LittleDark11(25y/o)

♡25♡She/Her♡American♡in a relationship♡enjoy reading fanfiction like a degenerate♡big Loki/Tom Hiddleston fan ♡bisexual 💖💜💙♡just scrolling through

[lokisprettygirl]

On a tight leash (Bill Skarsgård! Eric Draven x Female Reader) (18+) (AU)

Read chapter 28 here / Series Masterlist

Chapter 29

Summary : Eric decides to be as honest as he has always been with you and tells you the truth..

Warning: 18+, smut, Angst, Somnophilia, unprotected sex, sexual domination, oral sex, oral during mensuration, slight bdsm, sex during mensuration, body image issues, mention of cramps and mensuration, bodyshaming, mention of self loathing and insecurities, weird obsessive behaviour, classism

You curled the fork around your fingers, looking at your mother on the left side, and Eric on the right.

Nobody was saying a word, there was complete silence and it was eating you up.

“Do you like the chicken?” You asked, so your mother hummed in response.

“It's good ..not as good as your grandmother's recipe though” she smiled as she placed her hand on yours.

“What is this sauce? Is it heavy cream?” she asked as you cut into your chicken.

“It's actually cashew nut cream” you responded.

“Adapting rich people’s taste now huh?” She giggled and you couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

“I have been making this for ten years now Mom..you have had this before plenty of times” you cut in.

“Ohh relax darling.. appreciate the humour sometimes”

Eric’s whole attention was on his plate. There had been times when you told him that your mother was self-obsessed tp the point where she didn't feel bad about embarrassing others, but he didn't think she was this atrocious with her own daughter.

“Oh I remember how you used to get so gassy as a child after eating anything that had heavy cream in it” your face heated up in embarrassment as she brought that up. Unfortunately she didn't stop there.

“She'd fart all night long at times ..it was hilarious” she told him. You wanted to die, you wouldn't have one ounce of regret if you had died just a minute before she said that. At least you'd have died in the world where Eric didn't know about your flatulence issues as a child.

Eric didn’t react right away.

He kept his head lowered, fork moving slowly, jaw tight in a way you recognized. The silence stretched again, thick, uncomfortable, your mother clearly waiting for a laugh, for him to join in.

Instead, he swallowed, set his fork down neatly, and finally looked up at her.

“That’s…completely normal” he said calmly. Not sharp, not rude, just firm in a way he usually was at work “Kids have sensitive stomachs. Their bodies are still figuring things out..I used to do that too all night long sometimes”

Your mother blinked, a little thrown off, but still smiling.

“Oh, I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just recalling her childhood”

“I know” Eric replied, voice even as he picked up his fork “I’m just saying, there’s nothing funny or embarrassing about it. Everyone goes through stuff like that, as a child and even as an adult.. that's the whole deal with being human”

His hand moved then, subtle but grounding, resting against your knee under the table. You weren't even looking at him because of embarrassment and that bothered him.

For the first time since her arrival, your mother didn’t immediately have a comeback. She gave a small shrug and returned to her food. You let out a breath you hadn’t realized you were holding.

She wanted to stay the night and as much as you despised the idea of her staying over, you couldn't ask her to leave either. While you prepared the guest room for her, Eric bid her good night.

“Sleeping so early hon? Come, sit with mommy for a minute” she tapped the side of the couch so he sighed.

“Actually I have to get up early” he told her firmly.

“Ofcourse” she smiled at him. He turned to leave but then he paused and looked back at her.

“Next time..knock..it's just basic courtesy..I'm sure i don't have to tell you that” Her smile faltered at the comment. Eric didn’t wait for her response.

He simply nodded once, polite and walked down the hallway toward the bedroom. The door closed softly behind him, not slammed or dramatic, just his usual calm.

You took longer than necessary in the guest room. Adjusting the pillows, straightening a bed that didn’t need straightening. Anything to delay facing him again. Your skin still felt hot with leftover humiliation, your mother’s voice replaying in your head like a bad echo.

By the time you finally slipped into the bedroom, the lights were low. Eric was already in bed, propped on the pillows against the headboard. He looked up the second you entered.

You didn’t. You went straight to your side, busying yourself with the blanket, your hair, anything that wasn’t his face. He watched you for a moment, saying nothing.

Then he exhaled softly and shifted closer.

“Hey” he said quietly.

You hummed, still staring at the mattress as you slid under the covers. He reached out, fingers curling gently around your wrist, stopping your fidgeting.

“Look at me”

You hesitated. Then, reluctantly, you did. Your eyes flicked up, met his for barely a second, then tried to escape again but this time he didn’t let you. His thumb brushed over the inside of your wrist.

“Why are you avoiding me hmm?” he asked, voice low, genuinely confused.

“I’m not.”

He gave you that look, the one that said he knew you were lying but wasn’t going to call you out harshly for it.

“You are” he said gently “And I don’t like it.”

Your shoulders sagged.

“I’m just… embarrassed okay” you admitted, barely above a whisper. “She shouldn’t have said that. God I’m so sorry you have that image in your head now”

His brows knit together immediately. “What are you apologizing for here?”

You shrugged, eyes dropping again.

“It’s gross. And stupid. And..God, I wanted to disappear”

Eric shifted fully toward you then, one arm bracing beside your pillow. “Hey” he murmured, firmer now. “None of that was gross. And it definitely wasn’t stupid”

“Easy for you to say. You didn’t just get humiliated over childhood gastric issues”

He reached up, tilting your chin so you had no choice but to look at him. His expression softened, all teasing gone.

“Listen to me” he said. “Your mother crossed a line. Not you. And I meant what I said out there” Your throat tightened.

“You didn’t need to defend me” you said softly.

“Yes, I did” he replied without hesitation. “Because you were uncomfortable. And because no one gets to make you feel small in your own house” You searched his face, still a little stunned by how didn't care at all.

He squeezed your wrist once, reassuring.

“I don’t see you any differently because of some stupid childhood story” he added. “If anything…” His thumb brushed your skin again. “I just see how much you put up with when it comes to her”

Your eyes stung as he said that.

“I mean she's my mother..what am I supposed to do?”

You finally leaned into him then, forehead resting against his shoulder, and he wrapped an arm around you without a second thought, solid, protective, unbothered by your mother, your embarrassment, or anything else.

“Boundaries..Don't let her treat you like this ..Next time” he murmured into your hair “She tries that again.. I won’t be this polite”

You smiled softly. His words taking away the stress you had been feeling since her arrival.

“Listen..I need to tell you something” he murmured then as he sat up suddenly.

“Don't tell your mother..don't create a scene, can you do that?”

“Eric what is it? You're scaring me” you sat up as well facing him..

“When I came back from work and met her, she was really weird with me” You stiffened immediately, lifting your head from his shoulder.

“What do you mean… weird?” you asked, a knot forming in your stomach.

Eric exhaled through his nose, rubbing a hand over his face like he was choosing his words carefully.

“I didn’t want to bring it up earlier and I didn’t want to make a scene but–”

Your heart started to pound harder, the suspense killing you.

“Eric”

“She was… overly familiar with me. Touching my arm, rubbing my back, telling me I smelled fantastic” He shook his head slightly “I brushed it off at first. I thought maybe I was reading into it, maybe she was just frank or whatever"

Your stomach dropped as you heard that.

“But then” he said, jaw tightening, “she walked into our bedroom without knocking”

Your breath caught and head snapped

“She did what?”

“While you were in the kitchen .. I had just gotten out of the shower” he said plainly. “You know how I come out of the shower” Your chest felt tight. You felt as if you were in a fever dream, hoping someone would snap you out of it sooner or later.

“She didn’t—”

“She did. And even then she didn't leave” he finished. His eyes flicked to yours, holding them now “She stood there, got inside and closed the door. Then she looked me up and down and made a comment about how you’re ‘lucky”

You pulled back fully. Heat rushed through you, but because of anger this time and not just embarrassment.

“Oh my God” you whispered as your jaw clenched.

“I know” he said immediately, reaching for you. “I didn't want to tell you but then she kept humiliating you at the table”

Your hands curled into fists in the sheets.

“That’s not okay.. That’s so not okay Eric..oh god” your skin crawled “I feel sick” you muttered. “That’s…not just inappropriate .. It's almost criminal”

You looked at him, really looked, how composed he was, how careful, how clearly he had been protecting you all evening instead of centering his own discomfort.

“I hate that you had to deal with that,” you said, voice shaking as you cupped his cheeks to kiss him softly “Because of me.. I shouldn't have invited her” He frowned

“No. Because of her. You did nothing”

Silence settled between you, heavier than before.

“I’ve always known she crosses boundaries..she used to be like this with Mira..thats why I begged her to not invite her at the wedding” you admitted quietly. “But I never thought that she would…not like this..not with my fucking boyfriend of all people”

Eric reached out, cupping your cheek gently.

“None of this is your fault. In fact I'm surprised how sensible you turned out despite the fact that she raised you. You don’t have to defend her. And you don’t have to excuse it”

You leaned into his touch, eyes burning with tears now.

“I feel stupid. Like I should’ve seen it when she was gushing about you”

“You’re not stupid” he said instantly. “You’ve just been trained to tolerate things you shouldn’t have to”

That hit harder than anything else he had said tonight.

“She’s not staying again” His thumb brushed under your eye gently as you said that “And if she ever makes you uncomfortable again” you added, voice firmer now, “You tell me immediately. I don’t care if it causes a scene”

He breathed in deeply, bracing for the reaction when he'd tell you about the money. You noticed it immediately, the way his chest rose up and down, the way his hand tightened around yours.

“There’s… something else” he said quietly. Your stomach dropped again “Eric”

“She asked me for money,” he continued. “A lot of it” he blurted out.

You pulled back just enough to look at him. Jaw clenching in anger, you should have known, especially when she kept asking you for money you didn't really have. Of course she saw an opportunity and jumped on it.

“How much?” you asked plainly. He didn’t answer right away.

“Eric”

“Hundred thousand” he said at last.

Your breath punched out of you. You got out of his hold and then the bed entirely as you began pacing. Your heart was thumping with a mixture of panic and anger

“No. Absolutely not.” You said, adrenaline cutting through “No. You cannot give her that. I don’t care what story she told you, or if she cried—Dont give her any money”

“I already did” The words landed between you like a dropped glass, he looked at you as if he was ashamed. You stared at him in disbelief.

“You… what?”

“I already gave it to her.. I wrote her a check” he repeated, quieter now.

For a second, you couldn’t even speak, the breath was knocked out of your chest.

“Why?” you finally whispered, hurt threading through the anger. “Eric, why would you do that?”

He looked genuinely torn now, guilt flickering across his face.

“I felt bad I guess. Because she kept saying it was urgent, that she was in trouble, that she'd be devastated if she loses that house” He exhaled, you grabbed your head as you heard that.

“The house? Why would she lose the house? It's a credit card debt.. It's not a loan” you scoffed at her audacity.

“Y/n how much is the debt?” He asked, trying to understand the situation more.

“It's like 30k..that's it and she asked for 100”You said, pacing across the room now, running a hand through your hair. “Do you realize what this does? She’s going to think she can keep doing this. That she can manipulate you and use you because of me”

“I do” he said. “And I won’t let it happen again”

You paused and turned to face him. “You shouldn’t have had to deal with any of this. Not the money. Not the—” Your voice broke “Not her”

He stood too then, closing the distance between you.

“I didn’t do it for her”

“Then why?” you asked, eyes glossy.

“I did it for you..because she's your mother, you'd have wanted to do the same if it was mama and she asked for a favour” he said simply. That only made it worse.

“That’s not the point,” you snapped, then immediately softened “She doesn’t get to use you like this”

“I know,” he said, voice steady. “And that’s why I needed you to know this”

You searched his face, looking for doubt, for hesitation. You found none.

“I hate that she put you in this position” you whispered “and that she molested you” your pitch went high so he chuckled. This wasn't funny, if the genders were reversed someone would have filed charges. Harrasment was harrasment no matter who it came from.

He pulled you into his chest, arms wrapping around you securely “I can handle her” he murmured as he caressed your head.

“No I'll go handle her now-” you pulled away but he grabbed your arm

“Let's just sleep okay? You can talk to her tomorrow” you sighed. It's been a long day, sleep did seem like the best thing to do.

As you settled in bed, your back facing him, his hand caressed your skin gently.

“I'm not feeling very sexy right now baby-” you mumbled softly so he kissed your shoulder once before pulling away.

“I wasn't trying to have sex with you” he clarified, your head snapped immediately.

“Oh no no.. I know that baby ..I'm just..I feel disgusting..don't want to be touched right now” you whined so he took a deep breath.

“Okay. But don't overthink okay? Because I know that's what you're doing” you hummed as you laid back down. Later that night you did curl up to him like a snake, warming up into his body like you belonged there.

Next morning you woke up before him and went straight to the guest room, your mom was still asleep so you looked for her purse. A part of you hesitated doing this but then you remembered what she had done to Eric and how she had treated him. You found it on the couch so you opened it and looked for the cheque.

When you found it, you crumpled it between your fist and put her purse back down exactly where it was.

An hour later, you were in the kitchen making breakfast when she entered, looking visibly distressed as if the ground had shifted beneath her feet.

“Something wrong?” You asked her so she looked around as to find the missing cheque and proceeded to clean the invisible crease from her skirt.

“Uhh no I think I should go” she said as she approached to hug you.

“Stay for breakfast?” you asked, not out of politeness but familiarity instead.

“No I have to work”

“Okay..” you hugged her back and smiled. As she left, you closed the door, when you turned around to go back to the kitchen, you saw Eric. He was all dressed up for work.

“Everything okay?” He asked so you gave him a smile.

“Yeah” he didn't really understand the look but he was running late, so he quickly took a few bites of the eggs you had made and kissed you goodbye.

Later that evening when he came back, after showering he sat down on the bed. You were brushing your hair in front of the dresser.

“Did you speak to your mom? She called me this morning.. I didn't pick up”

“I knew you won't..that's why I gave her the number”

“She didn't cash the cheque yet” he said, confusion evident in his voice. You put the hairbrush down and approached him, sitting down on his lap. You kissed his stupidly gorgeous face a million times until you felt his body melt beneath you.

“You're so cute you know that?” You murmured softly as you gave him bird kisses over and over again.

“Uhhh okay.. why?” He asked as he looked at you, that was a sincere question as if he didn't understand why he was cute. That made you want to kiss him some more. So you did. Then you told him what you had done this morning, how sneaky you had been, and he was surprised for a moment before he smirked devilishly.

“That's the hottest thing ever” he whispered against your mouth as he flipped you over and underneath him.

“Mmm keep talking..I'm starting to feel sexy again” you giggled as his lips brushed over your neck.

“Woman you're sexy all the time.. even when you're being human..you never have to worry about that with me” he mumbled softly so you cupped his cheeks.

That night sex felt different, more intimate if it was even possible, he was slow, his touch soft, he murmured sweet things in your ear. It was heavenly.

“You know when we met I told myself you weren't the type of guy I could ever have a serious conversation with” you mumbled as you pressed your head on his chest, basking in the post coitus bliss.

He huffed out a quiet laugh, low in his chest.

“Yeah?” he said. “What kind did you think I was then? Just a fuckboy?”

You shifted, fingers idly tracing the faint lines on his stomach, the hair soft on your fingertips

“Well that too but—” you chuckled “ But also Intimidating” you admitted “Too confident. Too… aware of what you do to people when you look at them a certain way” You tilted your head slightly, eyes unfocused with the memory “I thought you were all heat. All looks. The kind of man who doesn’t have depth because he never needed it”

His brows lifted, amused at the honesty

“I am all those things” he murmured.

“Yeah but you aren't just all those things” you smiled. “Just in those ten days I realised you had more to you than you wanted to show people”

That earned you a slow, knowing smirk. His hand slid to your lower back, thumb pressing in just enough to remind you he could still make you forget your own name if he wanted.

“Mhhm and now?” he asked. You glanced up at him.

“Now I know you. You let people want you, desire you, but you don’t let them know you” The teasing edge in his expression softened, just a fraction. Enough that you noticed.

“You read into my silence even when I asked you not to”

“Aren't you glad?” he chuckled as you said that.

“So glad”

On Friday night he asked if you'd accompany him to the gala he was organising for the state senator. You felt nervous, you always got insecure around those people but he assured you that he won't let you off his side. He just wanted people to see you with him in public. You didn't have to work the next day so you agreed..

The jewel studded dress hung on the closet door, nothing loud enough to draw the wrong kind of attention, but still something you weren't used to buying for yourself. You were adjusting the strap when he appeared behind you in the mirror, already in his suit, jacket unbuttoned, hair still damp from the shower.

You swallowed.

“You okay?” he asked gently, hands settling on your hips, he leaned down then to kiss your neck.

You leaned into the touch even though your shoulders were tight.

“I just..those people make me feel like I don’t belong” He hummed, his lips didn't stop moving though.

“Listen to me” he said softly. “You don't have to belong. You just have to exist next to me”

You turned to face him, searching his eyes. Honest as ever.

“You promise you won’t disappear on me?” One corner of his mouth lifted

“I promise I won't”

That coaxed a smile out of you.

At the gala, the room was buzzing with richness and power, clinking glasses, practiced smiles. The kind of place where everyone knew how to look important without saying much at all. The moment you stepped inside, his hand slid into yours, firm and unmistakable.

He introduced you to people he had been working for. At one point, as the senator pulled him aside for a conversation, you felt that familiar flicker of insecurity spark in your chest. The familiar gnawing in your chest bothered you.

Why was he with you when he could have had anyone?

You noticed the way the few women at the gala eyed him, wanting him to look at them the same and he probably would have if it wasn't for you.

He must have sensed it. Your discomfort. Because the moment his conversation ended, he was right next to you, his fingers hooked into yours again, anchoring you to him

“Still with me?” he murmured as he gave your hand a little squeeze

“Yeah. I am”

Later, standing on the balcony with the city lights spilling out beneath you, he draped his jacket over your shoulders without asking. Then he handed you a glass of wine so you sipped on it.

“You did good tonight” he said quietly.

“Uhh I should be saying that because Damn!!!” you exclaimed as you looked behind. Everything was lavish inside, the decor, the food.

“No I mean it..thanks for coming with me. I needed that”

You leaned into him, the noise fading behind you, his presence steady and solid at your back. And for the first time, even if just for a moment in a room full of powerful people, you didn’t feel small at all.

You placed your head down on his shoulder, he immediately pulled you in his embrace, watching the city move, enjoying the quiet.

*****

The next morning he woke you up very gently. His fingers curling in your scalp, caressing the skin.

Your eyes fluttered open, you gave him a smile so he smiled as well.

“Babe you're bleeding” his voice was so soft, it didn't even register what he had said. But then you felt it all at once, the cramps, the wet feeling in your panties.

“Oh god” you groaned as you sat up. You had bled through your underwear, your shorts and there was a patch on the bedsheet. You immediately reached for the closet to grab another underwear and the pad, but then you paused at the bathroom door and looked behind. He was already in the process of changing the sheet.

“I'm so sorry about the sheets” you turned to look at him and he just gave you a smile.

“Nothing to be sorry about, you freshen up..I'll make something for you” your heart fluttered as he said that. No matter how many times he had pampered you already, you still got giddy when he gave you the princess treatment.

When you came out you groaned and immediately fell back into the bed. He was in the kitchen already, making a light breakfast and some tea. He came back holding a tray and placed it on the nightstand.

“Eat this ..I'll get ready, then I'm all yours” He disappeared into the bathroom, the sound of the shower starting up. You picked at the toast, sipping the warm tea, already feeling a little steadier just knowing he was here. The cramps still tugged low in your stomach, dull and insistent.

When he came back, hair still damp, he put on sweatpants, then without asking he charged up your heating pad and placed it on your tummy under the cover.

“Thank you baby” you made a pout so he leaned down and pecked your puckered lips. Then he sat at the edge of the bed without a word. He lifted your feet gently into his lap like it was the most natural thing in the world, warming his hands before pressing his thumbs into your arches.

“Too much?” he asked quietly.

You shook your head, eyes closing as the tension slowly eased out of you.

“Perfect”

He worked in slow, careful motions, like he wasn’t in a hurry to be anywhere else. Like this was exactly where he wanted to be. Every so often, his thumbs would pause.

“Do you not have to be anywhere today?”

“No” he said after a moment, voice low, almost thoughtful.

You opened your eyes, looking at him. He wasn’t smiling, he was serious. Something warm pooled in your chest, the kind of feeling that made your throat tighten. You reached out, fingers brushing his wrist. He covered your hand with his own without breaking rhythm.

