only thing you can focus on right now is getting your hands on some yaki udon.
Once you arrive at your station, you exit up the stairs and onto the street. The diner isn’t far so you keep your head down and let your feet lead you along the familiar route.
It’s a bit crowded for a Thursday but you don’t mind. You can blend in better. Disappear among the mixed scents of the other designations that crowd the sidewalk. You mostly catch the sweetness of omegas in the air. They travel in groups and you assume they don’t have mates of their own. It’s rare for an alpha to allow their mate to be out this late. Thankfully, you don’t have that problem. Not yet, at least.
You’re not sure how long you can keep stalling your father. You understand he pressures you only because he’s pressured by the other clans, but you don’t understand why he doesn’t just stand up to them and refuse. You don’t know what he’s so afraid of. He’s already been through the worst time of his life.
The death of your mother was the lowest point not only for you and your father, but also the entire clan. Only with her absence were you able to realize the influential woman she was and what she meant to the other branches of the family. Their support through your grief and your father’s brief depression, their unwavering loyalty and devotion, their presence the purest form of unconditional love, was the foundation your mother built that gave the clan a foot to keep standing on.
You and your father had endured your mother’s death with the clan by your side. When the mourning period ended you promised yourself you would be a leader worthy of your family name in return for their support. You’d be as resilient as your father, and as influential as your mother.
But the only way you can achieve that is through the right opportunity. Clearly your father won’t be the one to make one happen for you, so you have to find it yourself.
A voice calling out stops you in your tracks. As your mind clears itself of your previous thoughts your ears listen for the voice again. You look over your shoulder at the opening of a dark alley and wait. After a few seconds you hear the same cry for help.
You backtrack a few steps and peer into the alley. Cautiously, you enter and follow the whimpering sounds and scared scent of an omega. There are several overhead light posts lining the walls, and it’s beneath one of those lights you see a woman cowering beneath two burly men with her hand pressed against her red cheek. She peers between the two with tears in her eyes and finds your gaze, relief pouring out of her as if you’re an angel come to her rescue.
“Hey!”
You shout, too fast for you to think about the consequences. But it gets their attention and gives the omega the opening needed to get away. One of the men tries to grab her but she quickly evades him and sprints away toward the other end of the alley.
“Big mistake, girl.”
They turn to you and you realize too late that they’re both alphas. Angry and irritated alphas. And you’re alone with them.
You try to make your own escape, but a harsh grip on your arm pulls you back. You’re shoved against the wall and the space is too narrow to put any distance between you and the increasingly overwhelming spicy tang of their combined scents that fill your nostrils.
“What do we have here?” The one that holds you in place has shaggy brown hair. He inhales deeply, closing his eyes with a salacious grin. “Another little omega to play with?”
In the brief moment his eyes are shut, you shift your feet so that your right foot is slightly behind your left. Using all the force you can muster, you thrust the palm of your right hand up and into his nose. He steps back with a shout, hands flying to his face as blood trickles out between his fingers. The other man steps around his friend and roughly pins your shoulders to the wall.
“A feisty one, eh?” His bald head shines beneath the light post as he leans in close. He takes a good whiff of you. “Doesn’t matter. I can smell how scared you really are. A little sour mixed in with all that sweetness. Just how I like it.”
His nose inches toward the sensitive gland on your neck and your body revolts. You’ve acted mostly on instinct so far, but you’re intentionally defiant as you gather a pool of saliva in your mouth and spit it all out onto his face.
“What the—” He jerks back, wiping away your attack with the back of his hand. An angry growl crawls out of his throat as he raises a hand to strike you. “You little bitch.”
You shut your eyes, waiting for the sting of his palm to sharply make contact with your cheek.
But it never comes.
Your eyes open and your brow furrows at the hand hovering in mid air above your face. When your gaze lowers you realize it’s because another hand has it locked in place.
You didn’t hear him, couldn’t even sense him approach, but this new person is no doubt another alpha. Your lips part in awe at the size of him. He’s massive, towering over you and the others. His broad frame is intimidating and his arms and chest are barely contained beneath the fibers of his plain black t-shirt.
The bald alpha tries to pull away but the grip he’s in is too strong. In a flash, your savior turns him around with a yank of his arm and sends a powerful kick to his backside. The smaller man goes flying forward onto his hands and knees. His friend with the still bleeding nose helps him up from the ground, and they both turn back to the giant of a man now standing between you and them.
“What the hell, man?” the bald one complains. “This has nothing to do with you.”
“Now it does.”
The deep timbre of your savior’s voice makes your knees shake. It suits his powerful presence and makes you thankful he’s on your side.
All three alphas seem to be locked in a staring contest. But while the two become visibly nervous the longer it goes on, their opponent’s cool expression doesn’t waver. He folds his arms and his muscles strain against the short sleeves of his shirt. The two others seem to come to a decision and start backing away. They spare you a quick glance, and your savior a scowl, before they turn and escape down the alley.
You watch from behind the alpha’s frame until the two round the corner and are finally out of sight. Letting out a sigh of relief, you step away from the wall. But it’s short lived when the remaining alpha turns his sharp gaze on you.
“Be more careful next time you decide to play hero, yeah?”
His shirt looks too small for him, and you wonder if it’s on purpose to show off his insanely fit body. You notice a hole in the left knee of his sweatpants that sit low on his hips and the white socks dusted brown with dirt slid into a pair of black slides. Your gaze snaps up to his face and zeroes in on the scar at the corner of his lip, then to the black strands of hair that fall in his face, shading a pair of emerald green eyes. You decide that despite his semi-homeless presentation he’s actually very attractive.
“Thanks,” you say. “I’ll keep it in mind.”
He looks down his nose at you, appraising you like you just did him. You wonder what he sees. You wonder if the smirk that pulls at the corner of his mouth is meant to unnerve you, entice you, or maybe both. And you wonder why, since you run on instinct so much, do you go against your designation’s expectations and make so much trouble for your father.
“You hungry?”
He tilts his head. “What?”
“I was heading to a diner,” you say. “Let me buy you something. It’s the least I can do.”
His eyes narrow for a second as he contemplates your offer. Though you already know what his answer will be.
“Sure.” He shoves his hands in his pockets. “Whatever.”
You smirk and motion for him to follow you. The noise from the street is a welcome reprieve from the dark and quiet alley, but being back on the sidewalk means navigating through the crowds again. You’re so used to walking alone, swiftly weaving through bodies, that you almost forget your new companion. You look over your shoulder to make sure you haven’t left him behind and your brows rise at the empty space behind you.
He is only about five or six steps behind, but his broad build and being several heads taller than nearly everyone on the street makes them steer clear and create a path for him to walk unimpeded. Your eyes meet and he grins. The way his scar stretches and his eyes narrow make him look dangerous, and like he’s certainly aware of his presence.
You hum, curious about who this man is, and turn your head forward to continue walking. Several blocks later and a right turn onto a narrow street, the diner finally comes into view. Kanji characters glow in red neon above the entrance.
“It doesn’t look like much,” you say when you’re standing in front of the dark wood sliding door. “But they’ve got the best curry you’ll ever eat.”
He doesn’t say anything as you slide the door open and wave him in first. You weren’t close enough before to notice, but when he ducks his head and passes in front of you into the diner you catch his scent. Cypress with an underlying hint of spicy cinnamon fills your senses and you have to shake your head to keep from focusing on it too long.
You enter after him and slide the door closed. He looks over the menu options on the ticket machine to the left of the door while you peer past him to the long counter. The sound of running water in the kitchen stops and a familiar face appears from behind the corner. When Momo’s brother sees you he says your name.
“Welcome.” He smiles at you warmly. Then his eyes cut to the large man beside you, who doesn’t take his focus off the food options, and tilts his head in silent inquiry. But you shake your head and he understands that now isn’t the time for questions. “Sit anywhere you’d like. Momo will—”
He pauses, looking around the diner with a frown for his sister. It’s a narrow room with a counter that spans almost the entire length of the space with room on each end to exit through the doors. The right wall is lined with tables that seat two and leaves a small aisle in between for passage along the length of the diner. The back door leads to the restroom, which is a separate room in the alley with easy street access, and where you’re certain his sister is.
You chuckle, knowing when Momo reappears she’ll be in for a scolding. Turning your attention to the machine, you feed it several notes and select your udon and toppings.
“Get as much as you want,” you say.
Your companion doesn’t hesitate to start pressing buttons, choosing a bowl of ramen and the large portion of curry. After he selects an order of gyoza and tempura the money slot blinks green and you slide in more notes. He looks at you with raised brows, probably not believing your initial offer, before he makes his final selections of yakitori and two beers. You add another yakitori and a beer for yourself before accepting your change and fishing out the tickets from the dispenser.
“Let’s take a seat.” You turn to the alpha beside you. “I’m sure—”
Suddenly the back door slides open and all eyes are on the flustered omega as she enters the diner. She straightens the apron around her waist before swiftly closing the door, but not fast enough that you don’t catch the blur of white hair dash behind her. When she looks up you can see the smudge of gloss around the corners of her mouth and you have to hold back your giggles.
Her mouth splits into a wide grin when she spots you and hurries around the counter toward you. With a tilt of your head in his direction, the alpha follows your lead down the aisle and toward a table along the wall.
“Hey, Momo,” you greet your friend. You lift your hand and use your knuckle to clear away the stray gloss on her skin. “How are you?”
“I’m good,” she answers, shyly averting her eyes. Her hands smooth down the front of her apron. “Really good.”
You raise your brows in amusement, lips parting to tease her, but Momo takes the tickets from you and tears them in half before scurrying off to the kitchen. You watch her go with a fond shake of your head.
“She’s cute.”
Your attention shifts to the alpha now seated at the table. He grins while making the observation. His gaze lingers on the entrance of the kitchen, where the low murmurs of Momo’s scolding reach your ears.
You take the seat across from him.
“Thank you,” you say, “for, uh, helping me back there.”
“You always pick fights with alphas?”
You think about your father and the clan heads, always aware of the power they hold. You’d learned about it all from Satoru growing up, your only confidant in this repeating generational cycle, and yet you refuse to give in. All your life you knew what awaited you and you took every chance to delay it. Ever since your mother’s death you wanted something more for yourself. You wanted a different future.
“Yeah.” You smile to yourself. “I guess I do.”
“Pretty stupid for an unmated omega.”
He scoffs. You roll your eyes.
“We’re not helpless, you know.”
“You got in a good hit, so maybe not helpless.” He chuckles, tilting his head down to narrow his eyes playfully. “Still a weak little thing though.”
“I literally made him bleed.”
The smirk he gives you makes him look less intimidating.
“You’re not like other omegas,” he says.
It’s not a question. Ever since you met him you’ve felt his calculating gaze on you. Not heavy or intense, but just there. A silent presence that maintains its patience, watching and studying and waiting for the right time to take action.
“Here you are.” Momo appears with your beers, placing them on the table with a steady hand. She looks from you to your companion. “Who’s your new friend?”
“I ran into some trouble,” you vaguely explain. “He was kind enough to get me out of it.”
She frowns. “Trouble?”
You wave off her concern. “It was barely anything.”
Momo turns to him, bowing her head in gratitude.
“Thank you for taking care of my friend. I’ll bring some dessert, on the house.”
“Momo, I can—”
You start to decline her offer, but the deep, rich voice of the man across from you cuts you off.
“I appreciate that, sweetheart.”
Momo perks up before flitting away with a promise of ice cream. You watch the alpha as he eyes Momo’s backside. You clear your throat.
“She’s spoken for. And your competition won’t fold as easily as those creeps in the alley.”
“Just lookin’,” he says, reaching for his first beer.
You take your own beer in your hands, bringing it up to your lips for a sip. You eye him over the rim, take in everything about him. His hair, his face, the bored expression he near constantly wears. The more you see, the more familiar he looks.
“So…what’s your name?” you ask.
“Why do you wanna know?” he counters.
“Isn’t it normal for me to want to know the name of my knight in shining armor?”
He laughs before taking a large gulp of his beer, slamming it down onto the table and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He tilts his head to look at you through half lidded eyes. You’re sure he’s trying to be seductive, and you have no doubt he can be, but after countless alphas from various clans trying to attract your attention you’ve built up a sort of immunity to pretty words and manipulative men.
He pouts when you show no sign of wavering.
“Doesn’t matter,” he huffs.
“I think it does,” you insist.
Like with the alphas in the alley, you’re caught in a staring contest with the man before you. But after a minute of you matching his impassive expression he smacks his teeth. He leans back and crosses his arms over his chest.
“What’s it to you anyway?”
You shrug. “You look like someone I know.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah,” you say. “You’ve got the same eyes.”
He hums.
“And the same hair,” you add.
He raises his brows. His green eyes light up in mock interest.
“Even got the same frown.”
“Wow,” he leans forward, propping an elbow on the table and resting his chin in his large palm, “the same frown.”
“He’s like a carbon copy of you. Almost like you could be father and son.”
At this, he straightens up. His expression hardens and he eyes the diner warily, as if he’s been unknowingly lured into some nefarious den.
“Who are you?” he asks.
“I asked you first.”
You wait for his answer, patient as you take another sip of beer. He clenches his jaw.
“Toji,” he finally answers.
“Family name?”
He hesitates. It seems any answer he has prepared for you won’t allow him to remain anonymous. But he could also give you a fake name, though something tells you he won’t.
“Fushiguro.”
He whispers the name, one you’re familiar with. You nod your head.
Before Fushiguro, he was Zen’in. Everyone knows the story of the alpha who deserted his clan after years of being ignored and put down by his family. An alpha who couldn’t shift into his wolf form was considered a blemish on the Zen’in name. But what Toji lacked as a shapeshifter he made up for in his human form. Physically stronger, faster, sharper than nearly any man or wolf, he made a name for himself as a hunter. You don’t know how you feel about him hunting other wolves, but from the stories you heard he was quite impressive.
“Okay,” Toji says, “so what’s your name?”
You tell him your full name, then add, “But my friends call me Hana.”
He scoffs. “So we’re friends?”
“We can be.”
“Why do your friends call you Hana?” he asks instead.
“Because they think they’re funny, dubbing me the blooming flower of my family.”
He chuckles, scratching at his chin. “So what’s the daughter of a clan leader doing sneaking around at night?”
“Needed to clear my head.” You trace a line down the side of your glass, breaking through the condensation. “I’m expected to choose a husband soon.”
“Right.” Toji nods. “Your family has the golden womb.”
You scrunch your nose at his wording. That’s all you are to any of them. A pawn. An object. You could just run away, you think. You’d ask Satoru to lend you some money until you get settled somewhere far away, then you’d live your life free of clan traditions. On your own terms.
But you know it’s nothing but a fantasy. Even if you ran they’d send someone to track you down and bring you back. Someone like Toji…
You lift your gaze to the alpha, and slowly an idea begins to form in your mind. You recall a thought you had: find your own opportunity.
“What do you think about marriage?”
“The first time wasn’t so bad.” Toji shrugs. “Second time was more for convenience.”
“You know,” you pause, gauging his expression, “they say third time’s the charm.”
His brows pinch together. He’s obviously puzzled.
You smile. “What do you say?”
“Marriage? To you?” He points a thumb over his shoulder. “Are you sure you didn’t hit your head back there?”
“Think about it. If we get married your family will have to bring you back into the fold. You’ll be bankrolled by them again and I’ll get to rub it in all the clan leaders’ faces that I found away around their ancient tradition.”
“What makes you think I want their money?” Toji frowns. “Or would even go back if they asked?”
“Well, word around the packs is that you’re a bit of a gambler, so whatever money you acquire on your own is yours to do with as you please,” you say, waving your hand dismissively. “And if you don’t want to go back to your family then you can live with me. I’ll take care of your food, housing, and other essentials.”
“And be, what? Your sugar baby?”
“Essentially.” You chuckle to yourself. “Also, I’m sure they’ll want a stake in decisions about our children. That’s going to be so much fun.”
“Eh?” Toji scowls. “Now we’re talking about children?”
“Obviously we’ll have to have at least one,” you say. Avoiding children is hard in your position, but becoming a mother is not entirely out of the question. Having a mother like yours, a part of you had always been eager for your turn. “And I’m curious to see how they’ll turn out. I’ve heard stories about you. With your strengths and my “golden womb” perhaps our child will turn out to be very powerful. God, I can just picture the looks on the faces of those old men.”
Toji smirks. “You’re a spiteful one aren’t you?”
“Since I’m an only child, my father will pass on his business to whoever I marry.” You’re talking to yourself now, your future laying itself out before your eyes. “And after he does you’ll tell him you aren’t interested in running the company, then you’ll announce that you’re turning it over to me. I know everything about that place. I’ll keep growing the company, make sure the clan continues to prosper, and start making changes from the inside. Of course you’ll be free to do your own thing.”
You pause, really looking at Toji now and see a glint in his eyes as he stares back at you. You can tell he’s considering your offer.
“What about divorce?” he asks.
“You’ll have to sign a prenup, so there’s really no benefit for you if we get divorced. My father will also make sure that I have full custody of any children we have. You’ll essentially be right back where you are now. Just older.”
He’s silent as he rests his cheek in his palm.
“I’ll make sure you won’t want for anything.” You express the same sentiment your father did to you. How strange, you think, an omega offering protection and security to an alpha. “And if you want to see Megumi, I can ask—”
“No.”
“No?”
“I’ll do it. I’ll marry you.” Toji pointedly avoids your gaze. “But we don’t have to involve the kid.”
Your heart clenches. You wonder if he’ll be this indifferent to your own children.
“Okay.” You extend your hand across the table. “It’s a deal.”
Toji’s hand is warm around yours as he takes it and gives it a firm shake. Momo comes back to your table with your small feast. You thank her and she’s off again. Toji already has chopsticks in hand, but before he can take the first bite you speak up.
“For my father to accept this betrothal we’ll have to show him we’re serious. That there’s no going back.”
Toji looks at you with ramen hanging in front of his open mouth. “How do we do that?”
You smirk.
“With a little bonding time.”
After your meal, you pay for a cab to take you and Toji to Love Hotel Hill in Shibuya. You’re dropped of at the entrance of the hotel, but before going inside you take hold of Toji’s elbow and turn him to face you.
“This is your last chance to back out,” you tell him. “If you walk through those doors with me there’s no going back.”
Toji’s head pushes back slightly. His brow furrows and he looks almost…offended. His lips part and he looks like he’s about to speak, but then his brows rise. His eyes scan your face and you wonder what he sees.
Does he see how hopeful you are? Does he realize that you’re both desperate for the same chance to change your lives?
“Don’t worry, omega.” He smirks, taking your hand that’s still touching his elbow. His thumb brushes over the inside of your wrist. A tingle zips through your arm. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Relief washes through you and you smile. You don’t think much of it as you wrap your arm through his, pulling you close to him as you walk through the automatic glass doors of the hotel.
The lobby is empty except for the reception desk where you know an attendant sits behind the opaque window. The rest of the space is finely decorated with warm overhead lighting, lush green plants, and a long leather couch placed against the far wall.
Your shoes tap softly against the tile as you and Toji step up to the board on the right wall lit up with pictures of available rooms to choose from. There are a few themed options, but you and Toji decide on a standard room for the night. So you choose a room on the top floor along with the “stay” option then go to the reception desk to pay. After you exchange notes for the key card a soft feminine voice bids you a pleasant stay.
After thanking the attendant you and Toji move to the elevator. He pushes the call button and you stand, your arm still around his, and wait. When the bell dings to signal the elevator’s arrival you prepare to step forward, but when the doors open a couple is already inside. The man removes his hands from the woman’s hips. He clears his throat and she giggles. You avert your eyes as you and Toji step aside for them to exit. When you’re inside and the elevator doors are closing you can hear the sounds of their infatuated exchange as they walk through the lobby and back out into the world.
You and Toji ride to the top floor in silence. The key card weighs heavy in your hand and you can’t help the racing of your heart as the numbers above the doors keep climbing. When the doors open you and Toji move at the same time to step into the hallway and toward your room.
Not only are you on the top floor but also in the north east corner. Although the walk to your room seems a mile long, it gives you the sense of greater privacy feeling so far away. There are no sounds from the other doors you pass that you can detect. Knowing Toji’s heightened senses, you wonder if he hears anything. You peek over at him but his face sits in the same flat expression.
When you arrive, you swipe the key card above the handle and enter the room. There’s a small area at the entrance where you both take off your socks and shoes. Toji is barefoot in less than a minute while you’re still bent at the waist working your shoes off.
Once you’re done and are upright again you stride further into the room. It’s not unlike any other pricey hotel you’ve stayed at with its marble counters and hardwood floors. The only difference would be that there’s only one window with the curtains pulled shut for privacy. You do, however, like the large circular bed in the middle of the room.
It’s on a raised section of the floor, and instead of hardwood the bed is surrounded by soft carpet. It’s sunken into the platform and dressed in white bedding. A round light fixture hovers directly above, like a spotlight on the main event.
It excites you. So you follow the feeling and waste no time getting everything prepared just the way you like it.
“Feel free to grab anything from the bar,” you say over your shoulder.
You hear the mini fridge open and close then the hiss of a bottle opening. You feel Toji’s eyes on you, watching as you flit around the room and grab towels from the bathroom along with extra blankets from the closet by the door. You toss them onto the bed and arrange them to your liking before jumping on top and rolling around your makeshift nest.
“What are you doing?” he asks, coming to stand at the edge of the bed. He takes a sip of his bottled beer.
“I want to make sure it smells like us before we get started.” You roll around a bit more. Spread your arms and legs out like you’re making a snow angel. “Come here.”
When he doesn’t move you crawl on your hands and knees and take hold of his arm. You try pulling him down to you but he doesn’t budge. Not a single inch. You try again, but are only met with Toji’s laughter.
“Told you already,” the smile he gives you is nothing short of mocking, “you’re a weak little thing.”
Your lips press together tightly, not appreciating the way he taunts you. So when your hand lets go of his arm and your fingers glide over to tease at the hem of his sweatpants you grin triumphantly when he jerks away.
“Oi!”
You giggle at the scowl Toji throws your way. He downs the rest of his beer and tosses the bottle onto the floor carelessly and it rolls away onto the hardwood. Your eyes follow him as he purposefully walks in an arc to get to the other side of the bed before plopping down onto it, landing on his back with a huff.
“You have to roll around so your scent gets everywhere,” you say.
“M’not a child.” He crosses his arms under his head, shutting his eyes. “Not gonna roll.”
“Fine.”
You surprise him for a second time by swiftly darting across the mattress and straddling his hips. His green eyes fly open and he looks at you like you’re absolutely insane. But you pay him no mind as you grab the edges of the blanket beneath him and fold each end over his front. You hold them closed tightly and sway him a little back and forth. You’re impressed with yourself that you can even manage that with how huge he is.
“Having fun?” Toji deadpans.
“A little,” you admit.
Next, you grab a towel from behind you and place it over his head, rubbing hair with it like you would if you were drying it after a shower. Toji says something but it’s unintelligible beneath the towel.
You pull it away from his face. “What was that?”
“Said it smells nice.”
“Really?” You give it a whiff. “What’s it smell like?”
“Like a plum. Tart with just the right amount of sweetness,” he says. His tongue swipes over his bottom lip. “Smells like you.”
“You’re not going soft on me now are—”
You gasp when Toji’s hand shoots out to take hold of your arm. He presses his nose to your wrist, inhaling deeply. The intimate action makes your lower belly erupt with butterflies.
As if sensing your reaction, Toji sits up. His face hovers just an inch away from you and he holds onto your hips to keep you from scooting backward. Your noses touch, lips just barely brushing. Lust swims in the pools of his green irises and you see your own eagerness reflected in them. You spend several long heated seconds exchanging warm breaths before you lean in, closing the gap and pressing your lips to his.
It starts out slowly, both of you acquainting yourselves with the taste and feel of each other, before it picks up. You’re not sure which one of you initiated it, but when the kiss turns needier and hungrier neither of you protest. You moan when his tongue passes through your lips, the wet muscle hunting for more of your taste.
The heat between you starts to rise and your mind tells you that you’re both wearing too many clothes. Your hands scramble to the hem of Toji’s shirt and start tugging until he raises his arms and you pull it over his head. Your lips are disconnected for a moment, but find each other again when his torso is bare.
Your hands wander the expanse of his sculpted chest, fingers pressing into firm muscle hidden beneath hot smooth flesh. Your touch ventures further down to his stomach where you explore every dip and crevice of abdominal muscle etched to perfection. You pull a gasp from the alpha beneath you when your fingers ghost over where the thin trail of hair on his lower stomach disappears into the waistband of his sweatpants.
Toji growls into your mouth before taking the bottom of your shirt and jerking it upward, impatient in his movements. You lift your arms and he rips it the rest of the way off you, leaving only your bra to cover your chest. The shirt is discarded before Toji attaches his mouth to yours again, but he doesn’t stay there. Hot lips start making their way lower, leaving a wet trail down your throat until his teeth are nipping and teasing at the gland on your neck. You gasp at the sensation and feel the vibrations of Toji’s laughter against your collarbone.
“Asshole,” you say, breathlessly.
He smiles against your skin, not bothering to argue, as his hands settle on your waist and give a firm squeeze. “Stand up.”
It’s not an alpha command, but you move as if it is. Your feet sink into the mattress and you hold onto Toji’s shoulders for balance. He undoes the button and pulls down your zipper, and in one motion he has your bottom half completely bare in front of him. His face presses into your hip as he helps you get each foot free.
Now you stand only in your bra, watching as he tugs down his sweatpants to reveal himself to you. He’s half hard but you can already tell he’s definitely the largest you’ve ever had. While he works his pants off you reach behind and undo your bra, letting it fall off your arms before you toss it onto the floor to land with the rest of your clothes.
Toji’s touch is on you again. Warm, calloused hands brush up and down your thighs before hooking at the back of your knees. He pulls you down so you’re once again straddling him. He kisses you, briefly but with more fervor, before he leans his head down and takes one of your nipples in his mouth.
You bring a hand to the back of his head, fingers threading through the strands as you keep him close. A whimper escapes you as the tip of his tongue expertly traces circles around your sensitive nub. Your lower body clenches when he moves to your other breast, lips firmly attaching themselves and giving a light tug.
Your free hand reaches down between your bodies to take hold of Toji’s cock. His base is nestled among a patch of dark curls, and the more your hand works up and down his length the more of him you feel. Mentally, and maybe physically, you’re drooling at his girth. And the thick vein running on the underside of his shaft makes you eager to have him inside you already, so you pump him earnestly until he’s fully erect. You keep at it until suddenly he swats your hand away.
“Toji? What—”
Your words catch in your throat when his hand suddenly dives in between your legs. Toji’s fingers run through your folds, humming in satisfaction with how soaking wet you already are. He only gives a single teasing prod at your entrance before he plunges two thick fingers inside you.
