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entitled-fangirl · 2 months

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A beautiful thing to picture, indeed.

Benedict Bridgerton x reader

Summary: Benedict finds himself speechless at the model in his art class. The two later meet, and he realizes maybe she's what he wants.

A/N: Give my man Benedict some LOVEEEE

Masterlist

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Benedict sat down and readied his canvas for his art class to begin.

His new found friends leaned over leaned over as the Bridgerton sat down, "Teacher said we were studying dresses today."

"Dresses?" Benedict asked with his usual smirk.

"Yeah. Said something about capturing the flow of 'em. Whatever that means."

"The flow of-" Benedict paused as the door opened and out walked a small figure.

A beautiful model in a thin silk dress.

She scanned the room with nervous eyes. After all, the room was full of eager men who wished to picture her frame.

Benedict felt breath leave his lungs.

A beautiful thing to picture, indeed.

The teacher took the model's hand gently and led her to the middle of the room. "Alright, gentlemen," he called loudly. "Today we shall be focusing on the flow of fabric. Really pay attention to the detail. I want to feel like I can reach out and touch the fabric in your sketches."

The teacher then turned to the girl, "Miss Hemmings, are you ready?"

The girl scanned the room one more time in nervousness, before it set on Benedict. Her nervous eyes relaxed for just a moment before moving away from him to look at the other men. Her voice was meek and quiet, "Yes. I… I believe I am."

The man nodded, "Alright. Pick a direction to look, and I'll situate you from there."

She took a deep breath and scanned the room once more. Once her gaze settled on Benedict, as it had done before, she stopped. "I believe here should suffice?"

Benedict gave a smirk and couldn't look away. She was captivating.

The teacher then reached down, fluffed out her dress just barely, and stood. He turned to face his eager students, "Begin."

And there she was, under a spotlight in a room full of men who were now beginning to sketch her.

And she had to stay still.

Now that all eyes were on her, she decided looking towards Benedict was a bad idea.

He was to always be looking at her. He was sketching her, after all.

And the wall above him was too dark to be anything enjoyable to watch for the next few hours. But she did so. For the first hour anyway.

Eventually, she couldn't help but let her gaze fall to the Bridgerton. He was deep in focus now.

So much so, that he didn't feel her gaze until the third time he had glanced up at her.

He paused involuntarily at the eye contact. He felt the smallest of smiles graze his face.

Her cheeks heated to a violent shade of red. And she couldn't hide it.

She broke the eye contact, looking back up at the wall to avoid accidentally moving and messing up all the other sketches.

But every now and then, she would allow herself to take in the sight of the Bridgerton earnest at work.

A beautiful thing to picture, indeed.

…

The second the class was called to a close, Miss Hemmings completely disappeared.

It confused Benedict.

He had been comparing his finished portrait to her, and had looked up and she was gone.

No matter.

She's just a model.

That's what he told himself, at least.

…

Benedict Bridgerton was making his way downtown, eager to purchase more charcoal for his sketching endeavors.

He hardly heard the sound that was coming from the nearby alleyway.

But he did.

He paused in his step and turned his head in its direction.

Sounded like a woman's voice.

He began to cautiously walk down said alleyway with a low voice, "Hello? Anyone there?"

He rounded the corner and stopped at the sight.

A woman was practically pinned against the wall by a man much bigger than her.

His hand was wandering down her dress and began to lift the hem of it.

Tears filled her eyes as she tried to push him away with quiet pleads.

"Hey!" Benedict yelled. "What are you doing?"

The man turned his head in his direction and scoffed, "This Miss was being tempting to the gentlemen that walk these streets. But when I tried to take the temptation…" he grabbed at her jaw and growled in her ear, "… She refuses me."

Benedict took a few more steps closer with his hands out, "Leave the lady be, sir."

The man moved away from the woman and the wall, now interested in Benedict, "And tell me, what will you do about it?"

Benedict took a breath and courageously stepped forward, "I'm Anthony Bridgerton, the Viscount you hear of so often. I suggest you step away from the woman and continue your day. Sir." He said through gritted teeth.

The man paused, "Bridgerton?"

Benedict nodded.

"Ah," the man feigned happiness. "Lord Bridgerton, of course. My apologies. I had no idea she was yours, my Lord."

"'Tis alright." Benedict said. "You may correct your mistake now."

The man nodded, "And so I shall. Good day, sir."

And with that, the man left.

Benedict watched him round the corner before immediately rushing to the woman, "Are you well?" He asked in a hushed tone.

The woman looked up.

Benedict let out a breath.

The model.

She looked down again to wipe the tears from her face, "Lord Bridgerton. I apologize. I… I did not… I didn't mean…"

Benedict felt himself smiling, "Please. Please calm yourself. It's alright. You owe me nothing."

She felt herself take a few steady breaths before she looked up again. Her eyes now focused on his and her face morphed into shock, "You?"

He actually let out a chuckle, "Me? Yes. I'm afraid so. Apparently, I just couldn't let you go, huh?"

She smiled and relaxed. "I suppose I truly owe you gratitude."

He shook his head, "No. Please."

"I do, my Lord." She insisted.

He looked off in thought and smiled. His gaze turned back to her, "Tell me your name."

She paused a moment at his request. "Y/N Hemmings, sir."

His smile grew as he took her hand and kissed the back of it. "A pleasure, truly. I'm afraid you have occupied all of my thoughts since the last time I saw you."

She smiled, "You're simply an artist who is immersed with his work, my Lord. That is all."

Benedict nodded, "Tell me what you were doing alone out here?"

She sighed, "I… I make runs here for the upper class who don't wish to be seen in such… slums. They pay me to do so."

He feels his jaw go slack just a bit, "You come to dangerous areas to make extra money?"

She nods, "I have a younger brother to take care of, my Lord. He is everything to me."

He shakes his head in disbelief, "You're a mysterious thing, aren't you?"

She lets out a laugh, "Not as mysterious as you, sir. A Viscount taking artistic classes? Don't you have higher duties? I don't imagine they have time for such… fulfilling things?"

He offers his arm to her, "Then perhaps I may tell you something?"

She took his arm with a curious grin, "You may."

He leans down to her ear, "I am not the Viscount."

She tried to pull away in shock, but he held her arm tightly. "You are not Lord Anthony Bridgerton?"

He laughed out, "No. Heavens no."

She cautiously leaned in, "Who are you, then?"

He smiled, "I am Benedict Bridgerton, the second son residing in Aubrey Hall. I didn't completely lie to you. I am indeed a Bridgerton."

She stepped with him down the alleyway now, "I see. I suppose that makes more sense."

Benedict stops walking as they near the road, "May I be frank with you, Miss Hemmings?"

She tilted her head, "Yes, sir."

"You are the most fascinating creature I've ever seen."

She felt her cheeks grow warm, "Oh. I… what a most welcome compliment, Sir."

He smiles, "I do hope there is no man I must fight for the right to your hand."

She felt her mouth dry. "What?"

"Your hand," he smiled. "Do you have a suitor?"

"Me?" She gasped out. "Me? No. I don't… I've never had suitors."

He nods and smiles wider, "Then may I be the first, Miss Hemmings?"

She considers his words. A Bridgerton. A high ranking family with wealth and charm.

But more importantly, a most dashing artist as a potential husband.

"Only if I may see the sketch you designed of me all those days ago."

He lets out a laugh, "Oh, darling, nothing I sketch would be even close enough to capturing your beauty onto the paper. Even the greatest artist can do no such task. It is meant to be enjoyed in the moment."

She nodded in thought, "Then you must call me Y/N. And you must continue to sketch me until you get it right."

He tilts his head, "But I've just claimed it's impossible to do."

She smiled, "Then we have no excuse to not be near each other, it seems."

Benedict grinned brightly and leaned in, "I suppose you're right. But you have to call me by my own name."

She let out a breath, "I shall do so."

"Excellent. Most excellent." Benedict said as they walked out onto the busy street.

A wife of his own? Benedict thought. That's something he always pictured as a boy.

And as he looked down at her, he realized it was a most beautiful thing to picture, indeed.

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#benedict bridgerton #benedict bridgerton x reader #benedict bridgerton fanfiction #benedict bridgerton x y/n #benedict bridgerton imagine #benedict bridgerton fic #bridgerton #bridgerton x reader #bridgerton imagine #bridgerton fanfiction

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lovelybrooke · 4 months

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i want to see the hotel meeting again jejdjdjdjd with lucifer too!!! but maybe this time reader is starting to understand her powers? i want to see how they’ll react!!! (yea lucifer included i love him)

I wanted to write a cute little interaction between the Hotel Gang. I've been trying to come up with some stuff for the other Overlords, but it's been a struggle. This won't go over the characters reactions to reader coming back, but I will definitely do that eventually.

masterlist

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"So you're just immortal?!" You've barely been back a full day, and Angel is already yelling at you.

After being gone for six whole months, coming back to the hotel was a big deal, more for the hotels inhabitants than for you. You thought it was only fair to explain how everything worked, or at least how you thought it worked.

So, about an hour was spent explaining everything. From when you fell out of a tree when you eight, to the day you got hit by a car and sent to Hell. It was definitely...a lot, and Angel was, of course, the first one to speak up.

"I-I mean yeah..." You mumble out. "I guess so..." It was all you could muster out, since you really didn't understand it yourself. You didn't like the silence, you couldn't tell what the others were thinking.

Charlie, who was sitting next to you, took your hand, "You should've told us sooner!" Her voice was strangely soft but also sad. It made you pull your hands away from her, feeling shy under her gaze.

"I really didn't know much about it so--"

"Well isn't this just wonderful!" You turn to see the wide smile of Alastor. "This means you get to spend more time with us!" A hand was placed on your shoulder, making you jump a bit. You could feel his piercing gaze on you, waiting for some type of response.

"...yeah, that's great..." You mumble, slowly removing his hand for your shoulder, giving him an awkward smile when his smile falters a bit and his eye twitch.

"Oh my--do you think dad knew?" Charlie asked aloud, directing her attention to her partner. "Vaggie, where's my phone?" She rushed around, searching the room in a frenzy while Vaggie watched from the sidelines.

You took a small sigh, straining yourself from rubbing your eyes. You could barely pay attention to all that was going on, so you chose to get up and move to the bar, sitting next to Angel. Husk waited no time giving you a glass of water.

"So...what happened." Angel peers over to you as he sips his drink. "You hadda die to get here--so what happened?" You look down at you drink, avoiding the question. You remain silent, but you can tell the others were focusing on you, waiting for a response.

You shook your head, "nothing much..." it was cryptic, you knew, but you were too focused with your reflection in the water. It was so clear, you could almost see every detail of yourself in the tiny glass. The glass was cold, nearly making you shiver, but your whole body was already cold.

The room was getting to quiet, your grip on the glass becoming so harsh you were fearful the glass would break. "--Look kid, you don't have to talk about it if you don't wanna...I don't mind." Angel leans down and whispers near your ear. You spare him a quick glance, his face looked sincere and for the first time it felt like you were actually seeing him.

"He's right, y'know." Husk added in. "We're not gonna make you do anything." Husk's voice was soft, and was comforting in a way you couldn't describe. Though, you could sense something deep within him, almost like he was searching within you for something.

Either way, you couldn't focus on it for long, "Yes! I found it!" Charlie announced, holding up her phone with a triumphant smile, "You just wait here--" She smiled at you as she ran off to call her dad. You wondered how long it takes for him to get here, how much time you'd get to yourself before you were bombarded by another person.

Your thoughts were interrupted yet again by the feeling of someone grabbing your arm. "Now that whole debacle is over--" It was Alastor and his ever-present, creepy smile. "--you and me are going to have a chat~" He pulls you up from his seat as gently as someone like him can, the smile never leaving his face. You're forced to move with him, looking back at Angel and Husk to see them just as confused.

"Hey! Where are ya going?" You hear Angel yell.

"That's none of your concern." Alastor replies. "But I can promise you that the little one will be delivered back to you safely."

You were far away from the bar before you could hear a response, the only sounds left being the quick beating of your heart and the clacking of Alastor's shoes. You tried your hardest not to squirm in his hold, and you tried even harder not to flinch when you felt his gaze on you.

"Don't fear little one." You heard him laugh, it mixing with the radio sounds of his voice. "I wanna know all about your time up on Earth, and after you can tell me just exactly how you got here." He suddenly stopped, causing you to nearly trip at the sudden force.

"Spare me none of the details~"

---

A/n: I don't really know about this one, I kinda hate it.

#yandere x reader #soft yandere #platonic yandere #platonic yandere hazbin hotel #yandere hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel x reader #hazbin hotel

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bellaxgiornata · 4 months

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Neighbors [Chapter 1]

Pairing: Frank Castle x Fem!Reader Word Count: 4.6k

[Series Chapter List and Summary]

Warnings/tags: 18+; contains friends to lovers, violence, fluff, eventual smut, angst

a/n: Finally chapter one is here after that initial prologue! And so is Frank in this part! Feedback is always appreciated!

Tag list: @danzer8705 @fireeyes-on-teller-dixon-grimes @mycobrakai1972 @stilllivindue2spite @luvr-bunnyy @pone21

Keeping your hand steady, you continued to write out the new seasonal menu on the chalkboard hanging by the coffee shop's register. Every beginning of the month you'd change the specialty lattes over to some different flavor combinations that you'd come up with which you felt were fitting for that time of year, and this morning it was time for that list to change.

You had been focused on what you were doing for the past fifteen minutes now, teeth biting down on your lip in concentration, until a noise coming from the back of the coffee shop caught your ear. Your hand momentarily paused on the ‘B’ you'd been trying to write as you attempted to decipher the sound, beginning to feel slightly on edge. Despite the fact that your shop was bright and airy inside, full of natural light from the large shop windows that allowed for the varying plants you had everywhere to thrive, you always found yourself a little nervous when you were here alone. It was always a fear of yours that something would happen–even if this was generally a friendly small town.

Turning your head, you focused on the door that led to the backroom as the sound of approaching footsteps grew louder. Your hand tightened around the bit of chalk you were holding, your body tensing. Seconds later you spotted Allison making her way through the doorway. Quickly relaxing at the sight of her, you felt ridiculous for having been on edge thinking it could've been anyone else.

Of course it was just Allison, you told yourself. She was on the schedule to open today.

She sent you a smile when she saw you standing in front of the chalkboard. “Good morning, boss!” she greeted you.

“Morning, Aly,” you replied, attention returning back to the chalkboard. “Do you mind unlocking the front door so I can finish working on this?”

“Already on it!” she replied.

She made her way around the counter, grabbing your keyring from off of the top of it as she passed by. You heard her make her way over to the front door and stick the key into the lock as you finished up the second line on the seasonal menu. You lowered your hand, taking a step back and eyeing your handiwork, trying to see if the lettering looked even enough by your perfectionist standards.

“So I went on that date last night,” Allison told you.

“Oh yeah?” you asked, head turning to the side as your eyes narrowed at the spacing of a few words. “How'd the second date go?”

Allison placed the keys back onto the counter near you before she made her way back around it. With a sigh you finally figured the second line looked perfect enough and you began to focus on starting the third line.

“Awful,” she told you. “I don't think I've endured so many awkward silences in my life. I mean, it's like he lost the ability to make small talk entirely this time!”

“Maybe he was just nervous?” you told her, focused on the ‘L’ you had begun writing. “You are a big personality after all.”

Out of the corner of your eye you saw Allison grab an apron from off the back wall and throw it on. Chewing on your bottom lip again, you tried to perfectly space out the next letter with the lines already written above this one. If anything was just slightly off, you knew it would bother you all month long.

“Yeah, maybe,” Allison said with a sigh, coming to rest her forearms onto the countertop near you. “But I like my men bold and outgoing, you know that.”

You laughed lightly, nodding your head. “That I certainly do,” you agreed. “But maybe someone more subdued could ground you sometimes. Never hurts to give people a chance.”

“Speaking of giving people a chance,” Allison began, the tone of her voice causing you to stop writing and shoot her a side-eye, “when are you going to let someone take you out on a date?”

“Never,” you told her, focusing back on the chalkboard. “I like my men nonexistent. I don't have time to date, you know that, Aly. Besides, there's not a decent option in this town near my age who's still single and doesn't slog it up at The Crooked Antler most nights.”

“You do know there's a thing called the internet, right?” she asked. “That's what dating apps are for.”

“Dating apps are mostly for hook-ups, Aly,” you pointed out, focused on spelling out the word ‘lavender.’ “I'm not looking for that. Or anything. I'm busy enough with the shop and Lily right now.”

“Okay,” Allison said, drawing the word out suspiciously. “But what if you happened to meet a guy in person? Could there be someone who might change your mind?”

“Considering I don't leave this town hardly ever and I've already said there's not many prospects here,” you replied, “I find that highly unlikely.”

Out of your peripheral you saw Allison shrug, her attention fixed on the front of the shop. You continued to work on the third line of the chalkboard, knowing full well Lily would want to decorate it this morning when you finished with it.

“Well what if a really hot guy just walked into Common Grounds looking like a tree that needed to be climbed?” Allison asked casually. “Like a really, really hot guy?”

Your eyes narrowed at her, your hand hovering over the ‘E’ you'd just written. “I'd say that'd never happen and sounds like its bordering on inappropriate work talk.”

Aly rolled her eyes at you. “Only because you don't like to talk about your love life,” she said.

“Because it's not up for discussion,” you stated, turning back to the chalkboard.

“If you say so,” she sing-songed under her breath.

Beginning to draw out the ‘R’, you heard the door to the shop open behind you. You half-expected to hear Lily’s excited voice greet you along with the cold blast of wind from the early spring morning, but instead you heard heavy footsteps making their way over to the register.

“Good morning and welcome to Common Grounds!” Aly cheerfully greeted the customer. “What can I get you today?”

“Just a large coffee,” a deep voice rumbled out. “Black.”

Finishing the letter you were working on, you couldn’t resist glancing over your shoulder at the man standing in front of the register. He was broad-shouldered under the black jacket he was wearing, his presence easily commanding the space he was in. He stood with almost perfect posture as he focused on swiping his card through the reader once Aly had read off his total.

The slight head gesture Aly was making at the man when he wasn't looking caught your eye and your attention shifted over at her. She mouthed out ‘he's hot, get his number’ to you and you immediately shot her a pointed glare in return, shaking your head. Aly abruptly straightened back up, plastering a smile onto her face as if nothing had happened when the man looked up at her, sliding his card back into his wallet.

“Your coffee will be ready in just a minute,” she told him.

You watched as Aly turned around, beginning to work on making the man's black coffee. For a moment you stood there, silently eyeing him as he waited patiently for his drink. You had to admit, Aly was right. He was attractive. He had a chiseled profile with a prominent nose, and thick dark hair on his head that you wouldn't mind running your fingers through. A bit of dark stubble covered his jaw, accentuating his cheekbones. He even looked well-built beneath his jacket as he stood with his hands clasped at his waist in front of himself. But the more you observed him, the more you were positive that you'd never seen him in town before. Before you could stop yourself, the question was already leaving your mouth.

“I haven't seen you in here before, are you just passing through or visiting?” you asked.

The man's full attention shifted to you at the sound of your voice. There was a faint scowl on his lips, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly as he briefly looked you over. A sudden self-consciousness washed over you under his gaze and the surly, unfriendly expression on his face.

“Neither,” he answered gruffly.

“I just say that because I'm usually great with remembering faces and coffee orders,” you continued, hoping to ease the awkwardness with a friendly smile, “and I don't recognize either with you.”

“Look, I'll be honest ma'am,” the man said, that dour expression never changing, “I’m not one for small talk. It's been a long week and I got a long day ahead of me. I just want some coffee.”

He took a couple of steps farther down to the end of the counter, turning his back slightly towards you and abruptly ending the conversation. Your eyes widened in disbelief at his rudeness, your eyebrows rising up onto your forehead. That wasn't common in this small town.

Shaking your head at his back, you were about to return to your chalkboard menu when the door to your left once again opened. The sight of Lily beaming at you as she dragged your brother into the coffee shop had a smile instantly returning to your face.

“Good morning, Nini!” Lily happily greeted you.

“Morning, coffee bean,” you greeted her back. “You ready to help me here this morning?”

Her index finger landed on her chin, tapping it lightly as she glanced up towards the ceiling as she often did when pretending to be in thought. A smile tugged at your lips as you exchanged a look with your brother. You both knew what was coming next–a pastry request.

“If I help, can I get a cinnamon sugar scone?” she asked, her eyes going wide and doe-eyed as they landed back on you.

“Of course, coffee bean,” you answered, taking a step forward and reaching a hand out to ruffle her hair.

She giggled, beaming back up at you. Just as you were about to say something more to her, the man who'd been rude to you made his way towards the three of you congregating near the door, his large coffee in his hand. Your mouth closed again, your lips instantly thinning into a straight line along your face at the sight of him and that still grumpy expression.

“‘S'cuse me,” he muttered, head ducking down.

He slipped past the three of you, accidentally bumping into your shoulder as he headed towards the door. Your eyes narrowed at his back, watching as he made his way out of the shop and down the sidewalk.

“Who was that?” Jaime asked curiously, a thumb gesturing over his shoulder. “He doesn't look like one of your usuals. Never seen him around here before.”

Your attention returned to your brother as you shook your head. “Don't know,” you answered. “But he sure was grumpy. Anyway,” you continued, not wishing to spend anymore thought on the stranger's rudeness, “I'll drop her back home at half-past five tonight? As usual?”

Your brother's eyes darted down to his feet, his hands slipping into his jacket pockets. He suddenly looked almost nervous.

“Is it possible you could watch her until eight?” he asked. “I've uh, pulled some strings and got some extra time at work tonight.”

Your head tilted to the side, brows knitting together. “At the Antler?”

“No uh, at work,” he answered, his eyes still avoiding yours as a hand slipped out of his pocket, awkwardly running over the back of his neck. “There's a project that is being rushed and my boss was accepting a few volunteers to work more hours to help speed things up.”