“Stay in bed” he murmured. “We’re not doing anything else today.”

You smiled, sinking back into the pillows, letting yourself be taken care of. Around 2 in the afternoon while you were napping and he was making lunch the doorbell buzzed. He was surprised because he wasn't expecting anyone.

Patricia would always call before coming. As he turned on the intercom, he saw your mother. He hesitated for a moment before inviting her in.

“Where is she?” She asked the moment she entered.

“She's taking a nap ..she's on her period” he answered nonchalantly. Hands in his pocket, avoiding any inappropriate interaction. She turned to look at him and then scoffed.

“You know..I have been thinking about this. If you didn't want to give me the money, you could have just said so.. you didn't have to go through my purse like a creep and steal it” she snarled, looking at him as if he had committed a crime.

He didn’t correct her either. He could have. It would’ve taken one sentence. One calm clarification that it hadn’t been him. But he stayed silent, jaw tight, hands still in his pockets, letting her anger land on him instead of you.

And she took that silence as confirmation. A sharp, humorless laugh left her lips.

“Figures” she said. “I knew there was something off about you the moment I met you..you have that crazy look in your eyes”

He didn’t react even then. Just watched her as if he didn't care. Even though it hurt that your mother, the woman he wanted to spend his life with, her mother was judging him the same way most people did.

“I did some digging” she went on, clearly enjoying this part “You’re… strange. Your past girlfriends don’t exactly sing praises, you know. Aloof. Intense. Watching people in sleep? And then there’s the jail thing” She tilted her head, eyes narrowing. “Spent a night in a cell recently, didn’t you? That’s not exactly the kind of man a sensible woman builds a life with”

Still, nothing. Not a defense. Not a denial. He owed her nothing. You knew who he was. That was enough.

Her voice became harsher when he didn't respond.

“Honestly, I should’ve known better than to expect anything serious from you. Rich men like you don’t settle. You play house for a while, have your fun, and then move on when the attraction runs out”

That was when his patience thinned.

“You're not going to marry her, we both know that”

That was the final straw for him.

“You don’t have to worry about that” he finally spoke. She paused, clearly not expecting an answer now. He met her gaze steadily “I’m very serious about your daughter”

“Oh please..” she scoffed

“No” he continued evenly, unbothered. “When I finally ask her to marry me, hoping she'd say yes, trust me you will be invited for the wedding, even though you probably don't deserve to be there”

The words hung in the air, it was like a slap without a touch. She stared at him, caught off guard, mouth parting slightly as if to respond—but no sound came out of her.

Down the hallway, you stood against the wall. Heart pounding in your ear. Not quite believing what he said. He wanted to marry you someday? Oh god he wanted to marry you someday.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Taglist

@littledark11 @kikibit @wiseyouthinfluencer @loushaw131460 @ererebus-et-eigengrau @moonlight52moonlight @thewolfcubofkaermorhen @devilslittlehelper @purplerainx1 @cypherpt5fttaehyung @doesntmattert

@arttheclown666 @slutoru1207 @sagekisses @cookie-crumbs-x @loiita-xo @samanthaw16

[littledark11]

ughhh he is sooo pretty and perfect 🫠🫠🫠🫠😫😫😫 he takes care of y/n so good especially when she's on her period, also my mind when the mom drops in uninvited and unexpectedly:

I started to melt when he said I'm going to marry her and Y/N was on the other side of the door I was screaming!!!! 😱😱😱😱

[lokisprettygirl]

On a tight leash (Bill Skarsgård! Eric Draven x Female Reader) (18+) (AU)

Read chapter 27 here / Series Masterlist

Chapter 28

Summary : Your mother finally visits and leaves an uncomfortable impression on Eric.

Warning: 18+, smut, Angst, Somnophilia, unprotected sex, sexual domination, oral sex, oral during mensuration, slight bdsm, sex during mensuration, body image issues, mention of cramps and mensuration, bodyshaming, mention of self loathing and insecurities, weird obsessive behaviour, classism

On Sunday morning Peter and Mira left for Shadowhall. Patricia, though both of you insisted for her to stay- left for her home because she didn't want to be a third wheel.

You were actually waiting for Peter and Mira to leave so you could talk to Eric about what she had told you. You had no idea how he'd react, how he'd take it but you knew you couldn't keep this away from him knowing that he needed to know.

“Eric, can we talk?” you said to him as you came out of the shower. He was in the bed, laptop right in his lap, he had a big event coming up next week.

The look on your face made his brows knit together so he turned down the screen and gestured for you to sit next to him.

“Everything okay?” He asked as you climbed next to him.

“Yeah it's just..” you got on your knees as you turned to him.

“Mira told me something that I think you should know” he didn't blink for a moment, trying to process what you meant.

“Is it about Peter and me?” he asked so you nodded.

“Their one year anniversary is arriving in a month or so…Heins will be throwing a party which you know already because you're organising it” you mumbled nervously so he hummed in response. “So ummm well there's going to be a gender announcement thing as well.. for the baby”

“I know that” he responded.

“Well It's not the only thing Peter wants the world to know that night” you blurted out abruptly.

The silence that followed was crushing. Eric didn’t move at first, didn’t even blink. Then a short, humorless laugh slipped out of him.

“No..that's not happening” he said flatly as he put the laptop on the side table.

“I told Mira that you wouldn’t be okay with it. I told her it wasn’t his story alone to tell”

Eric swung his legs off the bed, running a hand through his hair as he stood up, fist around his waist as he turned to stare at you.

“He has no fucking right” he said, voice low but shaking underneath “None” you gulped as he said that.

That's what you were afraid of, things had just started to go right between those two, the bond was slowly developing and now there was the truth threatening it again.

“He thinks it’ll be justice” you said softly “That it’ll finally make things right and it will be freeing”

“Freeing for who?” he asked. “For him?”

You stayed quiet, letting him feel it.

“I spent my whole life trying to protect that secret for his sake, I kept it inside me for decades” he continued, pacing now. “And he wants to drop it on a stage like it’s some kind of grand reveal?” he chuckled, your eyes moistened, you didn't want to see him like this again or have this thing tarnish their fragile relationship.

“He doesn’t understand what it costs you” you said gently.

“No” Eric agreed bitterly “He never will”

You climbed out of the bed and stepped closer, placing your hand over his chest, feeling his heartbeat racing beneath your palm.

“That’s why I’m telling you now” you said. “So you can decide how you want to move forward with this”

Eric exhaled slowly, closing his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, there was hurt there.

“I want to have a relationship with him.. I do” he said quietly, eyes tearing up so you moved closer to hold his cheeks. “But this…this isn’t something I will ever agree to”

“Then we won’t let it happen” you said without hesitation.

He looked at you, something soft breaking through the anger.

“You’d stand with me for this?”

“I’d stand with you for anything” you corrected “Always..we are in the same team”

He reached out, pulling you into him, forehead resting against yours. “Thank you” he murmured. “For telling me. For not keeping it from me.. I appreciate that”

You held him tighter, he let you hold him for a minute then he stepped away.

“You can sleep..I'll finish my work outside” he told you as he grabbed his laptop and went to the living room. You knew he needed space to think about this and how he wanted to approach this with Peter.

Two hours later when he came back to the bedroom, he went straight into the shower, trying to be as quiet as he could but you stirred anyway from whatever light sleep had engulfed you. You had to work tomorrow but you couldn't fall deep in sleep without him next to you.

When he came back he didn't bother putting on anything and slipped right into the bed. You turned on your side to look at him.

“Are you okay?” You asked, caressing his collarbone, his skin warm to the touch.

“Did I wake you?” He asked so you scooted closer and pressed kisses on his neck.

“You didn't wake me” you murmured, lips trailing down his sternum, sucking the water beads clinging onto his skin. If he won't talk about what he was feeling then you'd just distract him in the way you knew he really enjoyed being distracted.

“You're warm, damp and gorgeous..you know what it makes me want to do?” You asked as you pressed your palms into the pillow next to his head.

“What?” He asked, just to humor you, eyes already glinting as he knew where this was going..

“It makes me want to suck your cock or better yet, have you fuck my mouth instead” his jaw ticked instantly, your sultry voice filling his senses, his fingers gripped into your scalp as he flipped you over and then under him in a sharp, quick motion.

“You have been a tease since yesterday, you know that?” he spoke, voice firm like a school teacher.

“Mmm you should do something about it don't you think?” His nose flared at the jab, tension etched on his face “The Eric I met the first night would do something about it”

That was it. The moment the words left your mouth he grabbed your thighs and pulled you lower, until your face was beneath his torso.

He then sat up on his knees, his sculpted thighs flexing around your head as he looked down at you, his cock hard already and inches away from your mouth.

“I know you're angry, and overthinking and I want you to take it all out on me” you murmured as your fist wrapped around his cock, giving it small strokes.

“Don't talk like that” he murmured as he pushed his hair back, every muscle in his body was taut and strained from the tension and the arousal.

“Why not? You love it when I talk like this” you mumbled so he sighed.

“Because when you speak like this-" he paused as if choosing his words carefully “It makes me want to treat you wrong in all sorts of ways..makes me want to ruin you until you're crying” his voice was gruff, husky in the way that always made your thoughts go wild.

“Do it” you teased him further, raising up to flick your tongue around his shaft. His breath hitched at the sensation of your wet tongue.

“I can't anymore..unless it ends with you crying in my arms just so I could hold you and make you feel better” his thumb ran over your lips “and then fuck you up all over again” you bit on the lips, his words only fueling the arousal.

“Fuck me up Eric.. I need it”

He didn't respond. Not with words, his fingers curled into your scalp again as he pushed his cock slowly into your mouth. Your tongue flattened on the underside of his cock, his mouth formed an O as he pushed deeper, slowly, carefully, he didn't want you to gag on him, that wasn't sexy for him. He wanted you to take his cock and not flinch even once.

His grip on your head stayed firm as he slowly bucked his hips back and forth.

“This is what you wanted huh?” He laughed, tone mocking you as his cock filled your mouth, you couldn't even respond “You do look pretty like this.. like a sweet slut getting off on being used” he murmured as he moved slowly, agonisingly slow. You could feel every pulse of his cock in your mouth. The obscene sound his cock made, his musk, everything only heightened the sensation.

As he pulled out for a moment, you gasped for a breath. He smiled a little as his thumb grazed over your lips again, now messed with the drool and his precum.

“Breathe through your nose ..can you do that for me?”

God he was cute.

You gave him a nod so he pushed back slowly. You placed your hands around his ass, fingers grazing over his lower back and cheeks.

His fingers curled around the back of your head as he pulled your head up for leverage, your mouth was like a warm cavern for his cock now.

Tears welled up in your eyes as he began fucking your mouth again, going deeper now that the position allowed him. He was using your face like your pussy and God you loved to watch him over you like this. Such a gorgeous man and sometimes you couldn't believe he wanted to be all yours.

The view above you was nothing short of pornographic, he was straddling you, taking control, the heavy breathing and the look on his face made you want to hump the air.

“Fuck..that's it baby.. take it” he groaned, thumb pressing into your cheeks for added suction. Hips kept moving at a slow pace, he was enjoying every little second of this.

“Maybe I should do this more often, hmm?” He murmured between his groans, voice breathy “I have been respecting you a little too much in bed lately huh? You don't really appreciate that, do you? You want this–” he grunted as the pleasure slowly simmered in his gut “Want to be reduced to this..to be used for sex” his pace increased as he spoke.

He grabbed a pillow and placed it under your head, then his palms sunk into the mattress, right over your head as he thrusted in and out of your mouth.

“Ohh yess fuck..I'm close sweetheart, you're doing so good” he moaned loudly “Just lay there a little longer and let me fuck that pretty face until I cum”

He was merciless as he continued, not stopping, not talking anymore either. Your jaw began to hurt when he kept going for minutes, pulling out once in a while to give you the relief you needed but then he fucked with no mercy again. Your fingers trailed down, caressing over the cheeks, then you brought them down to cup his balls, that's when he crumbled.

“Fuckkk babe” he grunted as he pulled out of you “close your eyes” you breathed in deeply as you followed his command and then you felt it, a warm splash hitting your forehead, your cheeks, then your lips. He didn't hesitate before settling down his weight on your thighs, he knew you could take it .

Every muscle in his body was trembling at the moment, this was one of the best orgasms he ever had in his life. Once his heart stopped pounding in his chest, he leaned down and cupped your cheeks to kiss you, he didn't care if he was tasting his own cum off your lips.

Your arms immediately curled around his neck. Then as sudden as he had kissed you, he got up so you opened your eyes.

“Can I take a picture of you like this?” He questioned, already looking for his camera in one of the drawers.

“Yeah” you gave him a small smile as you sat up and pulled over your night dress. His cum still warm on your skin. As he climbed back up he adjusted your position a little, legs folded, one slightly higher than the other.

“Hold your tits for me” he commanded, you felt shy for a moment but then you obliged.

After a couple of flashes he put it down on the bed and spread your legs apart, you were dripping on the sheets. He didn't waste time before diving in, his lips latched onto your wet dripping pussy, sucking and slurping on the lips, his tongue teasing the entrance, your hips bucked on its own, fingers clutched into his scalp as you pushed him deeper.

He didn't stop until he had made you cum two times, all that and you still had his cum drying on your skin.

Once he was satisfied with satisfying you, he wiped his face with your night dress before throwing it away in the corner of the room.

Then he grabbed a face wipe from your side of the bed and leaned over you.l, he held your chin between his fingers and bent down to kiss you once before he began wiping the cum from your face.

“You called me babe” you murmured suddenly.

“You are a babe” he responded nonchalantly, still working on cleaning every bit of sticky residue.

“Mhhmm what else am I?” you asked, still catching your breath.

“Everything I never knew I needed in my life”

Your eyes teared up at the softness in his voice. You didn't want to ruin the moment so you didn't respond with a joke. If you didn't have work tomorrow he probably would have kept you up a little longer.

“Were you scared talking to me about this?” he asked as he laid down next to you.

“Kind of. I just knew I had to tell you-”

“I wouldn't go anywhere even if you hid it from me.. i just need you to know that” he murmured softly so you hummed and scooted closer to him.

Around 8 in the morning your mother called to inform you that she'd come visit today. You reminded her that you won't be home until 5:30 in the evening so she assured you she'd come by 6.

After you got ready for work, you climbed into the bed, he stirred before his arms curled around your waist.

“Hey.. good morning pretty boy” his eyes fluttered a little to look at you, all squinting and barely open.

“You're leaving already?” He asked so you hummed in response.

“Mmm Listen..my mom will visit in the evening, I'll come by five and make dinner” you said softly as you kissed his forehead.

“Okay.. I have work to do..I'll be back by 7 okay?” He said, voice still groggy from the sleep.

“Okay..just wanted to give you heads up” you chuckled nervously.

“It's just your mom sweetheart”

“Uhhh yeah that's the thing” you argued “She's not like Patricia and she might embarass me so just.. remember I'm not her okay” he smiled as you emphasised that.

“Breakfast in the oven..eat before you go” you mumbled hurriedly as you got out of the bed, grabbed your purse and ran out. It would take like five minutes to reach the office but you were already five minutes late.

“Alright” he grumbled before going back to sleep.

Later that evening you did grocery shopping to make dinner for three and came back by 5. Your mom arrived right at 6.

“Ohhhh hey..awn my darling it's been a while” she cooed as she hugged you tightly. You hadn't actually seen her since she had told you that she had gotten herself in huge credit card debt last year by splurging money on shopping that she didn't really have. You have been trying to send her money every month but that wasn't enough, even with her job she was way deep in debt and interests.

“Oh my god” she said as she stepped inside and looked around. Her eyes widening in disbelief, when you said you were living in a condo now she didn't really believe you. She had been to that studio apartment you had before and she really thought you were over exaggerating.

“Uhhh what is the rent of this place?” She asked as she ran her hand over the couch.

“It's owned..by Eric .. I told you” you told her “Do you want some -”

“What does he do again?” She cut you in.

“He's an event manager, organiser” you told her. Again. It was as if she never listened to you until it benefitted her.

“Since when are event organisers drowning in money?” she scoffed lightly, lips quirking as she glanced around again. “Last I checked, they were arranging balloons arches for birthday parties”

You exhaled through your nose, already bracing yourself.

Stay calm. She's here for an hour or two max.

“He works with high-profile clients, Mom. Rich weddings, private galas, things like that. It’s not as if he's organising your neighbour’s birthday party”

Her brows lifted, impressed despite herself. A slow smirk spread across her face as she looked back at you.

“Well” she said as she approached you, patting your arm “Good for you, honey. You did what I couldn’t do in my life..found a rich man who'd give you everything”

The words sat wrong in your chest. She was making it look as if you were just with him for money.

“It’s not like that” you said quickly. “This place..everything here..I contribute too. The furniture, the groceries, the decor. I’m not just… living off him”

She shrugged, unconcerned, already drifting toward the kitchen to check it out.

“Mm. If you say so..Can i have some coffee? And Where is that sweet boyfriend of yours anyway?”

You watched her go, jaw tightening just a little, knowing this conversation was far from over. An hour later Eric walked in from the main door. You were in the kitchen,your mom was lounging on the couch, enjoying her second cup of coffee and snacks you had laid out for her.

Eric stepped inside, jacket slung over one arm, wearing all black, looking devastatingly handsome as usual. He saw her immediately, her gaze snapped to him. For a second she just stared, eyes widening, posture straightening as if she needed a moment to process the fact that he wasn’t just well off, but extremely good looking too.

“Oh my!” she said brightly, already pushing herself off the couch “You must be Eric”

“Yes, mam” he smiled politely, setting his jacket aside.

She didn’t waste another second. Stepping right into his space, she reached out, her hand landing on his arm as if to test whether he was real. “I’m her mother..has she ever mentioned me?” she said warmly and then pulled him into a hug.

It lingered. Too close. Too familiar for a first meeting.

“Yeah of course. She talks about you all the time” he responded politely, his hands hovering awkwardly at her back before settling in a polite, brief pat.

“Nice to finally meet you” he said calmly when she finally pulled away, his voice smooth but measured.

“Oh, the pleasure is all mine” your mother replied with a laugh, still holding onto his arm a second longer than necessary, her eyes openly eating him up.

Eric cleared his throat gently, easing his arm back. “I’m just going to take a shower real quick” he said, voice still polite, still composed. “Been working all day”

“Oh, of course” she smiled, eyes lingering on him. Then, as he passed her, she added with a little laugh “You don't need it though..you smell fantastic honey…what is that cologne?” she twirled her fingers around her necklace.

The question hung in the air, awkward, misplaced.

“Uhh it's Baccarat Rouge”

“It's fantastic” she laughed a little.

Eric paused for half a second, nodded politely as if he hadn’t heard it at all, and walked down the hall toward the bedroom. The door clicked shut behind him.

Your mother then went to the kitchen, heels clicking softly against the floor. She leaned against the counter, arms folding loosely as she studied you with a look that made your skin prickle.

“Woah so he's not just filthy rich but a looker too” she whistled.

Why was she acting like a schoolgirl?

“Well done” she said finally, a satisfied little smile curling her lips “I didn’t know you had it in you”

“Mom—”

“Where did you meet him again?” she cut in casually, as if she hadn’t already asked a dozen questions. Then she snapped her fingers “Oh, right. Mira’s wedding.”

She nodded to herself, pleased with her memory.

“He organised it, didn’t he?” You swallowed, nodding.

“Yeah. That’s where we met”

“Hm..he must have made millions at that wedding” she hummed, eyes gleaming with something unreadable.

“Well I'll be out there..” she said as she stepped out. You sighed deeply.

She didn’t go back to the living room though. Instead, her heels carried her down the hall, right where he had disappeared. She knew which one was your bedroom as you had given her the house tour already.

The bedroom door opened just as Eric stepped out of the bathroom, towel hanging low on his hips, skin still damp, droplets tracing slow lines down his chest. He really thought it was you so he didn't flinch.

“Oh—” His eyes widened as he finally looked at her “I thought—”

Her gaze swept over him openly. Not startled. Not embarrassed. Just… appreciative. Very appreciative.

“Well” she said, lips curving as her eyes lingered far longer than appropriate "You're certainly a sight love”

Heat rushed to his face at the comment. When you said she'd embarrass you, he didn't really take it seriously but now he understood.

“Mam–”

She stepped fully inside, closing the door behind her with a soft click, still watching him.

“Relax” she said lightly. “I’ll turn around so you can change.”