Gasping, your hands clutch onto his biceps. You pant as his long fingers reach deeper than you ever could on your own. He sets a fast pace from the start, making you choke on your own moans as he finger fucks you without mercy. His fingers curl to find that special spot inside you that has you sinking your nails into his skin. And when his palm presses down on your clit your heart literally skips a beat. Every precise movement of his fingers has the coil tightening in your belly, has you teetering on the edge.
“I’m almost—” You let out a whimper. “I’m close.”
“Yeah, you are.” Toji pushes his nose against your cheek, tongue licking at the curve of your jaw. “Can feel how tight you’re squeezing my fingers.”
You’re almost there. Just a little bit more and then you’ll—
The tension, the heat. It’s gone. The end you were so close to capturing is suddenly ripped away. You stare at the pair of fingers that should be inside you, but instead are shiny and glistening before your eyes.
“Toji.” You whine as your bottom lip juts out into a pout. “Why’d you do that? I was—”
But your protests are silenced when Toji shushes you. He lowers his slick covered hand and you watch as he strokes himself. You swallow as he delves back through your folds for more lubricant. Your hips twitch at the contact and your pussy clenches hungrily around nothing as it waits for Toji to finish preparing himself.
“Don’t worry, omega.” Toji’s voice is barely above a whisper. A soft promise just for you. “I’ll give you what you want.”
You raise your hips as Toji lines himself up with your entrance, pressing his tip against you before slowly entering. Your breathing comes in short spurts as you try to adjust to his size. Each inch burns but it soon gives way to pleasure when he bottoms out.
You’re both panting when you’re fully seated on top of him. Toji leans back on his hands, green eyes staring up at you.
“Take it,” he says. “Take what you need.”
You lean forward, holding his face in your palms, and kiss him. When you lift your hips, you whine into his mouth and bring yourself back down. You plant your hands on his shoulders and set your pace. You pull back as you bounce on his cock, feeling the familiar tightness once again.
“That’s it. Keep going.” One of Toji’s hands comes to rest at the base of your neck, a subtle guide to your actions that barely registers in the back of your currently one track driven mind. “Doing so good, omega.”
He’s called you that several times tonight, but you can’t help clench around him when he says it now. Full of pride and encouragement. A primal instinct in you is reacting to this man, this alpha, and you like it.
Suddenly, Toji pushes forward and pulls you to his chest, one arm around your waist while his other hand takes hold of your chin and points it upward. His mouth hovers over your exposed flesh, over the sensitive gland on the side of your neck. He doesn’t need you to tell him when, you can feel the way you’re coming together.
You slam down onto him once, twice, and then you cry out as the tight coil within finally snaps at the same time Toji sinks his teeth into you. Sharp canines pierce your mating gland, sending a shiver down your spine.
Blood trickles out of the wound and Toji laps away at the trail of crimson, leaving none behind. You wrap your arms around him. You want him closer, as close as you can be.
You feel dazed, like the world has shifted on its axis. Your head drops as a fog clouds your mind, struggling to conjure up any other thought besides Toji. But all you feel is the hot aftershocks of pleasure coursing through you as the familiar scent of cypress and cinnamon surrounds you.
The world shifts again and this time you land on something soft. You blink your eyes open, realizing you’re on your back now. Toji hovers above you. His broad shoulders take over your field of vision so all you see is him. His black hair hangs in sweaty strands down the sides of his face. Those emerald green of his eyes are locked onto you. It makes your heart flutter.
“Alpha.”
Toji’s expression softens when you call to him. Plead for him. He lowers his head to nose at the mark he’s just made. You flinch, still sensitive.
“Did so good for me, omega.” His praise makes you keen. You arch your back to touch your chest to his. “Now it’s my turn.”
He’s still hard inside you, not having found his release yet. He wraps your legs around his waist and starts moving. Like earlier, he doesn’t wait to set a quick pace. His hips pound into you as he chases his own pleasure.
Whimpers escape you as he bullies your sensitive pussy. He braces his forearms on either side of your head, caging you in. Instinctively, your arms wrap around his back, keeping him trapped inside your locked limbs.
“I’m gonna…fuck,” Toji hisses in your ear. “Wanna cum inside you.”
“It’s okay.” You hold onto him tighter. “M’on birth control.”
After your admission his thrusts turn erratic. You feel the swelling at the base of his cock grow larger and larger. He’s hot and heavy inside you. All around you. He’s overwhelming but you don’t want him to stop.
“Almost there,” Toji grunts.
“Please, Alpha.”
Toji moans, both from your plea and the way you tighten yourself around his cock. Your body wants him. Can’t get enough. You’re his and now it’s time to make him yours.
One last powerful thrust sends Toji over the edge. His knot swells inside of you, sealing you both together, as his hot seed paints your walls. He sighs, heavy and satisfied as he continues to gently rock into you.
The haze of your mind is beginning to clear. Your body slowly becomes heavier even as small shocks of pleasure continue to jolt through your system. You raise a trembling hand to the back of Toji’s head. Taking a fistful of his hair, you sharply yank his head to the side and bite down hard enough to pierce the gland on his neck.
Toji grunts. His body stiffens as he hides his face in the crook of your neck. You smooth a hand down his back as you lick away any remaining blood, and his body gradually relaxes until he’s pressing his full weight on top of you.
You huff, trying to shift to get a better chance at not suffocating. But when you pull away a little too quickly, you both hiss when there’s a harsh tug at where your connected.
“Sorry,” you apologize. Your hands are quick to soothe, helping Toji adjust his body so you’re both comfortable. “How do you feel?”
Toji still has his face hidden in your neck. He doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t have to.
Although the bonding isn’t as potent as it would be during your heat it doesn’t lessen the connection you’ve created with this man. You both cling to each other as you struggle to take it all in, anxious about how this decision is already changing you.
Instincts you’ve ignored until now are already clawing their way out of the deep pits of your subconscious. The urge to soothe, to nurture, to submit is nearly overpowering. It will completely consume you if you let it.
Toji’s large hand is splayed out across your rib cage, thumb caressing the curve of your breast. His mind races while his heart beats wildly as he clings to you. His actions aren’t lining up with who he’s been up to this point. He’s never been the type to attach himself to anyone or anything. Thankfully, you feel his building resolve to chip away at the unwanted bits of his new appetite as a bonded alpha.
You sigh, relieved you made the right choice, as you card your fingers through Toji’s hair until his breathing evens out and he’s fast asleep.
But you stay wide awake well into the early morning. How could you surrender to sleep with all your life’s new possibilities waiting for you to conceive of them?
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New Year's Second Chance {Javier Peña x F!Reader}
Rating: Explicit
Word Count: 18.5k
Warnings: Animosity, hostility, heartbreak, technically step-sibling relationship, angst, domestic violence (one slap), smoking, hate sex?, idiots in love, fingering, vaginal sex, rough sex, oral sex (female receiving), hints of anilingus, biting, mixed emotions
Comments: Coming home for the holidays was not. something you were looking forward to. Especially not when you realize that Javier Peña will be there. Your mother is happily married to his father, but you hate Javier. For a good reason, or so you think
A/N: Happy New Year!!!
Co-written with @storiesofthefandomlovers
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Click Keep Reading only if you have read the Rating and Warnings and understand the warnings may not be complete to avoid listing spoilers. As AO3 says 'creator chooses not to use warnings'. You also agree that you're the right age to be consuming anything here.
“Welcome to Laredo.” You groan as you drive past the sign of your hometown, feeling a little sick. It’s the holidays and you’ve tried to stay away for as long as possible but you ran out of excuses. Your mom is married to Chucho Peña. Has been married to him for a few years and you have successfully avoided the wedding, the holidays, and every event in between. Your work overseas has provided a bounty of excuses but now, you’ve been reassigned back to the U.S and the lie has run its course. You offered to stay in a hotel but your mom insists on you staying at the house. Once you’ve pulled up outside the Peña ranch, your mom comes rushing out, screaming your name and wrapping you in a hug that you can only describe as coming home. You smile and breathe her in, “hi mom.”
She grins when she pulls back to look at you, her eyes a little watery. “Come on, let’s get you inside. You must be hungry and tired after all that traveling.” She ushers you in and you look around, “where’s Chucho?” You ask and she smiles, “he went out to get some things.”
You nod and she gets to work on making you something to eat. You just finish your sandwich when the garage door opens and Chucho walks in, setting the grocery bags on the counter and you stand up. The old man grins and wraps his arms around you. You've always liked him. Your dad died when you were young and you worried your mom would be alone until she struck up her friendship with Chucho at a grief counseling meeting at the local church. He put the light back in her eyes and you thank him for that. “It’s good to see you.” You murmur when he releases you and you don’t see the younger Peña until he says “what? No hug for me.” Your hackles go up, your spine straightens, and you swallow harshly. “What the hell is he doing here?” You ask, knowing that your mom told you he was still in Colombia taking down the Cali cartel.
Javier frown. Unsure why you hate him so much. “Honey, be nice! Javi just got back earlier. He wrapped up his little case so he flew in to join us.” Only your mom could call taking down one of the biggest drug cartels a “little case”.
“That’s great.” You say sarcastically. “Glad he could make it.”
Javier huffs, setting the bags he was carrying down on the counter. “Don’t worry, Chiquita. I’ll be down the hall for the next two weeks.” He smirks, “maybe longer. I ain’t got nowhere to go now I’m back from Colombia.” He goads you and you want to stomp your foot like a child.
“Gee, that’s great. One big happy family.” You sass, “aren’t we lucky?” You ask your mom who raises her eyebrows at you in silent warning. You didn’t know Javier would be here. If you did, you would’ve avoided coming back to Laredo for another three years. “I am going to take a shower and get unpacked.” You declare, asking your mom which room you’re staying in and she glances at Chucho before she shows you down the hall to the room you’re staying in. The one right next to Javier’s childhood bedroom.
Growling to yourself, you toss the bags down onto the bed and sigh. You hate Javier, can’t stand being around him. Arrogant and prideful, cocky and worse - a womanizer. Man thinks that he can flirt with and fuck any woman he wants and it’s disgusting. If you hadn’t promised your mom that you would stay through the New Year, you would be heading back to the airport right now. As it is, you will just have to ignore Javi. No doubt he will be too busy plowing through the single and unhappily married women in town, if he didn’t fuck them the last time he was here.
Chucho tuts as Javier glares at where you just stood. “What’s the issue between the two of you?” He asks and Javier shakes his head. “I don’t even know, Pa. We were friends. Back in the day and she - she just turned one day and was mean to me. I don’t even know what I did.” He confesses and your mom raises her eyebrows, knowing his reputation even back then. “I swear, I have no fucking clue.” He shakes his head, but he knows that he won’t put up with your shit.
In your room, you unpack quickly and decide that you want to take a shower. Knowing that you hadn’t been very cordial to Javier, but you don’t have it in you. You want nothing to do with him, and you’re stuck with him for the entire holiday. You’ll just be as pleasant as you can and your mom will have to realize that her fantasy for a family holiday is nothing more than a pipe dream.
Javier decides to settle back into his room. He only arrived back a couple of days ago and he hasn’t had a chance to unpack with the whirlwind of chores his Pa had assigned to him as soon as he arrived back in Laredo. He decides to shower before he heads out with his Pa to get the shopping list your mom assigned for dinner and he does like your mom. She’s been good for his dad. Makes sure the place is clean, that he has a homemade dinner, and that he is happy. His Pa looks after your mom, loves her, and that makes Javi happy. He feels better knowing that his dad is happy. Deciding to shower, he grabs his toiletry bag and heads into the hallway, opening the bathroom door and he’s shocked when he sees you standing in the shower.
You squeal in surprise when the door opens and grab the shower curtain to rip it around your body. “What is wrong with you?” You scream when he doesn’t immediately turn around and leave. “Close the door!” It infuriates you that you haven’t been here an hour and Javi is already pushing boundaries and pissing you off. You wish you had never come here.
Javier slams the door shut, his eyes wide and he realizes this is gonna be a long two weeks around you. You used to be friends. Good friends. He doesn’t know what happened. Kinda chalked it down to you being jealous of Lorraine when he got with her and proposed and then he went to Colombia after that shit show. Which was strange since you had stood him up the night he got back together with her the last time. Heading back to his room, he decides to wait until you’re done before he attempts to leave the sanctuary of his room.
Locking the door, you turn on the shower and climb in. Closing your eyes and sighing as you lean against the tiled wall. Fuck. Why, why, why, do you have to be stuck in this house with Javi? The bad thing is that the bastard looks good. Colombia hadn’t been bad to him. He’s more handsome than ever, maybe a little worn down, but he still looks good. That pisses you off more than anything. You remember being so fucking excited that night and then so heartbroken.
Javier sighs when he hears you leave the bathroom and close the door to the guest room. He makes his way into the bathroom and it smells like your body lotion. He inhales deeply. His cock twitching at the thought of smelling it on your skin. He turns on the shower and gets in a few moments later, cursing the fact that his cock is getting hard
After getting dressed, you feel better, leaving the guest bedroom and going to the kitchen. “Okay, I’m unpacked and feeling better after a shower.” You promise, giving your mom another hug. “I’ve missed you.” You tell her, even though you’ve avoided coming home in order to not see Javi since your mother got involved with Chucho.
Your mom smiles, kissing your cheek. "I missed you so much baby. So much. I - it's been so long. I feel like it's been a lifetime since I last saw you. You - I've been married to Chucho for three years." She reminds you of your absence.
You had known she was going to guilt you. “I know mom, I’m sorry, I’ve been busy with work.” You tell her. It’s not a lie, you just don’t admit that you asked for assignments during the holidays so you didn’t have to come here. “I’ll try to do better.”
Your mom nods, knowing you’ve been busy. “Why are you and Javier butting heads? You used to be good friends. What happened?” She asks with a concerned frown. Before you can answer, the man in question comes into the kitchen, hair wet and buttoned slightly open as he opens the fridge to grab a bottle of beer.
“Nothing.” You shrug slightly, not willing to give Javi the satisfaction of knowing that he still here under your skin. “We’re just….different people.” You settle for that and ignore the snort as he twists open his beer bottle and takes a swig.
Your mom frowns but nods, not wanting to escalate the issue when you’re in front of Javi. She doesn’t understand why you’re mad at him after so many years of not seeing him. “So…are we going to go grocery shopping?” You ask your mom who nods and Javi smirks, kinda wanting to push your buttons. “I’ll come with.” He says and smirks when you huff.
“So we’re buying cigarettes and booze?” You snort, rolling your eyes. “I think that’s about the limit of your cooking abilities, right?” You have no hope that he had learned any skills since you last ate with him.
Javier snorts, “you ain’t wrong there, sweetheart. Can make toast and eggs for the ladies that spend the night but that’s about it. I’m hopeless.” He declares and sips his beer after opening it.
You grind your teeth, irritated that you are affected by that. “Probably want them to make you breakfast.” You huff, looking over at your mom again. “When do you want to go? Might as well get it over with since we will have a tag-along.”
Javier smirks, loving how he can annoy you. He is going to take great pleasure in doing it again and again during your visit. “We can go now.” Your mom suggests and Javier nods, downing the bottle of beer until he’s tossing it in the trash and adjusting his too-tight jeans.
“Let’s go ladies.” He says and winks at you as he makes his way out into the garage.
“Kill me now.” You huff, rolling your eyes. You shouldn’t have come, you should have known that Javi would be home since he had been suspended. Grabbing your purse, you go out into the garage. “Oh hell no.” You shake your head when you see him sitting in the passenger seat of your mom’s Buick. “I sit up front. You get your ass in the back.”
Javier looks at your mom, giving her those puppy eyes that always got him what he wanted as a kid. “Oh honey, just get in the back.” Your mom says and you growl under your breath while Javier gives you a victorious grin. Your mom is soon driving away from the ranch, you grumbling in the back, and Javier smirks at you in the mirror, loving to see you so annoyed.
You don’t talk on the way to the grocery store, sulking in the back seat like a child and even crossing your arms at one point. You hate Javi, hate him. “Fucking ridiculous.” You mutter to yourself.
He bites his lip to smother his chuckle, loving how annoyed you are. And when you arrive at the store, Javier gets out and grabs the cart for your mom. “Thanks sweetheart.” She smiles at him and you follow along, arms crossed and brow furrowed.
“Is that Javier Peña?” A middle aged woman asks and comes over with a grin on her face. “Oh boy. You’ve grown up since you used to mow my yard when you were seventeen.” She says with a blush and Javier chuckles, “all grown up now, Señora Alvarez.”
“All grown up and no manners.” You mumble under your breath and walk over to the bananas to make sure there are plenty at the house. You eat one every morning for potassium. Javi and the old woman continue chatting and pretty soon you hear a girlish giggle from the older woman and roll your eyes. He’s obviously turned on the charm and started flirting with the elderly woman. There’s no one he wouldn’t flirt with apparently.
Your mom rolls the cart over to you and nudges your arm. “He is kinda cute all grown up. He’s not as flighty as he used to be. Always seemed to feel like he struggled to keep his feet on the ground in one place. I guess going to Colombia cured him of the travel bug.” She guesses, “suppose that’s why he didn’t marry Lorraine.”
“Good for her.” You snort. “She got lucky. I can’t imagine she would be happy with her husband trying to lift every skirt he sees.” You don’t know why he didn’t marry Lorraine, or why you should care. It’s nothing to you.
Your mom nods, “she wasn’t happy when he left her standing at the aisle and had his friend Frankie give the bride a note detailing his departure to go to the DEA academy. Guess she was against him going. Wanted him to stay and work in her daddy’s construction company. He wanted to do something for the world and she got stood up. Guess they met in some bar…the Old Rodeo.” Your mom recalls the story Chucho told her.
“Yeah….” Your nose curls at the name. “It’s a shit bar. Nothing but losers went there.” You remember the bar pretty damn well, but your mother doesn’t know that. “Anyway…. I don’t care about Javier. Tell me how you are doing?” You beg. “How are things with Chucho? Is he treating you right? If he’s not, I’m going to have to talk to him.”
Your mom smiles the type of smile you have when you’re totally in love. She looks giddy. There’s a light in your eyes that you’re kind of jealous of. “He’s amazing. Sure, we have little disagreements, mainly about him doing too much damn work. But he’s so kind and caring. He loves me and we both agreed that our marriage would never be compared to our previous ones. Your dad was the love of my life and Maria was his but…I love him. He makes me happy.” She promises with a girlish giggle.
“That’s all that matters.” You murmur softly. Despite your feelings about his son, Chucho is a good man and your mother deserves to be happy after so much time. You had told her that she couldn’t be a widow forever, she lost your father way too young to spend the rest of her life alone. “I hope I can find someone who treats me that way one day.” You frown slightly, remembering the last girlish crush you had and how those hopes and daydreams had been crushed. Shaking yourself out of it, you shrug. “What all do we need to get? Are you having a New Year’s party this year?” Your entire childhood, your parents had thrown amazing New Year’s parties, rivaled by none in your opinion.
Your mom smiles, “yeah. Chucho and I decided to continue the tradition. His nephew Danny is gonna bring a tent over to set up in the back and my friend Ellen is going to cater. I’m getting too old to do the food all by myself. Plenty of booze and food and one of the local kids is going to DJ.” Your mom says, knowing this year will be the best yet. “For now, we need to get a ham, potatoes, all the usual. Oh and a dessert or two. I was thinking pie.” She says and glances around, “where did Javier go?” She asks and the man in question appears with a six pack of beer and a pack of condoms. “The essentials.” He smirks at you and you scoff.
“I do not want to hear the pathetic faked moans of whatever floozy you bring home.” You point at him. “I swear to God, Javier, if you wake me up, I’ll kill you.” You promise hotly. You can’t even imagine having sex at your mom and Chucho’s house, just a respectful thing. Granted, you hadn’t had sex in a long time, a really long time, but still. Javi smirks and you roll your eyes. “So is the beer for the girls to get drunk enough to want to have sex with you?”
Javier chuckles and shakes his head, “it’s for refreshment after they lose their voice from moaning too much.” He’s messing with you. Like he’d bring a woman back to the house with you next door and his dad and your mom down the hall. Absolutely not. He chuckles when you wrinkle your nose and he leans in closer while your mom inspects the vegetables. “You just wish it was you in my bed.” He taunts you, wanting to wind you up even more.
You cut your eyes over at him and sneer. “In your fuckin’ dreams, Peña.” You huff. “I wouldn’t be in your bed if you paid me. And I heard there was quite a bit of payment in Colombia.” You smirk. “Expensing out getting your dick wet.”
Javier narrows his eyes, “saved lives. Took down Escobar. That’s all that matters in the end.” He hisses, still sensitive about getting sent back before he could be the one to slap the cuffs on the bastard. “Besides, I doubt you’ve had anyone come near you with that sour face.” He spits, getting defensive.
It cuts deeper than you imagined and you hate how he can still get to you after everything. “At least I can say that anyone who fucked me did it because they wanted to. I didn’t pay and I don’t give a shit what you think of me. Your opinion means shit.”
Javier growls under his breath just as your mom comes over with the chips. “Everything okay?” She asks and Javier grins, “just peachy.” He says to her and she frowns slightly.
“I’m gonna go get some things.” Javier says, stalking off and away from you before he says something else.
“Are you two fighting again?” Your mom asks, exasperated by the angry tension between the two of you.
“Nope.” You shake your head and turn to see someone turning onto the aisle and you freeze. A flashback to years ago running through your mind. A petite blonde rushing up to Javier and jumping into his arms with a squeal and an enthusiastic kiss. Your stomach knots up and you grab your purse. “I - I need to get some air.” You manage to choke out before you turn and run away. Not wanting to see the woman Javi had thrown you over for.
“Lorraine?” Javi chokes a little at seeing his ex. Sure he’d seen her at Danny’s wedding but that was a few years ago.
“Hey Javier.” She says stiffly, still pissed at him for jilting her despite having her family and rich husband.
“How you been?” He asks, shifting from one foot to the other.
“Good. You’re with her?” She jerks her chin at your retreating form and Javier sighs, shaking his head.
“She still hates me.” He reveals and Lorraine scoffs, “she didn’t used to.”
Javier nods, heart aching a little, “yeah, well, it was good to see you. Happy Holidays.” He says and stalks off to find your mom who had left him to talk.
Out in the parking lot, you bite your lip and lean next to the car. Digging into your purse for a cigarette, you had sworn you were quitting, but you need one. Actually you need a stiff drink but the smoke would have to do. Suddenly thinking about memories better left buried.
****
“So you wanna go out? The Old Rodeo?” The easy smirk in Javi’s face makes your cunt clench. There’s nothing good in that smirk and you love it. “Get something to eat and a lot to drink?” He winks outrageously and does this little move with his thumb around his mouth to bring your eyes to them. Not that you don’t often think about kissing him. “See what happens? I’m crazy for not asking you sooner.”
It’s what you’ve always wanted to hear and you know you are putty in his hand. You always have been, but friends are what you’ve been until this moment. “Of course we can.” You hum, grinning. “I’ll find out what drives the women crazy about the area Lothario.”
Javier remembers that night. The night he was supposed to meet you. He was ready to tell you how he felt, see what happened between you, but you hadn’t shown up. Lorraine approached him that day, his on again off again girlfriend that was off on the day he asked you out but seeing her that afternoon, she wanted to give it another chance and he went with what was comfortable and known after you had blown him off. He was terrified to fuck up your friendship and he was going to tell you that. To explain it, but you didn’t answer your phone and you never let him explain what happened. He regrets that day, regrets going back to Lorraine who ultimately found out on their wedding day why Javier was supposed to meet you. He couldn't marry her. Not when he was in love with you back then. You hate him now and he pretends to hate you.
By the time your mother comes out, you’ve crushed your cigarette out and spritzed yourself with some Sweet Pea body spray. Even though you’re a grown ass woman, your mother doesn’t know that you used to smoke and when she pushes the buggy closer, you shove a stick of gum in your mouth. “Please tell me that you didn’t pay for his beer and rubbers?” You ask your mom, taking the keys from her and opening the trunk.
Your mom shakes her head, “that’s all he got, sweetheart.” She explains just as Javier comes out of the grocery store and over to the car.
“Thanks for getting those things.” Javier says to your mom and kisses her cheek before he starts to load the car.
Huffing, you roll your eyes and barely resist the urge to slam the trunk closed on his hands. Instead of commenting, you place the eggs and the bread on top and take the cart. “I’ll return it.” You mutter, more for your mother than Javi. You just know he would be the type to not return it to the cart corral.
Javier gets in the car, the front seat again, and you huff as you get in behind him. He turns to look at you as your mom starts to drive out of the parking lot. “Do you smell smoke?” He asks your mom, sniffing, and he leans closer to you, “did you just smoke?”
You jerk back, scowling at him and wishing to hell you had never met Javier Peña. “No! What is wrong with you? Stop sniffing me, you pervert.” You hiss, shooting him a deadly glare. “Just because you smell like the inside of an ashtray doesn’t mean everyone else does.”
Javier chuckles and shakes his head, “whatever, Chiquita. You tell yourself what you wanna believe.” He scoffs and then he smirks, “besides, you know that smoking is bad for you. Don’t want anything bad to happen to my step sister.” He feigns concern, knowing he will rile you up.
“I am not your step sister.” You hiss, even though you know that you technically are. “Well, honey….” Your mom interrupts and you sigh.
“Mom, please. The last thing I want is to be associated with this asshole, let alone related to him. Just let me pretend. Chucho is amazing, but I don’t know how he turned out like he did.” You huff, pointing at Javier.
Javier is a little hurt by your jab. His dad is a great man, one he could only aspire to be. His unwavering loyalty and dedication is something that he could wish for but fall short every time. “Whatever. Your mom clearly didn’t raise you to be like her. She’s not a bitch.” He hits back, crossing his arms as he stares out of the window.
You hiss out an angry breath and try not to let him get to you. It hurts, but you’ve been a bitch, being a bitch is better than letting him hurt you. “Okay you two.” Your mom sighs, driving you all home. “Please just get along for the holidays?” She begs.
“Fine.” You decide. “I have no problem ignoring him for the holiday.”
Javier snorts, shaking his head but not saying anything else. He doesn’t understand why you hate him so much. He hasn’t done anything to you. He has no idea why you started hating him when he got with Lorraine. You hadn’t even shown up for your date that night. You were his best friend once.
The rest of the trip is spent in silence and you wonder how the hell you can cut this trip short and get out of spending any more time with Javier than you have to. When you get to the house, you jump out and start immediately unloading the groceries, shoving Javi's bags into his hands. "Got the rest, go do whatever."
Javier frowns but doesn’t argue. He’s sick of arguing. He takes his things into the house and puts the beers in the fridge before taking the condoms to his room. He feels like a teenager again. Awkward and unsure. You make him feel like that. He sighs and runs his fingers through his hair. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and he doesn’t know what to do about spending those days with his family. He decides to avoid it for as long as he can so he grabs the keys to his truck and decides to go for a drink at the dive bar he used to frequent before he left Laredo.