“Yeah, sure,” you replied, curious as to why he was acting so strange about this. “I can drop her off by eight. Maybe we can order pizza for dinner,” you said, glancing down and shooting Lily a wink.

At the mention of pizza, Lily instantly perked up. She began bouncing up and down as she clutched her stuffed husky to her chest. You smiled, your mood instantly lifted by her presence.

“Thanks, sis,” Jamie murmured. “You don't know how much I appreciate your help.”

You waved him off with a dismissive hand. “Don't worry about it, we're family,” you told him. “And I love having my little coffee bean helping me keep things running smoothly here.”

Jaime nodded, shooting you an almost sheepish smile before he turned and knelt down towards your niece. The pair of them exchanged their usual goodbyes along with a hug before Jaime made his way out of the coffee shop without another word. You watched him leave for a moment as he headed back towards his car, still curious as to why he’d seemed so off this morning.

“So, Lily,” you began, eventually tearing your eyes away from your brother and focusing back on your niece, “why don’t you go fill that watering can in my office while I finish this sign? And then after you’ve finished watering the plants I can grab you that scone to enjoy. By the time you’re done with that I should have this month’s menu written out and you can decorate it. Does that sound good?”

“Yes, yes!” she exclaimed, excitement shining in her eyes. “I’m going to draw butterflies and bunnies and flowers on it!”

Grinning, you gestured your head towards the back door of the coffee shop. “Sounds perfect, coffee bean. Why don’t you get started with that watering can?”

Without being told twice, she darted off through the coffee shop and around the counter, disappearing through the doorway and down the hall towards the back office. Allison was smiling after her, pointing a finger in the direction she’d disappeared.

“If only someone could bottle up that energy and brew it into a coffee,” Allison joked. “I’d like five of those.”

“You and me both,” you agreed.

Heading back to the chalkboard, you tried to focus on finishing it, but you could feel Allison’s eyes on you. With a sigh you turned towards her, an eyebrow shooting up questioningly.

“What?” you asked her.

“That guy might’ve been hot, but his attitude?” she said, shaking her head and making a face. “Wow. I was not expecting that. Definitely no longer Allison-approved for you.”

You shot her a cheeky smile as you teased, “Especially because he despises small talk so much?”

Allison laughed, shaking her head. “Yes, that too. I guess it’s true when they say looks aren’t everything.”

“No, they certainly are not,” you agreed with a sigh.

Once more focusing back on the chalkboard, you began to start on the final line. You wanted it finished before the usual morning rush appeared in a few minutes. But as you were drawing an ‘R’ on the board, you heard Allison speak again and the comment she made had you botching the letter.

“Bet he’s still good in bed, though,” she said, just loud enough for you to hear.

Your face heated as a brief mental image of that man in a more intimate setting flashed through your mind, but you quickly tried to push it away. It had been far too long since you’d last been with someone and you didn’t need to start thinking about that right now.

“Alright, Aly,” you lightly scolded her. “Lily is just down the hall. Let’s keep it PG for now, alright?”

“You got it, boss,” she answered.

But you didn’t miss the tone of her voice that told you she’d noticed your reaction to her comment. Clearing your throat, you focused twice as hard on your chalkboard in silence.

Hanging up the call on your cell phone, you set it down on the small kitchen island. “So Lily,” you called out, turning around and making your way out of the kitchen and back towards the living room. “I just finished ordering us a large pepperoni pizza from Francisco’s and–”

You stopped dead in your tracks as you entered the living room at the sight before you. Both Lily and your dog Penny were perched at the front window, faces pressed to the glass and looking out of it. Presumably the pair of them were once again staring at the neighbor’s driveway–something you'd scolded her for doing a few times already now.

“Lily, what do you think you’re doing?” you asked her, arms crossing over your chest.

Both her and Penny looked back at you simultaneously. The sight was almost laughable with how much of a pair they always made together, especially with the matching looks of guilt on their faces. You fought to keep a fairly stern expression on your own face at the sight because she’d been trying to watch the neighbor all evening ever since his truck had pulled up and she had told you that he'd been unloading it. The only way you managed to pull her away from the window for any length of time earlier was when you told her she could plate the cookies she’d made for him. Which of course turned into her picking out a leftover plate from Valentine’s Day, one that you’d used when the pair of you had baked heart cookies and handed them out to neighbors and friends the other month. You'd reluctantly helped her plate them, your embarrassment at the prospect of dropping the cookies off only growing with her plating choice. But at least she was coming with you, because there was absolutely no way in hell you’d have delivered them yourself.

“Seeing if he’s done unpacking,” Lily answered guilty. “So that we can go give him the cookies.”

“Lily, you can’t be staring at people outside,” you told her. “It’s rude and people don’t like that. Don’t be a nosey Nancy.”

“But he just grabbed the last box!” she whined, turning around towards you. “Can’t we go give him the cookies now, please ?”

Sighing, you glanced down at the watch on your wrist. It was getting late now that it was nearing six. Any later and it would be incredibly rude to go knocking on his door to drop off cookies. And if it was the last box that he’d taken out from his truck, you hopefully wouldn’t be interrupting him too much, but maybe you’d have an excuse to hand him the cookies, welcome him to the neighborhood, and then run away back to your place and hide from his reaction since he’d need to finish unpacking.

“Alright,” you relented with a sigh. “We can go drop off the cookies.”

Lily let out a shriek of excitement before she bolted past you, tossing her stuffed husky onto the coffee table as she raced to the kitchen. Penny darted excitedly after her, her nails clacking across the wood laminate floors as she went. You rolled your eyes, shaking your head as you made your way over to the entry closet, pulling out shoes for you and Lily.

When you turned around, you saw her carefully carrying the plate of cookies in both of her hands out of the kitchen, the vibrant pink and red heart pattern on the plate impossible to miss even with the plastic wrap holding the very pink and sprinkle-covered cookies in place. Internally you cringed, but the look of pride on your niece’s face had you smiling back at her instead. Because admittedly it was a very sweet gesture she’d thought of all on her own. Even if you still wished she’d just wanted to make regular chocolate chip cookies for the man instead.

It took the pair of you a couple of minutes to get your shoes on before you stepped outside onto the small front porch you shared with your neighbor. Lily walked a step ahead of you, proudly carrying the plate of cookies in her hands down the short distance between you and your neighbor’s front doors as the light waned outside. The sun was near setting behind the row of houses across the street now and it wouldn't be long before it was completely dark outside.

Inhaling a deep breath in as the pair of you came to a stop in front of the neighbor’s front door, you reached a hand out and knocked firmly three times against it. You kept internally hoping this man wasn’t about to make some sort of asshole-ish comment to your niece about the cookies, desperately hoping he was as polite and gentlemanly as Cora had made him sound. But a few moments later when the door unlocked and swung open, your eyes grew wide and the smile completely fell from your face. It felt like the air had been knocked out of your lungs at the sight of the rude man from Common Grounds this morning standing before you. The very same one who’d refused to make small talk and then bumped into you on his way out. All your hopes of him being friendly and polite to your niece immediately disappeared, leaving you with nothing but a sinking feeling of dread.

The scowl you remembered from this morning was still on his face as his gaze landed on you first, his eyes narrowing just a fraction in something like suspicion as he scanned your face. You were still trying to figure out what the hell to say to him when Lily finally spoke up.

“Look, Nini!” she exclaimed, finally catching the man’s attention, “it’s the grumpy man from the coffee shop!”

You swore your heart stopped beating in your chest, embarrassment flooding you completely. Slowly the man’s eyes returned to you, one of his dark brows raising up onto his forehead. Swallowing hard, you’d never wished you could disappear into thin air more in your life than right now.

“Grumpy man, huh?” he asked.

An awkward laugh slipped out of you, a nervous smile sliding onto your face. “I suppose we’re all a little grumpy before our caffeine,” you awkwardly replied. Clearing your throat as his hardened stare only grew your discomfort, you quickly pressed on. “Look, we didn’t mean to disturb you, we just wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood.” Pointing to yourself, you gave him your name in a rush before gently placing a hand atop Lily’s head. “And this is my niece, Lily. She’s often with me and she was the one who wanted to bake you cookies when she heard I was getting a new neighbor. So we just–just came by to drop those off real quick.”

The man’s expression shifted slightly as he focused back down on Lily at your side. An emotion crossed his face so fast that you almost didn’t catch it, but you had. Curiously you noted he'd briefly looked pained, but then the unthinkable happened–he smiled .

“Well is that right?” he asked, crouching down to your niece’s height. “You made me cookies, sweetheart?”

“Yes, they’re heart cookies,” she told him, holding the plate out towards him. “Because heart cookies make me happy, so I thought they’d make you happy. Nini and I made them yesterday.”

He reached out, accepting the plate of cookies from her little hands so gently while the smile only widened on his mouth. As you watched the surprising interaction play out, you had to actively make sure your jaw hadn’t dropped onto the front porch floor. Because whatever you’d been expecting him to do or say in reaction to receiving those cookies had most certainly not been this.

“Did you pick out the pink frosting?” he asked her, examining the cookies.

“Yep!” Lily answered proudly. “Pink is my favorite color! And so is purple and green.”

The man glanced up from the plate in his hands at your niece, a genuine smile still on his face as he nodded. “Well those are good colors, but I think you chose well with the pink,” he told her. “And I like the sprinkles.”

“Thank you!” Lily said, beaming and twirling a little back and forth in excitement before him. “So what’s your name?”

He chuckled lightly at her enthusiasm, his focus solely on her. The unexpected and pleasant deep sound of it warmed you, especially with the sweet way he continued interacting with your niece.

“My name is Frank,” he told her.

Lily nodded her head, still smiling her heartwarming smile at the man. The look on his face had you realizing maybe you’d completely misjudged him this morning, though you worried he wasn’t going to like you much after Lily’s initial comment about his grumpiness. Hopefully that wouldn’t make things strained between the pair of you, especially with being neighbors.

“It’s nice to meet you, Frank!” she chirped.

“Well it’s nice to meet you, too, Lily,” he told her. Gesturing his head towards the plate of cookies in his hands he added, “Thank you for these. Been awhile since anyone’s brought me baked goods.”

Lily’s eyes lit up at his words, a surprised gasp leaving her. “Well in that case,” she began, her excitement somehow increasing further, “maybe we can make you brownies next! And Nini makes the best cinnamon rolls!”

“Hey, coffee bean?” you said, quickly cutting in.

She looked up at you, all innocent eyes and bright smiles. You sent her a tense smile in return, ignoring the way Frank’s gaze falling back on you was beginning to make you feel multiple confusing things all at once.

“Maybe we should let Frank get back to unpacking and settling in, yeah?” you suggested. “He just moved in, remember?”

The expression on her face slightly fell at your words, but she nodded slowly. In the doorway, Frank began to rise back up to his full, intimidating height. Swallowing nervously, you focused back on him, sending the tense smile on your face his way.

“Sorry to have bothered you this evening, I'm sure you're busy,” you told him. “But welcome to the neighborhood. I’m uh, just next door if you ever need anything.”

He nodded his head curtly in reply, muttering out a quiet ‘thank you.’ You gently nudged Lily’s shoulder with a hand, attempting to direct her back towards your duplex with you. But as you turned and began to make your way back home, you overheard Lily speak up one last time.

“You know,” her little voice said, “you really aren’t so grumpy after all.”

Your eyes snapped shut as you sucked in a sharp breath, momentarily pausing mid-step. Why did kids always have to say whatever was on their mind?

“No,” he agreed with a soft chuckle, “no, sweetheart, I’m not. Thank you again for the cookies and I hope you ladies have a good night now.”

Cheeks straining from the awkward smile you plastered back onto your face, you glanced at him over your shoulder, sending him a partial wave. He shook his head, laughing softly to himself before he turned and closed his front door. Lily skipped happily over to your side as the pair of you made your way back to your front door, entirely unaware of your current embarrassment.

“How much longer until the pizza gets here?” she asked.

“Soon, coffee bean,” you answered, opening your front door.

Hopefully soon enough for me to bury my face in it and forget about that awkward encounter, you thought, hurrying back into your place. Because that was uncomfortable. Hopefully we don’t run into each other all that often.

#frank castle x reader #frank castle fluff #frank castle x you #frank castle #the punisher

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chrolloluvr · 25 days

Note

Hi, happy to see you back❤. I remember in one of your previous works, you mentioned Mammon possibly would babytrap reader. May you please write something on this topic?

♡ Toxic!Mammon: Babytrapping Hcs ♡

Note: Ty! Also she is referring to this post. THANK YOU FOR ALL THE REQUESTS!!! KEEP THEM COMING POOKIES! ALSO IK I HAVENT MADE AN ACTUAL POST IN A WHILE SO HERE YALL GO

Female!reader, AFAB

Warnings: NSFW, toxic themes, creampie, future child, exploiting

He will babytrap you, 100%

As I have said before, Mammon likes the idea of having complete control over you, your life, and everything you do. And what better of a way to do that than making you bear his child?

He gets this magical, invasive idea when talking to one of his work buddies. He was talking about how annoying you were, even though he cannot live without you, when his co-worker mentions how much responsibility and care a woman has for her children. And the idea hits him. If you are just going to sit around lazily all day like a spoiled brat, why not add a child into the mix?

So he will have you prowled up against his chest, his cock basically stuffing you full, as he pistons in and out of your already sore pussy. Seemingly out of nowhere, telling you

"You'd be such a good mother, wouldn't you babe."

"'Wanna see you swoll with my kids, wouldn't that be somethin'-"

Which makes you feel physically ill. Raising a child with Mamm would be basically impossible. You would never raise a child with this man. Would he support you? Would he genuinley care for your baby? Oh Satan, would he even care-

Your thoughts are abrupted as Mammon stuffs you with his seed, finishing inside yours walls and painting them with a loud groan. He gives your ass a harsh slap, as he watches his cum spilling out of you. He looks you in the eyes, and gives you a daunty chuckle. He forces you to look up at him with your tired, exhausted eyes, as he tells you ohoho babe, we aren't finished until i'm done, alright?.

And he keeps that promise, with the goal of getting you pregnant. He knows the public would go feral. The King of Greed? With a child? It gives him a publicity boost, which in turn, is good for his business, and his image.

Once you find out you are pregnant, you have to eventually tell Mammon, to your dismay. Every day, he makes you take an on brand pregnancy test as he watches. He will hold the test while you pee. Yes you heard me right. So when the test says positive one day, he is over the moon. Not at the fact that he is going to be a father, but at the fact that he is now in complete control over you, and that he can use another part of you as a pawn in his twisted fantasy.

The paparazzi have a field day over this news, because he ends up almost immediately making an announcement. There are headlines, candid photos of you going forcefully outside by mammon, etc. Its like a never ending nightmare. And dont be mistaken, he would never let you out of his sights, or get an abortion. He thinks this is too good of an opportunity.

Behind closed doors, he will actually treat you very well. Feeding you, paying attention to your every need, and not letting you lift a finger. He may even go out of his way to find some stuff by himself at the store. He'll will make you go outside with him. But at times he has to do a meeting, or host an event, he will have his goons escort you places, making sure you go public routes, to get a really good look at your swollen belly.

Brings you to meetings during this time, and picking your outfits carefully. He cant have his darling wearing any disgusting maternity clothes. So he will have you perches on his lap while he sits in his seat, embarrassment eating you whole as you see the sins/overlords snickering and bickering presumably at you. He has one hand rubbing your round belly, and one hand rubbing your shoulders as Mammon discusses his newest buisness plan.

He would create a Mammon Baby Care line. He knows he will profit off your pregnancy

"Alright fellas, so i was thinking for the ladys, a Mammon breast pump, hm? Its great right? Oh! And Mammon themed bibs, ha! Sure to make me a bunch, right babes?"

People think, how could you let Mammon knock you up? Of course, millions of girls idolize Mammon, and would want to be with him. But sometimes it feels like you are the only one who is infatuated with him. So you will try to look past the fact that he got you pregnant. You'll just try to be hopeful. But it is literally impossible with the way he keeps sweet talking you, as you snap back into the sad reality that you will be having Mammons child, and raising it. No questions to be asked.

He will lead you to subconsciously feel insecure about you and your body. He will squeeze your newly chubby cheeks, glaze his fingers over your stretch marks newly littering your body, etc. And he definitely does that on purpose.

As you reach up to the half full Nutella jar in the high cabinet in the kitchen, you hear a pair of loud footsteps coming behind you. Its Mammon. You try your best to ignore him, but you cant help but feel uneasy when you feel a pair of familiar eyes on you. It is currently 1:30 AM, and he is in a really tired mood.

"You need help sweets?"

He said with a suckle voice, knowing its affects on you are vast. He looks you up and down, admiring your perfect body in his mind. Your curves, belly, and the look your giving him. It makes him want to just bend you over and fuck your brains out likes theres no tomorrow. But he cant, he just has to be extra agile with you.

"Mamm..."

"Yeah?"

"Do I look fat?"

Ohhh boy. The question you always ask when you feel like he's eyeing you up. he hates when you ask that, because then he has to make up some half assed excuse to why he's looking at you a certain way. When your pregnant, he basically has to walk on eggshells around you.

"You... look like your carrying my child, and I like the sight of that."

"Okay, do you love me?"

He pauses. One wrong answer, and you'll refuse to talk to him for weeks. You two, as of your relationship, are in a really good spot right now. You will basically do anything for him. But you are really sensitive emotionally and physically, due to your hormones.

As he walks up behind you, he lifts you up by your waist, and hold you up to the cabinet, letting you reach.

"Y/N."

He says in a low, gruff voice.

"Yeah Mamm?"

"What the hell kind of question is that. Of course I love you."

He says as you look at him, face to face. You watch his eyes never leave yours, which makes you break off eye contact in a flustered state. You then realize that he is holding you, which makes you feel insecure.

"Okay, I love you too Mamm"

"Alright, now get your sweet treat, and get the fuck to bed, and hurry up. We've got a busy day tomorrow sweets."

He sets you down, and leaves the kitchen, leaving you with yourself, your Nutella and a spoon in hand. You look down at yourself, and your huge stomach. You wonder how you got yourself into this twisted predicament. You mostly worry about your baby's future as Mammons child. Because you are aware that Mammon will only use them for his own monetary gain. You cannot escape this man, even if you try. But you can always pretend you have your own free will, and you could always just eat your silly thoughts away, as Mammon always told you.

238 notes · View notes

hellodarling1357 · 4 months

Note

Could I request Cass trying to seduce and get readers attention who’s playing hard to get? I need more flirty Cass 😩

Touched by an Angel - Cassian x Reader

This request was so much fun to write!!! Thanks for sending it in lovely anon, hopefully you like it 💕

Excuse the cheesy pickup lines, you know I had to do it…

I’m slowly working through my WIPs and inbox so please send me some more requests!!

Enjoy 🥰

Word Count: 3k

Regardless of the fact that you and Mor had been friends for well over two centuries, Rhy was only just now granting you access into Velaris after much persuasion from his cousin. The plan being you were to stay with Mor for two weeks while she had some time off from her work so that you could properly catch up after being apart for far too long.

Your first night in the City of Starlight was an eventful one to say the least. During the day, you had let Mor show you around the markets and the Rainbow, stopping to have a late lunch along the Sidra, before she dragged you back to her place to get ready for a night out at Rita's. You had heard a lot about the club over your years of friendship, so you were excited to experience a night there for yourself.

After a few too many glasses of wine over the time it took to get ready, you were well on your way to being very, very drunk before you even stepped inside the crowded establishment. Straight away, Mor was pulling you to the bar before promptly placing a shot glass of some pink-looking drink into your hand, followed by another, and another, leaving you feeling giddy with excitement and the overwhelming desire to dance.

So dance you did.

The hours passed and you briefly remember being introduced to some of Mor's friends, not paying much attention as the music and sway of bodies consumed you. However, the overwhelming heat of the swarm of fae pressed so tightly around you eventually got the better of you. You turned on the spot, looking for you friend to tell her you were going to take a breather, only to find her wrapped around a female and very clearly distracted. With a grin spread across your face, you pushed your way through the masses and headed towards the door.

The fresh air was a welcoming change to the stuffiness you had walked out of. But it was the sight before you that had an expression of awe sketched across your face. Velaris had been pretty in the daylight, but at night? You had never seen anything like it.

"It sure is something, isn't it?" You whipped around to face the deep voice that had spoken from behind you.

"I know you." It wasn't a question. The male in front of you did look familiar.

"Yeah, I'm Cassian. One of Mor's friends. We met earlier?" You nodded with a vague recollection of the tall, muscled figure who had seemed to tower over the rest of the dancing fae.

"Right," But you were distracted by the slanted smirk of his full lips, the slight alcohol-induced haze in his eyes tracked your every movement.

You lent side-by-side against the alleyway wall, talking about whatever mundane thing came to mind before an 'acceptable' enough amount of time had passed, then Cassian had you pressed against said wall. Your legs wrapped tightly around his waist, his mouth attacking your neck with bruising kisses, while you moaned out, not caring who heard, at the feel of him inside you. With a final cry, you became undone in his arms, squeezing around him until he came with a guttural groan. You held onto him for support as he helped steady you back onto your feet, afraid your knees would give out as you panted into the chill night air, the thrum of music and excited chatter reminding you of where you were.

"Well, I should probably...," you motioned behind you towards the door, "Mor is probably looking for me."

"Right. I'll see you later, yeah?"

Cassian waited until you had walked back inside Rita's before deciding to call it a, very pleasant, night and flew back to the House of Wind.

*****

You awoke the next morning with a pounding headache, your stomach churning in a sickly way as the sunlight pooled in through the open curtains.

Mor let out a groan next to you, slamming a pillow over her face before soft snores sounded again. With a groan of your own, you forced yourself out of bed and headed to the bathroom.

You looked like absolute shit.