She did turn but not before her eyes dipped once more, slow and unmistakable. Eric swallowed hard, he had never felt this uncomfortable in his life before. He usually made others uncomfortable.

She wandered toward the dresser, fingers trailing along the surface, her back to him now

“You really do take care of yourself” she added casually, as if commenting on the weather. “My daughter’s very lucky”

His ears burned as he fumbled for his clothes, moving fast, awkward, clearly wishing the floor would swallow him whole.

“I’m uh..changed” he said finally, voice tight, fingers brushing through his hair.

She turned then, her smile warm, knowing.

“Such a shame,” she said softly, eyes flicking once more to the towel on the floor before lifting to his face. He straightened, polite but guarded now. He has been with enough women to know that look she was giving him but he didn't want to think about it.

She moved toward the window as if this was the most natural thing in the world, as if this wasn't her first time in their home.

She wandered a few steps farther in, her gaze flicking to the photos, the books, the little signs of a shared life. She turned then, smile still in place, eyes sharp.

“Such a lovely place you two have” she said, glancing around once more before settling her attention fully on him “And you… well. I can see why my daughter’s so taken with you”

Eric nodded politely, though his shoulders were rigid now.

“She means a lot to me” he answered her.

“I’m sure she does” She clasped her hands together, tilting her head “Which is why I wanted a moment alone with you” his brows knitted together.

“Is everything alright?”

“Oh, perfectly” she replied, stepping closer just a little too close “I just wanted a word with you. Alone.”

Something in her tone made his shoulders tense. She studied him for a moment, then smiled again, sweet and dangerous all at once.

“You see” she said gently “there’s a small favor I was hoping you’d do for me.. considering you're dating my daughter”

“A favor?” He asked, a part of him knew where this was going.

She let the silence stretch, just long enough to make him uneasy.

“I wouldn’t normally bring something like this up” she said, voice lowering, almost intimate “But I don’t really have a choice”

Eric shifted his weight, chest tightening with unease.

“What is it?”

She glanced toward the door, then back at him, as if checking they were truly alone.

“I’m in trouble” she said simply. “Financially” his brows furrowed, he didn't know about that. You never said anything to him.

“I’m sorry to hear that”

She smiled faintly, as if grateful for the sympathy, and stepped closer, close enough that he had to fight the instinct to step back.

“I’ve been carrying debt for a long time” she continued. “Things pile up when you’re on your own. Bad investments, medical bills, the house…” She waved a hand lightly. “It adds up”

“How much is the debt?” he asked before he could stop himself. Her eyes lifted to his, sharp now.

“A hundred thousand”

Eric went still as he heard that

“That’s… a lot”

“I know” she said quickly, reaching out, now touching his arm “And I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t serious. The house is mortgaged. If I don’t clear it soon, they’ll take it”

She shook her head, a little laugh escaping her “I’ve worked my whole life for that place. That's all I have.”

He swallowed thickly, jaw tightening.

“Im really sorry to hear that. But why are you telling me this?” he questioned.

She smiled again, softer this time, almost maternal.

“Because you care about my daughter” she said gently. “And because you can help me”

The implication hung there.

“I’m not asking for charity.” she added. “Just help. A loan. Something to get me through this rough patch” Her gaze searched his face.

“Family helps family, don’t they?”

They met like an hour ago.

He wanted to treat your mother the same way you treated his, but she was making this quite uncomfortable on their first meeting.

Eric’s shoulders squared, discomfort settling deeper now. She had him exactly where she wanted him, alone, half flustered, caught between manners and obligation. She didn't see anything wrong with it, he was rich and if he could spend thousands on cologne, then he could help her too.

“I know it’s sudden” she said quietly, stepping closer again, lowering her voice. “But you’re a good man, Eric. I can tell. And good men don’t let the woman they love worry about their mother losing her home”

His jaw tightened. He glanced at the door, at the life he shared with you. He imagined you finding out. Imagined the look on your face if he said no and it somehow came back to hurt you but he knew if he said yes it would hurt you too. He was in a dilemma.

“I didn’t plan to ask today” she continued smoothly “But seeing you… seeing how well you’re doing.” Her eyes flicked briefly to his chest, then back up “It felt like fate.” He exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair.

“That’s… that’s a lot of money” he said again, quieter this time.

“I know” she replied immediately. “And I wouldn’t ask if it wasn't urgent. They’ve already sent notices and people come over, it's a lot to take in for a lonely woman” she caressed his arm.

He didn't know what to say. There was complete silence in the room, awkward and suffocating. She let it stretch again, just long enough for the pressure to become unbearable.

Finally, Eric nodded.

“Okay” Her smile widened but she kept it restrained, as if she hadn’t already won.

“I can help” he said, voice controlled, distant now. He moved past her toward the desk, pulling open the drawer. His hands were steady, but his shoulders were rigid as he took out the checkbook and a pen.

She watched him, eyes gleaming, saying nothing. He wrote the amount carefully, then signed his name before he tore the check free and held it out to her.

She took the check from him slowly, deliberately, her fingers brushing his as she did. She glanced down at the amount, lips parting just a little before she folded it carefully. Then she looked back up at him.

“There’s just one more thing” she said softly.

Eric stiffened again. She stepped closer again, lowering her voice as if the walls themselves might be listening “I think it’s best if we keep this… between us.”

“Between us?”

She nodded, expression gentle

“For now” she added. “I don’t want to worry her. She has enough on her plate already, and she’s always been so sensitive when it comes to me” A small, practiced sigh. “I’d hate for her to think I went behind her back or put you in an uncomfortable position”

“I don’t want to keep things from her”

“I know” she said quickly, touching his arm again, reassuring this time. “That’s exactly why I’m asking you. You’re honest. You’re so good with her” Her thumb pressed lightly, grounding. “This isn’t a forever secret”

He looked unconvinced so she sighed.

“I’ll tell her myself” she continued smoothly “once things are settled. Once I’m not on the verge of losing my home” Her eyes softened. “Let me have my dignity a little longer darling”

Her eyes almost teared up so he sighed and finally nodded, once. “Okay” he said quietly “Only for now.”

Her smile returned, warm and victorious.

“Of course. I wouldn’t expect anything less from you”

She then wrapped her arms around him to hug him. He didn't even respond this time..

“If there's anything you ever need from me..just ask hon” she kissed his cheek, hands running over his back, then she turned around and moved towards the door.

“And Eric?” she paused at the door, hand on the handle “Thank you. Truly”

The door closed behind her with a loud thud.

Eric stayed where he was, staring at the desk and the checkbook, his chest tight, a familiar unease creeping in, because deep down, he knew this wasn’t generosity. It was a burden. Should he have not done this? Should he have asked you before making this decision?

😶😶😶😶😶😶😶😶😶😶😶😶😶😶

Taglist

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@arttheclown666 @slutoru1207 @sagekisses @cookie-crumbs-x @loiita-xo @samanthaw16

[littledark11]

Oh this chapter boiled my blood so much, 'm actually steaming I love the beginning when they were fucking but when the mom comes in I'm just like oh my God "she's such a horrible mom" because to be honest I would do the same thing if I had a credit card (which I'm totally nervous to get) I would just splurge on stupid shit probably Loki stuff however,Y/N already sending her money and still that's not enough but to go into your daughter's bedroom just to find her boyfriend and create this Web of lies like "poor me all of these bills medical bills what was me please help me because you love my daughter so much"

If I was Y/N I will literally kick to the curb because no you're not going to ask for money after you fuck your own credit!!!

Honestly I would rather her just tell her own daughter " hey can you marry him so you know I can no longer be in financial debt "

I know that's not better but at least you know she's not asking him directly.

[lokisprettygirl]

On a tight leash (Bill Skarsgård! Eric Draven x Female Reader) (18+) (AU)

Read chapter 26 here / Series Masterlist

Chapter 27

Summary : You move forward in your life. With Eric.

Warning: 18+, smut, Angst, Somnophilia, unprotected sex, sexual domination, oral sex, oral during mensuration, slight bdsm, sex during mensuration, body image issues, mention of cramps and mensuration, bodyshaming, mention of self loathing and insecurities, weird obsessive behaviour, classism

“What?” You pressed your head up to look at him, he didn't repeat again as the orgasm crashed you both suddenly. When he came back to his senses you cupped his cheeks and rose up to kiss him softly. But you couldn't answer him, not yet, not with these fears running through your head.

“It's okay…it was just a thought” he murmured softly as he caressed your cheek.

“I didn't say no” you cut in.

“You didn't say yes either and that's ok…I promise” you gulped thickly as he said that.

“Can we talk about it tomorrow?” You asked him so he nodded as he laid down next to you.

Even though he said it was alright, you suddenly felt like a jerk, you knew how hard it must have been for him to ask you that. He was so sweet too, his voice so soft and hopeful and you felt as if you had crushed all that by staying silent and non decisive.

The morning came with anxiety, you had to work the next day so Eric dropped you back to the apartment in the evening, he had a meeting too so he left. He wasn't treating you any differently than he usually did but you still felt sacred, it was probably your own misplaced guilt making you feel so anxious.

Around ten he came back to your apartment. You were in the shower so he took his shoes off and sat down on the bed.

As you came out he had his eyes on the phone but as you stepped in his vicinity he put it aside.

“That's my shirt” he murmured as you sat down. You cupped his cheeks and pecked his lips once, then again, then you kissed his cheeks one by one before you pecked his lips again.

“We should talk about what you asked yesterday” he hummed as you said that, straightening up a little as if he was scared of what you were going to say.

“Go on sweetheart” his voice soft as he scooted closer to you.

“I like having my personal space -”

“I know” he smiled.

“I do want to move in with you, I do want to live with you baby”’

“Mmhm and?”

“It's just..the thing is...I just.. I don't want to make us ..I mean me and you..uss ..my whole life” you mumbled as you looked down as if you were ashamed of admitting it “I am not putting this in right words ..that sounded so wrong..so mean”

He smiled as you said it so nervously so he cupped your cheeks and kissed you softly.

“It's not wrong or mean.. I wouldn't want your life to be just about this relationship and me either” your eyes teared up as he said that. “I have my own life, my work and so do you, you have your work, your friends and I always want you to maintain that” he paused as he made you look at him “I would never want you to make your whole life revolve around me or what we have with each other” he pecked your lips again as he finished speaking.

“It's just.. when you left..” you gulped and hesitated before continuing “I fell apart, I couldn't function, couldn't do normal human things I don't even think about when my heart is not broken..but I had this space, this small apartment i could come back to, it kept me safe and standing and gave me privacy to break down whenever I wanted” you murmured, he held your hands in his own, thumb brushing over your skin gently to comfort you.

“If we are living in the same place.. somewhere else.. I ..if this ends someday–” you couldn't continue..just the thought of it made you want to crumble.

The idea of losing him brought you to your knees even when he was right in front of you at the moment, holding your hand and kissing your lips.

He didn’t pull away when your voice broke. Instead, he leaned in, forehead resting against yours, his hands firm but gentle like he was anchoring you.

“Hey” he whispered. “Look at me.”

You did, eyes glassy, fear written all over your face.

“If this ends someday” he continued softly, finishing the thought you couldn’t “It won’t erase who you are. And it won’t erase what we were and I won't leave you to deal with it all alone..I did it once but I'm never making that mistake again.”

You swallowed the lump in your throat. Sometimes you wished he just comforted you with lies, that he'd tell you that you two would never be apart again.

“I know that logically” you said quietly. “But I’m scared of how much I feel. I’m scared that if I give up this place, this safety… I’ll lose my footing again” Your voice dropped to a whisper.

His thumb brushed under your eye, wiping away the tear that had slipped free.

“You won’t,” he said with quiet certainty. “And I won’t let that happen”

“I do want to move in” you admitted, the words rushing out “I think about waking up with you every day. About coming home to you, I think about telling everyone ‘oh i can't come..my boyfriend is waiting at home” you smiled between your tears “I want that so badly. I’m just… terrified”

He smiled then, soft and fond and full of understanding.

“It's okay to be scared” he said. “I am scared, I have never done this before either”

He pulled your hands to his chest, palms flat, his heartbeat thudding under your touch.

“But we don’t have to do this in a way that makes you feel trapped. We can keep your apartment for a while. Make sure you always have a space that’s yours. Rules, boundaries, escape hatches when you need them” He chuckled quietly “We can be intentional about it”

You let out a shaky laugh.

“You’d really be okay with that?”

“I’d rather you move in with me feeling safe than rush it and feel lost or scared all the time” he replied without hesitation. “I want you choosing me.. and not clinging to me”

That did it. You leaned into him, pressing your forehead into his shoulder, breathing him in.

“That's the thing..I do want to cling to you..I don't think you understand how well you treat me, how happy you make me” His arm tightened around you as he pressed soft kisses on your temple.

“Then cling all you want, but you can always stand up on your own and be your own person, that would never change, I won't let it happen okay?”

He caressed your head so you hummed in response. And then he pulled away a, little just so he could look at your face.

“I asked the question because I wanted us to build a life together..” he murmured softly “The thing is-- it's already building, it has been since I met you.. and I'll wait as long as you need for that next step” his voice was tender as she assured you.

“Thank you …thank you baby” you burst into tears as you cupped his cheeks and kissed every little inch of his beautiful face. God you loved him and you didn't think he understood that.

Then you climbed on his lap to hug him as tightly as you could. He let out a soft chuckle before his arm wrapped around your waist.

“You're okay sweetheart.. I have got you” he murmured as he caressed your back.

“I was so scared that I hurt you so bad last night”

“No. We talked about it, didn't we? You didn't hurt me at all”

You placed your head down on his shoulder as you let it all out. The moment the tears stopped coming, the clarity came too. You just needed an assurance, you needed to speak your fears, share them with him.

“Let's do it baby” you pulled away to look at him. His eyes flickered for a moment as if he couldn't believe it, then he smiled. The kind you had been wanting to see since last night.

“No rush?”

“No rush ..no pressure. I want this ..with you..me and you.. living together”

“Okay” he mumbled once “Okay” and then again as if he was letting it sink.

You didn't even remember falling asleep next to him but later that night you woke up to his mouth all over you, and his cock inside, your shirt was discarded somewhere, underwear too, you felt so safe with him that you didn't even flinch even once when he was undressing you in your sleep.

“This okay?” He murmured against your mouth, you couldn't really see him, eyes had not adjusted to the dark yet but you felt him all around you.

“Mmm it's perfect” his fingers squeezed around your tit, mouth sucking onto the other one, hips moving in slow circles.

“You're so beautiful” he mumbled softly, making you smile.

“You can't even see me”

“I can” he argued

All the gorgeous women in the world, ones he could have easily had if he wanted, and yet he wanted you, he desired you. He wanted to move in with you, build a life with you.

Maybe true love really did exist, and he was making you believe in it more and more with every passing day.

“Eric?” You murmured, feeling hesitant about what you were going to ask him.

“Yeah?”

“I might have a kink too” you spoke softly, fingers running through his scalp. He didn't stop moving but he moved up his head to look at you.

“Tell me about it”

“Remember that night in the palace when we were under the shower and I asked you to tell me my physical flaws?” You murmured. “And you were honest about it, you told me everything that wasn't perfect.. like how my breasts were uneven or how my stomach wasn't flat and despite all those imperfections you wanted to fuck me all the time”

“Mhhm what about it?” he asked as he wasn't really sure where you were going with this.

“It turned me on” you said again, softer nowp “And not just because you were honest.” His brow creased slightly, attentive.

“What do you mean by that?”

You swallowed, fingers tightening in his hair.

“There was something about the way you said it. Calm. Certain. Like you weren’t trying to spare my feelings” Your voice dipped. “Like you knew I could take your honesty”

His jaw flexed, eyes never leaving yours.

“When you told me my breasts weren’t even… when you pointed out my stomach” you continued, heat creeping up your neck, “it wasn’t cruel. It felt like you were stripping me down to exactly what I am and still desiring me”

He breathed out slowly.

“You liked that? Listening about your imperfections?”

You nodded instantly.

“I liked that you saw the parts I’m supposed to hide and didn’t rush to reassure me. You didn’t say ‘no, no, you’re perfect.’ You just… stated it like a fact and then you touched me like it didn’t matter. Like I didn’t need fixing..and that was so fucking hot”

His thumb pressed under your chin, lifting your face just enough to make you meet his eyes.

“You want me to tell you that again?” He asked as he pecked your lips softly so you nodded in desperation.. “But you know what it means and what I mean when I say those things right?” He asked softly, thumb grazing over your cheek so you hummed in response.

A slow exhale left him, eyes dropping briefly to your body before coming back to your face, like he was choosing his words carefully.

“You’re soft where you wish you were tight” he said quietly, you squirmed a little as his fingers grazed over your stomach “Your stomach folds when you sit up.. and it's apparent at times” he murmured in your ears. “Your breasts don’t sit evenly. They pull a little, rest heavy instead of perky” Your face burned, not with shame, but with the awareness of being seen so transparently.

“And you notice it” he continued, voice calm, almost clinical. “You notice every one of those things. You adjust your posture. You tug your clothes. You try to hide what you think gives you away”

His thumb pressed slightly firmer, keeping your gaze locked on his.

“But here you are” he went on. “Wanting me to say it out loud. Wanting me to admit that you’re not the polished, perfect version you think you should be”

Your lips parted, a quiet, needy sound slipping out of you.

“You’re a little messy at times” he said. “A little Soft. A little too Human. And you know that if someone else said this all you to you.. it would hurt.. it would make you want to cry”

He leaned in closer, voice dropping lower as the sensation deepened.

“But coming from me?” he paused for a moment, admiring the way your lips quivered, your eyes fluttered shut and chest rose up and down with every thrust “You want it. Because I’m not saying it to put you beneath me. I’m saying it because I see all of it and yet the mere sight of you is enough to make me hard”

Your breath stuttered as he said that.

“You don’t get to pretend with me,” he finished softly. “You don’t get to hide behind perfection. You’re flawed. You’re exposed. And you’re wanted anyway”

Something in your chest clenched hard, heat pooling low and deep.

“That’s it” you whispered. “That’s the part.. it's humiliating but ..in a good way” His expression softened immediately, thumb on your cheek easing its pressure.

“Then remember this always my beautiful girl” he said gently. “The humiliation only works because it’s safe here. Because it never means that your imperfections makes you stand out any less”

He kissed you then, slow and grounding.

“And because you know,” he murmured against your lips “that I want every imperfect inch of you”

And with that you let go, walls clenching all around him, milking his own orgasm out of him. He let out a loud groan of your name as he let go, hips continued to pulse slowly as he rode the high with you. When it slowly simmered down he collapsed right next to you, but not away from you, his fingers stayed over your torso, gently grazing the skin.

As he turned on his side he pulled you closer to him.

You opened your eyes, meeting his gaze now that your eyes had finally adjusted to the dark.

“That was hot, thank you for listening to me” you mumbled as you rose up to kiss his cheek

“Always sweetheart, I'll please you however you want” he continued softly. “You liked it huh?”

Your fingers slid up his arms, holding him there, grounding yourself in him.

“Yeah I don't know how you do it, how you say those things and don't hurt me at all” he smiled as you said that.

“Because you know when I say those things” he murmured, brushing his nose against yours “I’m not telling you you’re less. I’m telling you you don’t have to earn being desired by being flawless” His hand came to rest over your heart.

“You don’t have to be polished for me. Or put together. Or anything other than exactly this” he paused “All Soft and sweet. And a little insecure, always wanting to be wanted by me” Your throat tightened at his words.

“And you are wanted” he added firmly. “Not in spite of it but because of it..every little thing about your body turns me on”

You let out a shaky breath, relief and heat tangled together.

He kissed you again before wrapping up in his arms, body warm and heart full. You didn't even remember falling asleep, one moment you were murmuring something to him, making plans about how the new place would be like, and how you'd miss living here and then you were out like a light.

You woke up with the alarm the next morning and got out of his hold as quietly as you could so his sleep won't get disturbed. He did wake up though when you began to move around the kitchen.

“What are you doing?” He asked as he rose up on the elbow to look at you. One of his eyes squinted shut still, sleep marks all over his face.

“I'm making a yummy sandwich to take to work and I'm making two for you ..you eat it when you're done stocking up on your beauty sleep” he hummed before his head sunk back into the pillow, then he watched you for a moment. This is what he wanted to wake up to everyday. This is why he wanted you both to live together so he won't miss a moment whenever you two were together.

After packing your lunch and wrapping his sandwiches you walked towards the bed and ruffled his head before you leaned down to kiss him softly.