You’re unloading the groceries when you hear the truck start up and you sigh in relief. “Thank God.” You murmur, even though your stomach twists in guilt. Feeling like you’ve run Javi off.
“What happened between you two?” Your mother demands but you just shake your head.
“Mom, please, I don’t want to talk about it.” You beg. “I just- I don’t like him, okay? End of story.”
Your mom sighs but nods, “just - just try to make the best of it, okay sweetheart? It’s Christmas.” She says and you nod, unable to agree verbally.
****
Javier returns to the ranch around 2am. He had met a girl - someone new in town - and Javier flirts but it doesn’t feel right. He frowns when she invites him back to her place and usually he’d say yes but for some reason, he can’t do it. Instead, he heads home and gets into bed without disturbing anyone.
You're sitting on the porch when the truck comes creeping up the drive with the lights off. Sneaking in. You snort to yourself when Javi doesn’t even see you on the porch when he slips into the house. Making you wonder where he had spent the night. Reminding yourself that you shouldn’t care. When you slip back in the house, you hear Javi starting to snore in his bedroom and you huff to yourself. With Chucho’s snoring in the bedroom he shares with your mom, it’s pretty apparent that snoring runs in the family. You climb back into your bed, wondering if you just need to go home, let them enjoy the holiday without you.
The next morning, Javier comes in to find your mom cooking breakfast, a groan escaping his lips when she puts a cup of coffee in his hand. “You are too good to me.” He tells her with a grin and a wink, “thanks.” He sits down at the table and reaches for the pack of smokes he left there.
When you shuffle into the kitchen, you narrow your eyes at the cigarette that is in Javier's hand. Craving it and finding it hypocritical that the bastard would bust your balls about smoking and he is puffing on one right in front of your mother and his dad. "Morning." You huff, moving over to your mom to give her a kiss and to take the coffee mug that she is holding out for you. "Thank you."
Javier watches you until his Pa gets his attention. “Let’s get the animals all fed early today so we aren’t dealing with them tonight or tomorrow morning.” Javier nods, knowing that his dad will want to relax for Christmas Eve dinner and tomorrow. “Sure thing, Pa.”
Sighing softly in relief, you relax when you realize that Javier won't be hovering all day. "Mom, I'll help you get everything ready, sound good?" you ask after taking a sip of the hot brew. "You shouldn't have to do all the cooking."
Your mom nods, “thank you, darling. Don’t be silly about spending the whole day helping me. I want you to enjoy the holiday since you’re home. I’m so glad to have you home.” She says and reaches for you to wrap her arms around you. “I love you.” She murmurs, getting a little emotional and Javier looks away, feeling like he’s invading when you hug your mom back.
"I love you too." You murmur softly, squeezing her tight. "I'll enjoy my holiday as long as I'm with you." You promise. "I'll help you and then I'll go do some last minute shopping."
Your mom nods, smiling and grateful to have you here. She gestures to the table, “sit down. Breakfast is nearly ready.”
You sigh and then choke as you sit down next to Javier who is still smoking while he reads a section of the paper. “You know those things will kill you.” You remind him despite your hypocrisy.
“Not if you do first, baby.” He winks at you and takes another drag.
"Don't tempt me." You grumble under your breath and roll your eyes as you fix your plate. You'll eat and then concentrate on your coffee.
Javier grabs a piece of toast and bites into it obnoxiously, wanting to see you get annoyed with him. You may hate him but he loves to see you riled up. At least it’s emotion.
You remember the promise you made to yourself, rolling your eyes instead of commenting and taking a sip of your coffee. "Thanks for breakfast, mom. You are amazing."
Your mom grins, pleased at the praise and Javier nods, “you are a great cook. My dad and I struggled for years after my mom died to make something half edible. We even burned the toast.” He confesses and takes another bite of the toast.
You don't make a snide comment, knowing the loss of his mother was hard for Javi, and for Chucho. It would be beyond disgusting to insult that. You set your coffee down and pick up your fork to take a bite of the eggs.
Javier digs into the rest of breakfast, groaning at the food, and he realizes he hasn’t been this hungry in a long time. He swallows down each gulp like a man starved and he pushes the plate back after he finishes to rub his stomach. He didn’t eat much in Colombia, running on booze and coffee and cigarettes.
You don't comment on the fact that Javi wolfed down his food, not even looking over at him as you eat your own meal. "So I was thinking," you start. "Why don't I cook dinner, since you'll be busy working on Christmas dinner?" You offer.
Your mom shakes her head, “oh baby. No. No. I can’t do that. Honey, I need you to relax too. It’s your first holiday home in forever. Let me make it special for you.” She offers and Javier shakes his head, “I don’t mind helping.”
You snort and cut your gaze over to him. "What could you do?" You ask. "You just said that you burned toast. Why the hell would we want burnt food?"
“I can cut shit up.” He offers, “boil water. I don’t know. It’s a lot of work to do alone. I can be ordered around like a good boy.” He promises with a smirk, picking up his coffee cup.
You roll your eyes and shake your head. "I doubt you've ever been a good boy." You huff. "No, I'm good. I don't think I want you around sharp knives. I might get confused and cut you."
Javier snorts, “more like stab me.” He says and you raise your eyebrows, “you said it.”
Your mom shakes her head, “I’ll cook. You kids just focus on being nice to each other.”
Chucho nods, “be nice, mijo.” He orders and Javier can’t argue with his father.
You smirk at Javi after his father tells him to be nice, barely resisting the urge to stick your tongue out at him. "I told you mom, I'll be civil. That's the best I can offer."
Javier rolls his eyes and stands up, putting his plate in the sink along with his coffee cup and he stalks out of the room to get ready for a day on the ranch helping his dad have everything sorted so he can enjoy Christmas without worrying about the animals or the ranch.
It's sweet, watching Chucho lean over your mom and give her a kiss. Smiling softly and patting her cheek when he tells him that he will be back later. It's the kind of relationship that you had always wished for yourself but it wasn't to be.
It’s late afternoon and you’re in the kitchen helping your mom prepare dinner when Javi comes in. It’s a cold day for Texas but Javi has been fixing the mower when he spilled oil on his shirt. He pulls it off and leaves it on the porch in a pile, deciding to come inside shirtless so he can wash his hands.
Your mom is in her bedroom, stripping her sheets to wash and you are in the kitchen, prepping food. The radio is on, playing the top 10 countdown and you are singing along to the music. Dancing around as you mix the cookie dough up. Distracted to the point where you don't hear the back door open.
Javier stops in the kitchen, shirtless, and he grins as you shake your hips and sings to the music. “I didn’t know you could dance so well, Chiquita.” He compliments you with a chuckle and he crosses his arms, oily hands forgotten.
Yelping in surprise, you almost drop the bowl. "Shit!" You slam the bowl down and glare at Javi as he grins at you. "What the fuck are you doing? Sneaking up on me?"
“I came in to wash my hands. Got covered in oil and came in to see you dancing. I ain’t ever seen you dance like that before, Chiquita.” He smirks and hums, “actually…a few times back when we - well, when you didn’t hate me.”
You stiffen when he has the audacity to bring up that time. "Yeah, well there's a lot you haven't seen, Peña." You huff, reaching over and slapping off the radio. "And you won't see. So just wash your hands and get on with what you were doing."
He knows you’re mad at him and he kinda likes it. He walks over to sink, grabbing the soap to wash off his hands and you’re next to him, and he can smell your perfume. He leans in closer unconsciously drawn to you. His body pressing against you without thought.
"What the fuck are you doing?" It takes you a split second before you react to him leaning into you. Hating how your pulse jumps and your entire body seems to tighten in anticipation. You step back and look at him in disgust. "I'm not one of your fucking conquests. Don't touch me."
Javier pulls back instantly, the spell he was under is broken and he snarls at you, curling his upper lip. “You should be so lucky. My dick would get fucking bitten off by you.” He hisses and stalks into his bedroom to grab another shirt and hide his embarrassment. He doesn’t understand why you hate him so much. Especially not when he - when he was - well, it doesn’t matter now.
You close your eyes and take a deep breath, shaking your head. "Fucking forget about him." You tell yourself quietly. "He just is a piece of shit who would break your heart again."
Javier sighs and pulls a clean shirt on before he heads back out to continue helping his dad. He is anxious about dinner later. Wondering if you’re gonna behave or if he’s gonna end up fighting with you. “Why do you fight with her?” Chucho asks his son as they finish up work.
“I- I fight with her because - well, it’s complicated. She hates me.” Javier reveals and Chucho shakes his head, “she doesn’t. I don’t see hate in her eyes. I see hurt. You need to talk to her, figure out what happened.”
When your mom comes back into the kitchen, you plaster a smile on your face and quickly escape. Taking your rental car and leaving the ranch to drive into town. Happy to escape and rolling the window down to smoke a cigarette as you drive. Blowing the smoke out of the car and sighing to yourself. Now that Javi is here, you will be obligated to get him something. So you have to find a gift for the asshole.
Javier decides to take his dad’s advice, he will talk to you and see what the fuck happened to make you hate him. He showers when he comes back inside and curses as he struggles to wrap the presents he bought. Including the necklace he got you when he was in Colombia. He wasn’t sure when he’d see you but it was made for you and he had to buy it.
Taking your time shopping, you meander in and out of shops, finally deciding on a gift for Javier. Really, two. One that spells out how you feel and another that your mother would approve of. You might be taking more time than normal so you didn't have to go back to the ranch just yet. Deciding to have the gifts you had brought for Chucho and your mom, along with the newly bought gifts for Javier wrapped at the little booth that is set up on the square. The beautiful wrapping is far superior than your own.
Javier places his haphazardly wrapped presents under the tree, shaking his head at how bad a job he did but he hopes everyone likes the presents he got. He wipes his hands on his jeans and grabs a beer, sitting down with his pa on the sofa just as you come back into the house. “Jesus, you go shopping in Dallas? You’ve been gone so long.” Javier comments.
You barely resist the urge to make a snarky comment and just shrug. “Got caught up.” You answer, feeling a little resentful that he believes you should answer to him. You are nothing to each other and hopefully won’t see each other again for years after the New Year’s party. Bringing the presents over, you place them under the tree and disappear down the hall to your bedroom to put your purse up.
Chucho looks over at Javier who sighs and stands up, following you down the hall and he knocks on the door. “Mom. I-” He doesn’t wait for you to say ‘come in’ when he enters and your eyes widen when he shuts the door behind him. “Javi. What the fuck-”
He shakes his head, cutting you off. “Please, Chiquita. I need to know what the fuck it is I’ve done that makes you hate me so much.”
“I-“ your mouth drops open in surprise and you can’t believe this asshole doesn’t even remember. “I’m sure it’ll come to you if you think really hard on it. Now, I’d like you to leave my room.” You tell him, having no interest in getting into things with him. He had made his choice and you had moved on.
He frowns, “you seriously are a fucking bitch. Why can’t you just be fucking upfront instead of messing with me as much as possible.” He growls, “I’m over your little games. Fuck you.” He hisses before he leaves your room, slamming the door behind him. He storms outside, grabbing his cigarettes and he lights one as soon as he’s outside, trying to calm himself down.
In your room, you hate how his words affect you. Sinking down onto the bed, you try to stop yourself from crying. Thinking that you had cried yourself dry years ago and hating that Javier Peña still has that power over you. Wiping your eyes, you pick up your bag off the floor and toss it on the bed, ready to repack and leave.
He isn’t sure how long he stays outside, wandering the property, and he eventually looks up at the stars twinkling in the sky. “Mama. I- I don’t know what to do. She - she’s still so fucking gorgeous and I have no clue why she stopped talking to me. Seeing her again…I’m so confused. What do I do?” He asks the stars, wishing his mom was here to guide him.
Your bags packed, you sneak them outside and into the rental car. Unsure of why you are hanging around, but maybe it’s just to concede. Tell Javier that he’s won and you won’t be back around anymore. You’ll make it up to your mom, you’ll fly her out to spend a few weeks with you on your own turf. Your own cigarette is in hand for a pre-trip smoke as you spy a lone figure out by the barns and you decide to walk down there.
Javier caresses the horse as he stands in the barn, deciding to take more time to himself before he heads back inside for a “family dinner.” He hears a noise and turns to see you standing there, cigarette in hand. “You drop that, we all go up in flames.” He warns you, turning back to the horse.
“I’m not stupid enough to drop a cigarette around all the hay.” You snort, annoyed that he can’t help but be a condescending prick. “Came to tell you I’m leaving.” You take another drag off the cigarette before you smother the cherry on a wooden post until it’s out. “So you don’t have to worry about me being a bitch anymore. You win. I’ll fly my mom out to spend time with her during the year.” You hate looking at him, hate that you’ll remember the shock on his face but you make yourself turn around and start walking away. “Oh.” You toss over your shoulder. “Fuck you too, Peña.”
He hisses, rushing to follow you and he grabs your shoulder. “Fuck me? Fuck you. You’re gonna leave your mom on Christmas when you haven’t seen her in years. For what? Because of me? I’ll go. I’ll fucking leave then.” He growls at you and he spins you around to face him. “You can’t fucking leave.”
“Don’t fucking tell me what I can and can’t do!” You push him away, horrified that angry tears have sprang up in your eyes. “I don’t want to be here with you! I don’t want to fucking see you! Ever!” You bite your lip and wipe your tears. “You ruined Christmas, not me. Just like you ruin everything.”
“I don’t even know what I did. I have no fucking clue why you hate me. Can you at least tell me what I did before you crucify me?” He pleads, hunching over in frustration as you stand in the entrance to the barn.
You stare at him for a second and then you laugh. Deep and from your belly, making you double over as the tears of frustrated mirth roll down your cheeks. “Of course you don't remember!” You scoff. “Why the fuck would you remember shattering my heart? Asking me out on a fucking date and making me believe that things between us were finally going to change.” You stop laughing and shoot him a withering look, even with the tear streaks on your skin. “Was it on purpose? Making out with Lorraine when I showed up for our date? To sink the knife in and drive the message home that I wasn’t good enough for you? I know it was a stupid, pathetic crush, I was hopelessly in love with you.” You snort. “You didn’t have to be cruel.”
“You thought- fuck. I- you don’t even know what I was thinking when I asked you to the bar, do you? And when I got there, Lorraine was there and she was trying to win me back. She - she pounced on me when I- fuck. She must’ve seen you walk in.” He rambles, “she set it up and I- shit. You saw - oh shit.” He chokes, realizing how much Lorraine messed up his life. She knew he was planning to meet you and that he - “Fuck!” He yells at the sky, frustrated and so fucking angry. The miscommunication and the deception make his blood boil. “Fuck you!” He shouts again at the sky, hoping Lorraine hears him. “Fuck me? Fuck you!” You growl, thinking he is talking to you.
“Fuck you!” He hisses back, furious at the universe. “Fuck you, Chiquita. Fuck-” He surges forward to cup your cheeks, pressing his lips to yours.
You huff against his lips, pulling back and drawing your hand back to slap him. The crack of the hit echoes around the pen. “Fuck you!” You hiss, but Javi just growls your name and grabs you by the back of the neck to plaster his lips against yours again. Making you melt as you stop resisting and kiss him back with just as much angry passion as he is kissing you.
He groans into your mouth, guiding you backwards into the barn and towards the fresh pile of hay, and he lowers you down onto it. He hovers over you, his lips kissing your jaw. “Tell me to stop.” He begs, reaching down to grab your thigh to hitch it over his hip. “Tell me to fucking stop.” He pleads, needing you to tell him you don’t want this before he makes you moan.
You should. You should push him away and slap him again, but you don’t. Too busy sinking your fingers into his hair and tugging on it hard enough to make him hiss. One night. You’ll take this one night with him and then you’ll leave. “Don’t stop.” You whimper, wanting to have him just once.
He groans in relief when you don’t push him away. His hand slides along your thigh to slip under the dress you put on for Christmas Eve dinner. His fingers pressing against your clit through the cotton and he kisses down your neck until he’s nipping at the swell of your breast. “Always been so fucking beautiful.” He mutters into your skin as his fingers slide under the elastic of your panties so he can rub your clit properly.
You huff, still not understanding everything that happened so many years ago, but his fingers are distracting. “Javi.” You moan softly, wishing you could kiss him, bite him as he rubs your clit and his nose pushes down the top of your dress to expose your tits. “Please.”
He can’t deny you anything when you whimper like that. He mouths at your nipple, biting down as you tug on his hair, and he pushes two fingers inside of you. “Waited so fucking long to hear those sweet moans. Wanna hear you cum. Wanna feel your pussy squeeze me, hermosa.” He murmurs into your ear as he presses his thumb into your clit.
Moaning, you close your eyes and absorb the stretch of his fingers. It’s so good. So filling. There’s a chance - a very large one - that this is some kind of notch in his belt. That he wants to touch you just so he can hold it over your head, but you don’t care. You just want to be touched. To have him like this. “Fuck, Javi- please.”
He hisses when your walls grip his fingers, showing him how tight you could get around his cock, and he groans your name. “I got you, hermosa.” He promises, “I got you baby.” He rubs your clit a little faster with his thumb, desperately needing you to cum before he fills you with his cock.
You whine, turning your head and pressing your lips together to muffle the sounds. The last thing you want is for your mom and Chucho to hear you and come outside. Closing your eyes, you love the little encouraging grunts he gives as he fingers you until you’re clenching down around his fingers and gasping out his name.
Javier groans when you soak his fingers and he works you through it. “That’s it. Such a good girl.” He murmurs, withdrawing his fingers after you start to whine and he shoves them in his mouth, wanting to taste you. “Baby. Shit. Tell me I can fuck you. Or tell me to stop.” He pleads as he squeezes his cock through his jeans.
Your dress is hiked up and your tits pulled out. Reaching for the band of your panties, you lift your hips to push them down. “Take your fucking pants off, Peña.” You growl, tossing the soaked material to the side and reaching for his belt.
He groans when you pull his hard cock out. He's throbbing and leaking pre-cum. The front of his jeans are dark from it, and he bats your hand away when you start to pump him. "Gonna fuck you." He promises, shuffling close until he's lined up and he starts to slowly push inside of you.
Your legs brace on either side of his hips and your nails curl into the fabric of his plaid shirt. He’s thick and stretches you out. “Fuck, Javi.” You whine, tilting your head up to kiss along his jaw. “Fuck.”
He pants, your cunt is gripping him like a vice, and he struggles to control himself. He takes a deep breath and nudges his nose against yours. He pushes deep, throbbing inside of you, and he slowly pulls out of you then pushes back in a little faster. "Mierda." He pants, starting to fuck you properly.
You had always wondered if Javi was cocky because he was that good or if it was a false sense of bravado but you quickly find out. The short, deep thrusts of his cock seem to push against the spongy, sensitive parts of you perfectly. “Shit is right.” You moan, wrapping your legs around him as he rocks into you. Regardless of how many women he’s fucked, you’re in his arms right now. “God, Javi, more.”
He pants, his cock twitching inside of you, and he grabs your thigh, lifting it higher so he can press deeper inside of you. “So fucking good, baby. Always thought you would be. Always imagined you’d blow my mind.” He rambles as he rocks into you over and over.
Closing your eyes, you resist the urge to spit at him that he could have found out years ago. Instead, you just tighten your muscles around him and moan quietly. You don’t want to ruin this or fight with him when he’s inside you, still unsure of what the fuck happened but you have your suspicions. “Fuck.”
He rocks into you, kissing along your neck, and he can’t resist biting along your skin. He’s always been a biter and he feels a little satisfied to bite your neck and mark you. His thrusts get sloppily, harder, as he gets closer but he needs you to cum first. Usually, he’d last longer but this is you and the fire is still blazing through his veins.
You feel his entire body tensing and moan softly. Stroking his back under his shirt and feeling the muscles move. “So good, fuck, you’re so good.” You praise softly, overwhelmed by how deep he plunges into you.
“Cum for me, hermosa.” He orders, “cum, Chiquita.” He demands, reaching between you to rub your clit in hopes that you’ll fall apart just before he does.
You whimper at the additional stimulation, body tensing under his. Rocking your hips up to his hand until you are falling apart with a choked cry.
“That’s it baby. Fuck. Oh shit. Oh.” He grunts as he thrusts three more times before he’s pulling out to cum on your thigh and over the hay. “Jesus.” He hisses, unable to believe he couldn’t even hold off until he could jerk himself.
You don’t know if you should be grateful or insulted that he pulled out to cum. You’re on birth control but he doesn’t know that. You decide that you just won’t address it. “Well….that just happened.” You hum, leaning back into the hay to catch your breath.
Javier chuckles, “yeah. A bit overdue.” He confesses and you freeze under him.
“It’s getting late and I- we need to-” You rush out as you push on his chest and he frowns as he shifts off of you, working fast to tuck himself back into his pants.
“Hermosa-“ Javi starts and you grab your panties and hurry to put them back on after using some hay to wipe the cum off your skin.
“We should get back.” You interrupt. “Mom worked hard on dinner.” You are confused and need time to process what just happened. “Don’t come in right behind me.” You tell him before you rush towards the house.
Javier stares at the barn door you rushed out of. His stomach twisting, and he rubs his cheek, "shit." He hisses, unsure of what happens next. He gave in. He gave in to the fucking feelings and desires he has had for years. He should've stayed away, not hurt you anymore than he has. "Fuck." He growls as he stands and the horses look over at him. "Don't look at me like that, asshole." He growls at the horse before he corrects his clothes and makes his way back to the house.
You slip into the house and down the hall to the bathroom. Staring at your reflection in the mirror and wondering what the fuck you have done. You crossed a line with Javier and now you are in unfamiliar water. Huffing before you grab a rag and start cleaning yourself up better so you don’t smell like cum.
Javier slips back into the living room, grabbing the beer his dad offers him and he sits down and stares at the empty hall. “Huh?” He grunts at his dad who asks him a question.
“I asked if you got all the animals fed and watered.” Chucho repeats with a suspicious frown and Javi nods.
“Yeah. I did. I- they are good.” He says half minded as he sips the beer and wonders what the fuck you’re thinking.
You probably spend more time in the bathroom than you should, checking your reflection to make sure no one can tell what you’ve been up to. Finally turning off the light and slipping out of the bathroom and into the kitchen to grab a glass of wine.
Javier watches you rush into the kitchen and Chucho notices. “You need to talk to her, mijo. Tell her what happened.” He urges and Javier shakes his head, “she wouldn’t believe me anyway.” Your mom calls for everyone to get around the table, it’s time for dinner. When Javier comes to the table, you’re downing the glass of wine in your hand, and he sighs when he takes a seat opposite you.
Your eyes slide over to him and you lower the glass as you swallow the last of the wine down. “What?” You ask, wondering why he is sighing. He got what he wanted, and you even stayed.
“Oh sweetie, you want more?” Your mother asks and you nod.
“Please?” You ask desperately. “I need it.”
Javi frowns as you take a gulp of your now full glass of wine. Your mom wants to say grace and Javier joins his hand with yours. Opening one eye to see what you’re doing, he rubs his thumb over the back of your hand, silently relaying he wants to talk later.
You shiver and when the prayer is over, you quickly pull your hand out of Javi’s. “Food looks amazing, mom.” You gush. “You did a fantastic job.”
Javier nods, "it's really good, ma'am." He says and your mom rolls her eyes, "how many times I gotta tell you to not call me that?" She reminds him and he chuckles, "sorry ma'am."
He winks at her and she giggles, making Chucho snort, "stop flirting with my wife, boy." He teases his son who rolls his eyes, "unless you're trying to make good with my step daughter." Chucho says and Javier chokes on his food.
You laugh, a little butter and shake your head. “Hell no.” You assure Chucho. “You don’t have to worry about that. I don’t think he’s ever even looked at me twice.” You flash the older man a smile and a small shrug.
Javier frowns, glancing across the room to the tree where his present for you is. He wonders if you’ll like it or if you’re going to reject it…and him. He downs the rest of his beer and digs back in to his food, anxious and not liking the way you dismissed him so easily.
You eat quietly, ignoring the way that your mother and Chucho exchange pointed looks. Reminding yourself that you just need to survive the holiday and then you’ll never see or hear from Javier again. “So what are your plans?” Your mom asks and you shrug.
“Work.” You answer quietly. “Always work.”
Javier chimes in, “you can’t always work. Life has to fit in sometimes. A personal life.” He knows he’s a hypocrite saying that when his own world has revolved around work for so long. “Gotta have a balance.” He’s realized that now he’s older.
“One day.” You huff. “I’ll find a life when I get my promotion.” You have told yourself that for countless milestones but you never do. You enjoy your relatively drama free personal life.
“Honey…..you need to start dating.” Your mom puts in and you roll your eyes. “No thanks. I’m good.”
Javier snorts, “more like she’s scared of what could happen if she actually cared for someone.” He says and Chucho nudges his leg under the table in a warning.
Your eyes slide towards Javier and narrow. “Tried that once. He was a pig.” You hiss. “Decided that it wasn’t worth my time. Even though I don’t fuck for sport, I find plenty of companionship when I want it.” Your mom hisses your name, but you don’t back down from staring at the man who drives you insane.
Javier clenches his jaw at your thinly veiled insult towards him. He didn’t get a chance to explain what happened. He just wants a chance to tell you what went down that night. “Yeah. I’m sure you do.” Javier scoffs, “even in the middle of nowhere.”
Smirking, you shrug. “Mistakes happen, right?” You say smugly. You know now that you were just a notch in his belt. You can leave without any regrets. “Quickly forgotten.”
He shakes his head and scoffs, picking up another beer he had on the table to sip. "I don't forget things as easily. If ever." He says, letting himself stare at you and wanting to see you become uncomfortable under his gaze.
The table becomes a battleground, each one of you staring at the other. Unwilling to back down, you glare at Javi, wondering why you ever had that moment of insanity and let him touch you.
The dessert is finally served and Chucho and your mom are relieved. "Maybe we can have a drink on the porch?" Your mom suggests, wanting to get some air after dessert is finished.
Chucho nods, "you kids can do the washing up." He says, following your mom after grabbing the bottle of wine, to follow her out on the porch.
Instead of speaking, you just start collecting the dirty dishes and your chair scrapes back from the table. Quickly moving to the sink to start some dish water to wash dishes. The quicker that you clean up, the quicker that you can escape Javier.
Javier huffs when you try to clean up as quickly as possible to get away from him. You are washing a dish when he places his arms on either side of you, trapping you against the sink. “Why’d you run away?” He asks, meaning tonight, the bar that night, and from town, all in the same heavy question. His nose running along your neck, “why’d you run?”