Your hair was a mess on top of your head, strands having escaped the band you used to pull it out of your face. Dark smudges were smeared around your eyes, a stark contrast to the pale and clammy complexion of your skin. Your eyebrows furrowed even further at the sight of the splattering of hickeys that trailed along the side of your neck and across your chest. Clearly it had been a bigger night than you thought because you had zero recollection of how, or when, they got there. Or, more importantly, who gave them to you.

"You look like you've been attacked by a leech."

You shoved Mor as she stood beside you, observing herself in the mirror with a frown. She looked just as bad, if not worse, than you did.

"You can fuck right off, thank you very much." Your friend just shot you a stunning, if not slightly pained, grin.

"Ugh, come on. Showers then we're going to Rhys' for breakfast," She chucked you a towel before walking out to give you some privacy.

As if in after thought, she threw over her shoulder, "Want me to leave a scarf out for you to cover them up?" You slammed the door in her face, the wooden panel not blocking out her laughter as she asked, "Or would you prefer a jumper? Something with a high neckline?"

*****

Walking past the gate of the High Lord's town house, you knew should definitely be feeling somewhat nervous as the prospect of having a casual, albeit hungover, breakfast with him and his inner circle. But the fact that you were hungover, and that the heavenly smell of bacon was wafting towards you, had all pretences flying out the window.

You and Mor were the first to arrive, or more like, the first to drag yourselves out of bed, so had first dibs of the spread of food before you.

Looking a little green, Mor mumbled something about needing to get some fresh air, leaving you alone to eat your eggs in peace. That peace was short lived, however, as the sound of heavy footfalls coming down the stairs reminded you that there were others in the house, and whose house it was for that matter.

Mor waltzed into the room at the same time as the three Illyrian males, you knew Rhys straight away, having met him a few times throughout the years, but the other two only looked vaguely familiar. You were sure you could pinpoint their names if you thought about it hard enough but, alas, your brain was still not properly functioning.

There was a chorus of muffled "mornings" but other than that, everyone was content to eat, and suffer, in silence.

You eventually got up, taking a pile of dishes into the kitchen, vaguely aware of one of the males following behind you.

He let out a low whistle before saying, "Well, I clearly left an impression."

Your brows furrowed in confusion, turning to face the male as you studied his face.

"Do I know you?" Under normal circumstances, you wouldn't have been so blunt. You would have at least tried to feign some sort of confusion, 'I thought you looked familiar', 'of course, what was your name again?' but with your head still spinning you couldn't bring yourself to care.

"Yes," He let out a laugh that quickly faltered as your evident confusion remained, "We had sex. Last night…"

You blinked as he waved a hand towards your neck, where the marks were still very clearly visible. But before you could say anything, laughter sounded from the other room as a stream of taunts filtered in.

"I thought you said that you were good in bed, Cass. That's just embarrassing, not even a few hours later and poor Y/N has already forgotten all about you."

“Left an impression, my ass.”

Cassian

That's right, you could place him now. Him, and the somewhat blurred memory of frantic and passionate kisses, muscled arms holding you tightly, the sounds of...

Yep, you remembered.

Clearly not deterred in the slightest, Cassian gave you a dazzling smile, running a hand through his tousled hair before saying with a wink, "That's alright, I'll just have to make it more memorable for you next time."

You scrunched your nose at the implication. Sure, he was attractive. Honestly, one of the most attractive males you had ever laid eyes on. But you knew better than to fall for the clearly tried-and-tested smirk that you had no doubt had been used on countless females before you.

"Thanks," You noted the glint in his eyes as he continued fixing you with that intent glaze, "but I'll pass."

You walked towards the collection of snorts and laughter as you left Cassian standing in the kitchen with the stack of dishes, a slightly dumbfounded expression on his face.

*****

A few days into your visit, Mor had left you to your own devices for a few hours, which was how you ended up stretched out on one of the seats in the town house's garden, a book in hand as you basked in the sun. You were slightly aware of the back door opening and closing but paid it no real heed, that is, until the shadow of someone standing in front of you pulled your eyes away from the page.

You looked up expectantly, already anticipating the direction the conversation was heading in; having grown accustomed to Cassian's flirtations and not so subtle attempts of wooing you since that first morning.

"Is this seat taken?"

You looked towards the empty seat he was pointing at, and the one beside it, and the one beside that.

"Yes, it is. No go away, you're blocking the sun." You looked back down at your book, not sparing him a second glance.

"We can't have that now, can we, sweetheart?"

For a moment you thought he had actually listened to you and was heading back inside, that is until you quickly glanced up and found him sprawled across the glass, staring up at you with a smirk.

"What? You said that seat was taken. And at least from down here I'm not blocking the sun. You don't mind if I join you, do you?"

You stared ahead in frustration before letting out a huff as you returned to your book, not missing the grin that had spread over Cassian's face at your reaction.

A few minutes of silenced had passed, you had almost forgotten about Cassian's presence until he let out a soft laugh and said, "I hope you don't mind me saying, but you, right now, the way the sun is shining on you, you look like an absolute vision."

You shifted in your seat trying to ignore the irritation that simmered away.

"What is this? What are you doing?" You snapped back, not giving him a chance to answer, "Is this your way of flirting with me?"

Without missing a beat, Cassian answered, "Yes. Is it working?"

The wink he sent you had your indignantly moving your book up to block him out, and to prevent him from seeing the traitorous blush that spread across your cheeks.

*****

A few night later, you were having dinner with Mor and the rest of the inner circle, having grown quite close to some of them over the week you had been staying.

"You know what I don't get?" Cassian, who sat across from you, asked, "What I don't get, is how someone as beautiful as you could possibly be single. And, the funny thing is, I also happen to be single, but we can easily change that. How about it, Y/N? Fancy a drink?"

"Oh, I would but... I've already got one. Thanks anyway." You gave him a pretty little smile as you raised your glass before turning back to your conversation with Mor and Amren.

"Better luck next time," You heard Azriel say through a laugh as Rhys ruffled Cassian's hair.

*****

The next time you saw Cassian, he had run into the kitchen at an alarming speed, a slight look of panic in his eyes as you cautiously observed him.

“Y/N, I’m being serious, I need your help,” Your eyes crinkled in concern, “Please. Can I please borrow a kiss? I promise I’ll give it back.”

The faux-panicked look was quickly overtaken by a wide cheesy grin as he leant in towards you.

“Cassian,” You yelled, whacking him with a tea towel, “You prick! I thought something serious happened.”

“Something serious did happen, Y/N. The night we met, and you stole my heart… That alleyway will never be the same after what we shared there.”

You threw the tea towel at him as you stomped out of the room, passing a confused looking Mor, who, upon seeing Cassian standing there with a lovesick grin, rolled her eyes and followed after you.

*****

“I don’t get why you don’t just say yes,” Mor said as you heavily sipped from a glass of wine back at her apartment. “He’s one of the good ones, Y/N. Take away all of the cringy pick-up lines and I think he’s serious about wanting to take you out, he really does like you.”

“It’s not that easy…”

“No? What’s not easy about it?”

You starred at her, not wanting to say what was on your mind. She was just as stubborn though, if not even more so than you, so stared right back with a quirked eyebrow as she waited for your explanation.

Huffing in defeat, you flopped back onto the couch and let out a sigh.

“It’s not easy, Mor, because there’s no point. I leave in a few days so why start something up when it’s not going to last.”

“You don’t have to,” Mor sat herself beside you, wrapping an arm around you as you leant your head on her shoulder, “leave that is. You could stay.”

“Right,” You let out a sharp laugh, “Let me just pack up my whole life and move across Prythian for a guy I’ve known all of ten days.”

“Or,” Mor counted, sending her elbow into her ribs, “You could move across Prythian for your dearest friend who has missed you like crazy and knows that you’re miserable back home. The guy could just be a nice bonus on the side.”

You sat up, staring at your friend as you mulled over her words.

“Move here? Is that allowed? Where would I even live?”

“Yes, it is. I already spoke to Rhys about it, he would love for you to stay, said he’s already got some potential work lined up if you’re interested. And, obviously, you can stay with me until you find your own place.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

Huh. Now that was a thought.

“If I moved, that’s an if, not a yes, it would be for you, not because of…him”.

“I would hope so. Though I’m sure Cassian wouldn’t mind in the slightest.”

The knowing grin and wink she gave you had your cheeks reddening as you lifted a pillow to cover your blush. Mor just pulled you back against her side, knowing that your hesitancy to move was just a front and that you would be packed, moved and settled in Velaris within the week.

*****

It was, technically, your last night in Velaris before you went back home to pack up your belongings. After talking out the logistics with Mor and Rhys, you had excitedly agreed to move and become an official citizen and member of the Night Court.

You had spent the afternoon with Mor looking at potential apartments before making your way to Rita’s for a ‘goodbye’ drink with the rest of the inner circle.

After tossing and turning all of the previous night, you had come to the decision that moving to a new city, a new court, signified the beginning of a new chapter. So why not throw caution to the wind and see how things played out with a certain Illyrian male who was currently standing by himself at the bar while he waited to be served.

“Hey,” You somewhat yelled over the music and laughter of the fae around you.

Cassian did a double-take before dramatically clutching at his chest, “Y/N, it should be illegal to look that good, it’s not fair on the rest of the females here.”

You rolled your eyes, but your usual snarky remark didn’t follow.

“I know our time together is limited,” Cassian continued, the dramatic tone still lacing his voice, “But before you leave us behind, would you at least just grab my hand, just for a moment, so that I can tell everyone I’ve been touched by an angel?”

Shaking your head as he grinned down at you, you relented and grabbed his hand. He was quick to slip his fingers through yours with a satisfied smile.

“I’m not leaving,” You said, very much aware that your fingers were still laced together, “Well, I am. But Mor convinced me to move here, so I’ll be back in a week or so.”

Cassian’s eyebrows shot up, shock settling over his features. Clearly no one had told him of your plans.

“Oh?

“Yep.”

You were interrupted by the bartender as Cassian ordered you both a drink before turning back to you with a quizzical expression.

There was a beat of silence in which your hands were still interlocked, Cassian’s thumb absentmindedly caressing the back of your hand, and you watched one another for a moment, as if seeing each other in a different light.

“Your way of flirting is truly awful, by the way.” You teased with a small smile. With the way Cassian was looking at you, there was no chance of attempting to stop your blush.

“But is it working?

“Maybe…”

#cassian x reader #cassian acotar #cassian x y/n #cassian x you #cassian imagine #acotar #acofas #acomaf #acosf #acowar #marley writes

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genshin-impact-unofficial · 6 months

Text

Naughty Little Secret Pt.2

Reactions of Genshin men finding your spicy literature.

Ft. Childe, Albedo, and Alhaitham (Aka blue eyed boy edition)

(PART 1) Ft. Diluc, Cyno, and Thoma (PART 3) Ft. Scaramouche, Itto, and Xiao

Tags: PG-13, Sexual Themes, GN!Reader, Technically SFW, Crushes, TW!Blood (Albedo) but it’s very mild, LOTS OF TEASING Notes: I swear my first time writing a character always turns out so long. I so appreciate everyone cheering me on tho! Feel free to send suggestions to my inbox! 💘(Repost!)

Childe

Spicy romance novels were your guilty pleasure. After a rough week at work, you deserved to sit back at Yanshang Teahouse and let the flow of words on the pages guide your imagination. You held your newest purchase in your hand and pondered if the cover art was a coincidence. Perhaps deep down, you subconsciously picked the book with a pretty ginger boy on the cover.

Tartagalia hadn’t visited Liyue in a while... and maybe there was a part of you that missed the tall handsome Snezhnayan boy just a tiny bit. You were a tad totally heartbroken when your friend departed from the harbor. He would come by your work quite often just to chat and whenever he had time to kill. Eventually, his company and charming words just became a part of your routine. It was impossible not to be dazzled by the boy’s abundant attention. But as time passed and you felt confident that you were completely over your little crush. You shook your head of those thoughts, it wasn’t important why you chose the book you did. You were here to enjoy yourself and you were hell bound to do just that.

The orange haired protagonist finds himself swept up in trouble much bigger than himself. To protect what’s dearest to him, he becomes a spy to an organization he holds no loyalty to. While behind enemy lines, he meets a girl who sees right through the mask he puts on. She not only figures out he’s a spy, but also sees his bleeding heart that has the ability to turn for the better. Your heart ached for the boy. The way he was stuck between his duties and who he loved made you feel endless sympathy for the protag. He had to betray one in the end to accomplish the other.

His mission was going to be completed in the morning. After that, he would never see the girl again. The handsome ginger spilled his feeling, laying himself out bare to the girl he loved. She knows, she always did, and she wanted to show him now on their last night. Emotions flood forward as their bodies tangle with one another. He wants her to feel his earnest passion. He wants to bring her joy, to bring her the happiness she deserved, to bring her pleasure... A low familiar whistle pulled your mind from the scene. No way...

“Huh, so this is what you do while I’m away...” A cheeky voice teased. You whipped your head to look at the widest shit eating grin that you’ve ever seen since.... well since he left.

“Tartagalia? What- When did you?” You were reeling and sputtered in surprise and embarrassment. You attempted redirect his attention and tuck the novel behind you as a last ditch effort to save your pride. But alas, Ajax was not known to be a merciful guy.

“Ah ah ah Y/N, I hadn’t got a good look at that last page. I just have to know about those ‘rippling abs’ mentioned.” Childe playfully reached behind you and snagged the book from your grip. You tried to swipe it back but his reflexes were too fast. “You don’t mind sharing right?”

“I’m serious give it back Childe!” You threatened, but it only spurred him further. He had a whole head up on you, and was talking full advantage of it. Childe held the book open above you and dramatically cleared his throat before reciting naughty lines from the passages. Your felt your face burn red in both embarrassment and now absolute fury.

This kid was so dead!

Albedo

There was urgency in your steps while you trekked through the snowy path. You visited Dragonspine enough times to know the beaten trail even when covered in fresh snow, but it was still your least favorite part of coming to the lab. If you had to list your favorite part, well...... your friend Albedo wasn’t exactly terrible to look at. You were glad to see him again so soon. Typically, you purposely spaced out your visits up the mountain, but when you received a letter asking for your assistance in a research matter you really couldn’t say no.

As junior librarian of the knights, you were tasked with dropping off books and other study material to Albedo’s lab. It’s a grueling task but the two of you got along very well so you were always happy to do it. That being said, you weren’t exactly a person of science and opted reading into history and arts most times. Through years of knowing Albedo, you had to set a clear cut boundary on being a test rat for the alchemist. So far he has respected your wishes, so you didn’t assume it was why he’d call you out here. The curiosity was almost as bad as the blistering cold hitting your nose. As soon as the light illuminating from the lab was in view, you rushed forward desperate for warmth.

“Y/N, I’ve been awaiting you.” Albedo greeted you kindly.

“Hey Albe-” The words died in your throat when you caught sight of your friend. The blond’s hair was free from its usual up-do, messy locks framed the boys handsome features and flowed over his shoulders. Albedo’s neat attire was now lax, his knightly accessories nowhere to be seen. What could be seen was the expanse of the alchemist’s collarbone since two additional buttons were undone on his dress shirt. Somehow even while fully clothed, it felt indecent to witness him like this. “Is... everything alright Albedo?” You asked, averting your eyes to keep from ogling your friend.

“Of course.” Albedo answered easily, his voice was low and sultry. “Please take a seat Y/N. I have something urgent that needs your eyes.” He directed you, cocking his head towards the small table. Your brain was short circuiting and all you could think to do was obediently sit. You had never seen the serious and calculated man like this but you weren’t exactly complaining either. Albedo served you a cup of hot tea and opted to lean against the table instead of sitting.

“So... um what did you need me to look at.” You asked awkwardly, unsure what to do with yourself.

“Well obviously I want you to look at me Y/N” A light smirk formed across Albedo’s lips and he smoothly leaned over your chair. Your eyes followed every single movement while your face quickly began to heat up. Where was all of this coming from? Should you be concerned?

“W- what do you mean by that?” You blurted out, mind racing a mile a minute.

“I want you to-” Everything came to a screeching halt when your chair, that Albedo had been leaning on, began to tilt backwards. Both you and blond were sent crashing to the ground, ruining any kind of mood that was building. Your head ached from where you bumped it but Albedo intentionally took the brunt of it, completely face-planting into the hard floor.

“Albedo are you alright??” You hovered over him. The boy simply turned to you and blinked. His stoic expression was more akin to what you typically were used to.

“I apologize Y/N. It seems I didn’t fully grasp the concepts in the experiment before executing it. Are you hurt?” He stood up and carefully helped you to your feet. He examined you for any signs of injury, regardless of his obviously bleeding nose.

“Im good, the chair broke most of my fall. You on the other hand...” You grabbed a handkerchief and try to assist him. “Wait... experiment? Is that what this is all about?” You accused, slightly irked.

“Yes, I saw a fascinating book among the study material you left behind recently. I assumed that it was a new subject you had recommended for me.” Albedo stated simply. “Its contents was um... quite intimate at times, but I thought it was a interesting perspective on forming human connections.” You felt froze, but this time not from the blistering cold.

“Did the book have um.... did it have a pair of cuffs on the front?” You asked, praying to the archons that you were mistaken.

“Yes, I studied it extensively.” Albedo replied without a hint of shame on his features. You replayed his interactions and what had just transpired in your head and looked back over to your friend.

“Okay two things. One, don’t you dare breathe a word to anyone about that book or else I’ll be very upset with you. And two, that was fucking hilarious.” You bursted out in laughter at the absurdity of the whole happenstance. Albedo gazed back at you confused, but your amusement was undeniably infectious. He smiled fondly back at you. Although the experiment couldn’t be labeled a success, the outcome was still one he found pleasing.

Alhaitham

It was grueling working in the Akademiya recently. The overthrow of power left everyone with plenty to do. You would go mad from attending meeting after meeting if you didn’t have some sort of stress outlet. Writing was a way you liked to ease your mind, like an escape of sorts. You loved writing loose plots for light novels and dreamed to one day send an entry to the “Wow This Novel is Amazing!” contest in Inazuma. You were far from a finished manuscript, but it’s days like these that gave you inspiration. After working through piles of paperwork, you earned yourself a moment of indulgence. Especially when stress was eating you alive, your scenes tended to take a turn for the... suggestive.

The scene opened to the main character pondering why their mentor kept themselves at arms length. She respected him immensely and strives to uphold his reputation by improving her skill. He was young and handsome, skilled far beyond his years. They held a close bond, closer than either of them have ever experienced. Now it was unclear why he was giving her such a cold shoulder. She confronts her mentor about the reasons behind his actions. He expresses his pride in her, how she has come far in the their time together. But for her to achieve new highs, she must leave him behind. His feelings for her would only be a hindrance now.

She felt the tension between them for some time now. It was lingered in soft bushes between fingers, meaningful glances over meals, and caring gestures done without thinking. She’s fallen for the beautiful man, to a point that it wasn’t logical. No words need to be exchanged, only body heat. Arms hold onto the other in yearning desperation. Lips hungrily meet, as if they’ll never to be sated. Her want clouds all her senses and she could feel his willingness to give her everything, all of him. Hot needy breaths trail down her body, discarding any clothes that stood barrier, until he finally put his mouth directly on-

“Busy Y/N?” The amused man asked from the doorway. You jump in response, quickly pushing aside the parchment that you were writing on.

“Alhaitham! What are you doing here?” You pipe up, surprised to see your friend for more than one reason. Alhaitham had been promoted to acting grand sage while the rest was still settling, he had to be incredibly busy.

“I see you’re not very excited to see me,” Alhaitham teased, strolling casually into your office anyway. “Even after I went through the trouble of coming to grab the data reports myself and pay you a visit.” He tsked.

“You came to see me? Ah, so you need a favor.” You playfully jabbed back, easily finding comfort in the other’s company. It really had been quite a while. If it weren’t for the man’s inflated ego, you might have told him that you’ve missed him.

“You wound me. It’s not an oddity for colleagues reconnect reminisce while also carrying out an errand for the acting great sage.” Alhaitham replied smoothly, not bothering to go through the motions and pretend to act hurt.

“Yikes, already pulling the ‘acting great sage’ card.” You chuckle. Alhaitham and you have worked closely together for years, so you didn’t mind going out of your way to do him a favor. But maybe one day he would learn that all he had to do was ask nicely.

“It would be foolish to not use the assets as they are presented to me.” The former scribe shrugged. He opened his mouth as if to continue the witty banter, but a beep from on his person alerted him of something. “I’ll have to brief you later. I’ll just take the data reports and be on my way.”

“Right, here it goes.” You handed him the prepared stack of papers on your desk and just like that Alhaitham was gone, off to his next endeavor. Wow he really is swamped now a days. You thought, ready to get back into your writing. Ideas kept flowing through you as you looked for the parchment you just had.... Wait it was just right here. Oh no.

“ALHAITHAM! I NEED THE DATA REPOR-” You barged into acting grand sage’s office, which was no easy feat. You were stopped again and again by all the matra crawling about. Your mouth ran dry when spotted the parchment in the smirking man’s hands. You wished the floor would just open up and swallow you whole so that you wouldn’t have to look at that cocky handsome face.

“The data report? Certainly, it’s right over there on the desk.” Alhaitham stated, not bothering to take his eyes off your handwriting. “I’m still going over some of it now and I have to say, it’s quite in depth.” He went on.

“You are such a jerk! Give it!” You resorted to trying to snatch it, but the former scribe easily turned away without sparing you even a single glance. You knew what he wanted and damn did it feel like making a deal with the devil. “I’ll owe you a favor, no questions asked. Just hand it over and keep your mouth shut.”

“Two favors.” He bargained without batting an eye.

“You’re pushing it-”

“One is for my silence and the other for the safe return of your... passion project.” Alhaitham interjected, finally tearing his eyes from your writing to shoot you a glance above the paper. You willed a stern expression onto your face, even while a furious blush bloomed cross your cheeks. A curt nod sealed the agreement and the man casually returned the parchment to you as promised. You snatched the paper from him and averted your gaze.