“Let me drop you” he murmured softly so you shook your head..

“No..get your sleep, I'm gonna walk anyways..we should go to the gym in the evening”

The sandwich. The gym talk. All of this gave you a sense of deja vu but you ignored that feeling. He won't leave you again, he won't hurt you like that again.

“I'll come pick you up..want to go see Mira and Peter before they leave?” he mumbled so you agreed on that.

You were so excited about Mira’s pregnancy, a part of you still couldn't believe she was going to have a toddler running around her soon.

The next few days passed in a blur. Eric and Peter had a conversation for an hour before he and Mira left for the Shadowhall. Eric didn't want Peter to say anything to Rupert or Alicia. He didn't want to disrupt the peace because that's not what his mother needed in her life anymore.

Revealing the truth wouldn't heal the wounds from the past, it won't bring her youth back or would make Eric's childhood any better.

Peter on the other hand was adamant, he had agreed to stay quiet for now and focus on Mira's pregnancy, focus on taking care of her but he didn't want to stay quiet forever.

There was no way in this lifetime he could just go on knowing the truth and doing nothing about it, he wanted his child to have the love of his/her grandmother and the uncle. He didn't want his children to know them as just the former nanny and her son.

*****

Days turned into weeks as you began house hunting with Eric, you both had been to a few places but nothing had stuck yet. He wanted a place that was closer to your workplace and big enough so Patricia, Peter and Mira could come stay over when they wanted to. You wanted that too, however you couldn't really afford the rent of a three bedroom apartment in NYC.

“Y/n you know I'm going to buy that property right?” He asked as he stood against the refrigerator while you cooked.

“I know you're rich Eric.. you don't have to tell me” he sighed as you said that “I just.. I don't want you to carry me financially” you argued further..

“I'm not going to. It's just the rent thing, it's pointless, buying the plot would be an investment” he spoke softly “The money you would have split for the rent..use it however you want. Go crazy on the furniture, buy the groceries, I'll let you do it all.. I won't spend a penny on those expenses if that's what you want”

You sighed as he said that.

“You'd let me do all that and not roll your eyes every time I'm pulling out my wallet?” He chuckled as you brought that up.

“I won't.. I just buy that place and you make it home..for both of us ..not just me, it will be ours”

You smiled as he said that, approaching closer to wrap your arms around his neck.

“Okay mister.. you have me convinced”

“Good, I like doing that”

“You like knowing that you can influence me?” You giggled as you got on your tippy toes to kiss him.

“Yeah..you mind?” He asked

“I don't think so” he nodded as you said that “Mmm maybe I'll finally get a tv”

“We have to get a TV”

A month later you were packing already. Eric had found this beautiful condo four blocks away from your office building. It had three bedrooms, one living room and a kitchen with the most perfect marbletops you had ever seen in your life. The moment you entered the place you both fell in love with it. You could imagine living there with him and building a life together. Once Eric was assured you wanted this one he didn't take long to seal the deal.

Mira was on the call with you as you emptied your closet, putting your things in boxes. The housewarming party was next week and you were excited to see her. She has been sending you a picture of her bump every week.

“Oh I forgot to tell you, Tanya and Adam broke up”

You had to ask her to repeat in case you heard it wrong. They seemed like a match made in heaven.

“Why? They belonged together” you mumbled, not really wanting to feel giddy over someone else's misery. You'd never wish heartbreak on anyone, not even your enemies.

“Apparently after that fiasco Adam was really acting out and then he cheated on her”

“Ohh-”

Good thing you didn't listen to her at the wedding and gave Adam a chance. Even better that you chose the sexy weirdo with a rumoured reputation instead.

“Uhh Mira listen..it's almost seven..Eric will be here in like half an hour and I have to make dinner, he didn't have lunch either today” You said nonchalantly, she was quiet for such a long moment you thought she had hung up.

“Are you there? Hey?” you asked her so she chuckled finally.

“You're such a wife for him”

You froze for half a second at her words as you moved to the kitchen.

“I am not” you said quickly, heat rushing to your cheeks.

Mira laughed softly on the other end. “You so are” she said gently “You worry about him like he's a kid, you plan meals around his day, you sound…so settled and comfortable when you talk about him.. I have never seen you like this”

You didn’t answer right away. Instead, you turned on the stove to boil the water for pasta.

“I mean ..you know how he gets..he doesn't take care of himself..I mean not like this..ask him to go to the gym everyday and he'd do that but meals are apparently forgettable”

She let out a chuckle, probably shaking her head.

“Fine fine…I get it.. now go make dinner for your husband” Mira added, her tone mocking so you scoffed.

After you hung up, you leaned against the counter and exhaled. The sauce was simmering already, chicken was in the oven. The quiet in your apartment gave you a chance to look around.

It was half empty now, things were moving already, boxes stacked neatly against the walls, memories already peeling themselves off the place. You glanced around, trying to imagine not waking up here anymore, not pacing this tiny kitchen, not knowing every creak of the floorboards.

You still remembered the first time you saw him standing outside on the stoop of the building after he had stalked you for two days, then finally letting him in, and how he hadn't judged it for a second and had stayed over like he belonged here.

“I'll miss being here, tiny apartment..you have been good to me” you spoke out loud as if the walls would hear your gratitude “Really good”

The sound of the door bell pulled you out of your thoughts.

Eric stood there, jacket slung over his shoulder, hair slightly messy like he’d run his hands through it one too many times. His eyes softened immediately as he saw you.

“Hey” he said, voice warm, familiar.

“You’re early” you smiled.

“I skipped the small talk” he shrugged, stepping closer. He leaned down to kiss your temple, lingering just a second longer than usual. “Something smells really good”

“Sit” you ordered, nudging him toward the chair “You didn’t eat all day, don’t argue”

“Yes, mam” he said easily, watching you move around the kitchen. He noticed the boxes then. Really noticed them.

“Feels weird seeing it like this” he admitted quietly.

“Yeah” you nodded.

He studied you for a moment, like he was trying to memorize the way the kitchen light hit your face in that exact second. He would miss this place too, this is where he fell in love with you but this was also the place he had broken your heart.

“You okay?” he asked as he could see you were zoning out.

“Yeah. Just… processing.. I don't like change” he hummed as you said that. He didn't like change either, he had lived his whole life a certain way, never let anyone come close enough until you came along.

Dinner was quiet in the best way. Comfortable. The kind of silence that didn’t need filling. Eric ate like he hadn’t seen food in days, groaning dramatically.

“How are you so good?” he finally said after the fifth bite.

“High praise Sir” you laughed as you squeezed his cheek.

Afterward, you both sat on the floor, backs against the bed, sharing the leftover dessert from yesterday. His arm draped loosely around your shoulders, thumb absentmindedly tracing slow circles against your skin.

“Will you miss this place?” You murmured softly.

“Ofcourse i will ..I still remember the first night i came and how embarrassed you looked because of how small it was”

“It is small..you enter the door and then it ends” you chuckled.

“And yet it was perfect” he corrected you “Because it was yours” His thumb paused for a second, pressing gently into your shoulder. “You let me into your home, your privacy like it was nothing. I don’t think you understand how big of a step that was for me”

You tilted your head to look at him. His gaze wasn’t on you, but on the far wall, like he was replaying the memory in real time.

“I remember thinking… this is all she has and she’s still willing to share it. That terrified me in a way” he admitted with a small smile “And it made me want to stay”

You swallowed, emotion creeping up your throat.

“You didn’t judge it..you never judged me for anything..thats what made me want to let you in Eric”

Silence settled again. Outside, the city hummed faintly, a sound you had grown used to falling asleep to.

Eric shifted slightly, pulling you closer so your head rested against his chest. His heartbeat was steady beneath your ear.

“The new place” he said after a while “It’s going to be different” You nodded as he said that.

“Bigger and fancier” you added

“Mmm it would take a minute for it to feel like home but we will get there” he assured you and you agreed.

Later, when the dishes were done and the lights turned off, you climbed into bed. Eric pulled you close, his arm secure around your waist.

A week passed in blink or that's what it felt like, the housewarming party began around 5, sunlight pouring in the living room from the huge balcony. There weren't many people invited, just some of your colleagues you were close with, Eric invited Pierce and his wife Shannon, they were in New York at the moment coincidentally. You also invited Shelly and Rick. There was a slight awkwardness between Rick and Eric.

You hadn't really noticed how similar their names sounded until you saw them together. Poor guy. His ex was practically in love with him and his current girlfriend used to have hots for him.

And of course Mira, Peter and Patricia were there, they didn't really need an invitation.

Eric had ordered food from outside but just to warm up the kitchen you had made lasagna. Patricia looked the happiest when she entered and saw how the blank walls were now filled with pictures of you two and everyone close to you. Eric was proudly telling everyone that you were the one to decorate and design the interior and he had no say in it.

You did invite your mother but she was too busy to come. She has told you that she'd visit soon and meet this rich goat you had somehow managed to trap.

After guests begin to leave you could finally breathe in peace. Mira, Peter and Patricia were staying the night so you decided to make coffee for everyone, and a special tea for Mira since she couldn't have caffeine.

As you entered the kitchen, Patricia followed you. You smiled as you looked at her.

“Hey Mrs. Draven. Do you need something?” You asked politely so she shook her head.

“Just wanted to ask how you were doing” you smiled as she posed that question. You were tired, excited, happy and then terrified all at once.

“I'm really happy” you chuckled slightly “Just a little scared about the future and all, I never had to..never really had to worry about it before because I was used to being on my own”

Her brows knitted together as she heard that..

“It's okay to feel those things sweetheart” she mumbled softly. “You know he has your name on the house?” you looked at her surprised as she said that.

“What?”

“Yeah..he does.. and he would not have done that if he didn't see this as permanent” she said softly so you nodded.

He had told you that even if this ended he wouldn't leave you all alone to fend for yourself. You just weren't expecting to have your name on the house. You didn't know what else to say so you just crossed the distance and hugged her.

It was around 2 in the night when everyone finally decided to hit the bed. You were exhausted as well as you entered the bedroom. Eric was already in the shower. You had no energy left so you just undressed and put on a nightwear to lie down in the bed.

As he came out he immediately climbed under the covers and on top of you.

“Tired?” He asked so you smiled and cupped his cheeks.

“Not tired enough..it's Saturday tomorrow..we can sleep in longer”

He nodded as he bent down to kiss you.

“Shannon and Pierce.. they're really nice” you mumbled softly, he was already distracted by the sight of your cleavage as he lowered down the straps of your dress.

“Mmm they're nice..so nice and soft” he murmured as he sucked on the curve of your tits. You giggled like a school girl. But the moment he had his lips closed around your nipples, all the giggling stopped and you could only moan.

That night after days you woke up to him watching you. Maybe it was the new place that triggered it, unfamiliar and strange. The faint daylight from the window was reflecting right on his face, his eyes wide open, not blinking. Curls falling on his forehead, lips plump as ever, perhaps you'd have found it creepy if it was someone else but he? He only looked even more ethereal then he usually did.

“Hey” you murmured softly as caressed his cheek. He blinked then and without saying a word just scooted closer, placing his face between your breasts, the warmth of your skin comforted him instantly.

“Couldn't sleep” he murmured, your fingers ran over his scalp in a soothing motion.

“Mmm try now baby..it's just 5 am..we can sleep all day today”

He breathed against your skin as if he was holding them for a long time.

A few hours later you woke up to the smell of bacon and pancakes. As you looked around Eric wasn't there but you could hear voices in the dining area. Patricia being the mama bear, was probably cooking for everyone.

After getting showered you got ready and as you stepped out you saw that Eric was arranging plates on the table.

“That's not right…fork always goes to the left” Peter commented so Eric gave him the glare that would have scared a bear, that managed to shut Peter up “Fine..table manners begone I guess” he groaned under his breath.

“Don't listen to him..he's always an ass about table settings” Mira commented, making Peter scoff. Eric was just amused.

As Patricia came out of the kitchen with a huge stack of pancakes, she saw you and smiled at you.

“Oh honey come sit..we were waiting for you”

“Good morning guys” you mumbled as you walked closer to the dining table and sat next to Mira

“Good morning little one” you caressed her bump, making her scoff.

“I have been replaced officially”

You chuckled at her tantrum before you looked at Eric. His eyes were still on the plates and the table but then he raised his lids up, staring at you, a small smile on his face as if he wanted to eat you instead.

“Why didn't you wake me up? You had to do all this alone” you mumbled softly as Patricia sat down.

“Oh no I had help..these boys of mine aren't completely useless” she said warmly, your eyes flickered to Peter and he just seemed giddy. He was getting more and more comfortable with the idea of her and Eric being his family. The initial discomfort didn't come from the truth but how ignorant he had been, he felt guilty for something that wasn't really his fault.

Eric sat down opposite you so you smiled at him.

“Good morning Mr. Draven” He smiled back, slow and lazy, the kind of smile that felt like a private secret.

“Morning” he replied, voice controlled. It was really cute how shy he felt showing affection in front of his family.

Mira leaned closer to you, lowering her voice as she whispered in your ear.

“He couldn't stop looking at the bedroom door. It's like he didn't want to wake you up but he also wanted you to come out as soon as possible”

Your cheeks flushed as she said that. As you took a bite of your pancake, your toes sneakily made way to his shin, the moment he felt your touch he cleared his throat and sipped on the water. Oh how the turntables.

You remembered how he had teased you at every opportunity before.

Laughter filled the room as the conversation began flowing. It seemed effortless, the aroma of Patricia's cooking was all around and maybe this was exactly what you both needed to make this house feel like home.

“We girls are going shopping..what are you boys upto after we leave?” Mira asked suddenly.

“Well we could go get a drink or watch a movie or go golf” Peter suggested. The idea of Peter and Eric sitting in a movie theater was a funny visual in your head.. “That if Eric knows how to hold a golf club” Peter smiled mischievously.

“Bet I can defeat you” Eric responded.

You looked at Eric to see if he was fine with that and he didn't seem opposed to it. You knew he was trying too, he had been separated from his twin far too long and they needed alone time together to find their rapport back.

After breakfast everyone retreated back to their rooms to get ready. You just had to do some makeup and put on something comfortable to wear.

Eric was already dressed so he just laid down on the bed, back against the headboard, watching you do your makeup.

“Excited for golf?” you asked him as you turned to look at him. He had the same haunting look on his face as he did this morning. Sometimes he got into his head and you had learned to pick up on the cues when he needed his space and when he wanted you to cling to him.

This was the latter.

“Yeah” he answered curtly.

Once you got ready you climbed up on the bed and then on top of him, leaning over him to kiss his neck, he got comfortable, head sinking into the pillow already.

“You are so pretty baby” you murmured in his ears, his eyes closed, the sound of your voice, the touch of your lips. It was enough to entice him.

To make the matters harder your hand then trailed down from his chest to the seam of his pants, fingers rubbing over the zipper while your lips sucked on the bare skin of his chest. The buttons he had left opened made it easier.

“You really want me to walk around all day long with a hard on?” He asked like it like a warning, the tone made your stomach flip, his breath already uneven beneath you.

You smiled against his skin, lifting your head just enough to look at him.

“Would that be so bad Mr. Draven?” you whispered, brushing a kiss along his jaw instead of answering directly. Your fingers stilled and stopped teasing.

His eyes opened, dark and searching, and for a second the bravado slipped. He swallowed, hands coming up to your waist, firm but gentle.

“You’re so evil when you want to be” he murmured, but there was no heat in his words. Just affection and need and a little awe.

You laughed softly and eased back, still straddling him but giving him space to breathe.

“And you’re supposed to be golfing with your brother in an hour” you reminded him, thumb tracing idle circles over his shirt “Try to behave.”

He exhaled slowly, sitting up now, forehead tipping forward until it rested against your collarbone.

“I am behaving” he said “This is me behaving”

Your fingers slipped into his curls, massaging his scalp the way you had earlier that morning. You felt him relax, the tension melting out of his shoulders as he let himself be held for a moment longer.

“Hey” you said quietly. “You okay?” He nodded against you.

“Yeah. Just… new place. New noises. Too much in my head” You pressed a kiss to his temple.

“You know I'm right here right?” you murmured softly.

That did it. He pulled back just enough to look at you, a soft smile replacing the intensity from before.

“Promise?” he asked, in that moment you didn't see the dominating, intimidating Eric he usually was, in moments like this he often became that soft sweet man he always tried to keep buried.

“Promise”

Reluctantly, he helped you off him and swung his legs over the side of the bed, adjusting himself with a quiet groan that made you grin.

As you stepped back into the living room with him, everyone was all ready to go. People kissed and hugged each other before you separated in the groups of two and three.

The rest of the day was a blur to you, Mira went crazy on buying the baby clothes she didn't need yet. Patricia helped with the maternity clothes.

On the other side Peter kept updating Mira by sending pictures of him and Eric, at the golf course, at the restaurant where they stopped for lunch, then the bar.

While Patricia was away looking at something Mira walked up to you suddenly.

“I need to tell you something but you can't tell Eric”

You immediately shook your head as she said that. The last time you hid something from him things went really bad for you and it wasn't even intentional. Whatever it was, you didn't want to hear it .

“Mira I have already told you how he's like with the lies and stuff-”

“But I have to tell you”

“Mira-”

Despite the protest, she told you anyway and then she left it up to you if you wanted to tell Eric or not.

“God Mira -” you groaned, the information sitting heavy in your chest.

“You know he should know this ..so he's not blindsided by it but Peter made me promise and– I'm leaving it on you”

You sighed as she said that. Telling him might change things, things that had just started to get better and not telling him would just hurt him again. You were in a dilemma here that you didn't know how to get out of without the fear of losing him.

🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

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[littledark11]

they are going to move in together!!!! OMG YESSSS!!!

Me right:

Mira girl! Stoooooop!!!! Y/N barely survived the breakup disaster from last time!!! Let her be happy!!!

[cherryteddy]

I had a sushi party to celebrate my cats' arrival🍣😻 Also, Sanji's plate is shaped like an eggplant😊

[lokisprettygirl]

On a tight leash (Bill Skarsgård! Eric Draven x Female Reader) (18+) (AU)

Read chapter 25 here / Series Masterlist

Chapter 26

Summary : The weekend away leads to more surprising revelations between the Haines and the Dravens. And then there's you in the middle of it all.

Warning: 18+, smut, Angst, Somnophilia, unprotected sex, sexual domination, oral sex, oral during mensuration, slight bdsm, sex during mensuration, body image issues, mention of cramps and mensuration, bodyshaming, mention of self loathing and insecurities, weird obsessive behaviour, classism

Eric came back to his room, empty handed, his appetite gone. You turned away from the closet to look at him as he stood against the door, his back stuck to the wooden frame as if his life depended on it.

“Eric?” You called out but he didn't respond. He was pale as a ghost, and his breathing became heavier so quickly approached him.

“Eric …hey baby” you mumbled softly but his breathing sped up even further. That's when you realised he was having an anxiety attack.

“Hey, I have got you” you mumbled softly as you cupped his cheeks “Take a deep breath for me..can you do that??” You asked, he nodded as he pressed his forehead down on yours.

“That's good, one more time” you encouraged him softly, placing his head down on your chest, that was like his favourite spot and the position always seemed to comfort him. His arms wrapped around your waist as he lowered himself down to hold you. Once he seemed slightly better, you walked him towards the bed and made him sit down.

Then you grabbed the glass of water from the nightstand and offered it to him.

After he took a sip you put it away and returned to him. He immediately wrapped his arms around your waist, your fingers ran over his scalp.

“Peter knows” your breath faltered for a moment as he said that. You were trying to understand what he meant, not wanting to jump to conclusions but he spoke again.

“He knows everything.. knows the truth” he murmured again so you hummed in response before sitting down on his lap, cupping his cheeks to make him look at you, his eyes were teary.

“How did he find out?” You asked softly as you caressed his cheek so he placed his forehead down on your shoulder as if to hide away from everything that was bothering him.

“I don't know. In the hall he hugged me again and when I looked at Ma, she just..she just gave me that look ..he knows everything now” you hummed as he spoke so frantically.

“How do you feel about him knowing?” You asked the question that mattered the most to you. The truth wasn't important to you, how he felt about it was what mattered.

“I don't know” he answered honestly.

“It's ok to not know..You both just need to talk” you whispered softly as you kissed his forehead, followed by the tip of his nose and then his lips.

“I didn't bring you a snack” he murmured as he placed his head down on your shoulder, you couldn't help but chuckle at how sincerely he had said it.

“It's okay.. I already have a snack in my arms” he let out a sound that sounded like a broken laugh. His grip around you tightened just a bit.