“You made your choice.” You jerk away from him and concentrate on the dishes. Refusing to melt under his casual seduction. “It wasn’t me. Why would I stick around and watch you play house with her?” You demand. “I’m not that pathetic.”
Javier sighs and rests his hands on the counter. “I didn’t- I was there to meet you. I was gonna have the date with you and she pounced on me. You didn’t see me push her away. I told her I was done with her and then you- you never showed and I thought I had my answer. That you didn’t feel the same way. So I went back to Lorraine, trying to figure out how the fuck to fall out of love with you.” He confesses, “you- you made me - you broke my heart that night.” He admits and knows you won’t believe him.
“Bullshit.” You close your eyes, hands under the water and you take a deep breath to keep from crying. The problem is that you want to believe it, want to believe that he had not intentionally been horrible. “Your hands were on her ass and her tongue was down your throat.” You remind him. “Look, I can’t - it’s not-“ you sigh again. “You fucked me, okay? You got what you wanted. It was pretty good. Wouldn’t mind if it happened again, but I don’t need words anymore. You changed me that night, you broke me.”
He shakes his head, “she put my hands on her ass and shoved her tongue down my throat. She - she forced herself on me and I- I pushed her away seconds later. You didn’t see me push her away. She knew how I- fuck. She knew how I felt about you and she was jealous. That’s why we broke up the first time. She found out about my feelings for you and dumped me. Then she wanted me back. Shit. I love you. I still love you.” He chokes, hating how vulnerable he feels.
Eyes wide, you turn your head and look at him in shock. “You still love me?” You ask in disbelief. “You haven’t seen me in forever and you’ve- you’ve moved on. You knew where I was, you could have come to me, but you got engaged to her.”
“I thought you hated me. You never returned my calls. Wouldn’t answer your door to me. Your mom said you’d left and I- I figured I’d do the right thing after Lorraine told me she was pregnant. She wasn’t. She lied so I’d propose and she railroaded a wedding that ended with me leaving her hanging at the altar. I couldn’t do it. I left that same day to go to the DEA and then all those years in Colombia. I never stopped thinking about you. And seeing you now…made me remember why I love you.” He finishes, unsure and so unused to declarations of love but you need to know the truth.
“Why?” You demand, unwilling to believe it right away yet it sounds like something Lorraine would do. “Why would you love me? I’ve been cold and sarcastic to you. Other than in the barn just before dinner.”
Javier chuckles, “honestly? I loved you back then because you’re funny, you’re kind. You’re my best friend and I fell in love with you without even realizing it and it fucking terrified me but baby, I was a coward then. I wanted to explore the world. I wanted to make a difference. I’m older now, I got that out of my system and I know what I want. I want you. I want to love you. You’re even more gorgeous and fucking sexy when you get mad at me.” He confesses, “but I guess you hate me too much and I get that. I- forget I said anything. Forget what happened in the barn. Let’s just get the holidays over with and you can leave.” He says as he pushes off of the counter to head down the hall to wallow and try to smother his mortification.
You should follow him, but you know that whatever you say right now, Javier will believe that it’s out of pity. Sighing to yourself as you finish up the dishes. Unsure of how to process this, and what you feel. You’ve been angry at him for so long because you were in love with him. Desperately so. Are you still angry because you’re still in love with him? Or the version of him from so many years ago? It’s confusing and frustrating, so when you’re done, you walk down the hall, pausing in front of his door.
Javier hears you outside of his room, and he sits up, glasses perched on his nose as he sets the book down he bought in the airport in hopes of relaxing enough to read something at some point. That hope is short lived and he deflates when he hears you continue down the hall to your room. You hate him. He fucked it up. With a sigh, he takes his glasses off and tosses the book onto the nightstand, deciding to get some sleep instead of letting his mind wander all night long.
The night passes, restlessly tossing and turning. Your sleep is interrupted by dreams of what could have been if you hadn’t run away. Javier as your husband, celebrating Christmas and bringing the baby for Chucho and your mom to spoil. Waking up before the sun rises, you slip out of the bed and into the kitchen to make coffee and sneak a cigarette. You had only brought one pack, but you’re going to smoke all of them before the holiday is over obviously.
Javier groans as he gets up, his back aching more than it used to. Fuck, he’s getting old. He takes a piss and brushes his teeth before heading into the kitchen wearing some boxers he grabbed off of the floor. It doesn’t seem like anyone is up yet until he sees the coffee pot. Pouring himself a cup, he heads onto the porch to find you smoking. “Those things will kill you.” He says, shivering at the cool air and taking a sip of his coffee.
“Hello pot.” You blow out the smoke and look at the cigarette. “I’m kettle. Didn’t you smoke a cigarette in the car with my mom? Besides, I hadn’t smoked in nearly a month before I came here.”
Javier snorts, “nice to meet you kettle.” He chuckles softly, taking another sip of his coffee and he walks over to you, plucking the cigarette out of your hand so he can take a drag, his eyes fixed on yours.
You huff slightly but you don’t glare at him. Taking a sip of your coffee and then looking out over the ranch. “Your dad is good for my mother.” You admit quietly. “She gushes when she talks about him and never thought that she would ever find someone to make her happy after dad died.”
Javier nods, “I never thought my dad would find someone after my mom died. It was hard…her dying so young of cancer and he - he struggled. We both did. I think that’s why I wanted to get out of Laredo as soon as possible when I had the chance. All those years away…I didn’t achieve anything really. Didn’t change the world. Those bastards are still peddling drugs across the border and I- I missed out on an opportunity to try and get the woman I love to be mine.” He says as he takes another drag.
“From what everyone has said, you managed to find plenty of companionship in Colombia.” You hadn’t wanted to talk about Javier, but your mom had kept you informed about his doings. “If you had convinced her, you couldn’t have done that. Not without losing your dick.”
“I - I was getting information. Men like to blabber when they are inside a beautiful woman. It got us a lot of intel and those women got to feed their kids. And if I had convinced her, I wouldn’t have gone. And I wouldn’t have had that kind of companionship. Life happens and here we are. Together. On this porch. It’s Christmas. Merry Christmas baby.” He murmurs, slowly leaning towards you. He takes a second to let you lean back before kissing your cheek.
“Merry Christmas.” You murmur, closing your eyes at the feeling of his lips against your cheek. “You have gone. I wouldn’t have wanted you to give up on your ideals and dreams for a relationship. I’m not Lorraine.”
He nods after he pulls back, “you’re not Lorraine. You- you’re you. I should’ve seen you earlier and I’m sorry. About everything. Last night. The night before. All the nights before that. I fucked up, hermosa. Just - just be happy, yeah?” He says as he hands you back the cigarette and heads inside, ready to nurse his heart.
“Javi- stop.” Reaching out, you touch his wrist. “Don’t go. I don’t know- who knows what would have happened?” You ask softly. “Back then. But I don’t want to fight with you anymore. I’m tired of avoiding you.”
Javier stares at you and nods, “let’s start again.” He walks up to you and holds his hand out, “hi. I’m Javier Peña. Ex- DEA agent. Total fuck up and chain smoker.” He declares with a soft smirk.
You chuckle quietly and introduce yourself. “Workaholic, total bitch and secret smoker.” You hum, squeezing his hand gently. “Nice to meet you.”
Javier squeezes your hand back and grins, “pleasure, baby. It’s a pleasure.” He winks and the lights in the kitchen turn on as your mom enters. “You two are out here? It’s so cold. Come inside.” She demands and Javier winks at you again as he lets you walk in ahead of him.
“Merry Christmas, mom.” You swoop in for a hug and she eyes you suspiciously.
“Please, please behave today.” She begs quietly, making you feel guilty for how rude you’ve been.
“I will, mom. Javi and I have called a truce.”
Javier nods as he comes over to give your mom a hug and wish her Merry Christmas. “We called a ceasefire for today.” He promises, “we are gonna make today special.” He assures her and she eyes you both cautiously. “I guess we will see.” She hums, “now, you both wanna help me with breakfast?” She asks and you nod.
Making breakfast doesn’t cause any arguments. Javi follows directions surprisingly well and there are moments that you snicker at his dry wit. Once upon a time, you were best friends and if nothing else, you wouldn’t mind having your friend back. Chucho comes in when it’s ready, sleeping in for once and you’re proud of the fact that he’s obviously been away but stayed in bed to rest. “Good morning.” You hum, kissing your stepfather on the cheek. “Feliz Navidad.”
Javier gives his Pa a hug and wishes him merry Christmas. “Breakfast is ready. Let’s sit down and eat and then presents.” Your mom exclaims with excitement, eager to give Chucho her present that she’s thought of since last Christmas.
You bite your lip. Remembering the gift you had picked out for Javier. Hopefully he won’t be too upset since you had bought him something else to replace it. It was a shitty gift, but you were angry when you went shopping. “Sounds great.” You murmur.
The breakfast goes well, civil conversation, and soon you and Javi are quickly washing up while your mom sorts out the gifts from under the tree. “Gift time!” She declares and Javier is anxious about what you think.
You hum and coo when your mother opens the beautiful bracelet that Chucho bought her. “Oh it’s so pretty. You have taste, obviously.” You joke, grinning at him as he puts it on your mother’s wrist.
Chucho grins, happy that your mom is happy and he kisses the back of her hand after securing the bracelet. “It’s so beautiful.” Your mom coos and Chucho winks, “para mi esposa hermosa.” He charms her and she giggles like a schoolgirl. Javier chuckles, pleased to see his dad so happy. Chucho opens his present from your mom. A new shotgun and he is grinning as he examines it. “This is perfect, honey.” He says, knowing his shotgun collection has been a little dated and he needs something new. “This is perfect for out in the fields.” He says, testing the weight of it before he carefully sets it down in the corner.
“You next.” Your mom says, handing you your presents from her and Chucho and from Javi.
You open the gift from your mother and Chucho, exclaiming happily when they got you a pair of tickets to a concert that you have wanted to go to. “Oh this is wonderful!” You tell them. When it comes to Javi’s gift, you’re surprised when you see the name tag. You hadn’t expected to get anything from him. “You- you didn’t have to get me anything.” You huff
Javier shakes his head slightly, “it’s not much.” He lies even as his stomach twists at the thought of you opening the present. He hopes you don’t hate them. He bites his lip as you take your time unwrapping the small box.
Opening up the small box you gasp in surprise. It’s a necklace. A gorgeous one that has the most beautiful stones in it. “Javi-“ you whisper, wondering where he got this and when. “It’s gorgeous.”
Javier smiles, pleased you like the necklace. “I, uh, I saw it when I was in Colombia and…and I knew it was made for you. I got it. Wasn’t sure if I’d ever get to give it to you.” He admits and rubs his hands together, nervous about you liking the necklace.
“It’s beautiful.” You admit quietly, more moved than you can express for him buying a necklace that he didn’t even know he would give you. “Will you put it on me?” You ask softly.
He nods, standing up and taking the chain from you. His heart is thumping as he delicately fastens the chain around your neck, barely resisting the urge to lean in and kiss your shoulder. “Hermosa.” He murmurs as he steps back from you.
“Thank you.” You murmur quietly, looking into his eyes and hoping that you are showing him how much you appreciate it. “It makes me feel bad now.” You admit as you pick up the parcel you had wrapped for him
He shakes his head and brings it up to his ear, “is it a bomb?” He teases and you giggle, shaking your head. He rips into the paper, exposing the box and he frowns. “Hemorrhoid cream?” He asks, confused and honestly a little hurt.
“Because you’re a ‘pain in my ass’.” You joke lamely and bite your lip before motioning to the other wrapped gift. “I did buy you something else. Your real present.”
Javier sets the cream with an amused snort and he grabs the other present, opening it, and his eyes widen at the expensive leather. His fingers trace the engraving of his initials on the journal and he looks at you. “Thank you. This is - it’s perfect.” He was considering writing down his experiences in Colombia. Something a therapist suggested to him. Perhaps a book in the future.
“I thought it would be appropriate to journal or just write down your thoughts.” You admit, happy that he likes the real gift you had picked out. “The cream was a gag gift, but I wanted you to have something nice.”
He leans in to kiss your cheek, “I love it. The journal. Although…I could use the cream now and then.” He jokes as he leans back. “Thank you.” He murmurs, his eyes flicking down to your lips.
“You’re welcome.” You smile and Chucho clears his throat. “Oh, um, I’m sure you want to open the present from mom and your dad.” You tell him, quickly pulling back and looking at the other present.
Javier nods and moves back to the sofa, sitting down, and he opens the present from his dad and your mom. “Seriously?” His eyes widen and his dad nods, “you need your own place and I don't need a damn teenager in the house.” Chucho teases, “it’s been empty since Jose left a few months ago. It’s yours if you want it.” Chucho offers Javier the keys to the small house that sits on the other side of the ranch, built for the ranch hand by Chucho’s parents. “Thank you.” Javier grins, happy to have his own place and still be able to live on the ranch of his ancestors.
“Just need you to fill the place up with grandbabies.” Your mom teases and Javier blushes slightly, “gotta find a lady willing to put up with my ass.”
You feel like his eyes are on you and you try to ignore it. “You gave away a house?” You look over at your mom and Chucho, impressed. “So I guess that means Javi is sticking around?”
Javier nods, “I’m staying. I’m done with the DEA. I’m here to help Pa on the ranch. I was gonna look for places in town but this - this is perfect.” He declares, looking back down at the keys in his hand.
You swallow harshly, remembering all the fantasies you had about you and Javi working in the ranch with his dad and one day taking it over. “That’s great. Having your privacy is always a good thing. Saves for embarrassing encounters in the morning.” You joke, wondering if he had meant what he said about still loving you. If he imagined the same life you had before.
Javier stares at you for a long moment, imagining that life with you. Marriage. Children. He never imagined it with anyone else, even Lorraine. He never wanted it with her. When she told him she was pregnant, he was so upset. “Thanks Pa.” Javi leans over to pat his dad on the back before he thanks your mom.
You watch as Javi hugs your mom and gather up the wrapping paper and trash to throw it away. “If you want to go look at the place, I’ll help mom with dinner.” You offer.
“You wanna come look with me? Might need your interior design skills.” He says, tilting his head, and he hopes you don’t decline.
“Oh honey, go with him.” Your mom interjects. “We did most of the hard stuff yesterday. Go get dressed and go see it.” She doesn’t know why the two of you are acting better, but she wants to encourage it as much as possible.
Javier nods, deciding to get dressed too while you do. You meet him outside and he escorts you to the cabin. Tempted to hold your hand but he refrains as you walk in comfortable silence for the first time in years.
The cabin is set apart from the house that his father shares with your mother and the barns. Built about a football field away, the separation is nice. “So you’re back for good?”
“Yeah. I- I didn’t really get a chance to tell you but I’m back.” He rubs his neck, “retired from the DEA and staying in Laredo for good. Pa needs more help now he’s getting older.” He explains, stepping up into the small porch and jangling the keys.
“Well, that’s good.” You tell him. “There once was a time I imagined working here.” You admit. “Living here.” You shake your head at how foolish you were. “Life never turns out the way we expect, huh?”
Javier opens the door and lets you enter first, his dark eyes trained on you as you walk into the house. “You still could if you wanted to.” He murmurs, leaving the door open behind him in case you dash like you always seem to do.
“Oh, I don’t think Chucho and mom would like me staying under their roof for long.” You purposely misunderstand. “It feels like they're still in their honeymoon stage.” You huff a laugh. “I think I heard them last night when I went to the bathroom.”
Javier wrinkles his nose, “I love them but Jesus, didn’t need to know about the old man getting his rocks off.” He shakes his head as if to shake the image. “Baby, I meant you living here…with me.” He says, turning back towards you to see your reaction.
Your eyebrows furrow slightly and you bite your lip. “You would want that?” You ask seriously. “You’ve- you’re a confirmed bachelor, that’s what everyone says.” You had heard the whispers about Javier being home when you were out shopping. “‘Javi will never settle down.’” You quote. “You really want me living with you and holding you back from chasing whatever skirt catches your eye?”
Javier scoffs, turning away from you to look at the kitchen. “I’m tired of it. I don’t want to wake up in another bed I need to sneak out of. I’m sick of not having someone to be my best friend, to share a life with. I’m old. I’m too old to be out there fucking anything with a pulse and I don’t want to. I want you. I want a life with you. I always have. I won’t beg you. If you don’t want that…want me…I get it.” He shrugs, glad he’s turned away from you to hide his hurt expression.
“Why don’t we…..” you reach out and touch his shoulder. “Date?” You suggest. “It’s been a long time since we’ve been in each other’s lives. What if we’re different from what we remember? What if I’m not the idealized version of me that you have fantasized about being with?” It hurts to admit that, but being rejected again would kill you. “So while we’re here together, we get to know each other now and we can figure out if we would want it permanently.”
Javier turns to look at you. His eyes are burning into yours and he doesn’t see any malice, you’re not messing with him. You’re being honest and he can’t ask for more. He nods, “we can do that.” He promises, “I want to try.”
“I- I want to try that too.” You admit softly, eyes cutting away from his in embarrassment and you look around the little ranch house. “This is gorgeous.” It’s got some basic furniture in it, so Javi shouldn’t have to get much to make it a home. “Are you going to move in today?”
“I’m thinking I might do some work on it. Move in tomorrow.” He says, glancing around at the things that need to be updated. “I wouldn’t mind your help. I was serious about that. I’m hopeless at decorating a home. I need help.”
“I doubt that.” You scoff, Javier has always had good taste in everything. “But I’ll help. What do you want to do?”
“Probably going to change the sofa. This thing has been here forever and I have an idea of what’s happened on it.” Javier wrinkles his nose, “Jose used to brag about his conquests.”
You snort and send him a smirk. “So you’ve never fucked on a sofa?” You ask. “Stuck to the bed and piles of hay in a barn?” You tease. “Obviously no shower sex, either. You were shocked to see me in the shower the other day.”
“I’ve fucked on a sofa. In the shower. In the car. Pretty much every surface but hay in the barn was a first with you.” He admits. “I was shocked because - because I didn’t expect to see you there and I - Jesus, it’s all I could think about after. What would’ve happened if I had stepped in there and fucked you against the tiles.”
You’re surprised by his admission and your cunt clenches in reaction. “I probably would have slapped you at the time.” You admit, smirking at the idea of slapping him and then fucking him. “But I would have let you fuck me after. I’m weak like that.”
Javier chuckles, “probably wouldn’t have minded the slap. Made me fucking hard as steel when you did it last night.” He admits, shifting to lean against the kitchen counter.
“Really?” Your brow ticks up in surprise and you smirk at the little secret he’s just revealed. “Javier Peña likes his sex a little rough. Interesting.” You tease. “Slapping is on the table, you obviously like to bite, how do you feel about handcuffs?”
“Depends on who’s wearing them. I ain’t against getting handcuffed to the headboard so you can ride my face.” He admits, “or I could handcuff you and make you scream my name after I suck on your clit all night long.”
It’s so casual, the way he throws out sexual escapades. You shiver slightly and snort. “No man wants to just eat a woman out all night.” You tell him. “Maybe getting their dick sucked, but not using their own mouth.”
“One man.” He says and points to himself. “Always love seeing a woman cum on my tongue. Didn’t get to do that to you last night.” He hums, “and I’m sure that’s not something you’re interested in with me.” He teases, crossing his arms.
You huff and roll your eyes. “You were too busy dreaming of shoving your cock inside me.” You remind him, even though you had been pretty desperate for the same thing. “I don’t know, it would mean using the couch or the bed that’s seen so much action. Since I doubt you’d want your dad to hear.”
Javier chuckles and pushes off of the kitchen counter, stepping towards you. "Hermosa...that couch has seen some action. I'm sure it wouldn't mind a little more before it gets taken to the dump. You wanna sit on my face for Christmas?" He asks, "or we can go back to the house and act like this never happened?"
“Face sitting for Christmas?” You giggle at the idea and bite your lip. “Nothing to hang onto, but I could lay down and you could do what you wanted. Learning the oral skills of your partner is an important part of dating, isn’t it?”
Javier smirks and nods, “exactly. Important to establish early on. Now…strip for me, hermosa. I want to see all of you.” He orders and rubs his lower lip with his thumb, his cock pressing against the zipper of his jeans.
You tut, but you don’t argue with him. He didn’t get to see you last night and in some small way, you want to show him what he’s been missing. Keeping your eyes on his, you reach for the hem of your light sweater and pull it over your head to toss it aside. “You know you’re handsome.” You grumble. “Cocky asshole. Always aware of how many women want to fuck you.”
He snorts and pulls his shirt over his head. “There’s only one woman I want to fuck me right now.” He promises, “might be the last one I fuck.” He declares and watches you, his dark eyes taking in the sight of your tits unhindered by a dress. “Jesus, baby. You’re gorgeous.” He murmurs when you push your leggings down after kicking off your shoes.
“And you’re a kiss ass.” You tease, even though his words make you preen.
“I’ll kiss your ass.” Javi smirks and you turn around to bend over while you pull your panties down.
He groans softly and wraps his fingers around his cock. “Baby. Go kneel on the sofa.” He orders, wanting to taste you. He’s aching but he desperately wants to make you cum on his tongue.
You sway your hips enticingly as you walk over to the sofa. Kneeling down and bending over the armrest. You look over your shoulder and smirk at Javi. “What are you waiting for?”
He practically growls as he rushes over to the sofa, kneeling on the floor and he nudges your knees apart until he can push his tongue deep into your pussy. Sliding against your clit immediately so he can taste you and God, he fucking loves the tang of your arousal.
“Jav!” Your cry is nearly cut off, strangled by the groan you give. He’s eager and that eagerness translates into a quick tongue and demanding jaw. Working into you and over your clit with a ferocity you haven’t experienced. “Oh God, fuck, Javi.” You whine, grinding back against his tongue.
He groans into you, loving the way you take what you need. His fingers grab your ass, working you open even more and his tongue slides up to push against your puckered hole.
Gasping, your hips rock forward. "Javi!" You squeal, unused to anyone ever sticking anything near that area. "Don't- just my pussy." You warble out.
He doesn’t push you, sliding his tongue down to push it into you with a groan, your arousal hitting his taste buds and he groans your name into your flesh. His hands massage your ass and he’s aching to push inside of you but doesn’t.
You shudder and moan. "I'm sorry-" you gasp out. "No one- I've never-" You know you can't compare with some of the women you know he must have been with. You don't have the experience. You aren't a virgin, but you didn't bed hop as often as you had insinuated. "Oh God."
Javier pulls back, his hands caressing your hips. “Hey. It’s okay. I pushed you and you have limits. I want you to tell me if you don’t like something or aren’t sure. Trust me baby, I want you to enjoy this.”
"I just never have done that." You admit breathlessly. "I don't want you to think I'm a stuck up prude. I just -" You shrug, embarrassed, "was shocked."
“It’s okay.” He promises and leans forward to kiss along your hip and your ass cheek. “It’s okay baby. I want you to enjoy this and I don’t care if you haven’t done anything there. Your pussy is sweet enough for me.” He promises, giving you a moment in case you want him to stop.
You remind yourself that you aren't telling him no, you're telling him not right now. It can be something you talk about when you aren't naked. "Are you going to make me cum?" You ask saucily. "Or was that all talk?"
Javier chuckles, “I am a man of action, hermosa.” He promises and leans in to bite your ass cheek. He kisses the skin until he ducks down to slide his tongue through your folds again. A groan vibrates through you from him and he squeezes your hips as he resumes sucking on your clit.
You moan softly, eyes slipping closed as Javi feasts on your cunt. That's all you can think of, the man behind you feasting as he groans and grunts into your cunt. He sounds like he's enjoying it and you love how wanton it makes you. "So good." You whimper. "Thought your mustache was stupid until right now."
He chuckles into your pussy, wanting to tell you how it’s not stupid but he’s more occupied with making you cum. He sucks on your clit, determined to make you cum on just tongue. He hisses as you reach back to tangle your fingers in his hair and he goes harder, pushing his tongue into you and pressing his nose to your clit.
You don't know how long he has his lips wrapped around your clit and you don't care. Every second is amazing and makes your cunt clench around nothing. If you could just have his cock buried inside you, it would be a dream. "I'm gonna cum." You warn him, stomach knotted in pleasure and his groans vibrating against the bundle of nerves. He sucks harshly and you squeal his name, body spasming in pleasure as you come apart.
He loves hearing you cum. Jesus, his cock is leaking into the fabric of the sofa, and he groans your name, muffled by your folds as he works you through your orgasm.
Javier seems to know exactly when to pull away from you. Slurping up every drop of your pleasure until your limbs are heavy and you are melting into the cushions. "Fuck," you pant. "I - fuck me, baby." You beg breathlessly. "I need to feel you inside me."
He can’t deny you or himself. He shifts to kneel on the sofa behind you, pumping himself a couple of times until he’s notching himself at your entrance and pushing into you with a groan. “Fuck.” He pants, “so goddamn tight.” He murmurs, knowing he’s never felt like this before. It’s like coming home.
You purposefully squeeze your walls together to make him groan, giggling when he slaps your ass. "Kegels." You tell him breathlessly. "Keeps everything nice and tight."
“Goddamn.” He mutters and starts to move inside of you. Rocking slow to pull out until he’s surging forward to rock into you hard. “Want you to scream my name. No one can hear you this far out.” He reminds you, “wanna hear you cry out.”
The house is farther away from the barn, making you nod and release your lip from your teeth. You had been biting down when he started moving, trying to stifle the sounds. He feels so much bigger from this position. "Oh fuck, Jav- I, fuck!"
“That’s it. Scream for me, hermosa.” He grunts, loving the way you let go and rock back onto him. His fingers dig into your hips and he shifts to cover your back with his chest, his lips finding your neck as he cups your tits. Squeezing them, he bites down on your shoulder.
"Fuck Javi-" You love how he is using his teeth, marking you. "Harder." You whine, not sure if you mean the thrusts, the teeth or them both. "Fuck me. Use me."
He grunts, pushing into you harder. He bites down on your shoulder again and soothes it with his tongue. “So fucking good. Pussy feels like a vice.” He grunts against your skin, “so good.”
"God, sooooo good." You moan, eyes rolling back and your arms shaking under you. "No wonder she didn't want to let you go." You don't want to start a fight, not while he's buried inside you, but you can see why Lorraine didn't want Javi moving on. "Oh fuck, baby."
“Gotten better since then with practice.” He confesses, “and you’re the last one to benefit if you want.” He adds, “you’ll be the pussy I live and die with.” He promises, “if you want me. I’m yours.” He vows and kisses along your neck.
You shiver because of his words and his lips trailing over your skin. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Peña." You moan, turning your head to look over your shoulder at him. "No promises while you're balls deep."
He hums, “fine.” He doesn’t argue, but he’s disappointed you never say that’s what you want. He pushes deep again, hunched over you, and the springs of the sofa struggle as he fucks you.