“Y/N you have quite the knack for imagery.” Alhaitham added slyly. You expected he would tease you a little longer, so you braced yourself for the worst. What you did’t expect was the tall man to lean over you with his hand braced on the desk. Your eyes shot up to his in surprise. “If you’re ever in need for another peer review, I’d be happy to offer my services.” He winked.

#alhaitham x reader #alhaitham genshin #alhaitham #genshin imagines #genshin #genshin headcanons #genshin impact #genshin x reader #albedo #albedo x reader #albedo kreideprinz #albedo genshin impact #childe #tartaglia #childe tartaglia ajax #genshin tartagalia #childe x reader #childe genshin impact #suggestive

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cute-sucker · 13 days

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No but what do you think younger Rafe is like?? I’m talking like 12 year old Rafe. Do you think he be one of those obnoxious elementary school boys that think they are so cool? Do you think he was a good student or not. I mean he graduated eventually but idk if he would struggle with school or not. Or if he got along well with his sisters at one point? I wanna hear your opinion on this!!

so this ask marinating in my box because i was going to write something long about it but i'm stupid?? so anyways (let me know if y'all want more about this au)

1.) rafe is so obnoxious when he was younger, always up tree tops, diving into the pool, and yelling about how he was the king of the forest. he was always the king of something with his loud voice

2.) he definitely thinks he's so cool, and he hates the way you disregard him with your pretty pink princess dress, and little tiara. you glare at him from distances, and tell him that you'll turn him into a frog

3.) as the two of you grow up, you become more academically focused, not paying attention to the lean rafe who towers over you when you check out books. he comes into the library to make fun of you, and you roll your eyes at him, perfect manicured hands on your math books, and emily bronte

4.) he hates it all, but enjoys the look on your face when you get focused. he hates to admit it but he struggles at school, looking at the pages of the words until they start to move. it gives him a big headache, so who cares about school? but he sees you hanging around the academically smart boys, the ones that know all the answers and decides to crack open a book.

5.) quickly enough when he gives it a try he doesn't figure it out, so instead he asks you to tutor him. you look surprised, looking up at him with his letterman jacket and agree. he looks amused at the way you flush when he asks. maybe he has some sort of effect on you.

6.) the tutoring lessons work so well, and with your soothing gentle voice, and soft hands to guide him the way. suddenly he sees the way you see everything, as if you were the key to it all.

7.) he gets along with his siblings, especially wheezie who's old enough to get teased by him. he's mean to her sometimes, but there is some sort of softness with the two of them, the black sheep of the family. one thing that i feel would happen between them is wheezie forgetting to make a science project, and wobbles over to rafe.

8.) within 1 hour rafe has made a full display for her, his face orange with sticky fingers, hair ablaze. he has a proud dad smile on his face, sneaking into the science exhibition to just look at his sister. wheezie is laughing too, looking up at her big brother with happy eyes.

9.) it all goes downhill when he tries to make a pass at you in tutoring, giving you a soft kiss on the lips. he pulls away thinking that it'll be fine, but you had a suprised expression on your face, "what was that for?" and he smirks, "what do you think?"

10.) you run out after 10 minutes of that encounter, and rafe stands on the sidewalk next to tanyhill watching you pedal away.

he'd just lost the best thing in his life.

#rafe cameron prompt #young!rafe cameron #rafe outer banks #rafe imagine #rafe x you #rafe x reader #ask #saintlike05 #please send more asks!! i love interacting with y'all!!!#tutor!reader #chatting with my pookies ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

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writeforfandoms · 9 months

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Waking Lions 13

Find the series masterlist

In which things get worse. Price may or may not help.

Warnings: swearing, panic attack, Ace is bristly, we learn more about Ace's past.

Word count: 2.3k

Eventual John Price x f!reader

“You’re late.”

You grimaced at Captain, sinking down across from him. “Flight was delayed on the runway, hardly anything I could control.” You leaned back in your seat. You knew you didn’t look great - you hadn’t been able to sleep since you’d been grabbed. Again.

“What’s going on?” He leaned forward, hands folded in front of him.

You waved him off. “Work.” You had already decided not to tell him about whoever had grabbed you. You didn’t need to give him an excuse to haul you back to whatever base and hold you there again. Besides, you had no intel to give. You didn’t know who those people were, and you were a bit inclined to not investigate. They’d already found you once, they could do it again.

And that scared you.

His eyes narrowed at you before sweeping over you again. “Ace–”

“Not your business, remember?” Your voice lacked bite, and you blinked wearily. “Here. Password is defiant.” You slid the USB across the table before tucking your hands away again so he couldn’t see the tremble in your fingers.

“Ace.” He frowned at you. “When did you last sleep?”

You scoffed. “Don’t pull that concerned act on me,” you growled. “I’m not one of your people.”

“Act? Is that what you think this is?” His eyes glittered dangerously, hands balling into fists.

“What else would it be?” you snapped back. “I’m not your responsibility, Captain, don’t pretend otherwise.”

He leaned back, breathing slowly. “That’s where you’re wrong,” he said, soft but no less intense. “You are my responsibility when you’re working for me. You’re one of mine, now.”

“Good fucking luck.” You stood, fully intending to leave right then and there.

And found your wrist caught.

“If your other work is interfering–”

“Don’t worry, Captain, I’m giving your project all due attention.” You pulled your wrist free and walked away, shoulders high and tight.

Italy should be lovely this time of year. Maybe it was time to go scout a hideaway there.

You only made it as far as the airport before Laswell called.

“I thought you were playing nice.”

“Yeah, well, he’s pulling shit.” You couldn’t keep the bite out of your voice, and you stepped off to one side, doing your best to merge into a wall.

“What kind of shit?” Laswell, on the other hand, kept her voice even and cool.

“Just… It doesn’t matter. I’m getting the information.” You pulled your laptop bag up higher on your shoulder. “Look, I need to go.”

Laswell said your name softly, calmly. You flinched, full-bodied. “Calm down. I know you’re not used to working with a team, but that’s how it is with this op. For your safety as well.”

“I don’t need a minder, Laswell.” You pulled in a deep breath. “I’m getting on a plane. I’ll contact you when I have more info.” You hung up on her and then turned off your phone.

In for a penny, and all that.

Italy was beautiful, but you couldn’t shake the odd mood. Something just felt wrong. Your temper was frayed, too short, paranoia too hot. You felt like you were going to crawl out of your skin.

You spent the entire first day in your hotel room wishing you could distract yourself.

The ringing of your phone woke you on the second day. You woke bleary and confused, jetlagged. But you still answered.

“Yeah?”

“Marigold.” Valeria sounded unusually serious.

“Valeria.” You sat up, blinking rapidly. “What can I do for you?”

“This time, it is what I can do for you.” She was silent for a moment before she switched to Spanish. “I am only telling you this because I like you and you have done good work for me for years.”

Your heart sank to your gut. “I understand. What is it?”

“Some of my current business associates have heard of you. There is a man who was asking after you, but he was too curious. He wanted to know too much about you. I told him nothing, but I cannot guarantee others did you the same courtesy.”

You swallowed hard against the sudden galloping of your heart. “Who was he? What’s his name?”

“I don’t know his name. He introduced himself as Gray.”

The world turned into static. You couldn’t hear. Could barely see. You weren’t sure what you said to Valeria, but you must have said something.

Your phone fell to your lap from nerveless fingers.

Gray was trying to find you again. Gray knew you were alive.

You needed to go.

You booked the first flight you could catch back to the US, checked out of the hotel, and fled. You closed down everything associated with the alias Valeria knew - bank accounts, rental spaces, emails, everything. You spent the flight writing down a list of everything you needed to do - there were two more aliases you needed to retire, and you needed to transfer funds to a secure location. All of which took time, which you didn’t have.

Your phone rang once you were out of the plane. You ignored it, busy renting a car under one of your least-used aliases. Your phone rang again. You ignored it again.

It wasn’t until you were in the car that you bothered to check. Laswell, both times.

You’d get back to her later.

Captain called while you were driving, and you ignored that too. In fact, you ignored everything until you got to your hideaway.

Then you hunkered down to erase as much of yourself as you could from those three aliases. You’d lose access to a not insignificant portion of your funds, at least temporarily, but you didn’t care.

You needed to burn as much as you could, start over. Maybe retire this time. Take your name out of the game entirely.

You were down to two aliases now, neither of which you used often. They counted as your oh shit backup plan, so you couldn’t burn them.

Not yet.

Your phone rang twice more. Laswell again. Too bad. This was more urgent. You ignored your phone. You’d need to change numbers anyway.

You were in the middle of burying those names, taking them off as many records as you could, leaving as little trace as you could, when someone hammered on your door.

You froze, tense and afraid, feeling distinctly cornered. Laswell was the only one who knew about this place. But that wasn’t her - she wouldn’t knock like that.

The hammering came again, more determined. “Ace!”

Captain. He was… here? You felt slow, lagging, as you got to your feet. Your extremities tingled with pins and needles - how long had you been crouched over the laptop, erasing yourself from existence?

“Ace, answer the damn door!” Captain banged on the door again.

You weren’t really aware of crossing the space, but you were aware of opening the door, looking up at Captain, his hat a little askew, jacket doing little to hide the bulk of his shoulders. He herded you back two steps so he could step into your apartment and close the door, locking it.

“You are going to explain to me what the fuck is going on,” he growled, voice low, eyes narrowed.

And you? You were wound just tight enough that you felt like fighting. You had no idea how long it had been since you got back to this apartment. Had no idea when you last ate or slept. But it didn’t matter because you weren’t done.

“It’s none of your business, Captain.” You glared at him, hands balled tight. “You shouldn’t be here, you shouldn’t even know about this place.”

“Laswell called,” he said, advancing one step on you. You took a step back, trying to maintain distance. “Said you went dark without notice.”

“I’m out.” The words scraped past your vocal chords, raw and rough.

Captain advanced another step, and again you retreated. “So you’re just dropping off, is that it? Without a word?”

“I was going to alert you when I changed numbers.” You tipped your chin up, backing away another step. “And fuck you both, I don’t need a fucking minder.”

“Something’s got you scared,” he murmured, voice dropping even lower, sending a shiver down your spine. “So scared you’re running.”

“Told you, I’m out.” You stumbled on your next step back, slapping away his hand as soon as he extended it. “Don’t touch me!”

His eyes narrowed and he took two quick steps forward, sending you scrambling back until your back hit the wall. “Don’t lie to me, Ace.”

“What does it matter?” You finally shouted, losing grip on your temper. “It doesn’t! It never does!”

“Tell me.” He stayed exactly two steps away, hands folded in front of him now.

You shook your head hard. “Get out. You shouldn’t be here.”

“Tell me what’s going on.”

“You don’t need more ammunition against me.”

“Is that what you think?” His voice softened, just a little, and he took a half-step forward. Stalking you slowly now, watching for weakness. “Like you think my concern is an act?”

“It is.” You swallowed hard, edging to one side slowly. Your heart tripped over itself, beating so hard you were afraid it would simply give up.

“It’s not.” Captain moved with you, blocking your exit. Blocking most of the world so he was all you could focus on. “You’re a member of my team now, and I look after my own.”

You swallowed hard. “Save it for your boys.”

“I’ve got enough.” He edged forward again, maybe one step separating you now. “I can’t help you if you don’t let me in.”

“You don’t want to help me anyway.” You lifted your upper lip in a pathetic attempt to warn him off.

“Don’t often get told my own mind, love.” His hands settled out at his sides, loose and confident.

“Stop. Stop that.” Your breathing hitched at the pet name.

“Stop what?”

“All of it.” You swallowed again, gaze darting around for some other way out, any other way. “I have things I need to do.”

“Things like going to ground? Hiding?” He nodded once when your gaze jerked back to him, eyes wide. “Kate mentioned you never used this place. I guessed why.”

You clenched your hands rhythmically, the pain of your nails digging into your own skin grounding. “Then you should let me work.”

“Or you could let me help.” He leaned forward, gaze intent on you. “Tell me what’s got you runnin’, love.”

You swallowed. Your gaze darted around but mostly all you could see without moving was Captain. The sight of him in your safehouse, your hidden space, was… not even jarring. Sure you were surprised that he was here, but it… didn’t feel wrong.

He was already too deep.

You tipped your head back in silent surrender, the back of your head thunking gently into the wall. The popcorn ceiling annoyed you, as it always did. But you’d never gotten around to getting it fixed. “I got a call.” Your voice came out thin, weak. Soft. All the things you hated about yourself, the things you hid away. “Someone from my past found out I’m still around, and he’s sniffing around. Asking questions.” You huffed once, almost a bitter laugh. “Probably wants to finish what he started.”

Captain moved slowly, letting you hear as he moved forward, his boots shuffling over the low carpet. One big hand cupped your jaw, so warm he nearly burned, and your lips parted in a gasp. Slowly, gently, he tipped your head back down, thumb gentle over the thrum of your pulse. Blue eyes were focused solely on you, so intense it almost hurt to hold his gaze.

“He’ll have to get through me, first,” he rasped. Low. Vicious. A promise.

Heat flared in you, and you swallowed. His pupils expanded, black threatening to swallow blue, his hand tightening just barely against your jaw and throat. Your tongue flicked out to wet your lips, and his gaze dropped to follow the motion. He swallowed, shifting forward, warmth growing and spilling between the two of you.

Your phone rang.

Captain made a face, eyes still dark, but stepped back. His hand fell from your skin, leaving you cool. “That’ll be Laswell,” he grunted.

You swallowed hard, feeling something slip away from you, something warm and tempting. But you ducked around Captain, refusing to pursue it. Not right now. Instead, you scooped up your phone. “Yeah?”

“Is Price there?”

“Yeah.” You didn’t turn to look at him, instead looking back at your laptop.

“Good. Tell him we’ll meet at the RV point in an hour.” She hung up without any further words.

You grimaced, closing your eyes briefly and tucking your phone away. You still had so much to do, and you wouldn’t be able to focus with Captain around.

Not after whatever had almost happened.

“She wants to meet at the RV point in an hour,” you rasped, not quite brave enough to look back. “I just need ten minutes to finish this up and pack up.”

Captain was silent for long enough that you chanced a glance back at him. His eyes were still dark, but he left the bit of distance between you. The way he looked at you… You felt a bit like you were being hunted. Stalked.

It… wasn’t actually a terrible feeling.

“Copy,” he grunted, turning away finally and lifting a hand to his jacket and, you realized with a jolt, the radio under it. “We’ll be out in ten minutes.”

You swallowed and looked back at your laptop. One thing at a time.

You’d deal with Captain later.

#waking lions #john price x reader #john price x you #f!reader

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shxtodxroki · 8 months

Text

𝚃𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚔-𝚘𝚛-𝚃𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝!

Summary: Tsumiki and Megumi are too sick on Halloween to trick-or-treat (and are understandably devastated) so you and Satoru team up to give them the most perfect, exciting Halloween night you possibly can in order to cheer them up.

Flufftober Day 2 Prompt: Family, Friends, Loved Ones

Warnings: Reader is considered a parent (not biologically) to Tsumiki and Megumi, so I would recommend not reading this if that makes you uncomfortable! Also idk if this needs a warning but Gojo (and subsequently reader) are pretty rich and have a super fancy house

Pairing: Satoru Gojo x Gender Neutral! Reader

Word Count: 2.3k

Check out my full Flufftober masterlist here!

The sound of a pitiful, sad sneeze draws your attention to the young girl sitting beside you on the couch, your heart squeezing at the crestfallen expression painted so clearly across her face as she snuggles further into your side. One glance towards your other child, begrudgingly wrapped up in your husband’s arms as he sits atop his lap, tells you that he’s just as disappointed about how this evening has turned out, and you desperately find yourself wishing that you could push tonight's internationally celebrated holiday back just a few days so that your precious children could celebrate alongside their peers.

Poor Megumi and Tsumiki had, unfortunately, fallen very sick the day before Halloween, leaving both of them heartbreakingly out of commission for trick-or-treating and forced to spend the spookiest day of the year stuck inside, cuddled up to their parents as they nursed their poor, sickly bodies. Satoru had been almost as devastated as the kids when he realized their fate, knowing just how much this tradition meant to both of them (and having been looking forward to sneaking a few handfuls from their candy stashes as “parent tax” to satiate his undeniable sweet tooth) as the two of you desperately tried to come up with a last-minute plan to salvage as much of the holiday as you could for your beloved children.

Unfortunately, it seems that the last-minute plan the two of you came up with is a bit of a dud, as while both kids tried to enjoy the movie you had turned on for them (The Nightmare Before Christmas, their favorite Halloween movie) and the candy you had bought especially for them (catered to each of their tastes and favorites), you could both easily see that their hearts weren’t in it, and they were still feeling down about having to miss out on such an exciting holiday celebration. You were itching to come up with a new idea, some way to lift their spirits and give them the truly wonderful Halloween the two deserved even from the comfort of your own home.

After a few minutes of stewing anxiously in your own head with no success as you pretend to watch the movie, you eventually shoot your husband a glance of concern as you pick up the half-empty popcorn bowl on the table and rise to your feet, gently removing yourself from Tsumiki’s hold as your husband did the same with your other child.

“You two keep enjoying the movie, the two of us are gonna go warm up some more popcorn for you!” You try to keep your voice light and cheerful as your husband hits both kids with his best, most authentic enthusiastic grin, and both kids attempt to give you small smiles in return, though it's clear you’re all just dancing around one another in a masquerade of happiness with your pitiful attempts to hide your feelings. Still, you make your way to the kitchen as nonchalantly as you can, with Satoru following close behind you as you begin speaking to one another in hushed voices the moment you’re certain the children can’t hear or see you.

“Satoru, this isn’t working at all. We have to come up with something else, I hate seeing the two of them so heartbroken.” Your eyes plead with him for a solution to this problem, your heart aching at the sight of your babies unable to participate in the typical annual holiday fun of Halloween night. The pout on your husband’s face makes it clear he feels just the same, his hand coming up to card through his hair as you both rack your brains for ideas.

“I know, I know. I just…. I dunno what will make them happy. We already bought them all the candy they could possibly ask for…” He mumbles, thinking to himself. Satoru’s mind always went to sweets first, but because it was Halloween, you had hoped that buying the kids all their favorite sweet treats would help mitigate the loss of the trick-or-treating experience at least somewhat. You could see now, though, that the candy was no match for the experience itself (despite the kids’ attempts to be grateful for what the two of you had done and to not seem upset).

Your thoughts are brought to a sudden, screeching halt by a sharp gasp from your husband, his face suddenly lighting up with a bright, genuine grin you've come to both love and dread. You hold your breath hopefully as you wait to see if he has an answer, some way to fix this lackluster Halloween and raise your childrens’ spirits.

“I have the perfect idea.” He brags as his bright blue eyes light up with joy, peering past the kitchen entrance to glance at the nearly full bowl of candy sitting by the children on the couch. “Why don’t we let them trick-or-treat in here?”

The two of you had gotten lucky, it had only taken about half an hour for Satoru to set everything up while you kept the kids distracted with the movie, wanting to surprise them with an idea that you prayed would work in boosting their spirits. You don’t mention a word of your plan until Satoru has everything set up, biting back the hopeful grin on your face as you watch him run down the stairs and stumble to a stop in front of the children. Their confused faces, accompanied by soft sniffles and sneezes, cause your heart to clench for what feels like the hundredth time this evening, hoping and praying that this is what they need right now.

“I need you two to go get your costumes on right now!” He exclaims once he comes to a stop, sporting a genuinely enthusiastic grin. “Y/n and I have a surprise for you!”

The kids glance at one other, seemingly hesitantly hopeful at his words, as he pulls out the hangers holding each of their costumes from behind his back. You both knew that one of the biggest disappointments they had faced when getting sick was the fact that they were unable to wear and show off the costumes they had been so excited for, and you can see the way their eyes instantly light up as they're told that they'll get to wear them after all. The genuine smiles that brighten their faces as they rush to him to grab the costumes nearly cause your eyes to water, feeling so incredibly thankful that you had found a way to make this up to them after all.

“Now, obviously we can’t take you guys trick-or-treating outside, since we can’t let you spread your cooties around to anyone else.” Satoru teases the kids, as Tsumiki giggles at his remarks. “But…. luckily for the two of you, I happen to have a huge house and plenty of extra candy, so why don’t you just trick-or-treat in here?”

You can see the confusion on the childrens’ faces at the offer, so you jump in as your husband wraps an arm around your waist and lets you explain the new plan for the evening. “We were thinking we could put this giant house to good use, so that the two of you can still trick-or-treat! Satoru and I can pretend to be people handing out candy, and you two can go through the hallways and trick-or-treat from us!” You smile softly at them as you speak, hoping they’ll be excited about this idea as you lean in to your husband’s warmth beside you to avoid the anxious habit of picking at your nails. “I know it’s not the same as actual trick-or-treating, but we still want to give you guys the best night possible even if you’re stuck inside, so what do you say?”

For a second, the room is silent, and you feel your heart plummet into your stomach as the children stare at you with expressions you can’t begin to decipher. When they run up to hug the two of you, however, your fears are immediately relinquished and you pull the two into a warm embrace. “Sounds like fun!” Tsumiki grins as her small arms attempt to wrap around you and Satoru simultaneously, sounding brighter and more full of energy than she has ever since she first fell ill.

Megumi’s always been quieter and more reserved than his sister, but you can see the small, genuine smile he wears on his face as well as he joins in on the family hug. “Thank you guys for doing this for us.” He mumbles, burying his face into your chest for a moment as you pat his head gently.

After taking a moment to enjoy this embrace from your two children, Satoru sends them off to their rooms to change into their costumes as you lean in to press a soft peck to his cheek, attempting to convey how thankful you are to him for saving the night for all for of you. “You’re so smart sometimes, babe. You really have a way with those two.”