An hour later as you all got ready and were ready to leave. Mira had come running to you.

“I have sooooo muchhhh to talk about with you” you weren't really surprised, Peter probably told her everything, he must have been overwhelmed too. Before you could say anything Patricia joined in so you just smiled.

On the way there was an awkward silence in the car. You sat with Patricia all the way in the back of the SUV.

Mira insisted she wanted to sit in front as she felt nauseous.

That left Eric and Peter sitting together in the middle seat.

“Let's play some music -”

You heard Mira's voice, trying to cut through the awkwardness of it all.

You glanced at Patricia and she gave you a small smile, you placed your hand on hers to comfort her, you didn't even know how she was feeling about this.

“Mira knows” You whispered to her as quietly as you could so she sighed deeply.

Even staring at the back of his head you could see the tension coiling around him.

His jaw was clenched tightly, hands clasped together in his lap. He turned his head once in a while to look at you and Patricia before going back to his stoic self.

“So ummm how are you sweetheart? Mira said how you had been getting bombarded on your social media”

Patricia asked finally so you cleared your throat.

“Yeah I mean..my account is private so…I'm ignoring the messages”

“Good.. that's what you should do” Patricia said firmly so you hummed in response, and then there was silence again for a long time. Until--

“Traffic isn't bad today” Peter said as he turned to Eric.

“Yeah it's.. not bad…it's mild I guess” Eric responded.

You could see Patricia wanting to disappear somewhere under the ground and a part of you wanted to join her there.

As the destination arrived you couldn't wait to get out of that vehicle to get some much needed fresh air.

The resort was at the outskirts of NY, Mira had already booked one of the private cottage suites for the whole family. She immediately caught up to you as you walked away a little bit to look around the scenery.

“Woah girl..hold up” you breathed in deep as she neared you.

“I know what you're going to say.. I know it's a lot..but just..let's just.. –” she looked at you confused as you blabbered on.

“How did you know? Did Peter tell you?” She asked so you crossed your arms.

“No Eric did-” she cut in immediately.

“Eric knows? How? He did one of his observations, didn't he? Urgghh-” She stomped on her feet as she turned around to get back to Peter.

“What?” You mumbled to yourself as she disappeared out of sight.

The cottage suite was… a lot.

High ceilings, warm wooden floors, a massive couch facing a stone fireplace, and a door that opened up to a private deck. There were two rooms down the narrow hallway..Mira immediately dropped her purse and spun around the living room.

“Okay but why does this look like a Pinterest board?” she muttered. “I swear if there’s a clawfoot tub I’m moving in”

Peter smiled faintly at her excitement, while Eric hovered near you, hands in his pockets, eyes darting around like he wasn’t entirely sure where to stand.

Patricia was the last one to step inside the cottage.

She didn’t sit. Didn’t explore. She just stood there for a moment, hands clasped tightly in front of her, gaze fixed somewhere between Peter and Eric.

Then she cleared her throat.

“I suppose… now that we’re all together” she began carefully “and all of us know the truth..there is no point in pretending anymore”

The room went very still. Eric’s shoulders stiffened instantly. Peter straightened also, his expression unreadable. You felt your stomach drop.

Patricia took a slow breath

Mira blinked in confusion.

“Truth?”

Patricia continued, assuming far too much. Peter tried to interrupt but she cut in immediately.

Oh god Did she not know yet?

“That Peter and you know now that Eric is his brother. And that I am—” her voice wavered just slightly “—his mother.”

There was a pin drop Silence as she finished, Mira was stunned into silence for once.

“Whatttt?”

It came out of Mira’s mouth loud, sharp, and completely unfiltered. Eric’s head snapped toward her. Peter rubbed a hand over his face. You froze where you stood.

If she didn't know then what the hell she was talking about before?

“I’m sorry…wait wait wait ” Mira said, laughing once in disbelief. “Brother? Mother? I leave you people alone for one afternoon and this turns into a soap opera?”

Patricia frowned, confused now.

“I was going to tell you..like right now” Peter Said as he grabbed her arms.

“Uhhh huh ” Mira echoed. “And here I thought We had a news”

Peter’s head shot up as he tried to keep her quiet

“Mira—”

She ignored him completely, pointing between Eric and Patricia.

“Here I was thinking I had the dramatic reveal of the century and you’re telling me you all just casually rewrote the whole family tree?”

Eric swallowed thickly as she said that but he didn't interrupt. Peter spoke again

“Mira..”

“Oh it's alright..” she continued, eyes narrowing “She already knows about our news.. Apparently your observant brother here told her” she chuckled in amusement as she gestured to you. You opened your mouth. Closed it again, not really sure where she was going with this.

What did you know?

Peter then looked at Eric

“You told her what?” He asked Eric, pointing towards you. Now both of them were confused for different reasons.

“I told you what?” Eric asked as he turned to you “What did I observe?”

Peter shot you a look, so did Patricia but you didn't know what they were saying. You didn't understand a thing anymore.

“Oh my GOD” Mira shouted suddenly, throwing her hands up. “She already knows I’m pregnant okay?” she exclaimed loudly.

Then followed the Dead Silence. Patricia gasped a moment later.

“You’re what?” she whispered.

“Miraaaa” Peter groaned

You stared at her. Dumb stricken.

“You’re pregnant??” Mira looked at you, shocked and then embarrassed.

“Wait, you didn't know? You said Eric told you-” she snapped.

“No he did not..that's not what I meant” you yelled at the top of your lungs. Is that what she thought he told you?

“Then what the hell— ohhhhh” she sighed as she put the two and two together.

“I'm going to be an uncle?” Eric mumbled almost inaudibly but you heard it.

Patricia clutched her chest. There was complete silence again before Peter laughed once, it was more like a chuckle but it cut through the awkwardness, your laughter came out shortly after and then Patricia joined.

“Oh my god I can't believe you're going to have a baby” you mumbled softly as you approached to hug her. She wrapped her arms around you and smiled, but then her eyes welled up.

“Wait a second -” she pulled away and looked at Patricia.

“So you're..you are Peter's mom.. Eric is his..oh god I knew something was off..my instincts were right” she said as she approached Patricia.

“I thought Peter told you already that's why -" she began apologetically.

“My fault… when you said you had a lot to talk about..i thought-” you cut in.

“I found that picture of you and Peter's father, I knew there was something but this is- wow” she mumbled, voice half disbelieving “Well Then..I guess you're my..mother in law aren't you?” She teared up so Patricia didn't respond with words, but wrapped her arms around her gently.

After the initial shock and surprise faded, you all sat down on that fancy couch, you asked Mira if this was something she actually wanted or she was feeling forced and pressured. Patricia had the same concern. There was so much to discuss here.

She assured you that at first she was scared but then she was really happy. She loved Peter more than anything and there was nothing more she wanted than to have a family with him.

Eric had stepped out on the deck so Peter approached him.

“Hey” he spoke first as he handed a glass of wine to Eric.

Peter stood beside him for a moment in silence, the sliding door half-open behind them. The night air was cold, carrying the faint scent of pine and damp earth. Eric took a slow sip of the wine, more for something to do with his hands than anything else.

“Congratulations” Eric said quietly, eyes still fixed somewhere beyond the deck railing.

Peter turned to him, surprised by the softness in his tone

“Thank you” he said, then huffed out a small, disbelieving laugh. He paused, then nudged Eric lightly with his shoulder. “Congratulations to you too i suppose”

Eric’s lips twitched. The word seemed to land heavier than either of them expected. His eyes burned suddenly, and he blinked hard, jaw tightening as emotion rushed up on him all at once, too fast, too sharp. Peter noticed immediately.

“Eric” he said hesitantly “Can I ask you something? And you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to” he added.

“Yeah”

Peter leaned back against the railing, gripping the edge

“You knew” he said “About… everything. About us. About our–” he paused as if to collect his words “Our mom and dad... You knew since we were kids” He swallowed the lump in his throat. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

Eric’s shoulders stiffened. For a long moment, he didn’t respond. He stared into his glass like the answer might be floating at the bottom of it.

“I wanted to” he finally admitted. “God, so many times” he sniffled before letting out a quiet, humorless chuckle. “There were moments I thought about using it. When things got bad. When I was angry. When I needed leverage, or protection, or just… control”

Peter watched him carefully, not interrupting.

“But every time” Eric continued, voice low, “I’d look at her...at Mama” He then corrected himself softly, deliberately “Our mother”

Peter’s chest tightened at the sound of it, he didn't think he had the right to call her that, not yet.

“She spent her whole life trying to keep that secret” Eric said. “Trying to protect you” His eyes shimmered again. “I couldn’t be the one to break her. I couldn’t disappoint her like that”

“So you carried it alone.. knowing what you deserved, you never even tried to use it” Peter said quietly as if he still couldn't believe someone could behave so selflessly.

“That was the price I had to pay. If I stayed quiet, at least one of us had what they deserved” He looked at Peter then, really looked at him.

Peter exhaled shakily, emotion flickering across his face. He stepped closer and, after a brief hesitation, pulled Eric into a hug. Eric froze for half a second, then he put the glass down on the railing and his arms came up too, gripping tight.

“I'll make sure you will get what you deserve - “ he began but Eric cut him off.

“Don't do anything..don't say anything”

He pulled away from him then.

“That's not right-”

“It doesn't matter.. I have build a life for myself, for her, the man you call your father, he was never my father and never will be, I had one and he'd always be my only dad”

Peter's eyes teared up as he could see the same stubbornness he was used to seeing in him..

“I'm just glad you know now” he added as he placed his hand on his brother's shoulder, hoping he'd understand but Peter was determined to do something. He couldn't just let this go.

****

Inside the cottage, Patricia had taken the time to tell Mira everything she had told Peter. She was in tears as Patricia finished recalling everything, but then she was excited and happy that she had her as her mother in law instead of Alicia Haines.

“Oh my God this was my dream, remember?” She said as she wiped her tears and turned to you, a breathless laugh breaking through the emotion. “Us ending up with two brothers. I literally manifested this”

You smiled softly, still a little dazed by everything, but there was warmth there.

“You did” you murmured. “You really wished it into existence”

Mira shook her head, standing up and pacing a little as the realization fully settled in.

“I can’t believe it,” she said, half-laughing, half-crying.

She then turned to Patricia suddenly. “You know what the funniest part is?” she said gently “I always hoped I’d end up with a family that actually felt like family”

Patricia’s eyes softened instantly. “And you have” she said, voice quiet but certain.

“Yeah. I do…this feels exactly like a family..like how i always wanted”

She glanced toward the deck, the silhouettes of Peter and Eric were faintly visible through the glass. Her expression shifted, something tender and understanding settling in.

When they both returned, Peter hugged Patricia before he reached for you, so you hugged him and congratulated him, he congratulated you too for being an aunt. Well you were going to be an aunt no matter if you were with Eric or not in the future.

But just the idea of not being with him felt wrong now, you couldn't imagine your life without him in it.

There were board games lying around so after Peter ordered dinner for everyone, you all sat down to play Monopoly.

“We could have done this at home..just saying” Eric mumbled under his breath.

His comment earned him a look from Mira that was half warning, half amusement.

“Oh no” she said immediately, plopping down on the floor and pulling the Monopoly box toward herself “Absolutely not. This is vacation Monopoly. The rules are different”

Eric snorted quietly as he sat down, you settled beside him without even thinking about it. His knee brushed yours, his fingers twitching like they wanted to reach for your hand but weren’t quite ready to do it in front of Peter and Mira.

Patricia sat across from both the couple, watching the scene unfold with a soft, almost disbelieving smile, like she was memorizing it. This was her whole family together in one place. That's all she had ever wanted.

“Alright” Peter said, opening the box. “Who’s the banker? I guess me”

“No” Eric said immediately “Not you.. I clearly remember you cheating in this game” Peter frowned but then shrugged in response.

“I’ll be the banker” you offered. “I’m neutral”

Mira scoffed as she heard that

“Neutral how? You'll side with him”

Eric opened his mouth and then Closed it. You felt it, that tiny, loaded pause, before he muttered.

“She’s right”

Your heart skipped, but you didn’t say anything. Instead, you took the banker's money and gave it to Patricia.

“Well fair now?” You asked around the group and everyone agreed.

As the game started, the tension from the day slowly melted into something easier, there were still doubts, and apprehension regarding the future but at that moment nobody wanted to disturb the peace.

Mira was aggressively competitive, accusing everyone of conspiring against her every time she landed on a tax square. Peter kept trying to strategize and failing miserably because Mira kept distracting him by whispering things in his ear. Patricia kept forgetting whose turn it was but laughed every time she had to pay rent.

Eric mostly stayed quiet at first, he was leading so he let his actions speak instead, as always.

Later, when dinner arrived and the board was abandoned mid game, the mood was lighter, a sense of normal had settled into place without anyone forcing it.

You excused yourself briefly to step into the hallway, needing a second to breathe through everything. You didn’t realize Eric had followed until you felt him behind you.

“Hey” he said quietly as he grabbed your arm and pulled you into one of the rooms, then the door clicked shut behind you.

The room was dimly lit only by the faint glow from the lamps and the spill of moonlight through the window. You barely had time to process being pulled inside before his hands looped around your waist. Your arms curled around his neck naturally.

“I just— I needed a minute. With you” he murmured

He looked different here, away from everyone else. Less guarded. More… real. The tension in his jaw was still there, but his eyes weren’t distant anymore.

“I needed a minute too”

That seemed to ease something in him. He exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair before letting it fall back behind you.

“Today was… a lot” he admitted. “I don’t think my brain’s caught up yet”

“Mine either”

There was a pause , not awkward, just heavy with everything neither of you were saying. The family secret. Mira’s pregnancy. Arrival of a new member.

“How are you feeling about all this? Too much?” he asked suddenly so you took a deep breath. You had been thinking a lot since yesterday.

“It is ..but..I just keep wondering if we hadn't -” you paused, his brows furrowed so he leaned down to kiss your forehead.

“What sweetheart? Talk to me” your eyes teared up at the softness.

“Just keep thinking if we hadn't fucked around during Mira's wedding.. I mean usually a guy like you wouldn't look at me twice so..it could have happened” his heart clenched as you said that.

“Just the idea of not knowing you like this..not having you, just being Mira's best friend that you probably know a little about..it hurts in a weird way” Eric stilled completely when you said that.

For a second, it was like the words had knocked the air out of him. His grip around you tightened, not possessive, just instinctive like he needed to anchor himself to the fact that you were right there, that this wasn’t some fragile alternate reality that could vanish if he blinked wrong.

“Hey” he murmured, pulling back just enough to look at you. His thumb brushed under your eye, catching the tear before it could fall “No.”

You frowned slightly, confused, so he shook his head again, slower this time.

“Don’t do that to yourself,” he said softly

“Eric—”

“The moment I saw you in the ballroom I wanted you” he cut in gently, but firmly. “It was instant, it was strong” His forehead rested against yours now, voice low, steady.

Despite yourself, a weak laugh slipped out of you.

“I didn’t know what to do with it, even after that first night I couldn't stop wanting you-” he continued. “I was… careful. I always am. But that doesn’t mean it didn't hit me as strongly as it hit you” Your chest ached at the sincerity in his tone.

“I get what you’re saying” he said quietly “The what-ifs. The parallel lives where we never crossed this line..where we missed each other, found someone else instead at the same wedding” His hand pressed flat against your back, grounding you “But every version of that future feels wrong to me”

You looked up at him, eyes shining.

“It does to me too”

He exhaled shakily, relief flickering across his face like he had been holding his breath for longer than he realized.

“You’re… you’re the only person I think about when everything else gets loud around me”

That did it. You pressed your face into his shoulder, your fingers clutching at his shirt as emotion spilled over. He held you immediately, no hesitation, one hand cradling the back of your head, the other firm at your waist.

“Don't ever leave again” your voice cracked, his hold tightened.

“I’m yours” he murmured softly. The ache that has settled quietly throughout the day lessened at his assurance.

There were only two bedrooms so you decided to sleep on the couch while Mira and Patricia took the bed. Both of them insisted that you change places but you didn't listen. Mira needed comfort and you couldn't let Patricia sleep on the couch.

In the other room, Peter and Eric awkwardly shared a bed. Not their first time but it has definitely been years, decades.

After a minute of silence Peter finally asked if Eric still watched people in their sleep. That's when Eric sat up, leaned against the headboard and decided to tell him the truth about why he did it. He wasn't ashamed of it anymore, especially after you had accepted his truth.

When Peter learned the truth he felt like a jerk all over again, all his life he had misunderstood the man sitting next to him, in one way or another.

“How do you feel about all of this?”

Eric asked Peter. It was difficult for him to imagine what he was feeling at the moment.

“I'm angry and ecstatic all at once” Eric studied him for a moment. The dim bedside lamp cast soft shadows across his face.

“That makes sense” Eric said quietly. “I think… if you weren’t feeling both, I’d be more worried”

Peter let out a short, humorless laugh.

“Yeah? Because right now I feel like I might either punch a wall or cry. Maybe both. In no particular order”

Eric’s lips twitched faintly.

“You always were dramatic”

Peter scoffed, then sighed, rubbing his face.

“I’m angry because no one told me the truth. Because my whole life feels like a lie. And because I keep thinking about everything I didn’t see before. Everything I got wrong”

Eric didn’t interrupt. He just listened, the way he always had.

“And I’m ecstatic” Peter continued, voice softer now, “because somehow… in all this mess, I didn’t lose anyone..not really. I gained a brother and a mother I always had. And I’m about to have a kid” He laughed again, breathless this time. “That part still doesn’t feel real”

“Yeah. That tends to hit in waves” Eric responded calmly.

There was a pause. Peter glanced at him sideways.

“You’re… weirdly calm about all of this”

Well Peter didn't see him having a panic attack and crying like a baby in your arms. And he wasn't going to reveal that either, they weren't there yet.

“I don’t think I am. I just had more time to make peace with it.” He shifted slightly, resting his back more comfortably

“I’m sorry”

Eric turned to him then. Really looked at him.

“For what?”

“For assuming things about you. For thinking you were cold and selfish. Or just… distant and weird” Peter’s voice cracked slightly. He felt guilty and he had regret now, he got married and his brother wasn't next to him as he should have been and his mother didn't sit in the front row watching him.

“We were kids. And then we were strangers. It happens” Eric responded.

“That doesn’t make it okay”

“No” Eric agreed “It's just human”

Peter hummed in response before lying back down, the exhaustion from the day settling deep in his bones.

“Well goodnight” he mumbled as he got comfortable so Eric hummed in response.

As the light clicked off and the room fell into darkness, neither of them spoke again, but for the first time in years, the silence didn’t feel like distance, they were sharing a space again after decades, space that they both deserved.

Eric couldn't fall asleep though, he tried but he couldn't and he didn't want Peter to wake up to him watching him sleep so he got out of the bed and grabbed his phone to call you.

You picked it up immediately.

“Can't sleep?” He asked softly so you whined, trying to be quiet as Mira and Patricia were already asleep.

“Come out, I want to take you somewhere” He heard the sound of you shuffling on the couch, when you opened the door he stood right outside.

He didn't say a word. You barely had time to register what was happening before his fingers laced with yours. He didn’t explain. He didn’t need to.

Soft lights glowed along the hallway as he led you out, you walked for two minutes before the reception area arrived.

The receptionist looked up, her voice low as Eric spoke to her in a calm, practiced tone. You didn’t catch most of it as you stood in the lounge but you did see when she gave him a key card.

A separate room.

Your heart fluttered, not with nerves, but with the intimacy of it. The intentionality.

Eric guided you down another corridor, this one dimmer, softer. When the door closed behind you, the silence felt different here, it was intimate and private.

“I didn’t want to be alone with my thoughts” You stepped closer without thinking as he said that, your hands finding his chest.

“You don’t have to be”

His shoulders dropped slightly, like the weight he’d been carrying finally loosened its grip. He cupped your face, thumbs brushing along your jaw. And then without a word he had lifted you up in his arms and laid you down on the bed.

A soft giggle escaped your chest as he stood at the edge and unbuttoned his shirt. He let the shirt fall to the floor, slow and deliberate, like he wasn’t rushing this moment at all. The soft light traced familiar lines across his chest, every muscle carved to perfection.

You propped yourself up on your elbows, watching him, heart thudding quietly, not from nerves, but from how wanted you felt.

“Mmm” you murmured softly, the giggle still lingering in your voice. “Pants now hottie”

He smiled once as your toes rested over the waistband of his trousers, circling the bulge slowly before you put them back on the mattress. The sight of you acting all sexy in your fluffy pyjamas turned him on beyond belief.