You can tell he's disappointed in your reaction to his comment but you can't make decisions like that when he's touching you. You're already so vulnerable. His next thrust has you crying out his name, nails digging into the fabric of the sofa under you.
“That’s it, hermosa.” He grunts when your walls clench around him. “That’s it, baby. Need you to cum again for me.” He demands, rocking into you over and over, jaw clenched with concentration.
"I will, oh fuck baby, you-" Your moan is low, long as he presses deep and hits something wonderful inside you. "Right there." You gasp. "Right fucking there!"
He groans, rocking into you over and over again, focusing on that same spot. “That’s it baby. That’s it. Cum for me.” He pleads, his voice raspy.
It only takes a few thrusts before your entire body is lurching forward. Back arching as you practically scream his name. Cunt clamping down around him and soaking him in waves of your juices until you are gasping for air.
He lets out a strangled groan as you clamp down on him. “I- fuck- that’s it baby girl. That’s it.” He grunts, “in-inside or no?” He asks, needing to know as he gets closer and closer to his orgasm.
"I'm on the pill." You moan out, eyes closing as you imagine him filling you up. The heat and warmth of his cum coating your insides. "Wherever you want."
He groans at the news he can fill you up. “Fuck baby. I- shit. I’m gonna cum. Gonna fill you up.” He moans and rocks into you a few more times before he chokes, biting down on your shoulder as he throbs inside of you, painting your walls.
It's exactly what you imagined. Hot and thick inside you. Making you whimper as the sharpness of his teeth bruises your shoulder and your cunt spasms because of his sexy groans. "So good."
Javier, groans and kisses the marks he left on your skin. “That was so fucking good, hermosa.” He nudges his nose against your neck as he pulls out of you, uncaring of his cum dripping onto the sofa he’s planning to get rid of.
You hum in agreement, smiling softly when you turn around and sit down. "It was. You have a gift, Peña." You tease. "Now I want a nap." You admit. "I didn't sleep very well last night."
“You wanna nap here or you wanna go somewhere else?” He asks, caressing your back, and he kisses your shoulder. “Or you wanna go back to the house?”
You hum and bite your lip. "There's a bed in the bedroom right?" You ask softly. "I think I would like to take a nap with you." You admit with a smile. "I doubt mom and Chucho will come out here looking for us. They are hoping we start getting along."
Javier smirks and shifts off of the bed and he reaches for you, “come on baby. Let’s go to bed.” He reaches for your hand and he guides you to the bedroom to lay down. “I’ll clean you up.” He promises and guides you to the bedroom before heading into the bathroom to clean you up.
Once you are cleaned up and snuggled against him, you sigh softly. "I've missed you, Javi." You admit, laying against his chest and listening to his heart beat. "I've missed you so much."
He kisses you softly, curling around you. “Merry Christmas baby.” He murmurs, kissing along your neck and he caresses your side as he closes his eyes.
***
It’s been a week, now New Year’s Eve and even though you’ve spent nearly every moment you can in Javier Peña’s bed, you still haven’t had the most important conversation. Too busy getting fucked in every way possible between helping him decorate his new home. Oftentimes sneaking out of the house and over to his after your mother has gone to bed. You never sleep through the night, but you find yourself wanting to. “You look so tired.” Your mom tuts. “Your vacation was supposed to be relaxing.”
You smother a yawn and smile. “I know. I will go to bed early tonight.”
Javier smirks from across the table, “you gotta get your sleep.” He tells you with a smirk, “what’s been keeping you up at night?” He asks with genuine looking concern that makes your mom shake her head, “are you worried about something, honey?”
"I've been thinking about my future." You admit quietly, not looking over at Javier. It doesn't help that you are sneaking in and out of his bed every night either, but the real thing keeping you up has been deciding what you will do. You know Javi has wanted to talk about it, but you've brushed him off so far.
Javier tilts his head, curiosity getting the better of him when he leans forward and says “and what have you been considering?” Chucho looks between you and his son, having picked up what’s going on, even if your mom is still trying to catch up.
You bite your lip, still nervous about what might be. "I don't know." You murmur quietly. "A lot. It's hard to explain."
Javier nods, not willing to push you anymore. These past ten days have been the best and he isn’t going to force you to be with him. He wants you to want him. To spend your life with him. You have your decision to make and he won’t force you but you’re leaving tomorrow and he is anxious about losing you forever if you go.
You look away from him quickly, unwilling to let your mother see the looks that pass between you but Chucho is watching you carefully. "So we are having the party tonight?" You confirm. "What do we need to do?"
“We are having the food catered. Javier just needs to go collect the drinks and we have some decorations to put out.” Your mom tells you and Javier nods, “I’ll go in a bit to get the drinks.” He tells your mom.
You nod. “That’s good. At least you won’t be pushing yourself to spend all day in the kitchen cooking.” You agree. “I’ll go with Javier, get anything else we need.”
Javier is pleased to hear you want to come with him and you’re soon in his truck heading to the store. He doesn’t say much after he starts the engine and the radio plays as he reaches for your hand.
Your fingers thread through his easily and you imagine yourself doing this every time you go to town together. Holding his hand and sitting in the soft silence with the radio playing. "So have you heard from the DEA?" You know he's temporarily on leave, but that could change, or he could be let go completely. It all depends on how angry they are at him.
He sighs, looking up at the traffic light. “I told you, I’m retired. They have to give me leave before I have my final briefing but I’m hoping they allow me to go without any issues.” He admits, “I ain’t going back. I am here now. To stay.”
Somehow, you don’t believe him, but you nod. “So you want to work the ranch with Chucho? That’s your end goal? Or do you have other plans in mind?”
Javier shrugs one shoulder. “That’s the plan. It all comes down to someone deciding they want to share a life with me and I ain’t gonna force her. I want more than a lonely life chasing down cartels that just get replaced by another.”
You squirm slightly in your seat and wonder if he knows how much pressure that is putting on you. “And what would happen if …..things don’t work out?” You ask softly.
Javier knows he can’t push you or force you into being with him. “If things don’t work out then I’ll be here, working with my Pa and I’ll eventually take over the ranch. I’m tired, baby. I want a simple life and if that’s a life alone, then at least it’s peaceful.” He says, having accepted that you might not want him for more than sex.
He sounds so tired and that hurts you. Squeezing his hand gently, you sigh. “I don’t know what I want.” You admit quietly. “I’m scared. Of being hurt again, I guess. I didn’t date for a long fucking time after leaving and never anything serious.”
He nods, “it’s okay. I don’t - I don’t want to pressure you or force you. I don’t want you to make a decision and make the decision you think I want you to make. I’m scared too. I don’t - I haven’t done this properly. A relationship.” He confesses, “at least not one where I’ve felt like this.”
"What do you feel like?" For all the conversations you've had, which aren't many, you've never really gone beyond 'I love you'. It's important to know why and how he loves you.
“I feel like - it’s comfortable. We can sit and say nothing at all and I don’t feel the need to fill the space with talking. We can just…be.” He says and squeezes your hand. “You’re my best friend. The best sex I’ve ever had, and the woman that I can see having a family with. I love you.”
You bite your lip and look down at your hands. “Tonight.” You promise. “I’ll give you an answer tonight. At midnight.” You still don’t know what you will say but he deserves to know that soon a decision will be made.
He nods, Not wanting you to make a decision and regretting it. “No rush baby. I’ll be here. No matter what.” He promises, “you’ll always be my best friend.”
He told you his theory. That Lorraine had seen you at the bar that night. She apparently knew that Javi was in love with you and that was why they had broken up the first time. It’s plausible, but you still aren’t sure. Javi isn’t a liar, at least he wasn’t, but you don’t know if you don’t trust him or yourself anymore. “Thank you.” You murmur sincerely. “Let’s get the food and alcohol so we can get back and help set up.”
****
Javier adjusts his shirt collar, feeling a little heated. Family and friends are gathered in the house and his cousins have the fireworks ready to go for the countdown. He is nervous about what you are going to decide. The rest of his life hangs in the balance and he’s trying to give you some space to make your decision. He sips his whiskey, watching his dad and your mom mingle and you’re across the room making sure his second and third cousins are having a good time and keeping out of the booze. “Countdown in two minutes.” Chucho announces after ten minutes of mingling and gathers the family outside for the fireworks to be set off. Everyone starts moving outside and Javier is looking around, trying to find you in the crowd.
You had slipped off to your room, wanting to make sure that you have your necklace on. It would be a symbolic gesture since you hadn't been wearing it when the party started. Butterflies filling your stomach and making you nearly nauseous. Checking your reflection one more time before slipping out of your bedroom and down the hall to go outside with everyone else. On the porch, you see Javi, craning his neck to look for you and you swallow, knowing that this step will change everything.
Javier almost senses you, turning his head to see you and the smile on his face is boyish. “Hey hermosa.” He murmurs, reaching for your hand to press a kiss to the back of it. His eyes focus on your necklace and his heart thumps a beat but he doesn’t want to assume anything. Not yet. “One minute everyone.” Chucho declares as Danny and some of the other guys get ready for the fireworks to be lit.
“Javi-“ Taking his hand, you turn towards him, swallowing nervously. “I didn’t expect to see you when I agreed to come for Christmas.” You begin. “I didn’t know if I wanted to see you ever again.” It’s hard to admit that, but he knows it’s true. “I had been in love with you for nearly our entire lives and it seemed like you had broken my heart.”
Javier swallows harshly, his heart pounding as your families and friends gather and the radio is loud to announce the countdown. “I did, not on purpose, and I’m so sorry.” He murmurs, getting more and more nervous with each second that passes to the new year.
“I know.” You nod. “But I was so angry, so hurt.” You go on. “Telling myself, you and everyone who would listen, that I couldn’t stand you. That I hated you.” You regret that, especially now that you truly do believe that he hadn’t seen you that night. “You’re here and you want to be with me. It’s probably my younger self’s dream come true.” Everyone around you starts to count down from ten as it gets closer to midnight. You can see that he’s nervous, glancing around and then back at you, but no one else is paying attention. “I have one more question to ask you.”
Javi frowns. “Anything, hermosa.”
You grin as everyone hits ‘two’ on the countdown. “Will you marry me, Javier Peña?”
His eyes widen and he doesn’t even take a second to think as he replies, “fuck yes” and surges forward to kiss you, cupping your cheeks, and the fireworks start to go off as the new year arrives. Javier kisses you for a long moment before he leans back to press his forehead against yours. “Happy New Year, baby.” He murmurs, a grin on his face as he looks at his future wife. This holiday season was complicated and rough but Javier is going into the new year looking forward to a bright future with you, the love of his life and soon to be his wife.
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wsppp 😋😋
Do you think Adrian tepes, Trevor, or hector would date a fem witch, ghost or werewolf ? If they would date a werewolf girl, how do you think they would deal with her shifting? It’s supposably painful bc the bones are breaking then fixing themselves in a new form😭 do you think the ghost gf would sometimes have self image issues cause she isn’t really there(transparent) witch gf would be really cute esp if she has a familiar like a black cat or crow (really basic ik) omg and she like has her familiar deliver letters to her lover when they are away 🥹 or she tries to like show her lover how to make potions and he ends up growing plants or a small explosion 😭😭 imagine he makes smth right and he’s bragging but then it blows up into his face 😹😹
I always see people write for vamps but I think it would be cool to include other monsters yk. I have so many ideas but idk how to write 😔😔
Hope ur doing well!
-🌙
A/N: I added Isaac as well, but THIS WAS SUCH A FUN PROMPT AND IM SORRY IT TOOK SO DAMN LONG. But I love exploring other monsters, it’s so fun-
Trevor Belmont x Witch! Reader
His knowledge on magic is limited, but not unheard of. He understands the kind of magic Sypha uses, but yours isn’t quite like it. Your type of magic uses alchemy, black magic, the “devils work”. You’ve been cast out and targeted for practicing such things, but you continued to practice witchcraft despite the attempts on your life. Trevor had actually seen you being hauled off to a jail roughly before saving you, recognizing you as a healer around this town
After saving you, he asked for a your witchcraft services to help heal a rather nasty wound he had received, so you took him to your house, where your familiar, a beautiful crow, was awaiting your return. He cawed at your and flew over to land on your shoulder, before cocking his head curiously at the large man behind you
“He’s a customer, my dear! Be hospitable!” You teased, before guiding Trevor over to a room that contained all of your supplies and books. You put together a salve for him, and offered to put it on his wounds for him, to which he accepted and casually began to undress until he was shirtless. You stared at him with a blush on your face for a moment, until he grinned and teased you saying “My eyes are up here, love~”
You allowed him to stay with you for a few nights, which slowly blossomed into some sort of a romantic and physical relationship. When he had to leave to go kill some vampires he’d been hired to get rid of, you’d send him off with healing herbs he’d need to recreate the first salve you made for him. You’d send your familiar out to track him with magic and send him letters or extra supplies, and he’d always send some cheeky note back to you that made you giggle and kick your feet
He definitely tries to help you with your potions and powders, getting supplies or tools for you when you asked. One time he successfully recreated a potion, that is until he got cocky and knocked over another vial into the potion, causing it to explode and blow up into his face, ruining his hair and leaving his face scorched, which made you laugh so hard you nearly pissed yourself as he sarcastically laughed along with you
Adrian Tepes x Ghost! Reader
You often times didn’t feel real and felt like your existence was useless and didn’t have a purpose, that is until you met a beautiful man with pale skin and pale blonde hair, with beautiful golden eyes and sharp fangs. He was mesmerizing and intelligent despite his age, and the two of you formed a relationship, which was soon crumbled by his father injuring him so badly he had to lock himself in a coffin to rest and heal. You haunted the place he had put himself to recover from his fathers attack, and took it upon yourself to watch over him and guard his tomb
After joining Trevor and Sypha on the journey to kill Dracula, you went with them and used your own abilities to help fight. Luckily nothing could kill you again, so you were able to fight by becoming fully invisible, making yourself solid then phase through creatures. Sypha asked you many questions on the journey about you and what it’s like being a ghost, Adrian smiling fondly as the two of you chatted excitedly, as he hadn’t seen you have a friend before
Whenever your self doubts and insecurities about your existence plagued you, he was always there to assure you that you were indeed real. You didn’t have a grave or body to visit as your body had been burned and cremated as to not start a plague, but you had a whole life before him you could tell him about. He’d be able to touch you and feel you were real, kiss you on the forehead to show you you were real
You too didn’t need as much sleep as he did, being dead and all. So you both often roamed the castle together and continued to clean and upkeep it together, rather than restlessly lying in a bed all night. The two of you would have intelligent conversations about philosophy, the science his mother studied, history, things of that sort to get you through sleepless nights. Lying in bed together cuddling while conversing, his hand rubbing your back as you rested your head on his chest
Hector x Werewolf! Reader
As an expert on creatures of the night, he wasn’t phased slightly when he heard Master Dracula had recruited a werewolf into his Court. Despite being half human, you were never treated as one, only being treated like a dog by your fellow species. So you instead took revenge by ripping apart those who hurt you, and Dracula had met you years ago similar to how he met Hector and Isaac, but was recruited last due to your hiding out in secrecy from everybody, you were difficult to track down even for Dracula
When you arrived, you appeared as a regular human, but the vampires could sense you were anything but. You bowed to Dracula and thanked him for the opportunity to help his cause, before he told you to begin planning with the other generals. After speaking with the vampires, you decided to learn about the humans, as you were curious why they would help kill their own kind as well. You started with the silver haired man, and bonded over your shared mistreatment by humans, and he was curious about your more wolf form. You smiled and told him he’d have to wait for that, making sure he’d have something to come back to you for, as you grew fond of the shy and straight to the point man
When he finally got to see it, he watched in borderline horror as you howled in pain from the transformation, hearing your bones snap and crack into new places as you transformed into a large, furry monster. But Hector wasn’t truly afraid of you, just of the pain he heard you in, and he gently approached you and rested a hand on your forehead as he did his night creatures to comfort and calm them through their own transformations. You shut your eyes and leaned into his touch, waiting the transformation out together until it was complete, and you could stand at your new full height, well above him. He’d only look at you with fascination rather than fear or hatred like everyone else did
Isaac x Gorgon! Reader
He is clearly not disturbed or taken aback by monsters of any kind, he’d face one with a stoic face and calm demeanor. You came to Dracula one night after being driven away by townspeople for accidentally turning someone to stone, so he allowed you refuge in his castle and gifted you a magical blindfold that would keep you from laying your eyes upon anyone and turning them into a statue. Ever since then you’ve been loyal to him and agreed immediately to help him with your cause, and to use your ability to fight off humans that have wronged you. When you met Isaac, he was immediately intrigued but didn’t make it obvious. You spent a lot of time listening to him work and hearing his night creatures be brought to life, and he’d even guided you to pet a night creature that was calm for him
Throughout the war you formed a relationship with the cold man, though he was warm to you. Never sappy or super affectionate, but he’d do things like learn Braille for you and create plaques as labels on things for you, fight alongside you and tie your blindfold back on for you when the battle was over, create night creatures specifically to help you. He allowed you to hold his arm as you walked through the ever changing castle with him. He never thought he’d find love amongst all this chaos and death, he didn’t even want to befriend Hector because of it, but yet he found himself infatuated with you and wanting to spend as much time as he had left with you
He didn’t mind the fact he’d never be able to look into your eyes, and you didn’t mind the fact you’d never be able to look at him at all except through maybe a portrait. The two of you simply enjoyed the others presence and company, oftentimes sitting beside each other doing your own things, always having a comfortable silence between the both of you. You didn’t turn objects to stone, so if you made sure not to look at any living being, you could do things like read and he’d help make sure you wouldn’t accidentally turn anyone to stone
#castlevania#castlevania hector#castlevania x reader#trevor belmont x reader#trevor belmont#alucard x reader#adrian tepes x reader#adrian tepes#alucard#castlevania isaac
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Spy Kids
Summary: A sort of sequel to “Oy with the rookies already”. Maria asks you to train Kamala and America.
Natasha Romannof x Super Soldier Fem!Reader
A/N: Mentions of blood, some violence, Reader being a babysitter (lol). And, so much damn fluff.
-
It must be a mistake
“Questions?” Maria says, hands on her desk. She’s smiling as if she didn’t just give you the worst news possible.
“Yeah, just one. What the fuck?”
“Agent…”
“Maria! You want me to run a summer spy camp for two teenagers”
“No. I want you to train two enhanced individuals to make sure they are safe” you hold her stare and she gives up. “And also evaluate if they’d be good assets for the Avengers initiative”
“Oh, so now we’re collecting them like baseball cards?”
“We need to know their abilities. And make sure they can at least be safe on their own, if they don’t want to join us”
“Isn’t one of them the founding member of the Carol Danvers fan club? Of course they’re going to join the Avengers if you ask”
“I’d still like to know what they can do. And given your success with Agents Belova and Bishop…”
Damn it. Who knew that would come back and bite you in the ass.
You think of all the plans you had for the summer. For the first time in years, it seemed like you’d have time off. Until now.
“And if I say no?”
“No one else has the time or capacity to do it” Maria shrugs her shoulders. “Don’t worry, I’m sure a 15 year old with powers and no training can hold her own.”
“Ugh. Fine” you snatch the file from her hands.
You just hope this time you don’t actually have a heart attack.
*
Natasha took the news surprisingly well. She thought it was cute that you were the designated babysitter for the summer.
“It’s good practice for when we have our own kids” she had casually mentioned, making you blush furiously.
She couldn’t possibly know…
You put those thoughts aside, plastering a smile on your face as soon as Kamala Khan walked to the foyer of the Avengers Compound… followed by an endless line of grown ups.
Relatives, perhaps?
“Will you be in charge of my beta?” a short woman approaches you. You’re at least one foot taller than her, but her gaze makes you feel small.
“Mom” Kamala hisses and then turns to you. “Hi. Sorry, I’m Kamala and this is my mother, my father, my brother, his wife and my friend Bruno”
“Well, nice to meet you all” you think of a way to politely remind them only Kamala can stay, but her mother pokes your side again.
“Listen closely. She will go to bed at a reasonable hour, will eat her vegetables and make sure you respect prayer hours. And no boys. Nod if you understand”
“I…” she raises her eyebrows and you shut your mouth, moving your head up and down. Before she can give you a new set of rules, a portal opens behind you.
“Alright, kid” Stephen Strange says, allowing America to go through the portal. He looks at you and gives a short nod. “Y/N. I trust everything will be going smoothly”
“Is this the Harry Potter man you mentioned?” Kamala’s mother points at him.
“Mom! That’s Doctor Strange”
“And I’m America Chavez” the girl offers her hand and you smile. Every member of Kamala’s family goes to introduce themselves and you end up tangled in a sea of names and waves.
“Alright!” you say, a little hysterical. “This is getting crowded. Say your goodbyes and follow me for a tour of the place and some quick team intros”
Everyone finally leaves and the two teenagers follow you, giggling excitedly.
Yeap, you’re definitely the nanny.
*
“Fighting stance” you say, stretching your limbs with a satisfied smile. Kamala raises one of her legs, like the dude from Karate Kid. With a simple push of your hand, she falls to the ground. “Congrats, you’ve been successfully kidnapped or killed. Whatever you want for this scenario”
“I’d prefer neither” she grumbles, standing up.
“Chavez?” you turn to the other girl. Her fighting pose is better, but you dodge her fist easily. Two more movements and she’s down on the floor.
“Alright. We’ll work on some basic balance and defense moves. Once we do that, you’ll teach me how you actually use some of your abilities and incorporate them to combat”
“Oh! Are we going to learn to use weapons?” Kamala asks excitedly.
“Absolutely… not. Let’s get to work, kiddos”
Two hours later and at least they’ve learned to duck when you throw a punch. When Natasha finally enters the gym, she finds you with your hands behind your back, counting the number of reps the girls are doing
“At ease, soldier” she chuckles, her chin resting on your shoulder.
“Hey, baby” you turn around, happy to see she’s back from her mission with Kate and Yelena. “How was the Rocket Team?”
“Blasting off at the speed of light, as usual” Natasha wraps her arms around your shoulders and you melt at the proximity.
“Yeah, well, prepare for trouble and make it quadruple” you sigh, turning back to the girls who are still doing push ups.
“You’re not playing mean with them, are you?” Natasha tsks and you actually feel bad. “They’re just kids, detka. Play nice”
“Yes, love”
She pecks your lips before stepping back and you want to whine at the loss of contact.
“I think you’ve had enough for a day” the Russian speaks to the two girls and they stand up, eyes wide.
“Yes, Agent Romanoff” America pushes the words out and Kamala catches the last part, echoing the words.
“Call me Natasha” the redhead winks and then turns to speak to you, loud and clear. “Catch you later, honey pie”
Blushing at her words, you look back at your new trainees.
“Only she can call me that, understood?”
“Yes, Ma'am,” Kamala mock salutes and you smile.
*
“I’m not sure this is what Maria had in mind” Natasha admonishes, but still smiles, leaning on her outdoor chair.
“Well, all I wanted to do this summer was relax so we’ll just have to compromise, won’t we?”
You’re both sitting outside, a cooler with beers and a plate of guacamole on a table between you. Natasha sighs and stretches her arms.
“The sky’s very pretty today” she peers up, her beautiful green eyes shielded by a pair of sunglasses.
“Very pretty, indeed” you agree, looking at her legs. You love it when she wears shorts.
“Eyes up here”
You both laugh, until a figure covers the sun on your side.
“Hey, Hill” you say with a cheeky grin. Her all black outfit is a very stark contrast to yours and Natasha’s shorts and tank tops.
“Just wanted to check how Chavez and Khan are doing but I see you’re taking it easy”
“They needed resistance training and I wanted some time with my girl” you smile. “It’s a beautiful day out, so why not do both?”
“Right, where are they?” the woman looks around, trying to find the girls. You pull out your phone and unlock the screen.
“They’re currently at… yeah, they’re finishing their second lap around the Compound. I set an obstacle course and all they have to do is get through it. See? Easy” your smile fades as soon as you see the girls coming back, looking like they’re about to pass out. Well, shit. Trying to distract Maria, you call her out again. “Hey, have some guac”
“No, that’s ok”
“I insist”
“It’s really good” Natasha chimes in, trying to control her laughter.
“Fine, weirdos” Maria grumbles, taking a chip and then dipping it in the guacamole. Her eyes are wide open when she tastes it. “Holy crap! This is really good!”
“Told ya” you smirk, frantically signaling for the girls to sneak behind, back to their rooms.
You exhale when they’re both out of sight, plopping back down on your chair. Natasha squeezes your shoulder, chuckling.
Ok, maybe you’d go a bit easier on them starting now.
*
All you bring back to the kitchen is the cooler with the empty bottles, since Maria decided to steal your plate.
Kamala is sitting at the kitchen island, facetiming her mother.
“I gotta go” she rushes to hang up as soon as you walk in.
“No, don’t stop on my account. Your mom will think I’m keeping you locked up”
“That’s ok, she can be overprotective sometimes” the girl rolls her eyes, but you can tell it comes from a place of love.
“Nothing wrong with that. It’s sweet”
“Not when you’re sixteen” Kamala laughs and you sigh.
“Boy, I was sixteen such a long time ago” you remember the music and the outfits with a distant smile.
“You’re like 30” Kamala says, confused and you snort.
“I’m a super soldier. Our aging process is a bit… slower” you explain and her eyes widen.
“Sorry, I forgot for a second”
“No worries” you clean around, making sure everything’s in place or you’ll never hear the end of it from Grandpa Steve.
After a few seconds, you feel the girl staring at the scars in your arm and legs, usually covered by your suit or everyday clothes.
“I didn’t mean to…”
“Kamala. It’s ok” you sigh. “Listen, a lot of the people here didn’t get to choose this life. We were forced into powers or skills we didn’t want. And it’s a lot to carry, but we try as best we can. Remember you have the chance to decide, ok? I don’t want anyone taking that away from you or America”
“Thank you”
You nod, feeling a bit exposed. You’re usually much more guarded around people you just met.
“Right, see you later for movie night?” you’re definitely not expecting Kamala’s squeal of joy. She runs back to her room, asking if she can pick the movie and wondering if there’s enough candy in the Compound.
“Movie night? Why am I not invited?” Yelena says, her accent thicker than usual.
“You’re always invited, little widow”
“Great! I’ll bring the vodka” she struts down the hall.
“They’re underage, Yelena!”
“That’s ok, I’m not sharing”
*
Later that night you find Yelena, Kate, America and Kamala sitting on the floor, giggling. You squint your eyes at the cups they’re holding.
“What is that?” you point to the two teenagers, eyes trained on Yelena.
“It’s soda. Gosh, you’re such a panty pooper”
“It’s party pooper, Yelena” you pinch the bridge of your nose. “And I am not”
“You can be” Natasha joins, kissing your cheek and smiling. She looks at the group. “Are we expecting anyone else?”