You know your praise will go straight to his ego, and his prideful smirk only confirms that, but you can let him have the boost just this once. He manages to sneak in one small, quick kiss to your lips as the two of you make your way up the stairs, momentarily hidden away from the prying eyes of your children as you prepare for a long and busy evening. “What can I say, baby? I've been telling you, I’m the greatest man you’ll ever meet.”

Before you can begin to chastise him for his cockiness you hear the small pitter-patter of your children running up the stairs, and the two of you give each other one last loving glance as you make your way down to the end of the hallway and split off to enter into two of the many unoccupied rooms of your home. Satoru already has small collections of candy set up in each room, ready to hand out when your children come knocking, and you feel like you can finally breathe easy as you hear the soft sound of knocking echo from the other side of your door.

The rest of the evening is filled with smiles, candy and a chorus of “trick-or-treat”s from your two adorably dressed babies, sending you and Satoru flying throughout the house as you answer each door over and over until they’re finally satisfied with the amount of candy they’ve each amassed in their pillow-cases. When the chaos has finally settled and the two are sat down on the living room floor, participating in the classic tradition of candy trading (alongside Satoru, using some spare candy of his own he had bought and hidden from the two in your shared closed) you set the spare candy aside for a later date, before returning to the couch to watch the three of them with a fond gaze.

Their trading continues for some time, as Tsumiki clammers for anything with peanut butter in it while Megumi opts for any of the fruity or sour candies, and your husband just takes whatever sugar he can weasel out of the kids (despite the fact that he bought the candy himself, and could’ve chosen whatever he wanted to keep. And once the three are finally finished exchanging for their desired candy, you decide to let the kids enjoy as much of their Halloween loot as they’d like just for tonight, knowing that they probably won’t eat much anyways considering their poor health and weak stomachs.

It doesn’t take long after that for both children to wind up passed out on the floor, intense sugar crashes and the realization of the amount of energy they spent throughout the evening crashing down onto them all at once and knocking them out cold as they snore softly. Satoru takes this moment of quiet as his chance to finally cuddle up to you, sneaking up to join you on the couch and pulling you into his side as he makes quick work of peppering kisses along your neck.

“I’d say this was a pretty successful Halloween after all, wouldn’t you, beautiful?” He asks with a cheeky grin, clearly listening for more praise for his efforts and ideas. Though, for once, you don’t roll your eyes or push your husband away as a result of your cheeky antics. Just this once, you’re willing to allow him to be just a bit cocky, turning your head so his lips meet yours instead of your neck in a quick sneak attack before tucking your head into the crook of his neck.

“Yeah, you did an amazing job Toru. Really.” You nod happily, thankful that the two of you had found a way to brighten up the day for the sake of the kids. “You could tell they had an absolute blast….. Though I’m pretty sure they’ll be sore tomorrow morning if they sleep on the floor like that, so we should probably get them to bed.”

Rather than heeding your advice, however, Satoru pulls away from you for only a moment as he picks up your children one at a time, moving them carefully as if they’re made of glass as he’s unusually careful not to wake them. He rests little Megumi next to you, his head immediately falling into your lap as Tsumiki’s head rests on your husband’s. And once the children are settled, he quickly makes his way back to you, leaning back to let you rest your head on his chest and snuggle up to him as well. “I think I like this a lot better, actually.” He grins, content as he snuggles with his three favorite people in the universe.

“Happy Halloween, love.” You mumble, ghosting your lips over his jaw in a feather-light kiss before allowing your eyes to drift closed as you find yourself completely at peace in his warm, soothing hold. “I love you.”

And Satoru has an absolutely foolish, lovestruck grin on his face as he watches you fall asleep alongside your children, holding you close to his heart as he kisses your head in return and allows his own eyes to flutter closed with a heart full of love for all three of you. “I love you more, baby. Happy Halloween.”

Request - Anonymous said: hello! for flufftober, please consider writing something for gojou (jjk), saeyoung (mysme) or keigo (bnha) ):

Anonymous said: after what happened, i need something of satoru gojou for your flufftober, would you mind writing something for him???

A/N: Y’all I have essentially been fixated on this man ALONE (plus a tiiiiny bit of Rengoku from KNY here and there but that’ll come later lol) for over a month at this point lol so I knew I was gonna write about him from the moment I started planning this event, but I was happy to see so many requests for him as well! Literally the first two requests I got for this event were both for Gojo which made me very happy lol :] Also

(WARNING FOR MANGA SPOILERS PAST THIS POINT, DO NOT READ BEYOND HERE IF YOU DON’T WANT THE RECENT MANGA LEAKS SPOILED)

After what’s happened recently, I definitely agree that some fluffy Gojo was necessary :( I was so distraught when I saw what happened on TikTok, I got home from school and literally cried lol but now I am in denial and convincing myself that he is actually fine and definitely not dead! 😃🙃 Plus it’s just been devastating to me to know what’s happening to Megumi and their whole little family rn too, so I’ve just been in need of some cute family bonding to ease the pain :’) I hope you guys enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it, I look forward to posting for the rest of Flufftober and my requests are currently open right now, so feel free to send any requests you may have my way! :)

Taglist: @flufftober

If you’d like to be added to any of my taglists, you can fill out this form here! Thank you for your support <3

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brae-brae · 5 months

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RODRICK HEFFLEY X READER (fluff)

"He did that shit to me too..."

So TW to people. this contains mentions of SA, SH, and underage drinking.

Sorry if this is shit. I don't really post on Tumblr and I don't really know how to do this, so I'm just gonna put this on here- ALSO HEATHER IS NICE IN THIS ONE!!!!! (kind of)

“A party? Oh, I don’t know…” I twirled my hair, something my mom said I do when nervous or deep in thought. Lily, my best friend, sighed on the other end. “Oh, come on! You haven’t been to a party in forever!” I gripped my hair at the thought of the last party I went to. “Yeah, you know why..” silence. After what felt like forever, she finally spoke. “Listen, I know last time wasn’t the best party experience ever..” I rolled my eyes. “Yea, being… well you know isn’t the best scenario… for anyone. Anywhere...” she breathed out. I rolled on my back looking at the ceiling. “Listen, you don’t have to go. I just thought you would want to get out of the house. You’ve been in there all summer!” I looked to my side, noticing my alarm clock. 9:17

After a little bit of debating, I finally responded. “Be at your place in 15.” her squeal was heard over the phone. “OKAY! LOVE YOU! I laughed at the response. “Love you too.”

______________________________________

I guess that’s how I got here. A house full of sweaty teens, completely intoxicated, dancing, whether on each other or with friends. Lily ran up to her boyfriend Ben, kissing him on the cheek, and engulfing him in a big hug. “Hey, Y/N, how have you been?” I shrugged my shoulders. “You know,” I put a finger gun in my mouth, before going back to my nonchalant self, “the usual.” he chuckled and put an arm around Lily.

Lily looked behind me before looking back at me, smiling evilly. “Oh, heyyyyyyy Rodrick.” I quickly threw my head around to see Rodrick Heffley coming towards us with drinks in his hand. Handing me one smiling, before turning his attention to the other two. “Hey?” he said confused. I quickly drank the cup, hoping it was beer. I needed to calm my nerves. Thank god. Beer.

We walked into the living room sitting on the couch. “So, it’s been a while,” Rodrick said smiling. I could feel my face heat up at his words. Looking down at my cup, I let out a nervous laugh. “Hehe, yea. Just been kinda cooped up lately. You know, listening to music and reading, boring shit.” I took a large drink from my cup, earning a laugh from him. “Yea, so how have you been?” he said putting his foot on his knee, putting an arm on the back of the couch. “Oh same old, same old. How about you? Heard y’all have been working on a new song?” he immediately perked up, his whole demeanor changing.

He loved it when someone asked about his band or music. “Oh well actually-” he yamered on about his music and the song names they came up with so far. A lot of people find it annoying but I loved hearing him talk. Whether it’s about legos, the newest hyper fixation he was having, or whatever his mind could come across. I loved it. His voice brought me a sense of calm, which is surprising because he’s just as fast-talking as I am. I guess because I’ve known him for years, I kind of just got used to it, finding peace in it too.

After a long talk and about 4 cups later, I hopped off the couch, suddenly stumbling back. “I am,” I paused turning around to look at a giggling Lily, “Going to the kitchen.” I smiled and walked off, Lily saying something about me being fucked up. As I made my way to the kitchen, I bumped into someone. “Well, hello..” the dude smiled at me, “I’m Justin, and you are?” I smiled and got the last few drops out of my cup. “Y/N, I was just headed to the kitchen, care to join me?” I said with a smile. Eventually, we started to talk as we made our way to the kitchen. As he spoke, I couldn’t help but get bored by his presence. It was giving... toxic masculinity. I turned around to grab a pop, only to see Rodrick, in the dining room talking to Ben.

I couldn’t help myself but stare.

The way he holds his cup, the way he moves his hands when he talks, the way he smiles, oh his smile. God, it was contagious. His smile followed by his laugh makes my face feel like a thousand suns, kinda makes my butt and outer thighs tingle, too. I caught myself looking at him for longer than I should have but I didn’t care. Justin’s voice slowly faded into the loud music. All my thoughts wandered to him. What was he laughing about? Did he like my outfit today? I wonder what he’s thinking about? Should I go talk to him?

“Hello? Earth to Y/N?” I saw Justin’s hand waving in front of my face. My head whipped around to look at him. “I’m sorry, what were you saying?” his arm dropped to his side, and the shit-eating grin that was on his face before was gone. Probably left a while ago. “I was just saying that this party is really fun and all, but would you wanna go somewhere… more private?” his hand came up to my arm and started to rub it. I looked down, honestly kinda uncomfortable. I looked up, trying to give him the best smile I could without seeming shocked.

“Um, I think I’d rather stay here..” I said pulling away from him. He quickly grabbed my shoulder when I tried to walk away, putting his hands on either side of me, blocking me from leaving. “What? Really? I sat here for 15 minutes talking while you just stared at who knows what. You could at least give me something in return.” his voice was dark and stern. It made my stomach churn in fear. He grabbed my hip, forcing me closer to him. I could smell the alcohol on his breath as his face got closer to mine. I could feel the color drain from my face.

Shit.

No no no, I can’t move. Please god. I promised. I promised wouldn’t get into this situation again. Please god someone- “Hey! Y/N, right?” we both turned at the sound of a girl’s voice. Through my blurry vision, I could make out a blond girl wearing a pink tank top and low-rise jeans. She was really pretty. I nodded, finally. “Hey, so I need your help in the bathroom,” she looked at Justin, “Girl problems.” she smiled sweetly at him. She grabbed my hand leading me through the living room. Before we went behind the wall, I caught a glimpse of confused Rodrick.

We made it upstairs to the bathroom, and when she closed the door, I immediately started to throw up. I didn’t know if it was the drinking or the fact I was scared shitless. She sat there rubbing my back, holding my hair. “Are you okay? God, I’m so sorry..” I looked up at her, smiling weakly. “God you’re pretty..” she giggled and sat on the bathtub. “Thank you, I get that a lot,” she said flicking her hair back. “I’m Heather by the way, Heather Hills,” she paused, sitting on the floor with me,

“Listen, I saw what Justin was doing, and I couldn’t just stand there and watch that asshole just feel you up, you know?” I nodded. I was shanking, no, trembling.

Then, I just started balling. Crying hunched over the toilet. thankful for the blaring music downstairs. “Hey, it’s okay. I know. He did that shit to me too. Normally, I would just laugh at a guy’s pathetic excuse to flirt with a hot girl and joke about it with my friends,” she laughed to herself, almost as if she were remembering her doing that. Then she stopped, looking at me in the eyes. “But I knew what he was planning, no fuck that, scheming. He did..” she looked at the door for a minute then continued after clearing her throat, “He did that to me, too. Back in freshmen year.” she looked at her hands in her lap, almost dazed.

I sat up from the toilet and looked at her. I tried to find the right words, the best ones, to express myself without seeming like too much. But all I could say was, “Thank you.” she smiled at me, helping me up off the bathroom floor. We walked out of the bathroom, and I followed her back downstairs. As I turned off the last step, I bumped into someone. “Oh my shit, sorry..” I looked up at the idiot who had bumped into me, only to be met with dark brown eyes. My mouth instantly ran dry, however, that was the only dry thing on me…

Just as he was about to speak, Heather interrupted. “Jesus Hefley, watch where you’re going..” she pulled me along with her to her friends. The rest of the night was kind of a blur. All I remember was dancing, laughing, and thinking about Rodrick.

The next day, I woke up in my room, my head pounding. I look at my floor to see…

“RODRICK??” he jumped up at the sound of my terrified voice. He kneeled on my bed. Grabbing my hands. “Hey, hey, you okay?” his eyes laced with concern. I shook my head and instantly regretted it. “Here, drink some water.” he handed me a water bottle, and I instantly began to chug it. Setting the empty bottle down on my nightstand, only for it to drop.

Then it hit me. Like a fucking truck. “Um… this isn’t my room..” he let out a breathy laugh, shaking his head. “No, it is not. its mine." he paused, "What do you remember from last night?” he asked while sitting on, what I now know is, his bed. I thought, trying to remember. “Not really anything… wait, did we-” his hands shot up, shaking crazily. “NO NO NO! I wouldn’t ever think about that shit with you that fucked up!” I let out a relieved breath. “Okay. I just wanted to make sure.” he nodded. His eyes suddenly became very worried. “So last night, you were wasted, like I said before and so you threw up all over your shirt..” I looked down.

I wasn’t in my clothes… I was in a graphic teeshirt and some sweatpants, suddenly I realised.

___________________________

GETTING READY FOR THE PARTY

I walked over to my closet, going through my abundance of clothes. I grabbed my My Chemical Romance shirt and black leggings. As I started to get undressed, my arm stung as I pulled off my clothes. I looked down at my arm and saw the fresh marks I had left the previous night. I looked down at my shirt and thought to myself. “Shit, hmm.” I quickly switched out my shirt for a plain green hoodie. I looked at myself in the mirror and put on the best smile I could. “Well, ready as I’ll ever be…” I grabbed my bag and headed out of my room.

_______________________________

“How long?” my eyes shot up to meet his. i looked away. trying to find anything else to focus on. I brought my knees up to my chest and rested my head on them, taking a deep and shaky breath. When I finally looked at him again, I felt the tears prick in my eyes. “Since Jason Dean’s party…” I mumbled, choking slightly, "about 8 months ago."

I couldn’t stop them. The tears just kept coming. Rodrick just sat there, staring at the wall. After what felt like years, he finally spoke. “Can I hug you?” I didn’t respond. I just wrapped my arms around him burring my face in his shirt. He wasted no time in putting his arms around me, but he didn’t squeeze too tight, almost afraid to hurt me.

Eventually, I pulled away, looking at his snot-covered shirt. “Oh, sorry. Kinda just got my nose jizz on your shirt,” I said with a strained laugh. He looked down laughing. “Nose jizz? Dude-” We both burst out laughing. My eyes still have some tears falling. The one thing about our friendship is no matter how serious, jokes will always be okay. Just lightens the mood.

After we both calmed down, he held my hand, causing my face to burn. “Okay, but seriously,” he cleared his throat, trying to suppress his laugh, “does anyone else know?” he said, trying to continue the conversation. I shook my head. “Not even Lily?” I looked up at him, shaking my head again. He looked down, trying to find his next words. “Was it because of the incident?” my hands became clammy, and I felt like puking. “Yeah...” I said meekly. He let out a sigh. “Listen, I want to help you. In any way I can. Okay? I care so much about you and I don’t want you doing this to yourself. I want you to talk to me, that’s what I’m here for…” he held my face with his other hand making me look at him. I nodded.

“Who changed me?” his face burned. “Well technically you did, but okay so-” he thought for a second, “so after most of the people left, Lily said that you should stay here, so I brought you upstairs and you puked all over yourself. So I went to grab some of my clothes and handed them to you, and you kinda just started like, stripping? Hehe..” my face burned, “I went downstairs and when I came back up a few minutes later, you were passed out in my bed. Then when I saw, um those..” he tried to make eye contact with me but failed miserably.

I was still blushing at the fact that he saw me getting undressed. I mean he’s seen me in a bra before, but now I have boobs and stuff, so that made it a little more awkward. Then the question that I was wondering came out of my mouth before I could think. “Why did you sleep on the floor?” his eyes finally met mine. “Oh, uh I didn’t think you would be comfortable with me sleeping next to you, plus you already freaked out when I was on the floor so…” he said rubbing the back of his neck. I again spoke without thinking, “I wouldn’t have minded.” instantly regretted what I said, slapping a hand over my mouth. “Really?” his eyes lit up, slightly squeezing my hand tighter. I looked away from him, hoping he wouldn’t see my red face.

God this boy has me whipped.

“I mean, my back hurts from sleeping on the floor, would it be okay if I laid down here?” he asked hesitantly. I rolled my eyes grinning. “It’s your bed, you can do whatever you want.” he chuckled and laid down.

I gently laid down facing him, hands resting under my face. I quickly looked at his lips and back at his eyes. We sat there in silence, just looking at each other. Wait is he leaning in, wait! Am I leaning in? Just as I thought he was about to kiss me, he paused, “Y/N?” I looked up at him through my eyelashes. “Can I kiss you?” I smiled and nodded. “Use your words..,” he smirked.

“Yes..”

WE LOVE CONSENT!! CONSENT IS SEXYYYYYY UHHHHHH

#rodrick heffley #rodrick heffley x reader #diary of a wimpy kid #rodrick heffley fluff

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why-what-no · 2 years

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Gentle Touches & Cute Aggression

Pairing: Morpheus x Fem!Reader

Notes: Writing this fic made me go all ‘twirling-my-hair’ giggling. This man gives me such cuteness aggression, so I’m definitely projecting onto this fic🥰

Summary: Morpheus falls in love with a complete sweetheart. This girlfriend is a very affectionate person, and he quickly realizes how much he enjoys it. Insecure dramatic idiots in love

Requested by: @supermegapauselouca

Throughout his time alive, Morpheus had seen unspeakable things. He had felt unspeakable pain. Sometimes, he had done those unspeakable things. It had, all together, left him with a less than optimistic view of the worlds and people inhabiting them.

All of that was why, when he first met (Y/N), he couldn't believe she was genuine. Thinking the jokes and friendliness was a ploy to get him to trust her. It took him a while and a lot of research into her to realize that was just who she was.

He hadn't trusted her at first because he didn't want to, because he knew she was someone who he would care about. Which is exactly what happened. Spending time with her in the Dreaming, letting her explore his palace and keep him company when he was working.

And then he couldn't stop himself from taking the next step. From kissing her and telling her that he had true feelings for her. Because how could he not?

She reciprocated. For what reason, he didn't know. She just kept looking at him like he was special. Like how he looked at her.

She was a bright light that he was drawn to like a moth to a flame. He just worried that the flame would destroy him. He had loved before, and it had always eventually hurt him.

“Why are you here, with me? I could create for you magnificent dreams that you could spent your sleeping hours in. Not stuck in my office watching me go through books."

But she just chuckled, curled up on a couch he had gotten someone to bring in. Specifically so that she would be comfortable. "But I like hanging out with you."

He smiled at her words. But accepted his worry. If (Y/N) broke his heart, he didn't know if he would recover.

***

Obvious to the internal battle that her new boyfriend (or was it partner, or lover? What do you call a immortal, powerful being when you date them) was having, (Y/N) was just watching him work. Content in the peacefulness of the room as she admired him.

He worked for a while, eventually setting his books and pens down. Stepping closer to her and sitting down beside her. This was her favourite part of her dreams. When his full attention was on her and they could talk about whatever was on their minds.

In the waking world, she didn't really have anyone that she could actually talk to. But Morpheus listened, and didn't force her to be the only one pushing the conversation forward. He was interested, asking questions, but also willing to answer any of the billion questions she had for him. The love Morpheus showed to her was better that anything she had felt before.

Somehow their conversation had turned to the subject of "cuteness aggression". Morpheus didn't understand the instinct. "Surely if you like something, you wouldn't want to hurt it?"

"It's not hurting." She couldn't help but laugh. Not that she blamed him, it was a weird thing to feel. "I wouldn't do that. It's all affectionate, good vibes only. It’s like, like this…"

He didn't move away when she moved closer, hand grazing his face. There was a teasing grin on her face as she gently pinched his cheek that let him know she was doing it as a joke. But Morpheus couldn't hide the bright blush on his face.

The Dream Lord was grateful that she didn’t comment on the colour to his cheeks. He didn’t know if he could handle that blow to his ego. But (Y/N) always knew what lines not to cross.

When the blush fade, he nodded just to let her know that he was beginning to understand the appeal. Comparing it to when he would gently bite her lip while making out. Or when he would hug her tightly after a long day of work. It made more sense if he thought about it like that.

"Well, I'm glad no one's getting hurt." He watched her smile at his agreement.

Her hand had moved to his hair, stroking through it gently.

"You're so pretty." She told Morpheus.

His smile was soft and lazy, enjoying her touch too much to tease her back. "Thank you." He told her, leaning into her touch.

Perhaps he didn't have to worry about her breaking his heart after all. Not when she seemed so interested in holding him close. Not that he could blame her.

He felt the same way.

#the sandman #the sandman dream #the sandman x reader #morpheus x reader #Morpheus #dream of the endless x reader #dream of the endless #my fics

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weemssapphic · 1 year

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in my head (series)

Chapter Ten: Happy Together?

Larissa Weems x f!reader

previous chapter | next chapter | series page

words: ~2.6k, ao3 link

chapter-specific warnings/content: none really, mentions of alcohol, mentions of wenclair

chapter summary: A surprise visit from Enid leads to a heartfelt conversation. Reader would love nothing more than to ask Larissa on a proper date.