As he took off his pants, he climbed up, knees settling on either side of you. Eyes hungry but there was a look of softness in them, as if he wanted to devour you and make sure you were loved at the same time. Once he had you completely naked underneath him, he pushed his cock inside, inch by inch it was a torture, slow, deliberate, your walls stretched around his girth.

Your back melted into the mattress, toes curled into the sheets, fingers digging into his shoulders as he began moving in a gentle rhythm.

“mmm who taught you to fuck this good” the words rolled out of your mouth before you could contain them. You knew he had probably fucked a hundred of women, he had no lack of female attention, the fact that he didn't want to keep whoring around and commit instead told you that he always needed stability in his life. That and control, both the things he didn't have.

His pace didn't change, hips kept moving in that slow delicious circle that always left you breathless..his palms wrapped around your thighs as he pulled you closer, closer until his cock stilled as far as it could inside you.

“You really want to know?” he asked quietly. You nodded, fingers still curled at his shoulders, eyes soft now, playful but also curious.

“When I was nineteen” he began, voice low and even, “I dated this older woman” You stayed still, listening. It made sense, Eric had that way about him, he appreciated maturity. All the women he had dated in the past, his exes and now you, they weren't fresh out of college young women. He always dated in his age group so you weren't surprised that at such a young age he still desired that maturity.

“She wasn’t warm” he said after a moment “She didn’t talk about feelings. Didn’t ask for them either” A faint, almost wry smile crossed his lips “I think that’s why it worked at the time because I absolutely despised feelings”

His thumb traced a slow circle along your calf as he raised your leg up on his shoulder.

“She taught me intimacy the physical way” he continued “How to slow down. How to read someone’s body instead of rushing to prove something. How touch can be desperate and intentional, how to make the pleasure last”

Your chest tightened, not with jealousy, but understanding.

“Sounds hot” he chuckled faintly as he began moving again.

“She often said that sex doesn’t mean anything unless the person you're fucking feels chosen in the moment..that always stuck with me” His expression softened completely.

“Mmm you ruined me the first night you fucked me..i tried so hard to stay away the next morning and I couldn't-” you smiled at the memory, how hard you were trying to avoid him and how he has pulled you back anyways.

“You weren't the only one ruined”

The room went still around you as he said that. The sound of his breathing and your moans was all that remained. His hips snapped into your violently as he chased that high. His grip on your thighs tightened as he watched your breasts jiggling with every thrust.

But before letting go completely, before you had fallen apart in his arms, he needed to tell you something, he wanted to ask a question, even if he already knew your answer. He didn't want to ask so soon, didn't want to scare you away but he knew it was time, or that's how he felt. Even if you say no it wouldn't really change anything for him. He'd wait as long as you'd want.

“I want us to live together”

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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@arttheclown666 @slutoru1207 @sagekisses @cookie-crumbs-x @loiita-xo @samanthaw16

[littledark11]

This was the most intense chapter I have ever read like secrets came out Peter finding out that Eric is actually his his brother and Mira is pregnant out of nowhere!! And literally got mad At Y/N like what did she do?! She didn't know anything about this pregnancy!

I'm not shocked that Eric learned how to please women from an older woman I'm not I honestly thought he had a phase where he just exclusively dated older women only.

Peter and Eric talking about makes me happy

[lokisprettygirl]

On a tight leash (Bill Skarsgård! Eric Draven x Female Reader) (18+) (AU)

Read chapter 24 here / Series Masterlist

Chapter 25

Summary : Patricia recalls her history with Rupert. Peter comes to a decision.

Warning: 18+, smut, Angst, Somnophilia, unprotected sex, sexual domination, oral sex, oral during mensuration, slight bdsm, sex during mensuration, body image issues, mention of cramps and mensuration, bodyshaming, mention of self loathing and insecurities, weird obsessive behaviour, classism

Note: Severe lack of Eric and reader in this chapter..but it was important

Rupert Haines and Patricia Miller grew up in the same mansion. The difference being, one was the sole heir of the Heins Family, the other, a daughter of the simple maid of the house. William Haines, Rupert's Father had hired Patricia's mother to take care of him after he suffered an untimely stroke. She had a toddler she couldn't keep away so little Patricia was often found running around in the mansion, creating ruckus she probably wasn't allowed to make.

Mrs. Haines, Williams’s wife, didn't appreciate it but she had no say in it.

As Patricia and Rupert grew up, she became the only person he spent his time with. They ate together and played together, they even studied together but while Patricia was homeschooled by her mother, Rupert was sent to an exclusive private elite school, while she ate comforting meals, he dined and feasted every night.

And despite all their differences the friendship remained strong, Rupert couldn't go a day without speaking with Patricia. She was the one person he came to whenever he felt disappointed by the world out there. She was his best friend, his confidante, someone he could trust blindly. And as they grew up from teens to adults, their friendship blossomed in love.

On one rainy night as they were running back to the mansion, hand in hand, the sight of drenched Patricia sparked something electric in his heart. Rupert kissed her out of nowhere, and to his surprise she reverted it. Despite all the warnings her mother had given her over the years, all the differences in their social status, in that moment when Rupert kissed her, she couldn't push him away because she wanted him as much as he did.

For years they met in secret, spent their nights together in secret, in front of the world she was just the simple housemaid now, she now worked the kitchen service because William Haines cherished her cooking. But in secret she was Rupert's everything. He had whispered promises to her that deep down she knew he'd never be able to fulfill.

A few years later, the inevitable happened. Rupert Haines was formally engaged to Alicia, the perfect match on paper, the daughter of an equally powerful family, chosen to preserve the bloodlines and reputation. It wasn't as if Rupert didn't try, he never meant to betray Patricia but he underestimated the image of his family. He stood before his parents and spoke Patricia’s name out loud, confessed that he loved her, that she had always been the one.

And they did not yell at him. They did not threaten either. Instead, they broke him down slowly and emotionally, reminding him of legacy, of duty, of the family name that had been carried for generations. They spoke of disgrace, of scandal, of everything that would be lost if he goes down this path.

So despite the love he carried in his heart, in the end, Rupert folded to the pressure of being a Haines.

After the wedding, Patricia and Rupert barely saw each other. When they did, it was brief, stolen moments filled with longing and restraint. When her mother died, she had nowhere else to go, the mansion became the place that offered her living and stability.

On the other side, Rupert tried to build a life with Alicia. He tried to love her too. But Alicia was not warm like Patricia, not gentle, not giving. She had been raised in wealth and entitlement, accustomed to admiration rather than intimacy. No matter how hard he forced himself to open up to her, she didn't revert, and his heart never responded to her.

Then followed the miscarriages, one after another. Each loss further destroyed their marriage. An heir was expected, an heir was necessary. Despite the medical advancement of the time and all the wealth they owned, the pregnancy didn't survive. Alicia withdrew into bitterness and resentment, while Rupert, drowning in grief and frustration, found himself returning to the one person that had ever felt like home.

Patricia.

He fell back into her arms with the desperation of a man who had been pretending for too long, he cried in her arms, he begged for forgiveness and despite the reservations she fell back to the man she had truly loved once. This time, fate did not hesitate, She became pregnant.

When she told him, Rupert wept. He held her as though she might disappear, promising to give their child everything. He swore their child would have the world.

To protect the lie and the legacy, Alicia played her part, she despised Patricia greatly but she had to accept her fate. She appeared in public with a carefully crafted fake bump, smiling for photographs, accepting congratulations, allowing society to believe she carried the future heir of the Haines family.

Patricia stayed hidden in a secret chamber of the mansion for the rest of her pregnancy, carrying Rupert’s child in silence, knowing she was once again loving a man who belonged to another woman. And yet, she endured, because this time, it was no longer just about love.

It was about the child growing inside her, and despite the heartbreak and the pain, that child suddenly became her only reason to live, her will to move forward.

When she finally gave birth, she delivered twins, two boys who arrived quietly into a world built on lies. As newborns, they looked strikingly similar despite being the fraternal twins, their tiny faces almost indistinguishable in those first fragile days. Rupert held them both in awe, despite what the future would bring, he knew those children were the proof of love he once carried in his heart.

It was Rupert who named the first child, the older one, the one born just three minutes before the other.

Eric Haines.

He had declared proudly, cradling the little boy in his arms as though the name itself could secure his place in the world. The second twin was named by Patricia. She chose Peter. She had always loved that name.

For a brief moment, just one moment , in that birth room that smelled faintly of ammonia and blood, it seemed as if their deception might hold, that the lues would become the truth, she was happy for a moment to know that her children would have the life she never got to have.

But as weeks passed the differences began to surface, slowly at first, then unmistakably. Peter grew into Rupert’s mirror image, the same sharp features, the same unmistakable Haines bone structure, one look at him and people could see he was Rupert's offspring. Eric on the other hand? He carried Patricia in every line of his face. Her eyes. Her mouth. Her softness. Her smile. All of him was made of Patricia, her and her only.

The family saw it then. Alicia was the first one to bring it up. She could still handle Peter, because looking at his face didn't remind her of the mistress of her husband.

Eric on the other hand? she despised the sight of him, that little boy, barely a few weeks old, the boy with no fault of his own boiled her blood, she was the one to infiltrate the minds of the in laws first and then her husband.

Eric’s resemblance to Patricia was not just inconvenient, it was dangerous. To the Haines family, he was not merely a child, he was proof. Proof of betrayal. Proof of disgrace. Proof that the heir they had presented to the world was born of another woman.

And that was something they could never accept.

One night Rupert came to Patricia, he picked up and held little Eric in his arms for the last time, cried until he couldn't cry anymore and then he left with Peter. That's how little Eric was abandoned by his father, not because his father didn't love him but because he was a weak-willed man burdened by the name of his family.

The moment Peter was given in Alicia’s arms he began crying endlessly.

No matter how many nurses were summoned after that, no matter how gentle lullabies Alicia tried to sing to him, the boy would not settle, wouldn't drink, wouldn't sleep. He screamed until his tiny face turned red, his fists clenched. He wasn't separated just from his mother but his twin as well, the one he shared the womb with, his brother, his family.

Alicia held him with frustration and helplessness tightening her grip, but Peter only cried harder, his wails echoing through the walls of the huge mansion like a living reminder of everything that had gone wrong.

They tried everything. Wet nurses. Doctors. Nothing worked. Alicia was exhausted, humiliated, and furious all at once. She wanted to go back to her tea parties and social gatherings, and not worry about some infant she didn't even birth.

It was then her mother in law suggested Patricia's name.

The idea sickened Alicia. The woman she despised, the living proof of her husband’s betrayal, the mother of the child she had ensured would never be acknowledged. But desperation outweighed hatred, the heir needed to be soothed and she needed the peace back in her life.

And so Patricia was summoned, not as a mother but as a nanny. She was tending to Eric when one of the house help came to gather her.

He laid quietly in a simple crib, his tiny chest rising and falling in soft, steady breaths. Unlike his brother, he did not cry. He rarely did. He watched the world with wide, observant eyes that looked far too old for a child barely weeks into life.

When Patricia reached for him, Eric stirred, turning his head instinctively toward her voice. The moment she lifted him, his fingers curled around hers, firm and trusting. He made a small sound, not a cry, but something close to a sigh as he settled against her.

“I’m here” she whispered, tears slipping down her cheeks “Mama’s here.”

She fed him slowly, memorizing the weight of him in her arms, the warmth of his body, the familiar curve of his face that mirrored her own. This was the child she was allowed to keep because of embarrassment. A child hidden away, already treated as something shameful and her heart was broken every time she looked at his wide curious eyes, knowing what the future held for him. She had decided to run away then, to keep her boy protected and away from the shadows of this family.

But then they came to take her to Peter, she kissed Eric’s forehead and placed him back in the crib with shaking hands. He fussed softly as she stepped away, his eyes following her until the door closed.

In the nursery upstairs, Peter laid red faced and screaming, his cries sharp and frantic. The moment Patricia entered, her heart clenched, one son abandoned in silence, the other screaming for something he could not name yet. He was separated not just from his mother, but half of his soul too, the brother he shared the womb with.

As soon as she lifted him into her arms, the crying stopped. It was so sudden it startled everyone in the room.

Peter let out a broken hiccup, his body relaxing against her chest as though he had been searching for her all along. His tiny fingers clutched around the fabric of her dress. When she guided him closer to her chest, he latched on immediately, nursing peacefully, as if nothing else in the world existed.

The room fell silent.

Alicia watched from across the nursery, her expression hard and tight. There was something deeply unsettling about how completely the child calmed in Patricia’s arms, how instinctively he responded to her. It confirmed what Alicia had tried so fiercely to deny.

Blood knew blood.

From that moment on, Peter refused to be soothed by anyone else. He cried when Patricia left, reached for her when she returned, and slept only when she was nearby. What was meant to be temporary became permanent. Patricia was kept close, not out of mercy, but necessity.

By day, she nursed Peter, rocked him, and sang him to sleep. By night, she returned to the small hidden room where Eric waited, being tended by some other woman throughout the day, surviving on formula instead of his mother's milk.

When she held him he often clung to her as though he already understood he had been left behind. She learned to split herself in two, she had no choice, she couldn't run anymore, couldn't leave behind the other half of her soul when she knew he wouldn't survive without her.

As the months passed, it became impossible to keep Eric hidden away.

He learned to crawl, then to stand, then to walk toward the light and sound of life beyond the small room that had once contained him. He followed voices, reached for open doors, laughed too loudly to remain a secret. No matter how carefully Patricia tried to shield him, a growing child could not be confined to one room forever.

So she made a choice. She kept Eric with Peter.

To the household and rest of the world, Eric was introduced as the nanny’s child, an explanation offered once and never questioned ever again. He stayed close to Patricia’s skirts, slept in the servant's quarters, and followed Peter everywhere like a second shadow. The twins grew up side by side, inseparable in a way. They shared toys, food, whispered sounds only they understood. When Peter cried, Eric reached for him. When Eric fell, Peter was the first to call out for help.

They did not know why the world treated them differently, but they knew they belonged to each other.

It was during those early years, when Eric had just learned to walk properly and Peter still stumbled behind him, that Patricia met Mark Draven.

He was the new gardener, recently hired to tend the vast grounds of the Haines mansion. Quiet, rugged looking, broad shoulders, with muddy fingers and kind eyes, Mark kept to himself at first. He spoke little, worked diligently, and avoided the main house whenever he could.

But he noticed Eric immediately.

The boy followed Patricia everywhere, big eyes observant as ever, clinging to her skirts with a seriousness that didn’t belong to a child his age, it was as if he was not following his mother but protecting her instead.

One afternoon, as Patricia struggled to keep both boys from wandering into the garden, Mark knelt down and gently redirected Eric away from the rose bushes and thorns that could hurt his fragile skin.

Eric studied him for a long moment, then smiled. That was all it took for Mark to fall in love with the boy.

Mark began finding reasons to be nearby whenever Patricia brought the boys outside. He fixed small toys out of spare wood, let Eric sit beside him while he worked, and lifted him onto his shoulders so he could see the world from above. He told him stories of the places he had been to and the wonders out there waiting to be explored.

Mark loved Eric instantly and then deeply.

He loved that boy for all the reasons his father couldn't. He saw Patricia’s eyes in the boy’s face, her gentleness in the way Eric watched the world. Everything Rupert had rejected, Mark cherished without hesitation. Eric was loved for the same reasons he was abandoned.

And Patricia noticed that. The selflessness that man carried within him, it wasn't anything she ever had before. She didn't know men could love without conditions.

She noticed the way Mark watched Eric with quiet protectiveness, the way he stepped in without being asked, the way he never looked at her with judgment, only warmth. And somewhere between shared glances and unspoken understanding, something began to grow.

For Mark, it was love at first sight. He never said it out loud, not until she had agreed to be his wife, when he told her how he had fallen for her the first time he saw her she cried in his arms. She never had this type of love before in her life but she accepted it with open arms.

And in doing so, he became the first man to give Eric something his own father never could. Unconditional acceptance and a name.

That's how Eric Haines became Eric Draven.

And that's why he kept the name when he became older and learned the truth. Even after Mark died, even after learning the truth about his heritage, even after knowing who he belonged to Eric never questioned it, never tried to change it, never disrespected the man that had once given him the love of a father without conditions.

****

Once Patricia was done recalling the history, Peter sat next to her, quiet, tears spilling freely from his eyes, making no attempt to shut them down.

The room suddenly felt too small for the weight of what had just been spoken. The past lingered between them like a living thing, heavy and unkind. Peter’s shoulders were tense, his hands clenched together in his lap as tears slipped freely down his face. He didn’t wipe them away. He didn’t try to hide them. For the first time in his life, he allowed himself to feel everything he had been taught to suppress for as long as he could remember.

He felt everything at once, relief and guilt mixing up in this bitter concoction. He always felt guilty for not opening up to Alicia, not being able to share his problems with her, choosing to tell his nanny instead of his mother, all those years of confusion, only to find out that he was just responding to his mother in a way he should have.

And then he felt angry, so fucking angry, at Rupert, at Alicia, even the dead grandparents. He felt furious about the injustice his mother and his brother had suffered through.

Patricia looked at him, really looked at him and for a moment she saw not the Haines heir, not the man shaped by privilege and expectation, but the same little boy who had once cried himself hoarse when she was taken from him at night.

“You did nothing wrong here sweet boy..don't ever blame yourself for this” she said softly as if she could read his mind.

Peter shook his head, a bitter laugh escaping him.

“But it benefited me. Everything he did. I lived the life that should’ve been his also. Eric…” His voice failed him completely this time as he cried again.

Patricia reached out, resting her hand over his. The gesture was hesitant, careful, as if afraid he might pull away. He didn’t. Instead, his fingers curled around hers, grounding himself.

“Eric was loved..he wasn't lavished but he was loved” she said quietly. “In ways money could never replace. Mark gave him that, and I tried even though I failed at times”

“But he didn't get what he deserved, my father..he took away my family from me and him as well”

“Your father loved both of you” she said after a long pause. “But love isn’t enough when fear is stronger. Rupert wasn't a bad person. Just… weak, so weak”

Peter nodded slowly. He had lived with that weakness all his life, even if he had never named it before. Nobody knew his truth either, not even Mira, he knew that love was always the first thing to be sacrificed at the altar of expectations.

“Do you know how hard I had to fight to marry Mira?” he said quietly, his voice still raw, revealing something that he had never told anyone before, not even Mira. “Different race, different culture… Alicia hated it” he said that woman's name as if he refused to acknowledge her as his mother anymore. Patricia never wanted that but she had no right to dictate how he chose to feel about all of this “She said it would change everything. That it would complicate things, mixed race children would destroy the image of this family” He let out a hollow breath “Money didn’t matter here”

Patricia listened without interrupting, her thumb brushing slow, absent circles against the back of his hand.

“I didn’t give up” Peter continued. “I couldn’t. Every time they told me no, every time they reminded me of duty and reputation, I saw Mira’s face in my head and something in me knew what giving up would cost me” His jaw tightened.

Patricia’s eyes softened, pride and grief mingling in equal measure.

“You broke the pattern” she said gently “That takes courage .. something Rupert never had”

Peter swallowed as she said that.

“And yet… I was the one to benefit from his cowardice. I got the name, the inheritance, the safety. You got no acknowledgement and Eric? He always lived in the shadows even though he's the older son of the family”

“You didn't benefit, you got what you deserved. Yes Eric didn't get his due but it's not your fault, never ever blame yourself for this”

Another silence settled between them as she tried to reassure him.

“I don’t know how to face Eric” Peter admitted. “Knowing all of this”

“You don’t face him with guilt” Patricia said firmly. “You face him with honesty. If there's one thing he appreciates more than anything in the world, it's honesty”

Peter’s throat tightened as he swallowed thickly.

“Do you think he hates me? We drifted apart as we grew up, I always thought it was jealousy because of our differences..I feel like such a fool now” he wept again so Patricia wrapped her arms around him to hug him. She held him tightly, one hand cradling the back of his head the way she used to when he was a child. Peter’s shoulders shook against her as years of confusion, resentment, and misplaced guilt finally broke free.

“Hate?” she whispered, stroking his hair “No, sweet boy. Eric doesn’t hate you”

Peter pulled back just enough to look at her, eyes red and searching.

“He was never jealous of you” she continued gently. “He was hurt. Confused. He felt the distance, felt himself being left behind without ever understanding why. He was just eleven when he learned the truth about his heritage, so he also learned to protect himself by pulling away first”

Peter cried even harder when he heard that, he was heartbroken, burdened by the mistakes his father had made, burdened by the injustice his mother and brother had to suffer through.