“No, Sam is visiting his sister, Steve and Bucky left on a mission”
“Girls night!” Kate and Yelena shout at the same time.
The next minutes are a blur of screams to coordinate the rest of the evening.
“I wish they were this effective for mission planning” you say, amazed. Girls night includes a lot of snacks, face masks, makeovers and in the end, an improvised race.
Kamala has created a sort of sliding board with her powers and now they are all taking turns going down the hill around the Compound’s green area.
“Are you sure you want kids? Seems like we already have enough children under our care” you say, looking at Yelena and Kate roll around in the grass after jumping from the board.
“Yes. I want to see you change diapers and read bedtime stories” Natasha says, leaning against you.
Kissing her temple, you go back to watching the girls. Now the four of them have climbed on the pink and purple board, hoping it will take their combined weight.
“Be careful” you plead. Natasha pinches your side, but a minute later you’re proven right. The group slides down at full speed, on their way to hitting a tree.
“I got this!” America shouts, opening up a portal… that leads right behind you and Natasha.
“Shit!” you cover Natasha with your body, her back on the ground. Four bodies fall on top of you, but you hold yourself up to not trap Natasha. “Everyone ok?”
“Yes”
“Great, now get off my back. Pronto” little by little, the weight you carry diminishes. Yelena is the last one to stand and you’re about to get up, when Natasha pulls you against her.
“Not so fast” she smirks as you land between her legs. Natasha takes advantage of your surprised gasp, meeting your lips in an open mouthed kiss.
“Baby” you moan against her neck, caressing the leg that is wrapped around your waist.
“Sooo gross, ugh” Yelena runs in the opposite direction, followed by the rest of the group.
You laugh against Natasha’s lips, happy that she’s always with you to make everything better.
*
“Clear” Kamala says, opening the door to one of the rooms.
“Wrong” you appear behind the door, shooting her with a Nerf gun. “One down. One to go” you turn to America but she’s faster than you expect, opening up a portal so the dart you shoot ends up hitting Kamala again.
“Dude!”
“I’m sorry”
“Ok, you can take a break. And then we’ll keep practicing until I’m out of darts. But hey… you’re both doing great, ok?” you encourage and the girls nod. You’re taking what Natasha said at heart and you are trying to be nicer.
When they get to the kitchen, they find a distressed Natasha.
“Is everything ok?” America is the first to speak, expecting a national security crisis.
“Oh, yeah. I just forgot a couple of things from the grocery store. Silly me”
“We could go if you’d like” Kamala offers.
“No, you’re busy training”
“Y/N gave us a break… and we’ll be fine. We have powers. And I’ve traveled through dimensions. What’s a trip to the grocery store?” America insists and Natasha smiles.
“Well, alright then”
The girls are giddy with excitement. They obviously take a little detour to grab ice cream, chatting as they reach the grocery store.
America adds a couple of snacks that were definitely not on the list and just as they’re arguing over which M&M’s are better, another voice chimes in.
“I think we should get both” you say and Kamala nods in your direction.
“Y/N is riii… what are you doing here?”
“Oh, I’ve been following you since you left the Compound. Not once did you notice my presence” you smile, leaning against the shelf.
“Have we failed all tests?”
“Relax, you’ve been training for two weeks. It’s a process. Now hurry up so we can go back in time for dinner” you wink at them and they smile.
“About the M&Ms?” America grimaces and you roll your eyes.
“Bring both, but don’t tell Kate, because I always make her choose”
And yeah, you were testing them but maybe, just maybe, you wanted to make sure they were safe as well.
*
Kate and Yelena are actually great teachers. You smile as they teach America and Kamala some of their own moves.
“That’s good, yes America Chavez” Yelena compliments and the girl smiles.
“Why, thank you, Yelena Belova”
You let them go on for another half hour, until you look at your clock. There’s something you need to pick up before the shop closes.
“Alright, cardio and then hit the showers, stinky minions” you say and the girls laugh.
“That would make you Gru” Yelena points out and you show her your tongue.
“I just need to drink some water” Kamala asks, reaching for her bottle. She spits a second later, coughing. “Oh, my God, this is definitely not water”
“Sorry, that’s mine” Yelena says sheepishly.
“Nice, vodka for training. You ok, Double K?”
“Double K? We never got cool nicknames” Kate whispers.
“Am I drunk?” the girl yell whispers and you chuckle.
“No, you’d need a lot more than that… don’t tell your mom, though. She’ll kill me”
“Let’s get you up” America offers her hand. You’re about to say something else when Maria walks into the gym, a grim look on her face.
“Agent Y/LN. There’s an urgent mission” she says and you sigh. Yelena’s head snaps up.
Lately, you only go on missions if it’s really bad.
“You can read the report on your way there” Maria says.
“That bad, huh?”
She confirms with a nod and you sigh.
“Hey, Yelena? I need to ask for a favor” you say with urgency and she nods.
“You’ll be back soon, right?” Kamala seems alarmed, but you smile.
“Yeah, no worries. I’ll be back in a day or two, kiddo”
The girls nod, but Yelena knows better.
Still, you wish for it to be true.
*
Two days turned into six.
By the time it was all done, you were operating automatically, trying to lock away everything that happened somewhere very deep down your mind. A place where all the terrible memories lived.
You could have gone to the Compound directly, but you didn’t want the girls to see you like this.
Unsurprisingly, Natasha had anticipated this and was waiting at the safe house. When you first opened the door and your eyes met green ones, clouded by concern and fear, you wanted to turn back and run away.
But you had promised each other to be open. And trust.
So you trusted, stepping inside the small house.
“You’re…” she says, her voice small.
“It’s not my blood. I’m gonna get cleaned up. Ok?”
“Ok”
The suit stays on as you turn on the shower. You stand there for twenty minutes, watching as the blood and the dirt get washed away.
“Detka. The water is cold. Come here” she pleads, removing your clothes and trying to get you to snap back.
Hours go by.
Everything comes back as you look down at your clean hands, a stark contrast to the mess they were before.
They’ll never be clean.
You cry and hold on to Natasha. She’s the only one that understands.
“I don’t ever want them to feel like this” you whisper into her hair and she knows what you mean.
The next morning, you go straight to Maria’s office.
“I don’t need a debriefing now” she says, her voice soft.
“The summer camp, whatever the hell you called it. Stops now. I won’t actively encourage them to go through this”
“You saved an entire city” Maria reminds you.
“A family… didn’t make it. You know that”
“So you’d rather not save anyone at all?” she questions you. “Hell, even if you don’t train them anymore they could ask to be in the team when they grow up”
“It stops. I’m out”
You both stare at each other for a minute, and you know she’s sizing how serious you are. Maria sighs defeated. There is no middle ground, not anymore.
“Fine. But you’re telling them”
“Ok”
Yelena finds you in the hallway.
“You ok?” she squeezes your arm and the gentleness of her voice makes you want to cry, so you only nod, looking down. “It’s safe in my room, for when you need it, ok, seestra?”
Oh, shit.
“I completely forgot”
“Come find me later and we’ll think of something. But you should really get to the kitchen now, yes? Eat something. Papa says it’s good for you”
“Thank you” you pinch her cheek and the playful move makes her smile, comforted at seeing you joking.
There’s another surprise waiting for you in the kitchen. Kamala, America and Kate are cooking breakfast; they turn around and their smiles are bright at the sight of you.
Now you understand why Maria asked you to tell them.
Damn her.
“Hey, kiddos” you approach slowly. Natasha eyes you curiously, sipping her coffee and reading the paper. She’s the only one that knows about your talk with Maria.
“We missed you. And thought you’d like some breakfast” Kate smiles.
“We have chocolate chip pancakes, scrambled eggs with bacon…”
“I made carrot pudding. It’s kind of like a comfort food for me” Kamala explains shyly.
You’re pretty certain you’re about to cry so instead, you drag the three of them to your arms and hug them.
“Oh, wow, she’s really strong” America says, struggling to breath.
“We need air, soldier” Kate pleads and you let them go.
“Hey, let’s fly the Quinjet today” you propose and the teenagers squeal.
“Really?”
“Yeah, it’ll be fun. But don’t throw up or anything” you grimace at the thought.
“Can I be copilot?” Kate says, pretending she’s cool if you say no, but you nod and she dabs. “Yes”
You roll your eyes, going to sit next to your girlfriend. You bring her hand to your lips, a silent thank you for taking care of you.
“Are you going soft?” she whispers and you chuckle.
“Maybe. Don’t tell anyone, though”
“Your secret is safe with me”
*
Choosing to inform Maria the training will continue over text is better. You know how smug she gets when she’s proven right.
Later that day, you find Yelena at the gym, the rest of the team training as well.
“Troops, I’m calling for a meeting”
Kate, Yelena, Kamala and America gather around you.
“I have a mission for you”
*
It’s a beautiful day outside, and a perfect excuse to drag Natasha to Central Park Zoo along Yelena, Laura and the Barton bunch.
Steve, Sam and Bucky are carrying some of the tables while Kate and America hang the fairy lights around the trees.
“Looking good” you give them a thumbs up and walk over to Tony, setting up the last of the mini golf course. “Everything good, Stark?”
���Mechanism should be ready” he points at the little course, four separate roads leading to four holes. “Each time Red gets a ball inside a sign will turn”
“Signs are almost ready!” Kamala interjects, working her design magic.
“You nervous?” Tony slaps your shoulder and you nod.
“Well, it’s only one of the most important moments of my life”
“Don’t worry, we’ll all be watching from inside, cheering for you. And judging you if you screw up”
“Nice, Stark” you roll your eyes but smile.
By the time Natasha’s back, everything is ready and you steady your breathing, acting as if it’s just another afternoon.
“How was the zoo?” you greet when she walks into your shared room.
“Yelena tried to steal a penguin”
“So, the usual”
“I’m really sorry, detka. I wanted to stay with you today but Lila and Cooper gave me those puppy eyes”
“It’s fine. Got some work done. Want to take a walk around? It’s still nice outside”
Natasha eyes you a bit intrigued but agrees, so you go out after taking a quick shower. You offer your hand, leading her to the front entrance, away from the setting. There are a few things you need to say before you get there.
“Remember our first date?” you finally speak and she laughs.
“I remember how you asked me”
“Oh, yeah” you snort, blushing at how bad that was.
“We’d barely made it out of that Hydra base, battered and bruised”
“And I asked what was the one thing you always wanted to do but never got around to doing” you reminisce.
“I said playing mini golf. And you…”
“I said all I ever wanted was to ask you out on a date”
“As if it was so scary” Natasha rolled her eyes.
“It was at the time. Trusting someone, opening up. Love. But you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me”
“Stop” she blushes and you laugh.
“There’s something I want you to see”
You finally reach the spot and it looks amazing with the lights on. The little mini golf set up is on. You look up, the entire Avengers team eagerly waiting by the window.
“What’s this?” Natasha says, looking around. Then her eyes land on you and you shuffle, anxiously. “You are going soft”
“Oh, well. Now, come on. I want you to play”
“Mini golf with a trained spy? My aim is impeccable, you know”
“Especially when you’re pissed. But you’re not now, are you?”
“No, just very happy” she pecks your lips and you blush. “Alright, watch me beat your super soldier ass, babe”
“Oh, nice one, Tasha”
Natasha chuckles, hitting the first ball. It ends up going to the last hole. A sign turns around.
Me?
Another ball goes, hitting the second hole.
You
“You, Me?” Natasha reads, trying to make sense of it. Fortunately, she hits the first hole and there’s a new sign.
Will you ___ me?
“Baby”, she turns around, her arms going around your neck. “All of this to ask me to fuck you?”
“What?”
“Will you fuck me? Such a romantic” she chuckles against your lips.
“Stop being a smartass and finish the game, Romanoff. There’s one more sign to go”
“I love you” she whispers against your lips.
She knows what you’re about to ask, that’s for sure. But you let her finish the game anyway, kneeling when the last sign turns.
“Will you marry me?” you ask, and this is the most terrifying thing you’ve ever done. You hold the ring Yelena kept safe before you left for that last mission.
“Of course I will” Natasha answers, breathlessly.
Your hands are shaking when you slip the ring down her finger and she smiles, admiring it.
“I love you” you pick her up, kissing her, hoping she understands she’s your entire world.
Everyone joins you then, congratulations going around. You pretend you don’t see Kamala and America toasting with that very expensive champagne Tony brought.
Natasha is showing the ring to Laura and Lila, speaking about how she had no idea you were all planning this.
“Is that why you tried to steal the penguin?” Kamala chimes in.
“Uh… sure” Yelena nods unconvincingly.
You roll your eyes, as the team keeps celebrating with food and drinks.
“Glad you made it” you greet Maria, who is once again enchanted by your magic guacamole.
“So this is what you were planning on doing with your summer? I would have totally understood, Y/N”
“Don’t worry about it. It ended up being perfect” you say, turning to the girls. Apparently, this is the first time they’ve met Peter and America is asking for proof that he doesn’t shoot webs out of his butt.
“They have a long way to go, don’t they?” Maria smiles.
“Yes. But I’ll be there every step of the way. And maybe, the world will be a lot kinder to them”
The rest of the night feels like something out of a dream.
Natasha Romanoff will be your wife.
Before the Bartons leave, Tony sets the helmet at one of the tables, programming it to take a picture.
“Family photo” he announces and everyone gathers around.
“America, Kamala, get over here, quick” you ask, pointing to the spot next to you. The girls beam, hugging each other.
“At the count of three, I want everyone to say…” Tony instructs and you all laugh.
“Assemble!”
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A3! Settsu Banri - Translation [SSR] MANKAI Feature (3/3)
*Please read disclaimer on blog; default name set as Izumi
---
Izumi: (David offers a deal to another prisoner to procure the items that Ren requested.)
David [Banri]: “Here’s the deal. If you have a route to the outside, then I’m sure you also have what’s written on this memo.”
Prisoner A: “Ha. You’ve certainly got some attitude askin’ someone for something.”
David [Banri]: “I’m sayin’ it’s a deal. I’m not asking you do to something unilaterally, alright?”
Prisoner A: “Since you’ve said that, you’ve got something to give to me, right?”
David [Banri]: “I’ll pay you the same amount as the last transaction.”
Prisoner A: “The same as last time? That ain’t enough. What about double?”
David [Banri]: “What the hell? Are you screwin’ with me?”
Prisoner A: “So you can’t cough it up? Then I’ve got nothing to say to ya.”
Izumi: (David usually deals smartly, but he was in a hurry this time since he was involved in Ren's prison break plan.)
(Because of that, David got taken advantage of and he grew frustrated.
Suddenly, a photo fell out of his pocket.)
(It was a photo of David’s father.)
Prisoner A: “Huh? What’s this picture?”
David [Banri]: “! Don’t touch that!”
Prisoner A: “Oh, what’s this? It seems pretty important to ya, huh?”
“Or does naiive little David get all wound up when his stuff gets touched a lil by someone else?”
David [Banri]: “You bastard…!”
*punches*
Prisoner A: “Woah!? What, you wanna go!? Take this!”
*punches*
David [Banri]: “Geh!”
*fight continues*
Izumi: (With his competitive nature to begin with, David reached his limit and a huge fist fight ensued.)
-pause-
Izumi: (After a guard broke them up, David calmed down and got his hands on what he wanted…)
David [Banri]: “*Sigh*… geez, that took a lotta extra effort.”
“…?”
“…My picture’s gone.
Don’t tell me during that scuffle just now—.”
Ren [Azami]: “Hey, is this what you’re lookin’ for?”
David [Banri]: “Ren!”
Ren [Azami]: “I picked it up after the throwdown earlier. Here."
David [Banri]: “T-thanks… my bad.”
Ren [Azami]: “…Is that your family with you in the picture?”
David [Banri]: “…That’s my dad. I mentioned him briefly when I took on your request, but he’s in the hospital right now and it doesn’t look like he has much time left.”
“I caused a lotta trouble for my dad.
…I wanna see him and talk with him one more time.”
Ren [Azami]: “…I know how you feel.
I feel the same way, y’know?”
David [Banri]: “Really now?”
Izumi: (Ren sympathized with David’s story that was a bit like his own.)
-pause-
Izumi: (However, a few days later… the news of Ren’s death reached David’s ears.)
David [Banri]: “Ren died…!?”
“I… see…”
“…”
Renato [Sakyo]: “…So that’s what happened, huh?”
“That’s too bad… but you'll get another chance one day.”
*Renato pats David*
David [Banri]: “Right…”
*Renato walks away*
David [Banri]: “…? What the? There’s somethin’ in my chest pocket…”
“Gum…?
Did Renato just do that?”
“Ha… that ain’t like him.”
-pause-
Izumi: (It was the night before David planned to break out of prison with Shaw and the others.
He payed Renato a visit.)
David [Banri]: “You’ve helped me a lot. I dropped by to say bye.
Here’s my thanks.”
Renato [Sakyo]: “Hm. Your thanks is a piece of gum?”
David [Banri]: “I thought it’d be shitty workin’ under someone. But it was surprisingly not that bad.”
Renato [Sakyo]: “Glad to hear that.”
David [Banri]: “Are you sure you don’t wanna leave this place?”
Renato [Sakyo]: “I’ve still got things to do here.
You’ve got your own stuff, don’tcha?”
David [Banri]: “…Yeah, I do.”
Renato [Sakyo]: “This is my partin’ gift. Take it.”
Izumi: (Renato slapped David on the chest and returned the gum he received.)
David [Banri]: “Haha. Well, keep your chin up.”
Renato [Sakyo]: “You too.”
-pause-
Izumi: (After that, David successfully escaped from prison and parted ways with Shaw and the others.)
David [Banri]: “First, I’ll give my dad a call…”
“…Crap. Even if I call from a payphone, I don’t have any coins on me.”
“*Sigh*. All I’ve got in my pocket is some gum—.”
“! No way, why're there coins…”
“…Is this from Renato?
That guy, tryna be cool.”
*inserts coins and dials*
David’s dad: “…Hello?”
David [Banri]: “Dad…”
David’s dad: “…David? Is that you?”
David [Banri]: (His voice is weak, but he’s alive.
…Thank God. I made it in time.)
“Yeah, it’s me.
I’m gonna head over to see you now.”
-pause-
Banri: …Ah, hey.
I know this is sudden, but I’m gonna come over for a visit this weekend.
Huh? Why the phone call? …Just ‘cause. See ya.
*hangs up*
Izumi: Are you going home over the weekend?
Banri: Yeah. I’ll send a LIME in the group chat later, but I won’t need any food this weekend.
Izumi: Sure, got it.
Banri: Aight…
Oh, I’ve already gotten messages on my socials.
Izumi: You also got some fan letters.
I’ll leave them here, okay?
(…Banri-kun’s concentrated on reading his messages and fan letters.
I won’t interrupt him.)
-pause-
Izumi: ! You’re here, Sakyo-san?
Sakyo: I was gonna enter the lounge.
But I felt like I would’ve interrupted if I did.
Izumi: You don’t have to just stand here and watch…!
Sakyo: …He’s sincere, isn’t he?
Izumi: Yeah.
I’m sure Banri-kun knows better than anyone that the fact he can stand on stage is because he has fans who believe in him and support him.
Banri-kun didn’t say it, but this role was chosen by his fans…
I think he considered his fans more than usual when he performed his play the other day.
Sakyo: Yeah, I think so too.
Izumi: (I feel more and more excited to see… what kind of performances Banri-kun will show us in the future.)
---
previous |
#a3!#a3! translation#settsu banri#act! addict! actors!#wahhh sorry for the delay!!!#I have so many deadlines right now....#(plus I'm back very deep in my virche brainrot.. LOL)
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Hounds of the Isle (chapter one)
A/N- First off tumblr doesn't have footnotes at least on the computer. So I tried my best and made it obvious where the footnotes and without a doubt, there's gonna be some mistakes. Bare with me.
Brief description- Treko Sincara was brought into this world to do one thing and one thing only, to serve the people of Kala, to protect their land, to serve their God, and to be the best God Hound that their God ever had. After a terrible attack on Kala from the Kingdom of Silver that split the people apart making them flee from their island. It’s Treko’s job to protect their home, and its people, and they failed that job. Their purpose. Knowing their friends and father are still on Kala, they cannot let this failure drag on anymore. With their crush, Sunny Atlas, by their side learning how to be a God Hound and miles away from their home. Treko and Sunny are gonna need a miracle to save their home.
I was born for this. My mother bred me for this.
Treko thought as they stared at the rat hole, a wave crashed against the boat making everything in the room move just a tab as Treko wrapped the bed sheets around themselves tighter. Taking comfort in the soft bedding, the soft but an occasional hard wave that slap the boat, and the muffled voices from the other side of the door. Treko took this comfort. After all they were lucky, Treko should be dead. Their world was crashing down around them, they had lost their home, almost died in the sea, and their family and friends are split apart. Hard coughing and hushed voices came from the other side of the door as Trekos dad, Niko, walked in holding a plate of 2 slices of bread spread with butter spread on top and 5 orange slices on the side.
“Hey Honey bun, are you awake?” Niko announce with Treko sitting up, flipping the blankets up making a hood and cocooned the blankets around themselves. Niko stood there for a second looking at them, smiled softly and moved to the side of the bed. “I brought you some food. You need to eat something please.” Niko said sitting down in the bed next to his daughter offering them the plate of food. Treko starred at it blankly, sighed and begrudgly started eating the food.
“Thank you.” Niko sighed and ran his hand up and down their back.
“Do you wanna talk? It’s been a week and you’ve just been responding in grunts. I know it’s hard. Honey, please, you can’t hide yourself away.” Niko said, resting his hand on Treko’s shoulder. Treko stayed silent and kept on eating. Cleaning the plate they placed it on the bed next to them.
“Where are we?”
“We’re off the shore of Red Shore Island. King Remus is gonna send a small boat ashore to see if the people of Red Shore will help us. It’s a long shot.” Treko perked up, as Niko grabbed the plate off the bed and placed it in his lap.
“Red shore Island! I’m going on shore with them!” Treko yelled and they quickly jumped out of bed and hurried over to their boots making Niko jump to his feet in the process.
“Wait! Maybe. Eat some more food before you go jumping on a boat and heading for probable death.” Niko stepped forward towards Treko, who successfully got their boots on fast enough to spin around and started backing up to the desk chair where they had tossed their jacket when they entered the room.
“I’m fine. Trust me! I need to go on shore with the men.” Treko grabbed her jacket off the chair and shook it a bit. It was ruined from the salt water but it will make do. Niko was quickly beside them, nervously looking at them. Treko didn’t like the look on his face. “It’s my duty as a God Hound.”
“I would prefer for you to stay on the boat.” Niko said nervously, Treko looked up to him and smiled.
“Dad. Trust me.”
“I do trust you. I know you can protect yourself bu-”
“Dad, I have to do this. I- I should not have stayed in bed like that. I know you care, you rather I stay on the boat and be with you but I have to go on shore. It would be safer for those who do go.” They started to move to the door, Nico grabbed Trekos arm pulling her away from the door.
“Treko, I don’t want to lose you too.” Treko felt their heart break a bit inside their chest. Nico pulled Treko in to a tight hug.
“Please Honey Bun. I don’t want to lose you. I can’t lose you too.” Niko whispered, hugging them tighter. Treko hugged back and buried their face in his chest.
“You won't lose me.” Treko said trying to be loud enough so he can hear them.
“I know. It will take all the Gods to take you down Honey bun but a lot has happened recently. A lot, that no one would have guessed. ” Niko chuckled as he stepped back a bit, bringing his hands to Trekos face and held it. He kissed their forehead. (1)
“I promise I’ll come back, Dad. I won’t do anything stupid. I won’t put myself directly in the line of danger if the gods allow it.” Treko said as they leaned into his kiss and basically forced them to hug again.
“By the gods please be careful. May Nakala keep you safe.” Niko pulled away and Treko smiled at him. Treko turned to walk out of the room as dread and numbness filled their body. Treko didn’t have the guts to tell anyone that their connection to Nakala felt faint. (2) It changed after Niko and some knights fished them out of the sea after Treko finally killed the feral god that led The Kingdoms of Silvers attack. Maybe it was because I lost, I failed to protect the Island, and its people, and I fled. I still don’t understand how they got that feral god to attack us! Appeared out of from the room the sun blinded them instantly. Taking a hesitated step back, Treko cleared their throat, then marched forward, blinking and shielding their eyes from the sun. It took them a moment to find Captain Yula. She was standing over with a group of knights and feral knights.
“Captain Yula! Has the boat left for the island yet!” Treko called out as they made their way over to Captain Yula, she was a level headed woman under any pressure she always had a plan. It made Yula very respected among the Feral Fighters. Treko noticed people starring at them as they approached Captain Yula, Yula herself even took a double take.
“No. Not yet we’re waiting on King Remus.” Captain Yula said turning to Treko fully, there were a couple Feral Figthers and Knights standing behind her double checking what they had was necessary. Some eyes around Treko kept lingering as they came to a dead stop infront of the men and Captian Yula.
“I’m surprised your even coming along, you should rest more after that fight with the Feral God.” Captain Yula commented as she held out a weird knight helmet to Treko. Treko took it and rolled it around in their hands, the helmet had a few scraps and some rust spots on it. There was a giant deep cut straight, up and down, on the left eye. Treko frowned at the helmet; they've never seen any Knight or Feral Fighter wear a helmet like this before.
“The only armour we have is the ones on the knights and fighters here but a couple of kids found 3 very old helmets tucked away in a crate when they were looking for some food. Its better than nothing.” Yula said and crossed her arms.
“Thanks Captain Yula.” Treko put the helmet on, They stood there adjusting the helmet to fit correctly, the foam in it had been worn out by the previous owner. It’s not their helmet but it’ll have to do.
“So? Whats the hold up with King Remus I want to go on shore.” Treko asked stretching their arms above their head, Yula sighed and closing her eye she leaned her head back and starred at the evening sky.
“Well. Princess Sunny was wanting to go on shore, you know. God Hound experience. That’s been keeping King Remus from sending us off.” Yula explained, Treko laughed and turned to look at the top level of the ship. Turning back to Captain Yula shaking their head.
“How long have you been waiting? I feel like that argument will take forever!”
“Wouldn’t take so long if you go and agree with Princess Sunny then King Remus wouldn’t have a choice.” Yula retorted.
“Yeah, well! I got in between him and King once and Remus bit my head off. I love Sunny but he scares me.”
“We’ve been waiting for 20 minu-” Yula was cut off by a door on the upper deck burst open.
“I am gonna go on shore and be a God Hound!” Sunny yelled as she walked out, she immediately leaned over the railing looking down at Captain Yula and Treko. Treko smiled up at Sunny as she leaned over to look down at them. Sunny had switched up from her usual dress into pants and a shirt, similar clothing to what Treko was given when they first woke up. This switch up does suite Sunny very well Treko thought She still looks stunning in dull clothing. The cream color of the shirt and darker cream of the pants stuck out against Sunny's dark black skin, took Treko’s breath away. She always looks good in white or cream colors but theres also those dark green and blue dresses she likes to wear. Those are breathtaking as well.