A/N: After some planning and some plotting, it seems there will be two more chapters after this one - we're nearing the end and I've updated the total number of chapters in the series page on tumblr and on ao3 to reflect that (although I do reserve the right to change my mind if my writing takes me in another direction). There are a few minor things I want to wrap up, and I can't resist just giving these two a little fluff as they feel out the change in relationship. Anyway, let's get into it, I hope you enjoy!

The rest of your Sunday was spent in Larissa’s quarters. The relationship you’d shared before had given you immense joy - now, this newfound realization of Larissa’s feelings towards you was nothing short of catharsis.

You spent the morning holding the blonde close, basking in the warmth and safety that her touch provided you. Eventually, when your stomach had growled for the third time and Larissa’s teasing had become relentless, the two of you set about scrounging Larissa’s kitchen for some scraps to eat - though you eventually settled on ordering take-out, which you ate sitting knee to knee on the floor of Larissa’s living room.

You hadn’t broached the subject of feelings or the future of… whatever this was again, wanting to keep the day light after an emotional start. But the knowledge that your feelings were returned, that Larissa could want something more from your relationship, filled you with a warmth that you carried with you back to your own quarters that night, and that gently lulled you to sleep, your thoughts full of Larissa Weems.

~~~

“You and Principal Weems are such a cute couple!”

You heard the bubbly girl’s excited squeal before you saw her - then there was a flurry of blonde hair bounding towards you, stopping just shy of your desk.

Enid beamed at you, looking almost like an exact personification of the heart-eyes emoji in her excitement. “How long have you guys been together?”

“Woah, woah, slow down, Enid,” you laughed, closing your laptop and turning your attention fully towards your student. “Principal Weems and I aren’t together.”

Enid raised an eyebrow at you and you continued hastily. “Not really anyway, we’re still figuring things out.”

“Oh come on, you guys are totes in love. I ran a poll on my blog about the cutest couple at the Rave’N and you guys won. Unanimously!”

“Miss Sinclair!” You felt yourself turn scarlet, which only made Enid grin wider. “Must I remind you that I am still your teacher?”

“Sorry, Ms. Y/L/N!” She raised her hands in mock-surrender. “We just don’t have many other open sapphic couples at Nevermore right now. You and Weems? You guys would be, like, the school’s power couple.”

You couldn’t help the smile that crept up on your face at the young werewolf’s enthusiasm. At least you hoped that you and Larissa could one day be Nevermore’s ‘power couple’ - you kind of liked the idea.

“Is there a particular reason you came to see me during my office hours, Enid, or did you just want to pester me about my personal life?” you asked, still smiling.

Enid began to roll back and forth on the balls of her feet, her gaze flitting briefly about the room before landing back on your own. “I think I messed up with Wednesday,” she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Oh, Enid. Come, sit.” You stood and pulled a chair up to your desk, allowing the girl to join you. “What makes you think you messed up?”

“I don’t know, she won’t talk to me! I thought everything was fine at the Rave’N but then I tried to kiss her and now she’s avoiding me. She won’t even look at me!” Enid worked herself up further and further the more she spoke, her lower lip beginning to wobble.

“Have you tried talking to her about it?”

Enid huffed. “I tried but she keeps avoiding me. Can’t you just read her mind and tell me what she’s thinking? Please?”

“I don’t think anyone wants to read Wednesday Addams’ mind,” you chuckled, but your gaze softened at the earnest distress written across the werewolf’s face. “Enid, you know I can’t do that.”

She nodded, sighing sadly. “I know… But how am I supposed to talk to her if I’ve barely seen her since the Rave’N?”

“You’re roommates, she can’t avoid you forever. At some point you’ll have to see her again, and then you can talk to her. Maybe you can catch her after class - I know you two have botany together.”

“How did you and Principal Weems handle it?”

“Principal Weems and I aren’t…” You let out a heavy sigh. “You might not want to use me and Principal Weems as an example.”

“Why not? You guys look so happy together… I want that.” Enid’s pout reminded you a bit of Larissa - it tugged at your heart.

“I’ll let you in on a little secret.” You smiled conspiratorially and leaned towards her. “Principal Weems and I started off as friends too, just like you and Wednesday. But things got kind of complicated for a bit, and it hurt both of us. A lot.”

Enid’s brows knit together in confusion and she cocked her head to the side, waiting for you to continue.

“You know why? Because we didn’t talk to each other. I really liked her, but I was too scared to tell her. And she was too scared to tell me that she liked me, too. So I know it’s really scary to tell Wednesday how you feel about her and have the potential of her rejecting you - but it’s going to hurt so much worse if you don’t tell her. And sometimes, it might be better to have a talk before you try to kiss her.” The irony of your advice wasn’t lost on you - hell, it might’ve been a lot easier for you if you hadn’t slept with Larissa before admitting to your feelings. But perhaps you could save Enid the trouble of making the same mistakes.

“But are you and Principal Weems okay now?”

You smiled. “I think so. And you and Wednesday will be okay, too. The girl’s one complicated piece of work but I can tell she cares about you - I don’t think she would’ve gone to the Rave’N with anyone else.”

Enid nodded hesitantly, cheeks flushing.

“Thanks, Ms. Y/L/N.” Then she rose from her chair and opened her arms - you mirrored her movements and hugged her tightly, matching the ferocity at which she squeezed you and only pulling back when she loosened her grip.

“Anytime, Enid. Thank you for coming to me with this.” You hoped Enid would have the courage to talk to Wednesday about her feelings - you hoped even more that you were right and Wednesday cared enough not to shut her out entirely.

Enid’s smile was back in place as she turned to leave your classroom.

“Keep me updated!” you hollered after her, falling back into your chair.

~~~

“Keep you updated on what?” Marilyn asked, entering your classroom as Enid disappeared from sight.

“Just a personal situation,” you replied. “What’s up?”

“What’s up? I should be asking you that. How’d it go?” Marilyn was grinning from ear to ear as she stepped up to your desk, placing both hands on the surface and leaning in eagerly.

“What are you referring to?” you asked cooly, playing idly with a pen that lay around on your desk, though the blush that warmed your cheeks gave you away in an instant.

The redhead rolled her eyes. “You know exactly what I’m referring to, Y/N. How are things with Larissa?”

“Good, I think.” You shrugged, lips curling up into a smile as you dropped your gaze absentmindedly to your desk.

“Just good? That’s all you’re going to give me?”

“We’re still figuring things out, okay? But that really was a lovely song you had the DJ play when we were cleaning up - thanks for that.”

“Someone had to do it. When are you seeing her again?”

“Oh.” You paused, stilling in your fidgeting with the pen. When were you going to see her again? You hadn’t addressed that, you just assumed… “I don’t know, actually. I thought I’d probably see her around school anyway.”

Marilyn looked at you incredulously and you felt a twinge of guilt swirl around in your stomach. “What?”

“The two of you are hopeless.”

“What do you mean?”

“Ask her out! If you don’t do it, I’ll do it for you.” Marilyn reached over the desk to grab your phone. You tried to stop her, but you weren’t fast enough - she held your phone just out of your reach, a devilish grin on her face.

“Don’t you dare,” you whispered.

She took a step back, unlocking your phone - you cursed yourself internally for having given her your passcode once while you were driving her into Jericho - and scrolling through your contacts.

“Marilyn,” you warned.

She began to type, sounding out the words as she went. “My dearest Larissa-”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” you grumbled, standing and moving around the desk, reaching desperately for your phone.

“It would be be my utmost honor if you were to-”

“If I tell you I’ll go to her office right now and ask her, will you stop?”

Marilyn raised an eyebrow. “Right now?”

“Yes,” you huffed.