“Who else knows?” He asked as he wiped his tears and pulled away.

“Nobody does, except y/n” he nodded as she said that.

All these years of miscommunication,of him thinking Eric was just jealous of his privilege, none of it was true. He wasn't jealous, he was hurt, and despite knowing the truth he had remained quiet all his life, preserving the secret he could have revealed anytime to get the justice he deserved, but he chose to stay silent, he protected Peter from the truth in the way only a brother could have.

And it was time for him to do the same.

********

“Mmmm it's almost five…let me go pack a little something for this trip..Mira said something about a resort” you mumbled against his hold so he grumbled in response.

“Why is she such an outgoing butterfly? It's nice to just stay home” he asked as he tightened his grip around you.

“She’s trying to distract herself, Mrs. Haines has been a pain in the ass apparently” you said as you propped up on your elbow.

“She's a bitter, pathetic woman with no life of her own, always has been” you hummed as he said that. He had told you all about how she had treated him as a child and even now you understood his bitterness.

“Good thing we don't have to go back to the palace anytime soon” you mumbled softly as you leaned down to peck his lips.

“If we go, I'm keeping you locked in the east wing with me”

“I have no objection..East wing is very special to me, I love that place” you giggled as you kissed him again, a faint smile curved his mouth. He reluctantly let go of you as you squirmed out of his hold.

“I'll go get something to eat before we leave” he said as he got out of bed.

“Bring me a snack” you yelled before he was almost out of the door so he hummed in response. On the way to the kitchen he bumped into Peter. For a split second, neither of them spoke. No greeting, no attempt to bridge the silence that had lived between them for years. Peter’s eyes were red, his face drawn in a way Eric hadn’t seen since they were young boys.

And then, without a word, Peter stepped forward and wrapped his arms around him.

Eric stiffened instinctively, confusion flashing across his face. Peter’s grip was tight, almost desperate, as if making up for the distance over the years. Eric slowly lifted his hands, resting them against Peter’s back.

“Peter …? Are you alright?” he murmured, unsure but Peter didn’t answer.

After a long moment, he pulled away just as abruptly, nodded once, sharp and turned down the hall toward the guest room where he and Mira were staying, without even looking back once.

Eric stood there, heart pounding, staring after him. That's when his eyes met with Patricia. She stood near her doorway, hands clasped in front of her, her expression unreadable, except for her eyes. Those soft, tired eyes met his, and in them was something unmistakable. The look that told him that that secret they had buried over the years was now out in the open somehow. Suddenly, everything inside him went still.

He didn’t ask, he didn’t need to. That look in his mother's eyes told him everything, Peter knew now. Somehow, some way, the truth had finally surfaced.

Eric dragged a hand down his face, exhaling slowly as the weight of it settled into his chest. He glanced once more down the hallway where his brother had disappeared, then back at Patricia, she gave him the faintest, knowing nod that told him something.

It was going to be the longest weekend of his life.

🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

Taglist

@littledark11 @kikibit @wiseyouthinfluencer @loushaw131460 @ererebus-et-eigengrau @moonlight52moonlight @thewolfcubofkaermorhen @devilslittlehelper @purplerainx1 @cypherpt5fttaehyung @doesntmattert

@arttheclown666 @slutoru1207 @sagekisses @cookie-crumbs-x @loiita-xo @samanthaw16

[littledark11]

I always thought Eric had me tragic life being the affair, not getting the love from his biological father and just basically being an outcast however I have a new point of view of just both of them in general because Peter has a little bit worse because being taken away from his biological mother when he got a little bit older and not knowing that Patricia was actually his mother! His stepmother just being the worst and the father just deciding to be a coward at least Eric had his stepfather who actually cared about him in my opinion basically adopting him as his own son.

[lokisprettygirl]

On a tight leash (Bill Skarsgård! Eric Draven x Female Reader) (18+) (AU)

Read chapter 23 here / Series Masterlist

Chapter 24

Summary : Eric gets in trouble for fighting for you. Things resolve in an unexpected manner, something that would change everything.

Warning: 18+, smut, Angst, Somnophilia, unprotected sex, sexual domination, oral sex, oral during mensuration, slight bdsm, sex during mensuration, body image issues, mention of cramps and mensuration, bodyshaming, mention of self loathing and insecurities, weird obsessive behaviour, classism

You were in the backseat of his car, he was on top of you, as naked as you, his cock pulsing inside you, he had already made you cum twice before but he hadn't cum yet. Every time he reached the edge he pulled out of you and waited until the sensation had softened. The windows had fogged up completely, it was dark, the only light coming was from the bright moon out there. You could hear the sound of crickets chirping.

“Such a pretty pussy, all for me” he murmured as he pulled out again, thumb grazing over your clit “I wish I had enough space to go down and suck..” You bit your lips as his filthy words infiltrated your ears.

“Mmm baby please” you whined, didn't really know what for. His cock slipped in again, walls stretching around his girth made him moan, he would never get tired of seeing you take him in so deeply. He truly wished he had his camera with him so he could take a picture of you like this.

He leaned over you, fingers curling in your hair, another palm flattened over the window as he began thrusting again.

Your head rolled back into the seat, that's when your gaze landed upon the window and his bruised knuckles.

You couldn't help but fear that tomorrow would come with its repercussions.

“You know ahhh-” you paused as the sensation began coiling in your core again “As hot as it was what you did ..I don't want you to do that ever again” you finished as you cupped his cheeks. His movements faltered for a moment.

“Do you really want to talk about that right now?” He asked, thumb running over your lips gently.

“No I'm just saying, you don't have to get in trouble, people like Adam..you know how they can get” he hummed as you said that.

“Don't worry about it, I'll handle it okay?” You nodded even though the fear stayed with you. “Focus on me” he murmured as he leaned down to kiss you, his hips began moving again, gentler this time.

“I am always focusing on you baby” you murmured against his mouth.

“Good..that's what I want”

When you went back to your apartment the first thing you did was to nurse the wounds on his knuckles, it looked way worse now that some time has passed. He made a fuss as you made him stand in front of the sink, washing the dried blood with warm water and soap as gently as you could before bringing him back to the bed.

“Sit down, I need to bandage it so you're not scraping the wound in your sleep” his mouth curved into a smile at the command but he obliged anyway.

“This is going to sting okay?” You mumbled softly as you used an antiseptic solution on his knuckles, he didn't flinch, obviously he didn't but you knew he was hurt and just trying to be strong.

“Hey look at me” he mumbled softly as he tried to meet your eyes but you kept looking at the bandage as if your life depended on it.

“Hey” he mumbled sternly as he grabbed your chin and made you look up, your eyes were filled with tears and it clenched his heart “I'm fine.. really..this is nothing”

He spoke softly so you nodded before finishing the dressing.

After putting the first aid box away when you came back to the bed, he pulled you underneath him, riding your dress up, then he slipped the thong down your legs.

“I think you need to rest” you mumbled softly, even though the anticipation had already gotten your breaths heavy.

“Shhhh-” he murmured as he spread your thighs apart, pressing them into the mattress as far as your body allowed. He then grabbed a pillow and put it under your hips..

“Mmmm fuck.. I have been wanting to do this for so long” he murmured, voice husky and rough, his thumb traced over your smooth and wet lips.

That's when you surrendered completely, not arguing or fighting it anymore, arms went over your head and back arched.

His fingers played with your sensitive flesh until you were dripping mess again, his cum still leaking out of you from your previous encounter. That's when he pressed his mouth on your clit and sucked mercilessly. Broken moans escaped your throat, fingers curling into his hair as he nipped and sucked on the bundle of nerves.

He didn't stop until he had made you cum again, and then again, you had to beg him to stop, beg that you couldn't do it anymore and still he coaxed one more orgasm out of you somehow.

*****

The next morning came with its troubles, what you had feared would happen had happened.

Robert Sinclair, Adam's father had pressed assault and battery charges on Eric. Two cops came to your apartment around six to get him, they had a warrant, the CCTV footage outside of the club was evidence.

You stood there motionless as the cops waited with the handcuffs and he was nonchalant as ever as if making a business deal. He asked them to give him two minutes just so he could keep you calm because he knew you were going to cry and freak out once he left, blaming yourself for all of it when it wasn't your fault.

“Hey listen to me..I have a lawyer, I'll get myself out of the situation” he pulled you in his arms to hug you tightly.

“I need you to stay calm, okay? And I need you to not play the blame game, none of this happened because of you…okay?” You nodded between the tears as he said that.

To make the matters worse, the matter had made it to the news, Robert Sinclair being who he was wanted sympathy for the son. Eric's reputation was at stake here and you couldn't help but feel responsible despite whatever he had said.

Mira came over after they booked Eric and took him to the station, Peter was with Patricia, he had been trying to speak with Adam about this, convince him to take back the charges but Adam wasn't listening to him.

You called your boss and explained to him the situation, he was very gracious with you. As the hours passed you began to feel worse.

In the late afternoon you waited to hear some type of good news, some relief but nothing came.

“God you need to see this” Mira said as she suddenly showed you her phone, her thumb scrolling faster than your brain could keep up.

At first all you saw was his face.

The mugshots had been taken badly, harsh fluorescent lights, plain white background, he was wearing the same black shirt he had left with this morning. And yet it didn’t matter. His jaw was still sharp, eyes steady and unapologetic, mouth set in that calm, dangerous line that always made him look intimidating. His bruised knuckles were visible as he held the placard. The bandages were taken off. Despite all that he looked godly as fuck.

LOCAL BUSINESSMAN & EVENT PRODUCER ARRESTED IN ASSAULT CASE — SON OF PROMINENT INDUSTRIALIST ROBERT SINCLAIR FILES CHARGES

Your stomach dropped immediately as you read the headline, then Mira opened the Instagram account and scrolled to show you something else.

“Wait—read the comments..his mugshot has gone viral” she said, voice tinged with disbelief and amusement and you shared her amusement when you began to read the comments.

Why does he look hotter than half the men on my feed?

is it illegal to say i’d let him ruin my life

free him idc what he did bitch

that man looks like he punched someone for a GOOD reason

He looks the type to do whatever he wants and I support that

God would you look at that nose, I'm in love

Mama I'm in Love with a criminal

So Where do I file for his bail?

There were edits already. Someone had taken the mugshot, sharpened the contrast, added dramatic music.

A knot formed in your chest, not jealousy exactly, but something complicated. This wasn’t what you had expected. You had braced yourself for hatred, for judgment, for him being painted as a violent monster.

Instead, the internet was… fawning over him?

“Oh,” she murmured “Okay. This is where it turns” She tapped on a trending topic on twitter. A thread. Anonymous account. Hundreds of retweets already

Regarding the Eric Draven vs Adam Sinclair case

Adam Sinclair has a history. Multiple women have spoken up and were quieted down before. Verbal harassment. Slurs. Threats. He was loudly talking explicitly about Draven’s girlfriend, a pharmaceutical sales manager. Taunting with vulgar remarks in front of people, that included the likes of Peter Haines and wife Mira Haines. Peter Haines also grew up with Eric Draven, the same man who organised his wedding that made the vogue feature this year. Adam Sinclair is his best friend, it's not random assault, they all have a history together.

Your breath caught as you read that. What the fuck was going on?

The comments underneath were brutal.

So rich boy Adam fucked around and found out

Pressing charges because he lost a fight he started with his mouth

Imagine being a grown ass man and crying to daddy after insulting someone’s girlfriend

free Eric NOW

Even accounts that had initially sided with Adam were backtracking. Influencers were reposting the thread with captions like

“Men defending their partners isn’t violence, it’s birthright, it's justice”

“God if I was the girlfriend I’d suck his dick the moment he gets out..like yess daddy you fought for my honor..you deserve everything”

Yeah well you weren't really opposed to it.

Someone dug up old rumors about Adam being thrown out of another club months ago. Someone else posted a blurry video where his voice could be heard in the background, slurring something ugly and laughing. The narrative was shifting. Fast.

“Someone tell me what do I gotta do to have a man like this”

Another comment.

“Eric Draven organized my anniversary party just a few weeks ago, wife and I loved everything beyond belief, a highly intelligent and composed man and exceptional at his job, the other party must have provoked him enough to raise hands”

A guy from Arizona had made the statement to the press, which you realised was Pierce, the guy who wanted to be his friend.

You sank down onto the bed, phone trembling in your hands.

“They’re… on his side” you whispered, disbelief thick in your voice.

Mira nodded slowly.

“Yeah. People are angry. This isn’t playing out the way Robert Sinclair thought it would when he leaked it to the media”

Your chest ached, not with relief exactly.

Because no matter how the internet spun it, no matter how many women defended him or thirsted over his mugshot, you knew the truth that didn’t fit neatly into a viral thread. He hadn’t thrown that punch for clout. He hadn’t done it to look heroic.

He had done it because someone dared talk about you like you didn’t deserve any respect just because you didn't have as much money as them.

And now the world was watching, half of them cheering, half of them waiting for him to fall, while he sat in a cell, calm as ever, trusting you to stay standing firm on the outside. There were messages in your DM’s as well, people figured out these things quicker than cops could, they found that picture of you two from Mira's wedding, some messages were supportive, some jealous, some asking what he was like in person, if he was as intimidating as he looked. How good was he in bed? If he was into BDSM. All kinds of personal questions that weren't anyone's business.

Some women came forward, the ones who had dated him in the past, saying all kinds of stuff about him, the conclusion being he was a brutally honest man but he wasn't violent.

Her phone suddenly rang, it was Peter so you gave it back to her. When she hung up she asked you to pack up a little something as she was taking you to Patricia's.

To make matters worse, Rupert Haines was on a flight to London so Peter couldn't get in touch with him. He could have requested the Sinclairs to take back the charges because of their professional and personal relationships. Apparently Robert Sinclair owed him a lot.

On the way to her house you felt anxious, for some reason you feared she'd blame you for this. But the moment you entered her apartment she hugged you tightly, you could tell she had been crying even though she was trying to be strong.

“The lawyer is working on the bail” Peter assured you so you gave him a nod.

“Did you try to talk to Adam?” you asked him so he sighed.

“I did, he's just not listening, he's on a weird power trip at the moment, it's all because of that -” he paused as he looked at Mira.

“What? Oh you mean Tanya? Well I don't like her either, she has been extra insufferable since she began dating him, it's like they bring out the worst in each other” she finished. You sighed and sat down on the couch.

You sat there with your hands clasped together, staring at nothing in particular, the low hum of conversation moving around you without really registering.

Patricia disappeared into the kitchen and came back with cups of tea for everyone, pressing the cup into your hands, all warm and motherly as usual.

“Drink” she said gently. “You’re shaking” You hadn’t even noticed.

Peter’s phone buzzed again. He glanced at it, jaw tightening, then relaxed slightly as he read whatever was on the screen.

“Okay” he said, exhaling. “Arraignment’s scheduled the first thing tomorrow morning. The judge didn’t see the need to rush it tonight”

Your heart sank as you heard that, so did Patricia's

“So he’s staying in that cell overnight?” you asked as you stood up.

“Yeah” Peter said “But the lawyer’s confident. Bail hearing’s clean. Charges stay for now atleast, I'll speak with Dad when he lands in a few hours, but he’ll be out by tomorrow afternoon at the latest” you hummed as he said that.

Mira leaned against the doorframe, scrolling again on her phone, she was deeply into the online lore surrounding the situation

“For what it’s worth” she spoke, “the internet is in his favour…Damn women are legit dreaming about him” Peter couldn't help but snort as he looked at Patricia.

“What? My son is very handsome..it doesn't surprise me in the least”

“Does this help? The whole viral thing?” you asked him.

“It doesn’t hurt” he said carefully “But courts don’t care about viral sympathy. They care about facts. He was provoked that is true but he hit first too”

That evening Patricia made everyone sit down for dinner but you had lost your appetite, he was all alone in some cell. Sleep also came in fragments. Every time you closed your eyes, you pictured him behind the cell. You knew he wouldn't be getting a lick of sleep, he must be thinking ten steps ahead, already planning damage control, already telling himself this was manageable.

Everyone went to their rooms, all of you needed rest, you had almost forgotten that Peter and Mira were here to celebrate their six months of marriage, you almost felt guilty but the guilt was overshadowed by the worry.

******

The next morning came faster than anticipated. You didn't sleep all night, around 5 your eyes finally closed, and then you woke up around 11 to Eric sitting at the edge of the bed, he was watching you sleep. You immediately sat up as for a moment you thought you were dreaming.

For a split second your brain refused to catch up, sleep clinging to you, fear still lodged deep in your bones from the night before. Then you saw him properly, still dressed in yesterday’s clothes, hair a little messy, eyes fixed on you like he’d been there for a while.

“Eric?”

“Hey” he said softly as he reached closer “Easy sweetheart..come here” You reached for him before he could say anything else, fingers curling into his shirt like he might disappear. He let you pull him close, arms wrapping around you, holding you steady as your breathing stuttered.

“You’re here” you whispered. “You’re really here”

“I am” he murmured into your hair

Your forehead pressed to his chest. You could feel his heartbeat, slow, controlled, familiar. Relief hit so hard your knees felt weak even though you were already sitting.

“What happened?” you asked, pulling back just enough to look at him. “Peter said—”

“I know what he said.” His thumb brushed under your eye, catching the tear you hadn’t realized had fallen. “Plans changed”

“How?”

He didn’t answer right away.

Instead, he studied your face, like he was making sure you were okay before anything else. Then he exhaled slowly.

“The charges were dropped by the Sinclairs”

The words didn’t land at first.

“Dropped?” you repeated as you stared at him, searching for a but, though it didn't come.

“But… Adam’s father—”

“Pulled them” Eric said nonchalantly “Quietly”

Your heart started racing again, but this time with confusion instead of panic.

“Why would he do that after all that shit?”

Eric’s jaw tightened just a fraction. Not anger really but probably because he had already put the pieces together.

“It's probably my mother and the influence Rupert Haines has over the Sinclair family”

You hummed as he said that.

“I hated thinking of you in there” you changed the conversation as you could tell he didn't want to talk further about it.

“I know” His voice softened “That’s why I’m here”

He shifted closer, pulling you gently against him until your head rested under his chin. One of his hands slid up and down your back in slow, grounding strokes. You closed your eyes, breathing him in, the last of the fear finally draining from your body.

After making sure you were okay, he finally pulled away.

“God I need a shower..” he murmured softly as he sniffed himself and stood up to take his shirt off.

“Did you see Patricia?” You asked as you got out of bed so he hummed in response “And Peter? He was trying his best yester-”

“I know.. I appreciate that” he mumbled “He gave me this weird, long hug when he saw me today” his voice sounded confused “Don't know what to make of it”

“He must be just relieved” you assured him so he hummed again. “You just woke up, want to shower with me?” He asked as he looked at you from head to toe so you smiled. You kept staring at him as you both stood under the hot water, the day a complete contrast from yesterday. He had his arms braced against the wall behind you, caging you with his body.

“You know your mugshots went viral?” You asked as you reached for him, fingernails tracing the path from his cheek, down to his chest.

“Yeah.. Mira said something about it” he responded nonchalantly.

“How does it make you feel? All those women fawning over you?” You asked sneakily so he smiled.

“It's nothing I haven't had before” he responded, voice confident but not really arrogant, just knowing.

“Not like this”

“Yeah but it doesn't make a difference, except James told me rich women are flooding up the work mail to book me now for their events” he chuckled slightly.

“You should have seen the hullabaloo, this one comment stuck with me though -” you murmured, fingers trailing the line between his abs until you reached lower. He frowned for a moment, fearing that you were letting comments from anonymous people get to you.

“What comment?” He asked, worry tinged his tone. That's when you went down on your knees in front of him…

“That if she was the girlfriend and you had done this for her, she'd go down on her knees the moment you were out” you kept your eyes on him as you grabbed his cock and gave him a stroke, his breath hitched.

“I didn't do you a favor ..you don't owe me anything” he said firmly, fingers curling in your hair despite the hesitation.

“That's not the reason why I want to do this” you mumbled before leaning forward and sucking the tip into your mouth.

“Why then?” You lifted your face just enough to look at him, water sliding down your hair, lips curving with that familiar smile.

“Because” you said simply, voice soft but certain, “You’re ridiculously hot…and I want you”

For a second, he just stared at you, caught somewhere between disbelief and something close to awe. Then he let out a breathy laugh, shaking his head. He didn't say a word after that, didn't question it, he just took the pleasure you were offering him. His fingers curled into your scalp, pushing your wet strands away as you bobbed your head back and forth. He tried to hold back, he really did but the moment he felt your lips on his balls, he exploded.