“Captain! Get ready to leave!” Sunny called out and started moving down the stairs. Treko snapped out of it and looked back up to the upper deck seeing King Remus walking out of the room after her but staying on top instead of coming down. He nodded down at them, waving his hand looking defeated by their fight. Turning away from Remus Treko smiled to herself, Sunny was good at negotiations.
“Alright everyone in the boat! Let’s go!” Yula called out and jumped in the boat. Treko waited until Sunny got in the boat and then hopped in next to her. Treko looked over at her, she sat there and had a stern look on her face as the boat started to lower. As the boat hit the water Sunny grabbed the side of the boat and braced herself against Treko, Treko held their breath as Sunny grumbled something under her breath. She looked over at Treko and straightened herself back up.
“So what should we be looking out for on the island?”
Foot Notes-
A/N- Tumblr doesn't have an underline so I am using the cross out as a difference in characters.
(1)
GOLRUM! Where are you? Sokala?! MOM!!
AQUATIS! Over here help me, Sokala was knocked out by something. What’s going on?
There you are, oh my! Is that blood? Why is Sokala bleeding! Why isn’t the wound healing? She's very good at rehealing herself.
I don’t know, we need to find mom. I tried healing her but it wasn’t working. Help me get her off the floor and we’ll go to mom’s office. She should be there.
Okay but what do you mean it wasn’t working. Are you okay?
My body is buzzing, something is very very wrong. Do you feel the buzzing?
No, I feel fine. Are you sure you want to carry Sokala? I can carry her.
No, I got her. How about you try healing her before we start moving.
(2) Okay.
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Blood of Mine | Ch. 5 (Heimdall x fem!reader)
Summary: Life is pretty simple. Survive the harsh conditions of Fimbulwinter in Midgard, trade with your dwarven friends in Svartalfheim and – avoid the shit out of Odin’s most loyal lapdog? If word reaches the All-Father about your blood-bending origins, you’re doomed… (Hints of Avatar: TLA, but not a crossover)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Profanity
First chapter | Previous Chapter | Next chapter
View on AO3
Chapter Five: Aftermath
“Fuck, fuck, fuck!
The door to your room rattled in the wooden frame as you slammed it behind you. You didn’t care. You wanted nothing more than for the ground to tear open and swallow you whole. Barely a week and a half of life in Asgard, and you were completely, utterly, royally fucked!
Heimdall, of all the bloody people, had figured you out, and you made the stupid mistake of offering him anything he wanted to keep his mouth shut. You were surprised he even accepted it in the first place, fully expecting him to waltz right into the All-Father’s office and blab about everything like the loyal lapdog he was, but he hadn’t. And that made you nervous. Angry, even.
What could he possibly want from you? You had no money, no influence, no special anything to offer the high-ranking Aesir God – except for your blood-bending, of course, but you knew that didn’t interest him nearly as much as it would his father. So, what was it then?
You grit your teeth. You’d have to wait and find out, and you had a sure feeling he was going to take his sweet-ass time with it, too, if the way he acted earlier was of any indication.
You clenched your fists as you entered the great hall, grudgingly following in the footsteps of your latest nightmare. His gait was still an overly confident saunter, but there was an edge to it now, as if he knew something everyone else didn’t – which was completely and utterly accurate, much to your chagrin.
“What do you like?” He asked suddenly.
You had to process his words for a moment until you realised he was asking what you wanted to eat. He held a bowl in one hand, patiently waiting for you to answer him. His expression remained neutral, but you knew he was enjoying this immensely on the inside.
“I… really don’t care,” you mumbled in reply. You doubt you’d even have the stomach for it anyway.
That was how you winded up with a plateful of the most unappetising cut of meat you’ve ever seen in your life and nothing else. You fought the urge to toss it in his face as he sat there munching on a block of cheese beside you, those bifröst eyes of his never once leaving your form. It was unnerving, to say the least, and it certainly didn’t help that you felt the eyes of many others watching the odd scene unfold before them.
You pushed your bowl away with disgust. “Can you stop? Hasn’t anyone ever told you it’s rude to stare?”
He didn’t answer. Instead, he blinked, idly picking at the food on his plate as he continued to watch you.
“Ugh, my… fucking god.” You leaned your elbows on the table and buried your face in your hands. It wasn’t until a familiar voice called your name that you looked up. “Thrúd?”
You twisted in your seat to see the young teen quickly approaching. She looked out of breath, almost like she’d run here. A puzzled expression marred her delicate features once she reached you, her eyes bouncing between you and her uncle. Had she been searching for you?
“What are you doing?” She sneered at him, blue eyes blazing with suspicion.
A click of his tongue. “Eating, clearly. Not the sharpest tool in the shed, are you?”
“I meant, why are you eating with her?” She reiterated through clenched teeth, looking as though she was ready for round two of their fight from earlier.
This successfully got the cocky Aesir to look at something other than you. He rotated on the spot to face his niece completely, crossing one ankle over the other as he leaned an elbow back onto the table. It reminded you of a lazy cat stretching out over a cosy surface, completely unbothered by the situation.
“Can’t two people enjoy a meal together?” He asked finally, raising his brows at her.
“Since when do you eat with anyone? You’re a loner!”
The low jab flew in one ear and out the other as his attention strayed back to you. “I believe that’s between you and me, wouldn’t you say, sunshine?”
You wanted to scream at him. Was he really expecting you to play along like this? In front of everyone? In front of Thrúd? He tilted his head forward, waiting, daring you to say otherwise.
“Sure.” You concurred, sounding entirely unconvincing.
“See?” He waved a hand at her, feigning an innocent smile as he spun back around. “Now, do run along, child. It’s way past your bedtime.”
She didn’t. Instead, she looked at you, waiting for you to give her the cue to hit him. You shook your head tiredly, “S’fine. I’ll catch up with you another time, yeah?”
Her shoulders fell slightly, and she reluctantly backed off with a nod. You knew she didn’t believe him for a second, but what else could you do? If you said anything, you would be breaking the unspoken rule of your shaky agreement with Heimdall. If you were to tell anyone of your blackmail situation, you could kiss your sweet freedom goodbye. Besides, you were mouthier than you probably should be to him, considering he practically held your future in his hands.
You remained in your seat for the better part of an hour, waiting for him to give you some notion that he was done with you or that he was leaving, but he didn’t, and you eventually had to ask the bastard if you could retire for the night. That was when he let you go, but not without leaning in nice and close to whisper in your ear.
“I’ll be seeing you, sunshine.”
You shivered at the memory as you pinched the bridge of your nose between your forefinger and thumb. “That senseless, disgusting, infuriating son of a-!”
A knock on the door made you freeze mid-rant. “Hey, is everything alright in there?”
It was Sif, you realised. Had Thrúd told her something was up?
You called out, not wanting another face-to-face interaction for the rest of the night. “Yeah, just,” wanting to throw myself out the window, “-getting ready for bed!”
Thankfully, she didn’t press any further, and you finally found it in you to lay down and get some well-deserved shuteye.
The next day came faster than you would have liked. It felt like you’d drifted off for a total of two minutes, and suddenly it was bright outside again, birds happily chirping in the distance, taunting you. You groaned, wanting nothing more than to roll over and head right back to sleep, but you knew the kitchen staff was expecting you, so you finally dragged yourself out of bed and got ready.
You probably looked a fright as you all but stumbled into the kitchen and threw your apron on, ready to hurry up and finish so you could go back to sulking. On a positive note, Heimdall was nowhere to be seen on your stealthy trek through the great hall, most likely already standing guard on the wall.
“You okay, kid?” Jörgen asked as you awaited his orders.
“Peachy!” You exclaimed, giving him what you hoped was your friendliest smile. It probably looked more like you’d sucked on a sour lemon. A really potent one.
“Right.” He deadpanned, looking unsure. He shook his head, “Anyway, your dish was a success! What’d I tell you? You had nothing to worry about!”
Your brows raised in honest surprise. “Really? He ate it?”
“Actually, from what I heard, someone else did.” He clapped you on the back. “Don’t worry. It’s still good news! It means the Gods like your food! The bad news is you probably won’t be the All-Father’s personal chef anytime soon, which means no promotions for you.”
You were put on soup and stew duty after that, paired with the two servant girls who’d been giggling at your expense yesterday, thanks to Amir’s flirtatious antics. It turns out the young man was off working in the crops today, hence his absence. It was a blessing in disguise, really, since you weren’t in the mood for any of that at the moment. Perhaps another time. The man was good-looking, after all, and you’d be crazy to pass up a good distraction – if that’s what he was looking for anyway.
Though dull and repetitive, the work was calming on your mind, and the shift was over before you knew it, your fellow staff bidding you farewell as you hung your apron on its designated hook. Now that you’ve been out of your room for a while, you didn’t much feel like going back in, so you found yourself aimlessly wandering the streets, your mind going crazy as it filtered through thought after thought about what you were going to do next.
Should you even bother staying in Asgard? Realistically, nothing was tying you here – you were here purely through invitation only. Sure, it came from the top dog himself, but that didn’t mean he’d keep you here against your will… right? Would he let you leave if you asked him? Was Heimdall right in saying the man already knew who you were? What you were? You hadn’t seen much of elusive God since he placed you under the care of his fiery granddaughter almost two weeks prior, choosing to spend his time in his study or venture out on personal business the last time you’d heard.
You huffed, striking a pebble with the tip of your boot, watching it as it skipped a few paces along the jagged stone path. A cold wind blowing through you snapped you from your inner turmoil, and you halted, glancing around. The sun had disappeared behind the giant wall, casting a long, dark shadow over the city as night-time loomed. Locals were disappearing inside to be with their families, the bright candlelights flickering and dancing through the windows of their homes.
You cussed under your breath. You hadn’t meant to wander for so long, your rampaging thoughts clearly getting the best of you, and hurriedly began the trek back to the lodge. Upon reaching the courtyard out front, you resumed a stealthier approach, glancing around and taking note of the lack of soldiers posted around the area. Where was everyone?
Only as you crept closer to the building did you hear the loud noises and cheering from inside. You reeled back just as the front doors burst open to release a rowdy group of Einherjar, yelling and shouting as they stumbled outside with their tankards full of what was no doubt mead. Carefully manoeuvring around them, you stepped inside and were immediately greeted with a fully packed-out great hall. Music played, food was passed around, and people mingled in large groups. It was the busiest, most crowded place you’ve ever been in. The air was thick, and you barely had room to step aside as a servant shot past you with a tray full of more mead.
You were by no means tiny, but you had a tough time seeing over everyone’s shoulders as you tried and failed to make your way to your room. Nevertheless, you were relieved as you spotted a certain strawberry-blonde teen in the distance, calling out to her with a little jump and wave so she’d see you.
“Hey! I was hoping to see you here,” she smiled, linking arms with you. “There’s someone I want you to meet!”
Her enthused energy was beginning to rub off on you as she divided a path through the crowd to the front end of the long dining table. Your eyes widened slightly as you spotted the hulking man accompanying Sif, practically dwarfing her as she sat perched upon his lap. He had long, somewhat messy red hair with a beard to match, and the stormiest blue eyes you’d ever seen. You knew who he was the second you laid eyes on the mighty hammer attached to his hip.
Holy shit, Thor’s her dad?
The beast of a man acknowledged you with a barely noticeable nod as his daughter introduced you. Unfortunately, what would’ve been a pleasant introduction quickly turned into a long-winded tale about the enemy he’d hunted and taken down in Midgard – hence the abrupt celebration upon his return. Sif was all smiles, but you could tell even she was losing interest the longer he raved. It was admittedly awkward as Thrúd pulled you away to a more private corner so she could speak to you quietly, leaving the husband-and-wife duo to entertain the crowd.
You were immediately bombarded with question after question about where you’d been all day and why you were sitting with her uncle last night. You huddled closer to the wall, anxiously searching through the throngs of people for a pair of narrowed bifröst eyes.
“Whoa, shush up! What if he hears?” You hissed, motioning for her to quiet down.
She scoffed. “He won’t hear anything, he’s not even here! He can’t stand huge crowds like this.” Your shoulders relaxed slightly, and she exhaled. “What happened yesterday? Why did he drag you off like that?”
“How should I know? You’re the one that hit him!”
You didn’t miss the way her lips twitched upward, attempting to hold back a victorious grin. You knew she’d never let him live that one down. However, her focus remained on you. “Did he do something to you?”
You appreciated that she cared enough to ask, but she was unintentionally making this more complicated than it needed to be.
“Look,” you sighed, folding your arms. “I may have done something to piss him off, but I promise it’s nothing I can’t handle. He doesn’t scare me, Thrúd.”
That was a white lie, of course. Normal Heimdall, you could manage – he was no more than a typical bully searching for his next victim to play with. But when he was threatening your livelihood and throwing you around like you weighed less than a sack of feathers? That’s when he was intimidating. You’d never felt that level of contempt from anyone before, let alone had it aimed toward you.
“Stop worrying!” You asserted when she didn’t respond straight away.
“How can I not? He’s a right psycho when he wants to be! At least let me tell my dad. I’m sure there’s something he can-”
“No!” You cried, catching the attention of those standing close by. You grasped her by the shoulders, squeezing. “Just let me deal with this. Besides, he’ll probably grow tired of me eventually. I’m sure of it.”
I’m really not.
Despite the frown still tugging at her lips, she hummed in reluctant agreement. You were relieved, to say the least. The last thing you needed was her and her father provoking the guy into telling Odin everything. You’d already messed up once; you sure as Hel didn’t need to mess up again.
All too aware of how you got off scot-free today, you politely turned down her offer of joining the celebration in favour of crawling into bed and enjoying what little peace you have left before the blond God would be on your case again.
#we love thor on this blog okie?#heimdall where'd you go#really hope people are enjoying this as much as i am#heimdall x reader#gow heimdall x reader#hiemdall gow x reader#fanfiction#crossposted on ao3#fic: blood of mine
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Pulitzer, to start with
you know, I feel like this was one of those moments where you side-eyed me and was like, “really, emme? really? you’ve got nothing? nothing at all?” until I admitted that I did, in fact, have headcanons for him. honestly, if that passive-aggressive-ness ain’t friendship, I don’t know what is. #friendshipislowkeybullyingandimhereforit #loveyousparkedblaze
so joseph pulitzer was obviously a real person. he was originally from hungary, and moved to the united states at age 17 as a recruit for the american civil war (“I was fighting in a WAR”). his family was wealthy, and his education consisted of mostly private tutors. when he immigrated, eventually ending up in st. louis, he brought none of that wealth, and didn’t speak even the smallest bit of english. he worked odd jobs, waited tables, and in his free time, studied. legend has it that while he was studying, he began making commentary about a nearby game of chess under his breath in german. unfortunately, the players spoke german. more fortunately, they took note of his intelligence, and offered him a job at a somewhat-prominent german daily newspaper. he accepted.
four years later, joseph pulitzer had become a force to be reckoned with. he had successfully made a name for himself in the journalistic world, and bought his first newspaper in st. louis at 25. five years after that, he ventured to new york in search of a doctor for his health later than year, and ended up negotiating a deal for the new york world, which wasn’t doing well at the time. he was thirty. over the next decade, the world’s circulation grew to exceedingly great heights until it was the largest circulating paper in all of the united states.
of course, these are just the highlights of his journalist career. I won’t go into detail about his political one.
(…yeah. this man wasn’t someone you messed with. I have no idea why the newsies thought taking on him was a good idea, let alone how they won.)
and now for the fun stufffffffffff
he was the father of seven, yet katherine is the only kid mentioned in newsies??? and only the stage production??? my best guess about this is because she died at two, and so there’s not really much you could “get wrong” or offend people with (also, it reminds me of the using of philip and theodosia in hamilton, but that’s entirely besides the point). either way, what I’m saying the purpose of this was, regardless of the truth, is that THIS katherine also got sick young, but instead of passing away, she slowly got better through a very touch-and-go childhood. therefore, he’s ridiculously protective of her because that’s his daughter, dammit, and he’s not going to lose her now.
something that I always noticed in livesies was how…american he was??? like, he brought up american football. I don’t know what’s more american than that.
he just reminded me of every midwestern dad I’ve ever met, and I think that was somewhat intentional, so I’m rolling with it. I’m guessing the real joseph pulitzer was like this, too, so we can pretend it’s based in historical evidence.
he goes out of his way to not act like an immigrant. this is pretty common, considering stereotypes, prejudice, and racism, but pulitzer was jewish, and very obviously so. this made his life that much more difficult, and it probably would have been easier to pretend that english was his first language and that he was as patriotic as they come. so he didn’t flaunt that he was an immigrant as well as a veteran, politician, and businessman.
he would have never let his daughter become a journalist. or associate with someone like jack at all. just saying.
I love how cutthroat they made him in the musical. realistically, he didn’t fight the newsies THAT much, but it’s really funny to me that this great business mogul was waging petty wars against literal children.
he feels like he could be a surburban dad, flipping burgers and wearing a kiss the cook apron while his seven children run around in the backyard with a dog. I have no idea why. (someone draw that fanart for me PLEASE)
also, he named katherine after his wife, kate.
#newsies#92sies#uksies#livesies#joseph pulitzer#west endsies#jack kelly#jack kelly newsies#francis sullivan#katherine plumber#katherine pulitzer#manhattan newsies#new york world#emme’s bad ideas
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Ultimatum (4)
Masterlist of fan fiction
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
Fandom: Robin Hood (BBC)
Pairings: Guy of Gisborne x Fem!Reader
Warnings: Lots of angst.
Summary: You and Guy discuss your feelings for each other, and act on those feelings. However, you know that Guy can be a better man and can’t stand by to watch him fall into a pit of atrocity while serving under the Sheriff. Will Guy choose you or Sheriff Vaisey?
Comments/Notes: If you wish to be tagged in any of my tag lists for fics or characters, please let me know, and stipulate what you want to be tagged in. People who do not interact with my fics (even if just a ‘like’) after a month or two will be taken off my list. You can probably already see that my tag list has now shortened by about half; please, please if you want to be on my tag list at least show some interest, or if you lose interest, just ask to be taken off.
I’ve also changed the plot a little. Marian never died, but instead has gone on the run with Robin.
A week later and you had successfully found work. Henry, a kind old farmer had agreed to your payment: access to a bed in his spare room and two bronze coins per week. It was more than enough to maintain a decent lifestyle until you could move on to better work.
“You ain’t from around here?” he had asked immediately, leaning his elbow on the fence which surrounded his goats.
“No, I’ve come from Nottingham. Felt it best to move away, see if I can make a bit of money elsewhere,” you said, offering a sad smile.
On the seventh night that you had been at Henry’s small, humble home, you sat opposite him, tucking into beef stew. He was watching you. Tired, yet quizzical eyes studied you from under a pair of grey, bushy eyebrows.
“You’re running from something, girl,” he said suddenly, then opened his mouth wide and took a large mouthful of steaming stew. “Unrequited love, maybe? Some kind of lost love anyway.”
You raised an eyebrow and then looked down at your stew, stirring the meat and carrots among the gravy. “How did you guess?”
“There’s a sadness in your eyes. It’s a sadness that we all get when we’ve lost someone we love. The fact you’ve left Nottingham means that it’s more than likely a man. I’m guessing someone of standing.”
“I’d rather not talk about it, Henry, if you don’t mind.”
Henry didn’t bring the subject up again, but he remained watchful over you. He saw you write letters during the evening hours and then burn them on the main fire. No doubt they were undelivered letters to this lover of yours.
***
Another visitor appeared in the village but a fortnight after your appearance. Henry noticed that this stranger had been asking around for a young woman who had stopped there. The visitor was dressed in dark garb, and kept his head lowered.
You decided to go out and meet this mysterious man. Your heart was racing as you hoped with everything inside you that it was Guy. Had he finally come to be with you?
The morning was bright and mild as you stepped out. The man was at the house just a couple of hundred yards up from Henry’s residence. You hurried towards him, feeling the anxiety gather in your chest. Was it him?
The man turned. Your heart sank as you looked upon him. “Abe?” you asked, eyes wide. “What are you doing here?”
“Looking for you,” he replied, looking relieved. “Both your father and Gisborne have been looking for you. But it was Gisborne who officially sent me to get you to come back.”
“Does my father know the reason why I left?” you asked, sighing.
“I had a good idea why you left, but your father is still none the wiser. Gisborne is too much of a coward to admit to your father that he’s the reason you left. He played along with your father, pretending to not know.”
A tear dripped down your cheek. “He won’t leave Nottingham, and the Sheriff’s side. Why?” Your words came out as a hiss and you balled your hand into a fist. “I thought he loved me.”
“Gisborne is a mystery no one will solve in a hurry,” Abe replied sadly. “He’s paid me to take you back, but I’m not going to force you. What you choose to do is up to you.”
“Typical Guy.”
“He hasn’t been the same since you left, you know? He’s more of a recluse, barely speaks. And for some reason keeps demanding apples from the kitchen, which I believe is something to do with you.” Abe chuckled and nudged you. “The man isn’t completely heartless as we’ve all believed.”
“I don’t think anyone ever truly is, Abe. Will you come and join me and Henry for lunch?”
As soon as Henry heard Guy’s name mentioned, he raised an eyebrow and looked at you in shock. “Gisborne? Guy of Gisborne? He’s the one you’re running from?”
“Yes,” you replied with a sigh.
Abe reached across and took another apple from the bowl of fruit that had been set on the table. Around it were some freshly cut pieces of meat, butter that had been churned only the day before, and bread that was almost straight from the oven.
Henry stared at you for a few seconds. “That name is known throughout the country, and not for good things. How did you become caught up with the likes of him?”
“Believe it or not, Guy can be a good man,” you said. “I think it takes someone who is patient to really break through his icy demeanour and gleam what’s underneath. Getting to know Guy certainly didn’t come overnight.”
Henry propped his elbows on the table. “Love, why are you wasting your time on a scoundrel like him? Money and power are the only things on Gisborne’s mind. We all know that. For the time I’ve known you, you seem like a really good woman, and I’d hate to see him take advantage of that.”
Abe spoke up. “I do believe he feels something for her. How deep that runs, I don’t know and wouldn’t want to speculate. He’s paid me to take her back.”
Henry scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Can’t even come himself, but has to send someone else to do his dirty work. Seriously, you’re better off without someone like him in your life.”
Frustration hit you suddenly. “And you’re so perfect are you, Henry? So perfect that you’ve never associated with anyone who is below worthy to be called a paragon of virtue?” You shoved the wooden stool from the table, it screeching across the floor, and you stormed out into the mid-day sun.
“Women, eh?” Henry chuckled wryly as Abe shoved another half of apple into his mouth.
You stood in the warmth of the sun with your arms crossed and tried so hard not to cry, but failed miserably. Your dam broke and tears fell down your cheeks.
“I’m sorry. I never meant to offend you,” Henry apologised. “I just don’t want to see you hurt, that’s all. I don’t think Abe does either.”
“I’ve been hurt enough by Guy. I doubt he could hurt me any more than he already has.”
***
Once Abe had returned to Nottingham, Guy was immediately at his side. “Well, where is she?” Guy was irritated; it showed immediately in his ice blue eyes.
“I’m not going to force her back, Sir Guy,” Abe replied coolly.
Guy grabbed Abe and shoved him back against the stone wall of the castle. “You will do whatever I pay you to do, is that understood?” he bellowed, gritting his teeth.
Abe dragged himself out of Guy’s grasp. “Go and fight for her yourself! Instead of sending us out in your stead, go and do the proper thing and talk to her yourself.”
Guy knew that Abe was right and sighed, drawing away from the confrontation. He turned on his heel, tossing one last cold glare over his shoulder, and then walked away, back up the steps leading into the castle.
Your father was standing in the main entrance and had heard the commotion that was going on, and had heard all of the shouts. “You’re the reason I’ve lost my daughter!” your father hissed.
Guy turned and saw your father standing but ten feet or so away from him. Your father’s hand was on the pommel of his sword and his stare was focused intently on the man who had rejected you. “She wanted me to leave with her. I tried to make her see sense.”
Your father stepped up to Guy, his eyes wide and piercing. “You will go yourself, Guy. You will go and make this right. You have three options. You can go and make this right; go to her and be the man that she deserves. You can bring her back and never speak a word to her again if your intention is not to wed her. Or, and I will take great delight in this, I rip off your manhood and feed it to you. Which will it be?”
***
Follow Forever tag list: @lathalea @i-did-not-mean-to @xxbyimm @middleearthpixie @linasofia @meganlpie @knitastically @guardianofrivendell @asgardianhobbit98 @spidergirla5 @sunflwrnsunnieshine
Guy of Gisborne tag list: @puggledy-huggledy-is-not-a-pig @rikki-b-lake
Richard Armitage tag list: @cryptichobbit
#Guy of Gisborne#Robin Hood#Richard Armitage#Guy of Gisborne x You#Guy of Gisborne x Fem!Reader#Guy of Gisborne x Reader
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Aaron Hotchner (Criminal Minds) - Chapter 20
It’s safe to say that leaving the jet that night was very tense. The team had tentatively gathered around the round table. You couldn’t stand still. Hotch still stayed at your side.
“So what, we’re gonna pretend we didn’t see your eyes light up like a christmas tree.”
Morgan sounds annoyed, or maybe just hurt. You’d been with the team for months.
“Morgan I swear that I-”
“How long have you known Hotch?” His rage is now directed at the Hotch.
“Since she joined the team.” Morgan chuckles, but there is nothing humorous about it.
“So you’ve both been running around like the freaking avengers.”
“I get that you’re mad, but you have to understand that this isn’t easy. “
“Of course I’m mad!! You both kept this from us. I guess what we think doesn’t matter. I thought we were a family.” Looking at him now it becomes clear. It’s not so much that he’s afraid. More like he feels betrayed.
“Morgan I’m-”
“You’re one of us, aren’t you?”
You wait for that look, but you don’t meet it. Instead, there’s understanding. Not fear or disgust.
“Let’s be honest, if you’d said something, we probably would have thought you were crazy. I can’t say I’m thrilled that apparently there’s a lot more to you than great profiling and uncoordinated mishaps.” Prentiss offers.
“I for one am very curious about what exactly happened on the jet. “ Rossi looks intrigued, and you can’t help it, you smile. Soon you begin laughing.
“I-I can’t believe this.”
You had mentally prepared yourself for rejection, but this was a complete turn.
“Hey, I’m still pissed!” Morgan fires. You’re still laughing under your breath.
“Garcia’s going to flip when she finds out.” JJ comments.
“I believe the first thing she’ll do is think of a good hero name.” Reid inputs.