“Here.” She passed you your phone back and you glanced at the screen, rolling your eyes as you realized she’d only been typing in your Notes app. Well played, Marilyn, well played.

~~~

After wrapping things up in your classroom, you parted ways with the redhead, who reminded you of your promise with a cheeky smile. You headed towards Larissa’s office, a nervous excitement bubbling up within you. Knocking on the door, you poked your head in.

Larissa sat behind her desk, engrossed in her work - she was reading something on her laptop, chewing away at her bottom lip as she scrolled. Her head shot up when she heard the door open, and a beaming smile spread across her face when she locked eyes with you.

“Hey, you got a minute?”

“Of course, darling, come in.” Larissa’s voice was warm, bordering on sultry, and you slipped inside the office, closing the door behind you. “I was just finishing up here - would you mind waiting by the fireplace for me?”

“Sure.” You took a detour by Larissa’s desk to press a soft kiss to her lips - the little squeak of surprise that the blonde let out before reciprocating the kiss made you feel you could melt straight into the floorboards with adoration.

Crossing to the little sofa by the fireplace and plopping down, you kicked your shoes off and tucked your feet underneath yourself. You listened as Larissa began typing rhythmically away at her keyboard, allowing your eyes to fall shut.

After a few minutes, the typing ceased and there was a soft click as her laptop was closed. Heels clicked on the hardwood floors, stopping just behind you, then gentle hands came to rest on your shoulders and began carefully kneading the muscles at the base of your neck.

You groaned softly, tilting your head forward to give Larissa further access to your neck and back. Her thumbs worked at the tense muscles, the intimacy of her touch melting away all of the day’s pent up stress.

Her fingers stilled in their ministrations and you whined softly, but then pillowy lips attached to the side of your neck, placing open mouthed kisses to the sensitive flesh. Warm breath caressed your skin, leaving a trail of goosebumps and causing a shiver to run down your spine, all the way to your toes.

You turned your head to the side, desperate to feel those soft lips upon your own. Larissa could sense what you were searching for and pressed her lips to yours. The kiss was languid, sensuous, affectionate - you reveled in the safety that it wrapped you in.

“Could I entice you into sharing a bottle of wine with me?” Larissa murmured against your lips as she pulled back ever so slightly.

“I could be convinced,” you mumbled, chasing her lips with your own.

Larissa chuckled and pulled away, crossing her office to fetch a bottle and two glasses. She filled the glasses generously and handed you one, settling next to you on the sofa.

“What brings you by today?” Larissa’s eyebrow was raised, her voice light and filled with humor.

“Do I need a reason to stop by?” You grinned at her, taking a sip of your wine.

“Not at all.” Larissa’s eyes glittered as she regarded you fondly over the rim of her glass. The way she looked at you through mascara-coated lashes - cheeks rosy, painted lips pulled into an affectionate smile - was different from how she used to look at you. Unbridled. Unguarded. There was no hiding the emotions that she displayed freely on her face - it was a new level of openness that you swore to never take for granted.

Larissa’s lips moved and you were so mesmerized by them that you missed the words that came out.

“Darling?” Larissa’s shoulders began to shake with mirth. “Are you with me?”

You suddenly felt warm all over as a blush spread across your cheeks.

“Larissa?” You weren’t sure why you were feeling nervous all of a sudden - it was clear Larissa harbored at least some sort of romantic feelings for you, so you didn’t think she’d say no, but you found your stomach fluttering anyway.

“Hmm?” Larissa’s smirk never left her face as she watched you struggle for words.

“Do you think maybe… I thought it would be nice if…” Way to be eloquent, you thought to yourself, cringing internally. Your mouth suddenly felt so dry. “Would you like to go on a date with me? An actual date?”

Larissa’s smirk turned into a bashful smile - her reply came out breathy and soft. “Yes. I would like that very much.”

“Cool… cool.” You let out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding. Larissa seemed to notice this, her confidence growing.

“You seem nervous,” she teased, placing a hand on your knee and scooting closer to you.

“A little,” you breathed.

“Do I make you nervous?” Her voice was sultry, her eyes half-lidded, and you weren’t sure if it was the wine or her hand at the hem of your skirt but you felt dizzy.

“A little,” you mumbled, your eyes falling to her lips - plump, soft, warm, inviting lips, that curled up at the outer corners and parted slightly to reveal brilliant white teeth. You felt her hand inch up your skirt, caressing your inner thigh, and desire began to thrum within you.

Your phone began to buzz in your pocket - you tried to ignore it but it wouldn’t stop, and you let out a frustrated huff and pulled it out just enough to glance at it.

Marilyn: Well?! Marilyn: How’d it go? Marilyn: Did you ask her?

You smiled in spite of yourself and looked up to see Larissa’s questioning gaze upon you. You tilted the phone to show her the messages, your heart doing a somersault when she let out a tinkling laugh.

Larissa smirked. “So how did it go?”

“I’d say well,” you whispered breathlessly.

Larissa laughed, cupping your cheek and pressing a kiss to your lips. “So when do I get the honor of accompanying you on this date?”

“How’s Saturday?”

“Saturday is perfect.” The smile that you received was blinding - you still couldn’t believe you were lucky enough to be the recipient of such a beautiful, heartfelt smile. “Will it be a surprise again?”

You felt your cheeks heat at the memory of your definitely not a date, date. “If you want it to be.”

“You know I didn’t think I enjoyed being surprised all that much but when it’s by you, I find I quite adore the mystery.” Her hand was still on your cheek, her thumb brushing against your lip, and you realized just then how thoroughly screwed you were. This woman had you wrapped around her little finger - you would do anything for her, you realized.

“Then a surprise it shall stay.”

#larissa weems x reader #larissa x reader #larissa weems #principal weems x reader #principal weems #in my head #in my head series

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luna-andra · 19 days

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The Shadows Return | Simon 'Ghost' Riley x OC Retired AU | Chapter 8: Compromise

Summary: Andra wants answers, and Ghost has to choose

Word Count: 6.5k

If this is the first time you're seeing this, Chapter 1 is here. You can find the rest on my masterlist!

Content: slow burn, eventual smut, 18+, fluff, mentions of mental health, mild violence

The clouds on the way home were overcast across the afternoon sky. Johnny left Andra with several things to think over, bringing her back to a familiar train of thought from five years ago.

He gave her the same look that stirred shame in her belly. She didn’t like being on a different level of rationality – or lack thereof – with the people once close to her.

It was declared by the officer that showed up there was no indication of foul play. The possibility of an incompetent and inconvenienced officer being sent to her call was in the forefront of her mind, and also the possibility of any traces of someone’s presence could have been washed away from the thunderstorm by the time they came out to investigate. The whole process of filing the report gave her no peace of mind, but she took the advice of setting up surveillance seriously.

A precautionary that she should have done ages ago.

The quiet, quaint life out on the farm had soothed her troubled worries all of these years, making her forget for a moment what it was like to live looking over her shoulder every moment. She wasn’t naïve, no, she knew how to take care of herself when the seldom case of harassment arose. Andra should have never gotten so comfortable the way she did.

Her foot pressed down heavily on the brake pedal as she waited at a stop light to rub the exhaustion from her eyes. She was just a few more turns from home, she reminded herself. The caffeine she had ingested all throughout the morning was threatening a big crash.

Andra drove slowly down Middleton Lane as she spotted the first right turn to the private dirt road of Ghost’s property. Then her truck came to a full stop. You know what-

Her hand turned the wheel right as her tires skid around the corner.

Andra didn’t know what she was doing, or what she would exactly say to him, but she needed to know what was going through his head.

Andra parked behind his truck and turned the key out of the ignition. She paused for a few seconds to take a breath and gather at least the first sentence that would come out of her mouth.

Her phone vibrated.

I’m in the garage.

Of course Ghost knew Andra had arrived, another sign that she definitely needed to do the same thing to her property. Cameras and motion sensors.

She shut the door behind her as she made her way to the garage off to the right of his house. One of the metal double doors was left cracked open, and she could hear the metal clink of a tool being put down.

The garage was Ghost’s own personal auto shop, with an incomplete classic-looking car taking up majority of the left. The wall was lined with tool boxes, yard tools, and almost a pallet’s worth of army green ammo cans. To the right, a rudimentary gym setup took up another portion of space, with a bench press, a high pull-up bar, seemingly crafted and welded together amateurly, and a rack of assorting dumbbells and plates to complete it all.

Ghost was hunched over the open hood of the car, one hand on the lip of the hood as he kept his attention on whatever he had been working on before Andra’s unannounced arrival.

“Is this your way of letting me know that you’re pushing me away again?” Andra sharply said to the backside of Ghost.

Ghost tossed a tool onto the toolbox on his left side and retrieved a rag, wiping grease from his stained hands. His muscles tensed in his back as he turned to Andra’s direction. “Today has been a really tense day. I wanted to give you some space to come down from last night.”

Andra clenched her jaw. “I don’t need space, I need answers. I feel like I’ve been kept in the dark about something I have no control over.”

“That’s because you don’t.”

She could feel her blood simmering already. Not how she wanted this to go. “I don’t because you never gave me the choice to take control.” Andra couldn’t recognize the person she was talking to. His stare was cold and dark. If his goal was to anger her into cutting her losses with him, it wasn’t going to work. “You didn’t tell me anything because we lost touch the first time, fine, I get it. But you went ahead and told Johnny? That’s what I can’t get passed.”

Ghost trudged out of the garage with Andra following behind him. “He and I had an eye on things. We had it under our thumbs.”

Andra tossed her hands up. “Had what exactly?” Her voice echoed all around them. “What the hell is going on with you?”

He turned back to her, stopping her in her tracks before bumping right into him. Ghost peered down to her, his eyes burning the same heat. “What do you want from me? You want me to take back what I did?”

Her fists clenched hard enough for her nails to dig into her palm. “No, I just want you to stop being such a hard ass and talk to me.” Her carotid artery strained against the muscles in her neck. “Tell me what you think is going on and we’ll deal with it together.”

He flinched as if her hand flew across his face.

“You keep acting like you’re looking for an excuse to push me away, for an excuse to leave.” Andra’s chest rose and fell with a heavy rhythm. “You act as if one morning I’ll wake up and you won’t be here, and you’ll just be a memory for me.”

His eyes squeezed shut as his own breath left him.

“You’ve thought about it, haven’t you? Leaving without another word, taking your shadows with you.” There was a shiver in her voice.

“I have.” Ghost finally answered. “I could leave in a moment’s notice. I’ve done it before.”

Andra didn’t doubt him. She had done it herself, she knew how easy it was to pack a couple of bags and leave. “What’s stopping you this time?”

Ghost opened his eyes to meet hers.

She scoffed and turned away from his silent response. The wind picked up and wisps of her hair flew around her face. She had to squint her eyes at the unbearable overcast sunlight. “I was able to forgive you for cutting me off the first time. I shook it off because there was no expectation for you to keep in contact after fixing my truck. Then you came back, and I thought you wanted me in your life, and maybe we even had something. Cool. Great, even.

“But when you brought up the transpiring events, the person driving up our street and telling me there have been people on my property?” She shook her head. “You think you’re handling this on your own but you’re not. I won’t let you. Either you let me know what’s going on, or you’ve lost my trust.”

His eyes were unreadable when she saw him once more.

Andra reached into her pocket and flipped her keys into her palm, the key ring sitting on her index finger as she clenched them tight. “I’ll see you around, Ghost. If you figure out what you want to do, you know where to find me.”

The screen door smacked the side of the house harder than it should. Andra wasn’t paying attention. Her face still felt hot with anger. Sammy darted outside for her chance to do what she does, leaving her alone in the house.

The air felt thick, charged with energy that wasn’t there when she woke up the morning before. Or maybe it was her mind messing with her. Either way, her house felt compromised.

The tears collected in her eyes out of nowhere, and she quickly wiped them away. This is stupid. She felt ridiculous for letting it get to her. For letting a shattered window re-surface the fear that drove her away to another country.

This was all going to blow over. The tracks in the woods were a random coincidence, the car meant nothing. And the rock flying into her window was just a freakish feat of nature. She’s witnessed some heavy storms in the countryside in her years of living here. It wouldn’t be the first time something has sustained damage on her property, and it was bound to happen again.

“Be kind to yourself.” Andra whispered to herself as she kicked her shoes off, remembering what she was taught in therapy and from self-help reading. However, being kind to herself was proving difficult with the lingering anger from talking to Ghost.

The nerve of him.

But also, the nerve of her. She felt the weight of her corrosive past. An affliction, threatening to dismantle the life she had built. It had to be irrational, she was no one. She wasn’t worth being tracked down, right? That’s the rhetoric she kept force feeding herself. They had succeeded in getting rid of her, she made sure of it. At this point, if anyone wanted to pursue in finishing the job, she would end up burning a hole in their dirty wallets.

And if Ghost was going to play the need-to-know card, two can play that game.

She stopped in her tracks as she walked into the kitchen, catching a glimpse of the black trash bag covering her window. It crinkled and swayed inward and outward with the passing wind. The ever-growing chasm in her chest was making itself comfortable, and she couldn’t stand it.

-----

Ghost knew Johnny would stop calling after the second time he reached his voicemail. The third call in a row told him that he better answer the phone. His heavy hand reached out to the nightstand for his phone, swiped his thumb across the screen and pressed it against his ear, eyes closed. “Yes, sir.”

“You broken, Simon?”

Price’s gravelly voice came through the speaker on his phone, and it was like a splash of cold water on him. It was a question he was familiar with Price asking, except he’s no longer checking for missing limbs or hemorrhaging blood loss. Ghost sat up on the edge of his mattress and rubbed the exhaustion from his eyes. “M’solid.”

“When’s the last time you got a full eight hours of sleep?” Price asked.

Ghost took a quick glance at the time on his phone before returning the receiver to his ear. “I was getting’ rest before you woke me up.” He was only asleep for two hours, and his pounding head reminded him that it had been a restless 72 hours.

Price doesn’t reach out very often. The captain – along with the other lads – will dedicate an amount of time out of the year to catch up with the former task force in person. It was an annual event of spending the holidays doing anything but celebrating Christmas and New Years. When he hears from Price before November, it’s because he’s been tipped off on Ghost’s concerning behavior.

“Soap tells me you’re acting barmy, you think you’re being followed, son?”

There it was.

Ghost didn’t respond for a few beats, his feet felt like lead against the cold wooden floor. “A couple of events transpired, would put you on edge, too.”

He could hear a deep sigh come from the other end of the line, and it had Ghost clench his jaw. “Get yourself to an appointment or a meeting, or I’ll bring the meeting to you.”

Price’s demand sent a wave of guilt and shame through Ghost. The memories of being pulled up off the living room floor and thrown into his tub flashed behind his heavy eyelids. Price, Johnny and Gaz showed up. Ghost reeked of alcohol and piss. They had him hauling bags of sand back and forth from his backyard to the range on his property for several hours, making him sweat and puke the remains of alcohol in his system.

“I’m still sober.” Ghost gritted his teeth. He made Ghost sound like an addict.

Price clipped his words, “See your doctor, and get out of bed for a sweat.”

Ghost opened his eyes to the void of his darkened room and sighed. “I’ll set up an appointment today.”

“Good lad.” Beep-beep-beep went the line as Price disconnected the call.

Sleep had eluded Ghost once more. He sat there at the edge of his bed and rolled his neck, failing to relax the knotted muscles at the base of his neck. His eyes burned, and his headache pressed down on every surface of his skull. He felt an irritation for Price waking him up, but rationality told him it wasn’t his fault.

Since sleep was out of the question, Ghost stood up and peered out the bedroom window. The sun wasn’t due to come up for another couple of hours, but he insisted to listen to Price’s advice. Get a workout in, then when the office opened, call doc to get that appointment.

His feet were heavy as he shuffled to the bathroom. Ghost always looked down to the basin of the sink before turning on the lights, avoiding the reflection staring back at him. He watched as his hands gripped the edge of the counter. Scars littered his knuckles, the skin over bone splitting open too many times for him to count.

It was when he was sick of looking at the reminders of his violence when he slipped and the person he hated stared back with cold, dead eyes.

You’ve tried killing me so many times, but fail every single time. You need me. You need the mask. You need it to hide so there’s never a chance to hurt again. You don’t deserve her. You try and pretend to be someone worthy of a teaspoon of affection, but you’re not what she needs. You’re filthy. You’re-

The glass shattered against his fist as he struck as quick as an asp. He hissed between clenched teeth, cursing as the reached for a towel and covered his bleeding knuckles.

If one thing was for certain, his reflection was right.

He didn’t deserve her.

-----

Andra flipped closed the back end of the book and placed it on her blanket covered lap to rub her tired eyes. Every night she would read The Operators when it was evident she wouldn’t be getting peaceful rest, or when something had her jolting awake. She had no clue how many hours she had slept in the past couple of days; definitely not enough to keep her from loading up on caffeine and making her debate breaking her years of being nicotine-free.

She could hear the roosting of her birds out in the coop. Andra leaned her head back against the headboard and sighed. There wouldn’t be time to try and fall asleep. Her day had to start.

After the morning chores, Andra headed inside for another cup of coffee. She stared out of her newly replaced window, out into the distance. It was hard not to; it was as if something – or someone – was going to come storming out from the brush and trees. All remained quiescent in those groves, as logic would have it.

The rattling sound of her plastic phone case vibrating against the countertop broke her focus. She swiped her finger across the screen and pressed the speaker button. “What’s up, Johnny?”

“I need to ask a favor.”

His voice was hushed and the words were muddled like he had the phone pressed against his mouth, and she could hear the workings of the auto shop in the background.

“I need you to go check on Ghost for me, he called out of work this morning.”

Andra felt her chest and throat tighten all at the same time. Johnny wasn’t aware of the fallout between her and Ghost from the sound of it. Or if he did, he must be extremely concerned for Ghost’s silence. I figured he would be used to it by now… she thought bitterly. “You need me to go immediately?”

“Take yer time, a mate of ours reached him this mornin’. Just pop over there when you get a chance. Gotta go, text me.”

The line went dead before Andra could say bye. She released a heavy sigh after taking her first sip, her fingers tapped against the countertop as apprehension churned in her gut.

Maybe Ghost took their last conversation as motivation for him to actually leave.

Tears pricked in the corner of her eyes, and she rubbed them away with her thumb and index finger, pushing her fingers together to pinch the bridge of her nose. She didn’t want their relationship – friendship – whatever they had, to end on that note. Fuck, I messed up.

She took a deep breath to regain composure. You don’t know if he’s gone. Andra decided she would go by after her run to the post office to pick up her package. With a quick rinse of her empty coffee mug, she headed to the front door to collect her keys and purse.

The sound of gravel crunching and a vehicle engine made her pause in her tracks. Her heart raced, she could feel her adrenaline dump. Her shaky hand moved aside the curtain to look out the window beside the door, and the sight of Ghost’s truck had her releasing a heavy breath.

It took everything in her not to throw the door open and run to him. She took another grounding breath and unlocked the door, opening it to Ghost preparing to knock.

Andra swore her heart was going to burst. The look in his eyes mirrored the same surprise she displayed. The discernible presence of a bandage wrapped around Ghost’s hand caught her attention in the corner of her eye.

He noticed where her eyes fell to, and shoved it in the pocket of his jacket. “You got a minute to speak?”

His voice sounded like sandpaper. He looked just as sleep deprived as she felt. Andra couldn’t say anything, so she just nodded. She closed the door behind her and opted to sit on the wooden bench, leaving a space for Ghost to sit beside her. He never did, instead he decided to lean against the railing, his ankle crossed over the other.

Seconds passed before anything was said. “I’m not good with words, you’ll have to bear with me.”

Andra folded her legs beneath her and clasped her hands together. Her eyes remained on him as she waited to hear him out.

His head tilted down. “I gave a lot of thought to what you said, about losing your trust.” He rolled his neck, rolling the nerves and giving him a chance to think. “And I realized, taking a bullet is far less painful than that.”

Andra could see his adam’s apple bob in his throat underneath the fabric of his mask as he tilted his head back with closed eyes. She felt her throat tightening, and had to swallow to relieve the ache.

“So, I’ve come to terms with if I want to mend what I had with you, I’m going to have to find a way to tell you what you need to know.” Ghost’s eyes found hers, searching for a response.

She gave him a subtle nod, letting the words sink in. “How are you going to do that?”

Ghost uncrossed his ankles and took the two steps to sit beside her. It was a struggling few seconds for him to begin speaking. “Did you ever pick that book back up?”

Andra was confused by the approach he was taking, but went with it. “Yeah, I finished it actually.”

"Did the author talk about some of his assignments?" Ghost asked patiently.

She recalled what the author was able to talk about and reveal. "Not specifics, but he went in detail with Selection, and then the training thereafter and some events that happened in the 80s in Northern Ireland."

He nodded as he listened. "What did the training entail?"

"Physical training, a lot of sleep deprivation, weapons and vehicle tactics, photography, interrogation..." Andra's words drifted as she continued her recollection. She wouldn't say this out loud, but it was a dry read.

Ghost cut in at the mention of the last topic. "Interrogation, okay." His shoulders rose and fell as he let out a deep breath, and his hands flexed over and over. "I've been on both ends of being interrogated. Not just in training, but out on the field." His red-rimmed eyes aged several decades, and her chest grew heavy. "And there were times the bars and stars – officers that outranked me and my team – had ordered us to let go of the person we had just roughed up.

"They were dangerous people, Andra, do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

Andra was piecing together why Ghost had given her that book to read. It was more than just what was on the surface. The selection process, the training, the assignments, the images in the book illustrating the teams with black lines redacting their eyes. It occurred to her then when she was reading it all, Ghost was another one of the SAS operatives that had an alias, he had paperwork with his name on it that contained redacted information on what he and his team had accomplished, but now discussing it all solidified it for her.

Not only him, but Johnny as well, and Johnny had brought up a few other names. People that were also special forces.

It was sobering. She never took the time to sit with all of this information and come to terms that these men had enemies that went deeper than just being from differing nations. Enemies that may or may not still be alive out there, preying on the downfall of the men she had come to know.

“Has anyone ever found you or Johnny?” Andra asked with a tremble in her throat.

“No.” He answered definitively. “And I would like to keep it that way.”

Andra nodded, as she fully agreed with him.

Ghost leaned back against the bench. “I truly never intended to alarm you and bring you to endless conclusions. I wish I could take it back, my foolishness, everything.”

“You can’t help that, though.” Andra defended. “It was a really messed up chain of events.”

There was a pregnant pause. “I have moments like these when there are too many coincidences happening at once. I’ve been working on how I handle it.”

Andra turned to him. “Do you… talk to someone about it?” She felt hesitant to ask.

Ghost’s eyes slid back to her. “Does that bother you?”

She shook her head swiftly. “No, oh Gods, no I didn’t mean it that way.” Her hands covered her face for a moment. “That was wrong of me to ask.”

Ghost reached for one of her hands. “You have every right to know, doll.” The calloused pad of his thumb brushed the top of her hand. She could feel a tremor in his touch.

It would have warmed her heart had it not been for the churning contrite souring her stomach. He had every right to know, too, but how would she even begin to tell him?

His injured hand was holding hers. She took this opportunity to distract herself from the guilt eating at her. “What happened to your hand?”

“Ridiculous accident with some glass.” He answered too quickly. Andra could feel him wanting to recoil, but he continued to let her hold his hand. Her peripheral vision gave her a peak of Ghost studying her face. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you look exhausted.”

Andra let go of his hand and rubbed her eyes. “I really haven’t been sleeping. Every little noise wakes me up, and I lay there for hours.”

Ghost’s eyes turned serious. “What can I do to remedy that?” Andra started to shake her head. “No, I’m responsible for this. Name it, I’ll do what I can.”

“I was actually on my way to go pick up a security system I ordered from the post office.” Andra raised her hand with her set of keys jingling.

Ghost stood from the bench, Andra followed in suit. “That I can do.”

Her smile returned. If it was one thing Andra was certain about Ghost, acts of service was how he communicated his apologies. It was easier to demonstrate with his hands than words.

After picking up the hefty box of camera and motion sensor equipment, Andra worked around the farm after her and Ghost discussed where the best places to set up the cameras would be. He got it done in less than a few hours, giving them time to pick up food together.

As they traveled, she remembered Johnny was waiting for an update from her.

Ghost is fine, we’re picking up food.

“So, you read the book in the past three days?” Ghost asked to start up chatter. Look who’s talking more now.

She hummed. “I read when I can’t sleep, and found it sitting there on the table before I locked up for bed.” Andra glanced at him. “What do you do when you can’t sleep?” Her phone vibrated with a response.

Thank you.

Ghost shrugged. “I lay there hoping I fall asleep.”

“I would get so bored.” Andra confessed, tapping her hands on her thighs. “You don’t even scroll through Netflix or something to try and turn your brain off?”

“I don’t have Netflix.” He responded.

Andra shook her head and blinked. “Remind me to give you my login.”

“I don’t watch TV or movies.”

Now she was looking at him like he was crazy. “You’re lying. You’re a liar.”

He rolled his eyes. “I do watch movies, but they’re all old war movies or westerns on DVD.”

Andra narrowed her eyes. “What are you, fifty?”

Ghost chortled. “I have a while before I hit fifty, thank you for that.”

“How long is a while?” Andra smirked. “Five years or six months?” His mouth opened, but she kept going. “Wait, I bet you have M.A.S.H. all on DVD, don’t you?”

“There’s nothing wrong with M.A.S.H.” Ghost defended.

“Yeah, when you’re as old as my dad and watching it on your days off as you doze on the living room couch at eleven in the morning.”

“You’re pushing your luck, doll.” Ghost warned with a grin in his voice. “Let me put it this way, I joined the Royal Air Force after the events of 9/11.”

Andra’s face went slack and her eyes were as wide as saucers. She turned to the passenger window with a hand pretending to scratch the side of her head and wondered if he would be weirded out if she told him she was in grade school during 9/11.

Her silence was loud in the cabin. “We’re not that far apart in age if you know M.A.S.H.” Ghost resumed.

Andra raised an eyebrow at him. “Are you saying I look old?”

“No.” His accent thickened as his voice dropped. “I didn’t say that.”

She was having too much fun busting his chops. “We have a tad bit of an age gap,” she demonstrated with her thumb and index finger with a small gap, “I’m a ninety’s baby.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Three years is a tad of an age gap, not a whole decade.”

Andra rolled her eyes. “Is this what I have to look forward to in my thirties?” She laughed at the flash of astonishment as he panned a look at her. “I’m kidding! Well, kind of, but I’ll be thirty next summer.”

Ghost smoothed his hand over his covered mouth. “You’re killing me, woman.”

“Best stay on top of those heart meds then – ooh!” Andra shot forward and was caught by her seatbelt from Ghost slamming the breaks harder than normal. “You’re gonna cause an accident, sir.”

After a few beats of silence, Ghost changed the subject. “I hope the camera system will give you some peace of mind.”

“I’m sure it will.” She nodded with a hopeful smile.

Ghost ran inside the chip shop they ordered from while Andra sat in the truck to keep it running. Her head tilted back onto the head rest as she stared up at the roof of the truck. The lack of sleep was catching up to her, and now that there was less of a problem with surveillance around the farm, she felt the muscles in her shoulders relaxing.

The sudden sound of the driver door opening had her jerking back awake. She attempted to cover up the fact that she had dozed off in his truck with a little stretch of her legs.

Ghost handed her the bag of food without noticing her brief second of sleep and drove back to her house.

-----

“I get why you go to this place.” Andra spoke in between eating in the living room with him. “It’s not bad.”

“It’s also because Johnny has been getting us discounts from his little girlfriend.” Ghost wiped his mouth with a crumpled napkin.

Andra looked over the app on her phone that connected her to all of the cameras on her property. The feed looked really good, giving her confidence that she could point out important details if she ever had to. She switched to the camera that aimed at the dirt driveway with both trucks sitting outside. Her thumb and index finger spread across the screen to utilize the zoom feature; she was able to read off the license plate numbers from each truck.

“Thank you again for setting up the cameras.” Andra locked her phone and placed it down on the coffee table.

Ghost covered the lower half of his face back up with the balaclava as he finished his own meal. “Thank you for letting me.”

Her heart fluttered at the sudden drop in his voice. His eyes were set on her when she turned to look at him. Despite not being able to see his expression, she could feel a softness in his brown eyes.

“Let me get these out of the way.” Ghost insisted as he began to collect the takeout containers. Andra sucked down the last of her drink in her Styrofoam cup and tossed it into the bag Ghost was using.