“I think I can handle that much.” You sigh. You can feel the weight physically leave your body.
“I really thought you and Hotch were just sleeping together.” You blush at Morgan’s statement. From the looks they all give, it’s clear they were all thinking it.
“W-Why would you think that?”
“Come on, when you first got here he was watching you like a hawk. Then it seemed like you guys fixed everything overnight.”
You could see why that would look suspicious.
“Actually..Hotch and I are..” How should you put this in the right words?
“Sleeping together, we know. We're profilers. We wouldn’t be very good at our job if we couldn’t figure that out. “ Rossi chuckles. Somehow finding out about your powers seems so insignificant. Your cheeks are once again burning.
“Did I mention I can read minds?”
“Bet you can, must have taken a mind reader to score with Hotch.” Your blush returns full force, and the team begins laughing.
All things considered, that went pretty well.
~
“I can’t believe that actually happened.” You facepalm, and Hotch chuckles as he places his briefcase on your table.
“I’m relieved that they handled it so well.”
Even though it was resolved, there would be a lot more questions. Now you also feel like you have to tell them everything. Even about your father. You didn’t want to give them any reason not to trust you, especially after they had accepted you.
Super powers and all.
You give a little yawn.
“Do you want some water before you head out?”
He nods.
“I would like that. “
He leans in to drop a kiss on your cheek, and you smile heading to your fridge.
“So what kind of name do you think Garcia is going to come up with?”
Shutting the door, you head back to the living room.
“Captain mind seems like something she would say.” You mumble, and your brows furrow when you gain no response.
“Hotch?”
You step through the hallway, and dread hits you like a wave. The man who’s standing at your door has successfully silenced Hotch. He looks unharmed, but on edge.
“Hello Sweetheart.”
That voice brings a whole new feeling of dread.
#aaron hotch fanfiction#love#trust#care#understanding#power#change#decisions#hotch x reader#family#BAU#derek morgan#jj#spencer reid#david rossi#profilers#emily prentiss#memories#hotchxreader#boss Hotch
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She Was Not Wise Yet
So I've started writing some next gen stuff. We'll see where it goes.
AO3
It had been a bad day.
A really bad day.
Which wasn’t fair, because it had started out as a great day. It should have been a great day.
But the end of it saw her struggling to open the front door of the flat she shared with her cousin Lucy. The tenuous hold she had on her files was slipping, her hair was no longer secured by the messy bun she’d thrown it in and was falling around her face, and she couldn’t find her goddamn, bloody keys.
With a huff she dropped the files, her bag and her training gear to the ground, not caring as the files fluttered everywhere. Pushing her hair out of her face, she rummaged through her bag, following the sound of jingling keys until her hand closed around the snitch keychain her dad had given her when she made seeker in her second year (‘even if it is on the Slytherin team.’ He’d said with a twinkle in his eye as he handed it to her.)
She stood up triumphantly and opened the door, throwing her quidditch bag inside. She picked up her bag and with a quick check to make sure no neighbours were about and a wave of her wand, the papers she had dropped flew into her arms.
Starting to feel a little bit more put together, she walked into the flat, only to have the door handle catch on her sleeve.
‘Fuck!’
‘Jar.’ Lucy lazily called from the kitchen before she popped her head out and took in Lily’s appearance. ‘Bad day?’
Lily glared as she kicked the door shut behind her and dropped the files again, they were already out of order anyway. ‘You think?’ She said sarcastically, making her way to the kitchen, where Lucy was cutting some vegetables for dinner. ‘I’m going to tell you about my day, and once you’ve heard all about it, you’re going to give me a pass on the jar this one time.’ She grabbed a beer from the fridge and silently offered one to Lucy who nodded.
If someone had told Lily ten years ago that she would be voluntarily living with her cousin Lucy, she would have suggested a trip to St Mungo’s for testing. They’d always got on well enough, being only a few months apart in age they were the ‘Little Kids’ along with Roxy and Hugo. But with her birthday being on the wrong side of September, Lucy was the year above the other three at school, and after she went to Hogwarts on her own that year, she was always a little bit separate.
Plus she had a bit of a habit of being a snitch, but she grew out of that.
Lucy went into the healer trainee course after school, and helped Lily with her application a year later. Being at different points in their careers they didn’t see much of each other at St Mungo’s, but they reached a better understanding of each other as they both struggled through the backbreaking grunt work that every trainee goes through.
After dealing with her father’s disapproving looks after a few too many drinks on a night out one too many times (Uncle Percy understood ‘Work Hard’, but he never quite got around to ‘Play Hard’), Lucy decided it was time to move out. A decision which couldn’t come at a better time since Lily had just split from her latest boyfriend and found herself in need of some housing.
And that, as they say, was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
They supported each other through end of year exams, fights with partners who didn’t understand the hours they worked. They celebrated together the day Lucy ran her first case and successfully removed the tentacles that had mysteriously sprouted from a wizard’s head.
And when things got hard, when patients died, or senior healers screamed at them, they were there for each other. Lucy was there when Lily started doubting if healing was the right path. Lucy was the first one she told when she decided to switch careers and train as a quidditch mediwitch.
Ten years after leaving school, life was nothing like she'd thought it would be. She was now running the Fitness Program for the Wanderers with a team of two full time staff and four more game day staff. A focus on mental as well as physical health had helped the team end up in third place in last year's league table. It had been a struggle, fighting against the old school ideas that still persisted in quidditch, but the results spoke for themselves.
She and Lucy both earned enough now that they could easily afford to live on their own (Lucy was now a Senior Healer in charge of the Dai Lewellyn Ward), but they enjoyed each other’s company, and it was nice to have someone to complain to at the end of a Very Horrible Day.
Lily opened the two beers, resting one on the counter next to Lucy and taking a sip of her own. ‘So I get to the stadium this morning, everything’s great. The team's pre-season blood tests were back and I’m at my desk, going through those when Rod Jameson comes in.’
Lucy paused. ‘The owner? I thought he loved you.’
Lily waved her off. ‘He does. He is such a sweetheart. He just wanted to introduce me to the new chaser, you know, because Hartley retired at the end of last season and they hadn’t found anyone before I went on leave.’ Lucy nodded impatiently, waving her hand for Lily to continue.
‘So there I am, at my desk, Rod pops his head in and says ‘Potter, good you’re here. I wanted you to meet the new kid on the team’.' Her impression of the team's owner was pretty spot on. 'And I’m fully expecting it to be some fresh faced wunderkind from Hogwarts.’
‘God you sound old.’ Lucy laughed, and then ducked as Lily threw a tea towel at her.
‘But Rod opens the door properly and ushers the new chaser into my office, and it’s not some new kid.’ Lily closed her eyes and groaned.
Lucy turned to look at her, eyebrows raised expectantly.
Lily sighed, leaning back against the fridge and staring at the wall across from her. ‘Tom Sullivan is our new chaser.’
Lucy’s jaw dropped, vegetables completely forgotten. ‘Tom Sullivan. Tom Sullivan from school?’ Lily nodded. ‘Tom Sullivan who you used to–’
‘Yes!’ Lily said quickly, her cheeks turning bright red, a trait she inherited from the Weasley side of the family. ‘Apparently he made a bit of a name for himself in the Australian league, and he decided to have a go playing over here.’
Lucy was dumbfounded. ‘How did you not know that Tom Sullivan was the new chaser?’
‘I’ve been on holidays! I haven’t thought about quidditch for the last month! I didn’t even know he was back in the country, let alone signing a contract with the team I work for.’
They fell quiet and Lucy went back to prepping their dinner. The sound of the knife against the board filling the kitchen.
‘So how does he look?’ Lucy asked slyly.
‘Really, really good.’ Lily replied with a groan, very much ignoring Lucy's knowing smirk.
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S Chrome Interlude: Chess Player Ch 1
Chapter 1: Banquet
As he thought about it, that became an illusion of insecurity.
[Read on my site for a better viewing experience using Ois~su♪]
When Chrome stepped foot into the Smith household once again, he felt a strange, nostalgic feeling within him.
He cherished this nostalgia as he had never gone back to this place. He had been residing at the Strike Hawk’s break room ever since he became a Structure and most of his conversations with John were done through transmissions.
Nothing had changed inside the mansion—from where the paintings were hung-up to where the flower vases were, everything was still in its respective places before he left.
It was as if the residents of this mansion’s flow of time had been frozen within this large, lifeless house.
Home Robot R2: Facial scan, complete. Confirming identity… Identity successfully confirmed—Structure, Chrome.
Welcome back.
Chrome: ……
Yes, I’m back.
Home Robot R2: Mister Smith is currently waiting inside his study.
Chrome: Okay. Thank you.
Chrome smiled at the robot. He lightly patted the robot’s perfectly circular head before he made his way over to the study.
(......)
Chrome: Mister Smith…
John: I’ve heard about the specialized model from Director Nikola.
The specialized model’s risk factors are difficult to control. In addition, its situation is complicated. Until I conclude that the technology is fully developed, there’s no need for you to worry about it.
Maintain your authority until then. You should learn to discern what is useful, just as I’ve taught you.
Chrome: The reason why I came today, however, is precisely about that.
I came to tell you I’ve accepted the offer to be a part of the specialized model experiments.
John: As someone who’s been the Structure captain of a reconnaissance unit for so long, I’m sure you also wouldn’t want other people to control you.
You are my son—you will eventually assume a managerial or administrative position. You must erase your identity as a Structure and seize actual authority for that eventuality to happen.
Chrome cast his gaze down and pointed at the table. A virtual chess board emerged from the tabletop.
Chrome: Please forgive my impertinence. How about we play a game of chess, Mister Smith?
John: Why is there a need for that?
Chrome: I believe it’s better to see for yourself how I would actually fare in battle.
John: Trivial missions and such… I don’t have the luxury of time to be confirming every single mission report you make.
I only look at results.
Besides, I’ve played chess with you in the past and you never won against me.
Chrome: I’ve also been diligently improving my skills in chess. Yet ever since I lost that game, not once have you given me another chance.
John: It is my principle to never waste time.
Chrome: If I say that this is the first time we’ll be playing chess against each other, will you agree to have a match with me then?
John: What are you insinuating?
Chrome: The person challenging you to a game of chess right now isn’t Langston, but Chrome.
I want to convey my current way of thinking and what I truly feel up until now.
I also believe you will gain the answers to the questions you’ve asked me in this game of chess.
John: ……
I pray that you won’t embarrass yourself.
Chrome bowed his head in gratitude. From there, he let John have the white set of chess pieces and the first move.
John thought for a while and gave out directions.
John: Pawn, e2 to e4.
The holographic chess piece moved on the electronic game board.
Chrome: (This…
This was the opening move Father used when we played chess for the first time.)
Pawn, move from e7 to e5.
John: It seems that you still remember this.
Chrome: I remember all of your moves in that one game we played.
John gave out commands to the holographic chess piece while watching Chrome. Chrome looked back and immediately responded to his move.
Black’s pawn advanced forward to d6 and began preparing a defensive formation.
Chrome: The moves you’ve played up to this point haven't changed at all.
John: I could say the same to you.
I thought you’ve changed.
Chrome: Is it in the way you hoped for?
John: ……
Chrome: (Now is not the time yet.)
(......)
Well-dressed people walked around in between the round tables full of food and flowers as they exchanged glasses with each other. Their pleasantries exchanged in subdued voices and parched laughter filled the air and entered Chrome’s hearing module from all directions.
Everything in this prosperous scene was similar to the banquets held during the Golden Age.
While soldiers lay their lives fighting on the perilous frontlines, some people lived a life of luxury on the top floor of Eden like they used to when they were still on Earth.
A few have experienced hell. Others have used that as a stepping stone to climb up to the comforts of paradise.
The young man frowned at the prospect of such a stark difference.
He shouldn’t be in this place.
The smell of gunpowder passing through the firearm’s magazines, the mud-filled trenches, and his skin grazed by weapons—that was the norm he knew all too well.
He shouldn’t be standing in a magnificent ceremonial hall like this, wearing clothes that weren’t suited for his body. He held a glass of wine in his hand, even though it was clear that Structures no longer needed to consume food.
???: Langston.
He was pulled back to reality from his trains of thought. John Smith was standing in front, looking at him.
Chrome: My apologies, Mister Smith.
John: Come with me.
John headed towards the center of the crowd without criticizing Chrome for spacing out.
Chrome stared at the silhouette of John’s back and followed behind him after leaving his glass of wine on the table.
John: This person here is an administrative official in Eden, and beside him is a member of parliament. They’ve been eager to meet you for a while now.
Two middle-aged men wearing suits, who stood beside John, nodded their heads at the old man before looking at Chrome.
Administrative Official: Ah, I’ve been hearing rumors about you for quite some time, Mister Langston Smith.
You’ve led an elite squad of Structures and not only have you confirmed the location of 23 areas swarming with the Infected, you’ve also recaptured 5 vital locations. Aside from achieving several accomplishments during the war, you were also a top student at the FOS Military Academy… As expected of Mr. John Smith’s son.
He must be relieved to have raised such an excellent successor.
Chrome: …I’m honored, but I am a fledgling who still has many more things to learn from my father.
Administrative Official: Modesty is also a virtue indeed. That said, it seems this hasn’t occurred to the previous Smith before.
Although the administrative official smiled as he tapped Chrome’s shoulder, the eyes of people around them were looking surreptitiously.
Crowd: I’ve always wondered what kind of person Smith’s son would be since he’s never made an appearance, but to think that he really ran away and became a Structure, just as the rumors said.
So he became a Structure then… He’s got his work cut out for him if he wishes to secure a seat among those in power.
I guess the house of Smith also ran out of luck. Or are they going to entrust their hopes and wishes to a Structure?
Without humans, Structures are nothing more than puppets without their masters.
Chrome: ……
John: Do you see now?
Even if you have excellent abilities as a Structure, there is a limit to what you can gain.
You’re clever. Surely you know what it is I want to convey to you.
The war will end someday.
Have you ever thought what kind of fate awaits the Structures once they’ve fulfilled their mission?
I’ve always taught you this—focus on the future while looking at the present.
What you must think about is what will happen from here on.
The Smiths have their eyes set on the distant future more than anybody else. That is the reason why we’ve survived until this day, even amidst the calamity we’ve faced.
What’s important is the succession of the family name, rather than lineage. That is why… Whether you are a Structure or a human, you are the one I, John Smith, personally chose to succeed me. That alone will never change.
You must move forward. Complete everything perfectly and show me your answer.
You choosing the path of becoming a Structure means…
You have to put in much more effort, and you will be facing many trials and tribulations.
I’ve heard from Director Nikola that you’ve perfectly accomplished the operation around City Number 075. Not only did it have the lowest amount of Structure casualties, it also had the highest threat elimination rate. You’ve managed to send back information about the Red Tide amidst transmission interference.
Chrome: ……
John: You’ve perfectly accomplished all your missions up to the present. I won’t complain about that.
In spite of that, are you satisfied with just inconsequential victories?
Chrome: I have a duty I must fulfill as a Structure. My current comrades are—
John: Have you become this naive from all your mingling with those Structures?
John continued talking as he looked at the ceremonial hall full of people from afar.
John: Chrome, this here, is what the real world is like. Authority itself is the most essential, whether it be in the past or present.
During the Great Escape, vital supply vessels and the most elite soldiers were used to transport worthless rubbish to outer space.
All because those useless things belonged to “people in power.”
Ludicrous, isn’t it? If it weren’t for their funds, however, perhaps neither the Structurization project would've advanced to where it is today, nor could Eden have launched its way to space from Earth.
No matter which era we live in, we can’t simply ignore the benefits authority brings.
You ought to know what it is you should abandon, and I hope that you accept the role you must fulfill.
It’s high time for you to end this meaningless child’s play and return to your rightful path.
John left Chrome as soon as he finished what he wanted to say.
—”Discard everything in the past, you have no need for those.”
The silhouette of his father’s back was the only thing he was left with at that time.
(......)
—”What would I do once we’ve achieved victory, you ask? That hasn’t crossed my mind before.”
Someone had asked him a similar question before. That was his response to that question at that time.
"If it were Kamui, would he follow through what he said before by playing the games he likes and making a living out of it?
If it were Wanshi, putting his worries about the future aside, he’d be pleased that he can sleep whenever he wishes to say the least. It’s because there's no longer a need to drag him out of his rest pod in the middle of his sleep and he’ll no longer be nagged at for shirking off his missions.
Children are quite fond of Wanshi. If he decides to return to his previous occupation and continue the work he did before the war, it would go well for him for sure."
From Chrome’s perspective, every person had infinite possibilities in them.
And yet… will the beautiful, picturesque future they imagined truly appear when they obtain victory?
Once again, the faces of those high-profile people reemerged inside Chrome’s Sea of Consciousness.
(......)
Chrome: What does… “the real world” mean?
As he thought about it, that became an illusion of insecurity.
Chrome: This isn’t the world I belong in.
Chrome quickly glanced at the ceremonial hall. And then, he discovered something strange among the crowd of people that piqued his interest.
[PaniGure☆]
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It never took much magic to slip into their human disguise. [Name] closed their eyes, felt their arcane draconic magic glide over their scales, and it was done. It didn’t even require much concentration to hold the form, and after centuries of practice, it was barely an effort, more a reflex.
They could always use their Dragonborn form. After all, they’d been the one to successfully manipulate the politics of the kingdom over decades to allow and celebrate their kind. But they were more than a mere descendant of a dragon in a humanoid body- they were a true dragon with a true dragon’s magic. Ancient. Powerful. Crackling with energy.
And after all, this errand in the upper city was more suited for their human form. After 20 years away traveling the continent and building alliances, it was time to return home. Time to set plans in motion.
The human disguise in question? Why, none other than the beloved Sir Talino of Welnport, the famous last survivor of a devastating dragon attack. Gods, that one had been fun. The panic that set in the town as the shadow of mighty wings fell on their gates. The crackle of lightning bouncing back and forth from rubble to mangled fisher to the formerly pristine waters on their shore. And when reinforcements arrived, bravely climbing out of the rubble as Talino, the last survivor. The one who had been able to nick the dragon’s wing and hold his ground against death itself. It didn’t take long for his name to blaze across the coast and into the halls of the king himself. Talino was graciously invited to raise his brave sword in honor and defense of the king. Years of “training”, service, and good deeds for the kingdom, he was knighted. Of course, after that, his legend only grew.
As they settled the chainmail over their human form, their eyes drifted to the figure in the mirror. A well-built frame, a beard with silver coming in, and eyes that conducted their mischief well. This would be their introduction to the princess.
—
The princess rolled her eyes at her father for what felt like the 800th time today. Yet again she was being made to sit and play “You Remember My Friend You Met As A Baby, Don’t You?”, her least favorite and most frequently played game.
It was another long procession of knights and diplomats and merchants returning home and paying their respects to the king. For Sahar, it was worse than any torture she could imagine. Which wasn’t a lot of torture. Pampered and sheltered, she was as beautiful a woman as she was a brat.
“Father,” she leaned in with her best stage whisper. “When do you imagine we’ll finish greeting everyone?”
Her father gave her a withering look.
She leaned back with a huff, her royal manners barely keeping her from crossing her arms and pouting. She glared at the next pathetic weasel coming to kiss her father’s feet, and faltered.
At the front of the procession was a hooded but obviously handsome man, clad in armor, weathered by experience and exuding mystery. He pulled his hood back and the king stood in excitement. “Talino!” He roared.
“I see you’ve kept the place almost tidy for once.” the mystery man remarked dryly. Now this caught her attention. Rarely ever was there a man who got away with addressing her father in friendly terms. Her eyes flitted to the king for his reaction.
“Well it’s been a lot easier without you making a mess of the place.” the king replied, grinning. The mystery man walked up the stairs and gave her father a hug. He turned to her.
Having his full attention on her was instantly intoxicating. She felt frozen in place by his eyes. He bowed deeply to rest on one knee, breaking the contact.
She rose, and offered her hand. He held it gently, bringing it closer. His lips brushed the back of her hand as he looked back up at her. A wave of goosebumps rippled across her body. Those eyes…
And in an instant, the moment was broken again. She could feel herself flushed and took a seat. Her father hadn’t noticed the tension and was cheerily reminiscing with the man. Their words bounced around in her head without meaning. She tried to collect herself as their conversation was ending.
Her father turned to her, letting her know they’d be dining with Sir Talino of Welnport that very same evening. She schooled her expression into a polite smile of agreement, then allowed herself to look at him. He was looking at her. No, her was looking into her. She felt read by him, like he was opening the covers of her tome wide, gliding his fingers across her pages. Desire coiled in her and she held her breath. He kept her eye contact for almost too long, then turned away. Before she could blink, he was gone.
The princess was very well behaved for the rest of the greet. She smiled, nodded politely, even told her father’s old friends she remembered them from when she was a baby.
—
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Recent Comics: Why Don't You Love Me? by Paul B. Rainey
I've written before about the "it's really good" problem—how to review, and direct audiences towards, a work that is simply gangbusters on every level, and seems to offer no access point for the reviewer wishing to praise it. The ecstatic reviews that persuaded me to pick up a copy of Paul B. Rainey's graphic novel Why Don't You Love Me?—the first great 2023 publication I've read this year, and already very likely to make my list of the year's best books—seemed to uniformly suffer from a subset of this problem: how to praise something exceptional without saying too much about it? Guardian reviewer Rachel Cooke wondered: "Will readers stick with [Why Don't You Love Me?] long enough to reach the twist that makes the effort of reading its first half worthwhile? I can't be sure that everyone will – and yet, I must not spoil this twist, even in the cause of encouragement."
I demur a little from Cooke's concern. Why Don't You Love Me? has a tremendous—in both senses of the word—twist around its midpoint, which lands the book firmly in the realm of science fiction, and which I will do my best to avoid spoiling. But to me what makes the book remarkable is what comes both before and after this moment. It's clear almost from the first page that something more is going on here than initially appears. The pleasure of reading comes not only from figuring out what that something is, but, once you've done so, from gaining a new understanding of the path that led to that realization.
Right from the start, Why Don't You Love Me? sends mixed signals to readers about the kind of comic, and story, it is. The book is presented as a compilation of newspaper strips, originally published on Rainey's website, but hewing very closely to the rigid format of the mainstream funny pages. Each page has three rows of panels, with the top row made up of a large title panel followed by two potential throwaways, and two additional rows with an almost uniform box format. Each page describes a single vignette in the protagonists' lives, and culminates in a punchline. But the style of the art puts one more in mind of subversive, indie comics—thick black lines depicting simplified interior scenes, deliberately unpretty characters, and a lot of emphasis on the accouterments of vice like cigarettes, empty alcohol bottles, or distracting TV and computer screens. The punchlines are more often bleak or gross rather than funny.
Even this gesturing at a familiar style, however, obscures something entirely different. To begin with, Why Don't You Love Me? feels like yet another entry in the very well-populated subgenre of indie comics about how awful middle class suburban life is, and how the people who live that life are constantly seeking to fill the void in their souls with TV, substance abuse, and inappropriate sex. Our heroes are Mark and Claire, a suburban couple with two small children who seem to hate their lives and each other. Claire is barely functional, regularly drinking herself into a stupor and flying into a rage when asked to participate in the running of the household. Mark puts on a more normal front, but inwardly he's flailing, utterly at sea both at home and at work. Neither one seems particularly committed to their marriage vows—Mark flirts with a woman he meets on the long dog walks he takes to get away from his family, and Claire briefly emerges from her drunken haze and starts playing the role of a devoted parent when she meets the attractive father of one of her daughter's friends. Otherwise, the two are wildly neglectful parents, constantly shocked to realize that they're expected to keep their children fed, clean, and in school.
There's a similar move here to the one deployed so successfully in the first season of The Good Place, where behavior that would normally be horrifying and even criminal, such as Mark repeatedly forgetting his son's name or Claire sending her grade-school-aged children to the shop to buy alcohol and cigarettes, is normalized because it's assumed to fall within the tropes of a comedic format. But right from the start, Rainey establishes that this isn't entirely what's going on. "Christ! Do you mean all this might be real?" Claire asks Mark in the book's first page, and very quickly it becomes clear that the two aren't simply forgetful or neglectful, but genuinely ignorant. Mark has no idea how to do his job as a website designer and keeps complaining that he's actually a barber. Claire doesn't remember her friends' names and remarks to her mother that she'd hoped her deceased father would be alive. It very quickly becomes obvious that the reason the two are so incapable of functioning as a couple isn't that they're estranged, but actual strangers.
Beyond this general impression, there aren't a lot of hints in this part of the book as to what might actually be happening. Which, we eventually realize, puts us in a similar headspace to Mark and Claire, who have experienced some sort of rupture that they are at a loss to even define, much less explain. Even the major twist at the book's midpoint doesn't really answer our questions. It is, however, a jumping-off point to a careful working out of the book's premise that takes up much of its latter half. Eventually, Rainey reveals a thought-out, shocking SFnal McGuffin which is both enormously satisfying when you finally understand it, and gobsmacking when you realize what it spells out for our heroes. (It also makes Why Don't You Love Me? a pleasure to reread, as certain implications that are never spelled out become clearer on a second pass.)
Still, what's most interesting about this part of the book is the way it makes you reevaluate what came before, seeing it not as a gag about marital dissatisfaction, but as an extreme trauma response. In the second half of the book, the circumstances of Mark and Claire's lives change dramatically, giving them space to not only understand what has happened to them, but to grapple with how they behaved in the initial shock of their lives being so thoroughly disrupted. Not all of these stories are particularly dramatic. Claire gets a rather satisfying storyline about learning to stand up to an abusive boss, while Mark debates between the old dreams of his teenage years, and new dreams triggered by his recent experiences. Eventually, they reconnect and are able to forge a new, more honest relationship—one that is completely unromantic, but also the most meaningful bond they have in their lives.
One possible reading of Why Don't You Love Me? is as a metaphor for how depression and mental illness can render us strangers in our own lives, and how in their aftermath we may find ourselves struggling to make amends to the people we failed while in their grip. I think there's a lot of truth to this reading, which gets at at least some of what Rainey is trying to do. But to me, the SFnal component of the book is not merely an allegory, but fundamental to its story, which is about how people cope with having been roped into a science fiction narrative, and how they respond to their own response.
Mark and Claire have both experienced something otherworldly, and this causes them to reevaluate not just their lives, but how they want to live in the future, even under the threat of more SFnal shenanigans. Much of the couple's emotional grappling in the book's second half is about understanding why they treated each other so badly in its first, and in particular, acknowledging how they mistreated their children. It's impossible to say more without really venturing into spoiler territory, but what Why Don't You Love Me? becomes by its end is a deeply compassionate story about ordinary people learning to cope with the unimaginable, finding solace in the most unexpected of places, and figuring out how, even in the face of complete upheaval, to keep going.
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