Andra slipped a hand in the back pocket of her jeans. “You staying for a little while?”

“I can.”

She felt some relief for having to spend less time by herself for the evening.

While Ghost did his thing, Andra browsed her bookshelf in search of a new read.

“Anything interesting?” Ghost asked as he returned.

Andra chose Dune from the shelf. “Maybe.” She returned to her designated reading lounge chair and curled her legs up. “How far did you get with The Outsiders?”

Ghost scratched the back of his head. “Maybe the first fifty pages.” Then, he tilted his head. “How did you know I had it?”

Andra smirked. “It was gone the following morning after you left.”

Did she have him flustered? The indecisive glance to the couch and back to the front door then back to the kitchen was amusing enough to have her grinning.

“I have it in the truck, actually. Be right back.” Ghost made his way outside, letting in a kissing, chilly breeze.

It must have been the book she chose, or the way she receded back into the cushions, but she felt the wave of sleepiness return back. Or maybe it was Ghost’s presence, knowing he was only a few feet away on the couch with Sammy next to him. He emitted an aura that Andra could only classify as comfort. Safety.

She knew he was safe to fall asleep around, she knew he would keep her safe.

Andra flinched out of the sleep she was slipping into and let out a disappointed sigh. Her book was still in her hand, but the pages were damp from the warmth of her fingers holding them in place. She closed the book, not worried about where she left off because she wasn’t paying attention anyway and softened her movements as she looked to her right.

Ghost’s head lulled to one side from the upright position he fell asleep in, his arms crossed over his chest and his own book sitting on the table with Sammy resting in her own bed by the window. The heavy breath he suck in and released told her he was deeper in that sleep than she was.

How is he sleeping with the mask on? Andra wondered.

With light movement, Andra rose from her chair and padded quietly to the hallway closet to retrieve a blanket. He looked as tired as she felt halfway through the day, and she wasn’t about to wake him up and send him home. She unraveled the blanket and moved to lay it over Ghost just above his arms and below his collarbone.

But his awareness was more keen than Andra had anticipated. Ghost reached out, throwing the blanket off and swiped her wrists single-handed. The room went spinning, and she let out a small yelp as her back met the bottom cushions of the couch, his grasp securing her wrists above her head.

Ghost’s eyes were wild with alert, then widened as he realized who he just wrestled down. It startled her at first, but out of nervousness a chortle escaped. Then a chuckle, and confusion wrinkled Ghost’s eyebrows.

She probably looked insane to him. She was supposed to be frightened, but all she was was dizzy. And too aware of how his body hovered over her. The grip on her wrists eased up but remained there. Her giggles dissipated, along with whatever she was about to say. She was too absorbed by Ghost’s eyes darting all over her face, and she wasn’t too sure, but she was almost certain he kept looking to her mouth.

Before Andra could register what she was doing, she pressed her lips against the teeth of the skull pattern on his mask, hitting her mark as she felt his lips beneath. Ghost pulled away like she had put his hand in an open flame, his eyes widened. Oh shit, what have I done –

His empty hand shoved up the fabric of his balaclava and he smashed his mouth against hers. Heat blazed through her face, molten liquid flooding her core as she took in every sensation overwhelming her. The fierce hunger of his kiss. The friction of their bodies pressed against each other. The solid grip Ghost had on her wrists.

She couldn’t get close enough to him. Her leg attempted to hook around his waist, but only succeeded in wrapping around a thigh that nestled its way between her legs.

He couldn’t pull himself away, and instead fed the part telling him to nudge his knee where she wanted it. Ghost freed her hands to grip the thigh pulling him in, giving her free reign to cradle his stubbled jaw. His fingertips worked divots into the fabric of her jeans, earning a small sound from her tightening throat.

Andra hoped there would be marks later left where he was squeezing.

Her tongue slipped out between her lips and playfully swiped across his mouth. Oh fuck, the sound that just came from him… Andra had never heard arousal so delicious before.

All of Ghost was crashing through her like a freight train. His taste, his heat, his sounds. Her head felt like it’s been shoved underwater, and she has no intentions surfacing for air. Not when drowning in all of him felt this good.

Ghost reciprocated her invitation and found his tongue pushing through the slit of her lips. She felt her own arousal winding tightly in her warmth. Anything more was likely going to set her off. There’s no way I’m coming just from this, she cursed herself.

Ghost pulled away, hit hot breath fanning over her face. He moved his free hand to his mask, but it remained there. One second, two seconds. His mouth slackened into a frown, lips parted with labored breathing. The trance had been broken between the two. He retreated from where he had Andra pressed into the couch, his hands ran down his face and stayed there as he battled with himself.

Andra adjusted her shirt as she sat up and gave him a nudge of space. “Hey,” she softly said as she brought his hands down, cradling them in her own. “You don’t need to.”

“I want to.” He rasped, breathless from their kiss. “I don’t know why, but I can’t.”

“It’s okay.” She took his hand away from his face and stroked his knuckles with her thumb.

Ghost blinked a few times like he was waking up from a dream. “I shoved my tongue in your mouth.” He stated, a little too forward. His words had heat rushing to her face. “The least I can do I show you who is beneath this.” He gestured to the mask covering half of his face, a bitterness in his words directed to his disguise.

Andra slowly raised her hands to the bottom half of his revealed face. He flinched away from the contact, but settled as she let her thumbs brush against the stubble on his jaw. She made no subtle movements; just exploring the craters and slits across his skin.

Ghost watched her silently, attentively, his eyes flickering back and forth. She can feel the intensity, a man questioning the intentions of the woman touching him, holding the privacy and secrecy he clings to. He sucked in a breath as she took hold of the balaclava and didn’t exhale until Andra had pulled it back down over his face.

“If you’re not ready, then you’re not ready.” She affirmed.

His bandaged hand brushed Andra’s disheveled hair behind her ear. Ghost leaned in and pressed his covered mouth against her forehead. Andra gave him a meek grin as he pulled away.

Andra felt this moment building up to a goodbye, but she took his hand again. “You can stay here for the night. I don’t want you driving back even if it’s just down the street.”

He reached down on the floor and picked up the blanket. “If that’s alright with you, I’ll take up the couch-”

“Sleep on a bed, for gods’ sake.” Andra nodded her head to the stairs. “I have an extra room upstairs.”

Thankfully, Ghost didn’t argue. Heavy feet dragged themselves up the stairs, Sammy following them both. They took pause as both turned to each other from across the hall. There was so much she wanted to say, but the brief, drowsy goodnight that was exchanged had them retreating into their respective rooms. Andra leaned against the closed door, clouds in her head and lips swollen with the phantom sensation of their catalyst.

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nolita-fairytale · 1 year

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still into you | carmen 'carmy' berzatto x fem!reader | chapter two: friday

summary: big announcements are made at the james beard house dinner, and carmy tells you how much you mean to him.

warnings: swearing, no use of y/n, she/her pronouns, drinking & smoking

word count: 4.6k

listen to: in transit - albert hammond jr. | nightswimming - r.e.m | friday i'm in love (cover) - phoebe bridgers (playlist here)

a/n: remember when i accidentally posted this earlier today at the start of the american work day? that was weird. anyways...

read: chapter one | bonus smut scene

Friday

The way that the four of you flow together is like a symphony – each one of you so committed to your craft – to excellence – and the feeling you get sends chills down your spine. It’s a sign of how far you all have come, which is what the menu is all about this evening. It was Syd and Carmy’s idea: each dish presented this evening would embody a part of The Bear’s story. You’d even worked with Marcus on elevating his signature chocolate cake, wanting to keep the heart and soul of it, even if it had to lean a little more towards the fine dining side of things.

Never in a million years would Carmy have thought that, on his first day at The Beef, that you’d all end up here. After all the chaos, all the swimming upstream, it felt near-impossible that something so disorganized and broken could become something so beautiful.

He’s near-shaking at the idea of what he has to do next, but he also knows that this is a story he has to tell. It’s not really something he’s spoken about – at least publicly – and not to the food world.

But he can’t tell the story of The Bear without Michael.

He feels like he’s sweating through his chef whites, but you remind him that he’s going to be great. It’s a huge step in his healing journey and after a long talk about it, Carmy had decided it was something he felt he wanted to do.

“Before we wrap up the evening, we have one more dish before dessert,” Carmy says, earning the attention of the dining room full of people.

He hopes his voice isn’t shaking too much, and he nervously fidgets with a spoon he’s holding in his hands while you and Sydney stand behind him as literal and emotional support.

His face feels hot. He feels like he wants to throw up and cry at the same time, and he looks back at you for reassurance.

You nod your head in his direction, a comforting smile on your face, as Sydney grabs your hand. You’re both nervous for him.

You can do it, Bear. Let it rip.

“As some of you may know, three years ago I left New York to go back home and take over the family restaurant – the restaurant that would eventually become The Bear,” he explains.

“This dish is uh… it’s really special to me,” he says, trying his best not to let his voice break as he continues.

“It’s an ode to my late brother: a play on the braciole he used to make for me and my sister every Sunday.”

The dining room gets quiet, each person hanging onto every single word that Carmy says, his vulnerability palpable.

Carmy suddenly feels emotionally exposed, but he knows there’s no turning back now. He can practically hear Mikey’s voice in his head, encouraging him, pushing him to let it rip. Knowing that he’s got you and Sydney behind him gives Carmy the extra boost of confidence he needs to get through this speech.

As he explains each component of the dish, it becomes easier to fake it: fake some confidence, fake that he’s not crumbling inside. Carmy knows how to talk about food so he leans into it, even if it feels like his voice is caught in his throat. It feels like second nature -- like falling into an old pattern he's practiced a thousand times -- as he hides behind his tough, calculating, diligent exterior. But he feels as if he’s just put his open, bleeding heart on a plate, and it's impossible for him not to feel.

Carmy clears his throat before concluding his presentation with, “So thank you again for dining with us this evening. Uh… Chef Sydney has some news she’d uh… we’d like to share with everyone.”

He thanks the gods that he made it through.

He can’t wait to get out of the spotlight.

Carmy moves aside, letting Sydney take center stage, and he can feel the blood rush through his head – an almost dizzy-feeling. As he stands next to you, you bump up against his shoulder, giving him some comforting touch, in an effort to ground him.

“Thank you, chef,” Sydney begins, glancing back at Carmy. “And thank you for sharing this dish with us. I know that it’s something you hold close to your heart and our story of The Bear wouldn’t be complete without it.”

The dining room full of people begins clapping once again and it gives Carmy a moment to zip himself back up emotionally. He only reminds himself that he has a few moments left of being in front of people. While he may be an expert at fooling everyone else with his stoic exterior, you can see he’s struggling to hold it together.

“And thank you again to everyone for coming out tonight. We have some really exciting news to share. After putting our heart and soul into The Bear, we are at a point in its journey where we can expand,” Sydney begins, earning a few excited whispers from the room.

“We felt tonight would be the perfect time to announce that we will be opening up a second restaurant – a separate concept that I will be leading as CDC in Chicago. I’m really excited to have this opportunity to develop my own concept with my business partner, Carmen Berzatto, and to lead my own kitchen.”

The entire room erupts with applause once again as the wait staff begin to bring out Carmy’s perfectly plated beef dish. Carmy nods as a signal to you and Syd and you both follow him back into the kitchen.

“Stay. I’ll go help Marcus,” Sydney says to you, reassuringly.

She rubs a sympathetic hand over Carmy’s upper back before saying, “Good work, chef.”

Sydney hurries over into the prep kitchen to help Marcus plate dessert, while you hang back with Carmy in the hallway. He’s avoiding your gaze and you can tell he’s trying his best not to lose it right then and there. His body is still – frozen in a moment of time. There’s a tension that runs across his chest and into his shoulders that hadn’t been there at the start of the night. He looks like he hasn’t taken a breath since his speech began either.

“That was really beautiful, Bear,” you say softly. He still won’t look at you, but you understand why.

“Thanks,” he nods curtly.

There’s a silent tension between the two of you and you know what you need to do next.

“What do you need?” you ask.

“Think I uh-, just need a little fresh air,” he mumbles, his voice breaking a little, before clearing his throat again.

“‘Course. Marcus, Syd and I have got this,” you encourage him.

You wait as Carmy slips out back for a break, before making your way back into the kitchen. Loving Carmy through his grief sometimes looked different. Some days he’d need space. Other times he’d need you – crawling into your arms and allowing you to care for him. Together, you’ve had to learn how to ask, and he’s had to learn how to tell you what he needs.

“How’s Carmy?” Sydney asks with a concerned look on her face, causing Marcus to look up from the plate he’s working on.

“He’s okay. Just needs a break,” you answer. You’re not worried about him. You know how painful that was for Carmy, and you’re more than happy to give him the space he needs to sit with it.

“What can I do?”

And then Marcus is handing you a few extra plates, asking you to double check his previous count to ensure that every single plate went out in a timely manner.

Carmy returns about ten minutes later, ready to jump back in. He’d just needed a timeout – a moment to feel the enormous swell of emotions that had come up when talking about Michael to a dining room of eighty people. Soon enough, he’s helping plate the tiny chocolate layer cakes, with an olive oil ice cream, and a tahini caramel drizzled over the top.

Dessert is the last dish to be brought out, and as Marcus presents, the four of you receive a standing ovation at the James Beard House. It’s like for the first time in a week, Carmy can breathe again. He feels like a one hundred pound weight has been lifted off of his shoulders, and his heart swells with pride over how the night’s gone. Everyone’s liked the food, you all have worked so beautifully as a team this evening, and he can’t believe he got through his fucking speech without crying in front of everyone.

Entirely exhausted yet filled with a grand sense of accomplishment, the four of you drag yourselves out of the James Beard House and back out onto the streets of NYC. You’re not sure who suggests it, but you’re grateful the idea has been brought up as you’re carrying pizzas you picked up on the way back to the hotel. Piled onto the two full beds in Marcus and Sydney’s room, the four of you can finally celebrate a job well done.

“Yo, I think I like the Sicilian slice better,” Marcus says, polishing off another piece of the pepperoni and mushroom.

“Oof,” Carmy sounds, watching your face for your reaction. “You’re playing with fire, Marcus.”

Sydney snorts, “Fuck. We’re finally able to relax. No one kill each other, please.”

“What? We’ve already had the Chicago vs New York pizza debate,” Marcus says, throwing up his hands as if he’s innocent. I know what I’m getting myself into! I’m just sayin’ the Scilian slice is giving mad Chicago vibes and it’s dope.”

You laugh, shaking your head, while Carmy playfully nudges you.

“Okay, while pepperoni and mushroom is a classic and you know I have mad respect that, as a New Yorker… hard disagree on your style of pizza, chef,” you say back, starting on a new slice of one of the remaining NY Style pies.

“You know what’s fucking fire? Pepperoni and jalapenos – pickled, not fresh,” Sydney chimes in and you all reply in a chorus of agreement.

“Hundred percent,” Carmy says.

“Never fresh. The sour tangy brine is key,” you add. “At least we can all agree on something.

“You know what’s fucking wild?” Marcus begins, looking across the three of you. “We made this whole fancy ass meal, yet we’re eating pizza in a hotel room at the end of the night.”

Carmy laughs dryly, “Yeah, man. It’s kinda par for the course.”

“That’s fucked up.”

“Seriously!” Sydney exclaims.

“Speaking of, how was your stage at per se?” you inquire, curious to hear about his experience in the fine dining kitchen. “We barely had time to catch up this morning about it.”

Truthfully, you’d all been so focused on tonight going well that no one had really talked about it.

“Man,” Marcus sighs. “It was cool. But like. Now I know what you guys are talking about when you say a chef only let you zest lemons for three months.”

You laugh in response, thinking back to the time blood orange juice caused you an existential crisis. That existential crisis – the one that led you to quitting your job, leaving fine dining behind for good.

“And it’s like… the whole staff works as a machine. Kitchen’s more like a science lab than a kitchen. I got lucky, huh?” Marcus continues and Carmy shakes his head.

“Yeah, per se’s a lot like where we used to work,” Carmy says with a shrug.

“Should’ve seen Alinea. It’s very… science lab meets art school,” Sydney adds. “Inspiring… but cold.”

“Damn,” Marcus shakes his head, feeling luckier than ever that he got to learn from the three of you instead.

“Wait. Syd, how was your supper club?” you ask, suddenly remembering that she hadn’t had a chance to tell any of you yet. She had, after all, gotten home late last night, only to get up early to go with Carmy to Chelsea Market.

“Oh my god,” she gloats. “So fucking cool. Like unreal. You guys have to come with me next time.”

“I uh-,” she starts again, as if she has a secret. “They actually asked me to come back and do a pop-up dinner, especially with the new restaurant opening. I mean, they want to do a collab with me!”

“Okay, I see you,” Marcus calls out, proud of his friend.

“Of course they do!” you cheer her on.

“What do you think, chef?” she asks Carmy, searching for approval in the way his face changes as he hears the news.

“I think… you’d be silly not to. We’ll work out a time for you to come back up here once we get the new restaurant up and running,” Carmy reassures, respect and pride in his eyes as he exchanges a look with Sydney.

“And of course, I want you guys back here with me. Like… are we the fuckin’ dream team, or are we the fuckin’ dream team?” Sydney celebrates, reliving the memories of this evening.

Tonight has been so incredible and Sydney wonders if this is what it feels like to be at the top of your career. She wants to savor the moments of this weekend, replaying them over and over again in her head.

“Oh 100%,” Marcus confirms with confidence.

“Absolutely,” you promise.

A temporary quiet settles between the four of you as you reflect on the evening. Carmy is quiet again, caught up in his head as he’s filled with a deep sense of gratitude: for all of your hard work, for how well the evening went, for his team.

You all are his people.

And he’s never had people before.

Not until now.

“Thank you guys. For tonight,” he says, his tone serious. “You guys were rockstars, and... I couldn’t have done it – any of this – without you.”

“Aw, Carmy,” Sydney smiles, savoring this rare tender moment with Carmy.

“Wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” Marcus reinforces.

“Of course,” you smile proudly.

You each take a moment to feel it all: accomplishment, the gratitude, the love and genuine respect you all have for each other.

“Not to ruin the moment or anything,” you begin, half apologetically. “If anyone’s up for more fun food debates tomorrow, Carmy and I have a fun little tradition I’d love to share you guys.”

You and Carmy exchange glances and it’s as if he can read your mind.

“Walking dumpling tour?” he questions.

You confirm with a nod.

“What’s the-?” Marcus begins to ask as Sydney finishes his question with, “... the walking dumpling tour?”

“A fun little thing we used to when we still lived here,” you reply. “Hit up as many dumpling spots as we can in search of the best pork dumplings that Chinatown can offer. Hell, I’ll make up a scorecard and we can rate them.”

“Sounds fun. I’m in,” Marcus says.

“Yeah, let’s do it,” Sydney agrees.

Carmy checks the time on his phone.

“Yo, it’s getting pretty late. We should probably head to bed,” Carmy says to you.

“Oh shit. It’s almost midnight?” Sydney asks, seeing the time on the hotel room clock.

“Yeah. Guys, this has been fun. Seriously, great work tonight. I’ve missed this so much,” you sigh, totally satiated.

“You know there’s always room for you at The Bear,” Marcus says genuinely, before adding, in a more teasing tone, “You can send me your resume and I’ll take a look. Nah I’m just playin’!”

You laugh, playfully rolling your eyes, “Okay, it is definitely bed time.”

“Yeah, yeah. Okay, goodnight you guys,” Marcus replies.

“Goodnight.”

As you and Carmy leave Sydney and Marcus’ room, it dawns on you that you’re not quite ready to go to bed. While you’re exhausted, and should be in a carb-induced sleepy pizza-coma, you’re wired from the adrenaline of being back in the kitchen.

“Hey, Carm?” you ask, stopping him as he fumbles with the room key.

“What’s up?” he asks back.

You pause for a moment, and as you speak, there’s a certain hesitance in your voice, like it’s the first time you’re asking someone out on a date.

“Do you want a drink?”

He’s caught off guard by your tone of voice, curious to know where this is going.

“Now?” he asks back with a half-smile plastered to his face.

“Yeah,” you shrug. “I-, I don’t know if I’m ready to go to bed yet.”

You can see the hesitation on his face as he thinks it through. While Carmy knows there are plenty of bars still open in NYC right now, he’s not sure he wants to leave the hotel.

And neither do you.

You offer your hand to him, “C’mon. I’ve got an idea.”

“I don’t know if we’re supposed to be here,” Carmy states nervously, looking around the empty room.

He’s bouncing his knee up and down as he sits on a bar stool, alternating between watching you behind the bar, and looking around to check for anyone who may catch you. The bar itself is poorly lit, save for the pool lights outside, that come flooding in through the large floor to ceiling windows.

“We’re not,” you reply, without a care in the world.

He lowers his voice before asking, “What if we get caught?”

You giggle, “You are such a baby, Carmen.”

He rolls his eyes as you search for what you need, pouring the appropriate combination of liquors into an old fashioned glass.

Gin. Campari. Vermouth

After stirring them together over ice, you reach for an orange and y-peeler that the bar is stocked with, shaving off a piece of the orange peel.

“Besides, isn’t that the fun part?” you ask, a glimmer of mischief flashing across your face.

Carmy shakes his head, averting his eyes as he brings his hand up to his mouth, “You’re a bad influence on me.”

You snort in response and it’s your turn to roll your eyes at him.

“And you love it, my little rule-follower.”

“Relax, Carm. I’m gonna leave $40 behind the bar for what we took and we can go back to the room when I’m done if you’re so worried about it,” you offer as a compromise, the tone of your voice still a rebellious one.

He has to admit that he finds your devil may care attitude incredibly sexy. Carmy’s not sure whether he’s anxious or turned on right now.

“Yes chef,” he finally agrees, cheekily.

“Lighter, please,” you request.

Carmy pulls his lighter from his pocket, tossing it to you. You catch it, immediately flicking it on, using the flame to torch the orange slice.

Just a spritz of the orange, and then the rest of the peel for garnish.

You hand Carmy the drink from across the bar, before working on your second one.

He looks down at the deep red colored liquid before saying, “Sweetheart, you know I hate gin.”

But you’re one step ahead of him.

Only moments later, you’re stepping around the bar with a second glass of whiskey on the rocks prepared for him. You trade glasses with him, and he can’t take his eyes off of you as you finally say:

“Cheers.”

Clink.

“Cheers.”

You both take your respective first sips, making sure to hold eye contact with him as you do. He looks at you, and you’re not sure if he’s more surprised that you haven’t gotten caught or that he’s willfully watched you break into the hotel pool bar.

“Thought you said we could take these back to the room,” he challenges.

You smirk, even though your heart is filled with pure adoration for the man standing across from you.

“Yes, chef.”

It’s an easy choice to take your drinks back to the room, opening the french doors that lead to the terrace. You pull a spare blanket from the hotel room closet, curling up with it outside. You drape the blanket over both you and Carmy as you settle down on his lap. He’s brought his lighter and a cigarette out with you, so you close the french doors behind you so that he can light one up.

You haven’t stayed up this late with Carmy in a while. It feels good – spontaneous and a little rebellious – like anything could happen at any given moment. New York City always seems to bring this side out in you.

It’s home.

But Carmy is also your home.

Having the two of them here all at once is an indescribable feeling. You enjoy the bitter taste of your negroni, the cool spring air kissing your skin as you sit on your boyfriend’s lap. Carmy enjoys his cigarette, his whiskey sitting on the patio table in front of the two of you, as he exhales the smoke away from you.

“Does being back here feel… I don’t know. Weird to you?” Carmy asks, breaking the quiet between the two of you.

It’s like he can read your mind, again.

“Yeah,” you answer. “But it’s a good weird. I think maybe because we have all these memories here, you know?”

He takes another drag off the cigarette and it’s your turn to ask him a question.

“I wonder what would’ve happened if you hadn’t spilled your drink on me that night. You think we still would’ve become friends?”

He’s quiet for a moment as he thinks about it.

“I don’t know,” he shrugs, answering honestly.

You let out a small laugh.

“Hell of a way to get a girl’s attention.”

“Wasn’t trying to.”

“Bullshit.”

He’s telling the truth – sort of. He hadn’t been trying to get your attention, though he had spent most of the night racking his brain for any kind of conversation starter – get out of his own fuckin’ head. But he’d spent most of the night overthinking and coming up with reasons not to. He had sort of been your boss back then, after all.

He waits a beat before admitting, “And maybe the only way I would’ve even talked to you that night.”

You hum in response, taking another sip of your negroni.

“Even then I thought I’d fully fuckin’ blown it.”

“You didn’t,” you say, shaking your head.

“Uh… yeah I did,” he smiles, shooting you a ‘c’mon’ kind of look. “The first time you ever actually talked to me and… you’re fuckin’ furious. I was terrified.”

You can remember your first real conversation with Carmy fondly – even if it hadn’t been the fondest experience at the time.

“Baby, you ruined my shirt!” you exclaim with a laugh. “I had every right to be mad at you.”

“I wasn’t sure I’d see another day after that,” Carmy recalls, shaking his head.

“Also. Who drinks a soda the night they get the biggest promotion of their career?” you add, referring to the coke he’d spilled all over you the night he’d gotten promoted to CDC.

“Pop,” he corrects you. “... is a perfectly normal thing to drink at a bar.”

You roll your eyes playfully, “It’s not. But I love you anyway.”

The staff of the restaurant had wanted to go out and celebrate Carmy’s new position, only Carmy hadn’t seemed like he was in much of a mood for celebrating as he’d refused shots all night. He’d been so nervous to talk to you all night, the recently hired pastry chef, and you’d assumed he hated you considering his cold and stoic demeanor at work seemed to translate to you outside of it as well. He thought for sure he’d blown any chance of getting to talk to you that night, when you accidentally bumped into him and he’d spilled his soda all over you. Your shirt was soaked through, and your friends had rushed in with a spare t-shirt for you to change into. You’d come to find days later that it was Carmy’s shirt that he’d had in his bag.

That soda – and his chivalry that evening – had set it all in motion.

“After all that, think we’d be here?” he asks, his eyes more like a sad, sweet puppy than ever before.

“No,” you answer honestly with a half smile. “But once I got to know you, I hoped maybe we could get here.”

He sighs, searching for the right words to tell you how he feels. The love you have together is more than he ever thought was possible for himself, and being back here with you has brought up so many memories of not feeling like enough.

“It kinda feels…” he begins to say, choosing his words carefully. He wants to get it right. “...like. I don’t know. Kinda like we’re going backwards and forwards at the exact same time, you know?”

You take another sip of your drink, processing what he’s said. He’s nailed it and you just need a moment to sit with his words.

“Yeah,” you sigh, like he’s finally named that thing you hadn’t been able to. “Like our past and our present are colliding or something.”

Carmy nods in agreement, “Yeah.”

You sit together in your comfortable quiet, listening to the sounds of the city below you: sirens, car horns, music from the bodega across the street.

“I don’t know if I ever told you… how much your friendship meant to me back then. I wasn’t… well, I wasn’t in a great place,” Carmy admits, his eyes piercing and honest with his words. There’s a sadness to him and you wonder if this has been weighing on him over the last few days on top of everything else.

“I know, sweetheart,” you reply empathetically.

“I know we’ve talked about…” he trails off, searching for what he wants to say. “... how much we mean to each other now. But you meant so much to me back then too. I don’t-, I don’t know if I ever told you.”

“Carmy,” you say, your heart swelling with love for the sad mess of a man whose arms you’re wrapped up in. “You didn’t need to. I-, I knew because… because you meant so much to me back then too.”

He pauses, wondering if he should keep going, and coming to the conclusion that he wants to – not for your sake, but for his.

Because he wants to tell you.

“When we met… I wasn’t… planning on letting anyone in,” he continues.

“Hmmm, didn’t notice,” you joke with him.

He gives your hips a squeeze, causing you to giggle as you snuggle a little closer to him, hugging the blanket around the both of you.

“I thought for sure I didn’t need anyone. Sure as hell didn’t want anyone. Had gone so long without someone to-. It just didn’t make sense for me anymore.”

You listen quietly, wanting him to give him the space to say what he needs to say.

“You know, my sister used to say, she used to tell me that one day I’d wake up and I’d need someone. Someone other than Mikey and his friends – the kids I grew up with. And I didn’t believe her. And then he cut me out and-. And I got really fuckin’ good at it. At the food. At being alone….”

And then you came along.

“But you didn’t push me… you didn’t ask me to be anyone that I-. You just… let me be me… even if I didn’t give you much to work with at first. I think… Sugar was right. I needed a friend back then… and you were always a friend. Are always… It’s why I love you.”

You’re grinning, and you’re also so, so proud of him – how far he’s come – to be able to tell you all of this.

You lean over to set your drink down on the patio table. You only have one thing to say him, as you hold his head between both of your hands:

“I’m so in love with you, Bear.”

read: chapter three

a/n: the above first conversation/meeting that carmy x reader talk about WILL be written for my 'make my heart surrender' prequel everyone buckle up for the will-they-won't-they bc we all know THEY WILL

taglist: @allthefandomstogether @gaysludge @sobshoney @harrysmatcha @starbritestarlite @tpwkkmila @cool-girl-is-hot @nunya7394 @galaxyprincess51-blog @carmensberzattos

#carmen berzatto x you #carmy berzatto #carmy x oc #the bear hulu #the bear fx #jeremy allen white #carmen 'carmy' berzatto #carmy berzatto x reader #carmen berzatto x reader #carmen berzatto #carmy berzatto headcanon #the bear headcanon #carmy berzatto imagines #carmy berzatto fluff #make my heart surrender #still into you

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