Didn't even give you a warning as he came into your mouth, and you swallowed every drop of him like an offering..

After getting ready when you both stepped out, Patricia was preparing breakfast for everyone. Mira and Peter were already on the table.

Throughout the breakfast you had noticed how Peter was staring at Eric constantly, even Mira noticed it. You couldn't really read that look. Every time Eric looked at him, Peter averted his gaze.

“Mrs. Haines called this morning” Mira finally broke the silence so everyone looked at her.

“What did she say?” You asked her so she sighed.

“She was upset first of all that we..we as in me and Peter let this happen and then she was more upset that Peter asked his father to get involved when this matter had nothing to do with him” Patricia's Eyes teared up as she heard that, but she didn't react.

“Eric is family, always has been” Peter spoke suddenly, looking at Eric “Family should get involved”

He finished before going back to focusing on his plate. You looked at Eric and he seemed confused too. You knew Peter liked Eric deep down, but this felt different.

“I'm sorry you had to miss work yesterday” Eric said as he turned to you so you shook your head.

“It's not a big deal..don't worry about it” you placed your hand on his under the table as you gave him a smile.

“Okay” Mira spoke excitedly as she clapped her hands together “Now that things are back to normal again..sort of and it's Sunday tomorrow..we should go somewhere..just the five of us” she spoke with such giddiness, nobody could have said no to her.

“In the evening maybe? Eric needs his sleep” you said to her so she nodded.

“Ofcourse..oh my god I'm so excited for this” she said as she leaned into Peter and grabbed his arm.

After breakfast you and Eric went to the bedroom so you could cuddle with him for a while.

Mira was already packing essentials for this small trip. That's when Peter knocked on Patricia's door. As she saw him she gave him a warm smile as usual.

“Can we talk about something?” He said as he entered so she approached him. It wasn't unusual of him to come to her with his problems.

“Ofcourse honey ..what's going on? Is it about your mother being upset?” She asked him so he looked everywhere but her, then he approached the bed and sat down. “Peter what's going on? What do you want to talk about, hmm?” She asked him again as she placed her hand on his shoulder, when he looked up his eyes were teary.

“How about we start with what you had said to my father last night”

Her eyes widened in fear and guilt as she heard his response. A sickening mix of shame and panic twisted in her stomach. She wanted to speak, to explain, to beg if she had to, but her throat felt sealed shut, thick with regret. All she could think was how one careless moment had unraveled everything she had tried so desperately to protect.

What had she done?

*********

After dinner last night Patricia had gone to her room and then picked up her phone to call the man she didn't want to talk to. If Eric found out about it she knew he'd feel bad.

Patricia pushed her bedroom door gently but it didn't close, not fully.

Her hands trembled as she picked up the phone from the nightstand. She stared at the name on the screen for a long moment, jaw tight, eyes burning with anger and fear. The phone rang once. Twice. And then he picked up..

“Patricia”

His voice was exactly how she had imagined. Calm. Detached. Unfairly composed. The kind of voice Eric used at times, the only difference being his voice didn't make anyone feel smaller.

“Rupert”

Silence stretched between them, heavy with everything unsaid

“I heard, Peter told me” he said finally

“I know,” she whispered. Her fingers curled into the bedsheet “And you know it’s not what they’re making it out to be” she said, desperation bleeding through now. “You know him. He wouldn’t hurt someone without a reason”

“l know but he still hurt someone enough to put him in the hospital,” he replied.

“He was provoked constantly so he defended the woman he loves. He did nothing wrong”

Rupert exhaled slowly.

“You’re blinded and biased”

“So are you when it comes to him. You always forget that he’s your son, he has your anger, your drive” she said suddenly.

The words hung in the air like a confession and a weapon all at once. Rupert didn’t speak for a long moment, her words sunk into him like a venom..

Her eyes filled, but she pressed on before he could stop her.

“You don’t get to stay silent again. Not when he needs you..I have never asked for anything”

“Patricia—” he cut in “Don't speak of him as if I have never done anything for him. Do you think he just woke up one day and became the most sought after event producer without my help and sources?” she scoffed as she heard that.

“You don't get points for that, you did the least a man of your stature could have done for his own child, his own blood” Her hand pressed to her chest as if she could hold herself together by force alone.

“I know” Rupert said sharply.

Her voice softened, losing its edge now that he wasn't defending himself “I didn't call to berate you or blame you, I am asking you, and begging you, not as the woman you once loved, not as a mistake you buried, but as the mother of your children”

A tear slipped down her eyes. The other line stayed silent so long she thought he’d hung up. Then Rupert spoke, low and controlled.

“I will do whatever can be done to get him out and free”

Patricia sagged against the headboard, relief and shame tangling in her chest.

“Thank you”

She hung up immediately after that, not wanting to say more or listen to anything else. Patricia sat there in the dark for a long time after, phone limp in her hand, tears finally spilling as the weight of the day caught up to her.

In the hallway right outside her door, Peter stood in his spot, unable to move. He hadn’t meant to listen. He’d only come to give her the gift him and Mira had gotten for her, just an attempt to distract her and make her feel better.

But then he heard who she was talking to and the moment she said that Eric was his son, Rupert’s son, he couldn't stop listening. And it didn't end there, she called herself the mother of his children, not one child, not just Eric but children.

That meant that he-

He stepped back silently, heart pounding, carrying a confusion he couldn't make sense of. That night as he laid in bed he thought about everything that never really made any sense to him as a child.

And when he grew up, he recalled every incident that made him confused. And then he remembered it, how Eric shared his birthday with him and how he had suddenly decided to never celebrate and never speak of it, the moment the realisation hit him he sat up in the bed, sweating profusely as if he had awakened from a nightmare.

Patricia always believed that if the truth was to ever come out to Peter, it would be from Eric who would eventually snap and reveal everything, but unknowingly she herself had revealed the secret she was sure she'd get buried with. And now that Peter had learned that secret, she knew nothing would ever be the same again.

👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀

Taglist

@littledark11 @kikibit @wiseyouthinfluencer @loushaw131460 @ererebus-et-eigengrau @moonlight52moonlight @thewolfcubofkaermorhen @devilslittlehelper @purplerainx1 @cypherpt5fttaehyung @doesntmattert

@arttheclown666 @slutoru1207 @sagekisses @cookie-crumbs-x @loiita-xo @samanthaw16

[littledark11]

Jesus Christ the biggest secret between this entire family is revealed and in the most unbelievable way and the fact that it happened while Eric was still in holding!

To be honest the prick still deserved it he keeps talking his mouth open and I'm glad Eric stood up for Y/N.

I'm slightly disappointed because I thought Rupert would have done something it would be more juicy if it would be suspicious of Rupert would have immediately bailed him out immediately.

[lokisprettygirl]

On a tight leash (Bill Skarsgård! Eric Draven x Female Reader) (18+) (AU)

Read chapter 22 here / Series Masterlist

Chapter 23

Summary : Eric fights for your honour.

Warning: 18+, smut, Angst, Somnophilia, unprotected sex, sexual domination, oral sex, oral during mensuration, slight bdsm, sex during mensuration, body image issues, mention of cramps and mensuration, bodyshaming, mention of self loathing and insecurities, weird obsessive behaviour, classism

“Okay how does this one look?” You asked as you curled up next to him under the blanket.

Mira's six month wedding anniversary party was only a few days so you were scrolling online for dresses. It was the second day of Eric being sick and thankfully it was Saturday so you didn't have to leave him alone. His fever came back last night so you did the whole cold compress routine, the doctor said it wasn't really anything to worry about and will pass as the antibiotics start working.

You truly loved taking care of him like this because usually he didn't really let you pamper him or take care of him, he preferred doing it for you instead.

“Mmm it's good” he finally answered so you turned to look at him, he wasn't even looking at the screen. He had his head between the crook of your neck, arm slung around your waist, and eyes definitely closed.

Yesterday evening you had called Mama Patricia to tell her that her son was sick the day before and yet worked while he had such a high fever, she scolded him for a good five minutes while the call was on speaker and honestly you enjoyed it a lot because it was one of those rare moments where he just listened and didn't say a word.

Today she was coming to see him in a few hours. She pleaded with you to not stress or worry about her arrival, she was also bringing her famous chicken casserole.

You shifted a little, careful not to disturb his peace, and glanced back at the screen.

“You didn’t even look baby” you accused softly.

His arm tightened around your waist in response, fingers flexing like he was making sure you were still there.

“I looked enough” he murmured, voice thick with sleep and fever “You will look good in all of them” he finished.

“Mmm that was not the question” you chuckled as you continued to scroll through your wishlist.

“Hm” he hummed, burying his face a little deeper into your neck. His forehead was warm against your skin again, not as bad as last night, but enough to keep you alert. “Then… the first one. Or the third. Or whichever makes you stop frowning”

You sighed, but you were smiling as you reached up to brush his hair back. He had been like this all morning, clingy in a way he never was when he wasn't sick, it was like the fever had stripped away his instinctive need to always stay in control and stoic. Every time you tried to get up, he would tug you back down with a sleepy, needy little sound that made your chest ache.

“Okay sit up a little..you need to drink some water” you said as you sat up and grabbed the bottle from the night stand.

He cracked one eye open, looking at you like you had personally offended him by taking away the warmth of your body next to him.

“I’ll do it after” he argued, voice whiny.

“After what?” your brows raised as you questioned him.

“After I sleep for five more minutes” he argued again.

“You said that twenty minutes ago.”

He smiled faintly, the corner of his mouth lifting.

“And I stand by it.

You shook your head at him, amused despite yourself, and shifted just enough to slide the bottle into his line of sight.

“Drink” you said gently but firmly. “Now”

He let out a groan, dramatic and drawn out, but finally relented. With visible effort, he pushed himself up just enough to take the bottle from you, his movements sluggish in a way that made your heart twist. You held it steady for him while he drank.

“Good” you murmured when he finished, taking it back and setting it on the nightstand “See? That didn’t kill you”

“Yet” he muttered, collapsing back against you immediately, cheek pressing into your shoulder. His arm slid around you again like it was muscle memory. “Check again in an hour”

You laughed softly, wrapping the blanket more securely around him. His skin was still warm, but not feverish now. You pressed the back of your fingers to his forehead out of habit.

“Still a little warm” you said more to yourself than to him.

“You worried?”He tilted his head, eyes half lidded.

“Obviously” you replied, brushing your thumb under his eye “You don’t take care of yourself” he went quiet for a moment before he smiled.

“I do. Just… not like this”

You knew what he meant. Letting someone else take care of him like this wasn't something he had ever allowed anyone to do, except his mother of course. You shifted so he could lean more fully into you, your arm coming around his shoulders, holding him the way he usually held you.

“You smell like new born babies for some reason” you murmured as you sniffed his head.

He let out a small laugh as he heard you. Then he pressed his head up to look at you incredulously.

“You did not just say that”

“I did and you do”

He rolled his eyes before snuggling back.

“Careful. I have a reputation to maintain out there” he told you playfully.

“I know I know..hot, broody, mysterious, always smelling of the forest and heaven all in one, Eric Draven”

He let out a soft scoff at that, the corner of his mouth lifting even as his eyes stayed closed.

“First of all” he said, voice low and lazy, “How do you even know what heaven smells like?”

“You do” you insisted, poking his side lightly. He chuckled, the sound warm against your chest.

“And I don't smell like the forest.”

“Definitely forest” you agreed. “But right now?” You leaned down again, deliberately dramatic as you sniffed his hair once more. “Right now you smell like a new born”

“That is slander” he muttered, tightening his arm around you. “If anyone asks, I never smelled like a new born baby”

You smiled, resting your cheek against his head

“Relax. Your secret’s safe with me.”

He was quiet for a moment, then said softly.

“You’re enjoying this way too much.”

“Watching you be human?” you teased “A little”

“Rude” he said playfully before shifting again, fitting himself closer to you like he had finally found the exact position he needed “Don’t get used to it.”

“I won’t” you said gently. “But I’ll take it while it lasts” he huffed lightly so you ruffled his hair.

“Ohh god It's already 1 ..let me take a shower” you mumbled as you caressed his scalp so he groaned again.

“How about no?”

“Baby I smell disgusting”

“You do not..you smell like yourself.. I like the smell of your skin” he murmured softly so you chuckled

“I almost forgot about this side of yours”

“What side?”

“You know the one that says weird stuff like that”

You giggled softly and that just made him squeeze you harder, his heart clenched, he had been waiting to hear that noise for more than a week now. And to think he was the one to take it away from you killed him.

He couldn't have been more grateful that you were willing to let it go and give him another chance.

But he hadn't forgiven himself yet.

You turned to him and kissed his cheek before you got out of his hold.

“Mmm let me shower and prepare something for you, and clean up a little bit. Patricia will be here in like three hours” He reluctantly let go of you so you got off the bed.

You were worried about having Patricia over here in your small apartment, but then you knew that just like Eric she won't judge you for the space or the lack of it.

About a week ago, Eric had purchased a small dinner table and four chairs so at least you didn't have to worry about where you'd make her sit if not the bed.

After you came out of the shower wrapped up in a robe and a towel around your head, he was watching you constantly, head propped on his hand, eyes following every small movement as you moisturized your legs and arms.

“What?” you asked as you turned your head to meet his eyes.

“Nothing” he replied immediately, too quickly “You’re just very distracting”

“And you’re sick baby”

“Still distracting” he insisted, eyes flicking pointedly back to the bottle of lotion in your hands “Also, you missed a spot”

“I did not” you chuckled as you raised your leg up on the dresser to moisturizer your thigh, he bit on the lips at the sight of your bare thighs as you pulled the robe up.

“Mmmm you did, you missed a spot between the legs, come here I'll do it for you” he said, seriously and earnestly.

Why did that make you laugh but also made you hot at the same time? Damn maybe because it's been almost a month since you two had sex.

“You are so naughty”

“Mmmhm?” he said, settling back against the pillows like he had won something.

You moved around the room then tidied up a little, folding the extra blanket he wasn't using, opening the kitchen window just enough to let some fresh air in, cleaning the dust from every surface. Every time you crossed his line of sight, his gaze tracked you, like he needed to keep you anchored there.

“You’re hovering” you told him.

“I’m supervising” he corrected. “Doctor’s orders”

“Oh really? And when did the doctor say that? I didn't hear it” you asked.

He shrugged.

“Same time he said that I’m not supposed to be left alone”

That made you pause. You glanced back at him, and for just a second the teasing fell away. His eyes were softer now, more open than usual.

“Mmmm I like this clingy clingy Eric” you said gently as you crossed back over to the bed and sat on the edge, tugging the towel off your head and shaking your hair loose. He reached out without thinking, fingers brushing the ends, absentminded, familiar.

“Don't get used to it, I'll become emotionally insufferable again when I'm not high on drugs”

You smiled before crawling on top of him, leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead, lingering there for a moment longer than necessary. He closed his eyes instantly, like it grounded him.

“It's okay, I like that Eric too, he's pretty swell”

He smiled, an actual smile, and you wished he smiled like that more often because he was cute as fuck when he did it.

His palms caressed down your back as you leaned down to kiss him softly.

“Try to rest” you whispered. “I’ll make you something light to eat”

“Ramen?” he asked, hopeful, brows knitting together.

“You can't have ramen everyday, let me make you chicken soup, I'll add a pinch of ramen seasoning to it..is that good?” he made a pout but then hummed in agreement.

“I can compromise I guess”

“Good boy” his cheeks flushed best red as he heard that but he didn't respond. No defensive remark, no deflection, he just took it.

Later that evening Patricia came and the moment she entered, she had the biggest smile on her face, then she hugged you as tightly as she could. Nobody in this world was happier about you two being back together more than her, she was glad Eric came back to his senses before he lost one of the best things that had happened to him.

“Come come sit please” you smiled as you took the casserole dish from her to put it in the oven so it would stay warm until dinner.

The moment she saw her son looking all fed and taken care of, her eyes welled up, she knew how careless Eric usually was whenever he got sick.

“Hey maa” Eric mumbled as he wrapped his arms around her and put his head down on her shoulder.

“Don’t hey ma me I'm still upset you were working in such a high fever” she spoke sternly but her words had no bite, just motherly care and love for her child. “You think you're invincible until you're reminded otherwise”

“I know. I’m sorry” Eric sighed, leaning into her touch without protest

She pressed a kiss to his forehead before combing her fingers through his hair.

“I'm fine I swear” he assured her so she hummed in response.

You made her sit down on the chair as you offered her coffee and snacks and the moment you all sat down together, conversations began flowing naturally. She was telling you all about this new recipe she had tried for the casserole. Eric was just listening to her with a soft smile on his face and nodding, then offering his expertise once every hundred sentences.

“Usually I don't sleep well whenever he gets sick which doesn't happen very often thankfully-” she mumbled so you looked at her “But last night I slept so easily knowing he had you..thank you my sweetheart” you shook your head at her gratefulness.

“You don't have to thank me, he takes care of me too when I'm down”

She looked at him proudly but he didn't meet her eye as if he was embarrassed. Around 7 you got up to place the dinnerware on the table, Patricia wanted to help but you strictly told her to not move a muscle. Reluctantly she sat down with Eric and he told her all about the event he was organising.

****

“Oh my god this is really good..like wow” you hummed in contentment as you took the first bite of the chicken.

“Thank you, that's why I brought extra, I knew you'd love it” Patricia responded warmly.

After dinner you gave him his medicines and just ten minutes later he started to feel drowsy and was barely able to keep his eyes open so Patricia scolded him to lie down and get some sleep.

“Don't go while I'm asleep” he told her firmly so she assured him she wasn't going anywhere without telling him.

As he fell asleep, you made another batch of coffee and sat back down with her.

“I wish I could have offered you a room here to stay the night” you mumbled hesitantly, embarrassment evident in your voice at the small size of your studio apartment, she sensed the shame in your voice so she immediately placed her hand on yours to offer comfort.

“Do not worry about that, I was actually going to take you both with me but I think this is nice, he's very happy here” she said, voice genuine as she looked around the space and the Eric who was sleeping so comfortably on the bed, all bundled up in the blanket.

“I hope so” you gave her a smile as you grabbed the cup and took a sip.

“Thank you for forgiving him” She said suddenly, a frown graced your features so you put the cup down, the chair screeched a bit too loud for your liking as you shifted closer to her.

“I'm not doing him any favors..please don't thank me” you said softly as you grabbed her hands.

“I know..but I also know how hard this was on you, those two weeks that you spent with a broken heart, broken trust..i know what that does to a person” your eyes welled up as she said that, not just for what you went through and how difficult it was for you but also for her. Those two weeks ended for you, the love of your life came back to you but in her life? She was left alone with a broken heart after what Mr. Haines did to her.

“I'm so sorry Patricia” you looked down as the tears welled up, despite your attempt to conceal it.

“No no no sweetheart, it's not about me, you don't have to worry” she mumbled as she pulled you into a hug.

“My heart was broken once, but then I had my babies and they became my everything, and after that I met an amazing man..Mark Draven, Eric's actual father” her eyes welled up as she thought of him

“He might not be here anymore, but his unconditional love would always stay with me. That's the thing about true love, it doesn't die even if people do.. I really have no regrets, whatever happened brought them in my life” She pulled back just enough to cup your cheek, her thumb brushing away the tear that had slipped free. Her touch was warm and motherly in a way that made your chest ache.

“I always worried about him, you know” she continued “Peter ..I knew he'd be fine, he didn't suffer like my sweet boy did, never really had to worry about him much. But now I can breathe and relax because I know Eric is loved..truly loved” Patricia said gently, following your gaze “I can see it. I can feel it”

She squeezed your hands again. “And he’s safe with you. That’s all a mother ever wants, really”

Your lips trembled as you managed a small smile.

“I hope that's enough for him.. I don't know what I'll do if he leaves again” she gave you a little smile as you said that, the anxiety in your voice was understandable.

“Its More than enough, he just needed that distance to put things in perspective..I know my son, he never would have come back if he didn't intend to stay, he's capable of being on his own, but he doesn't want to do it without you anymore” you nodded before you placed your head down on her shoulder.

You hoped she was right, and that he intended to stay because you couldn't even imagine your life without him anymore. It scared you how quickly he had taken over everything in your life when you didn't even know he existed a few months ago.

For a moment, the room was quiet except for the soft hum of the refrigerator and Eric’s steady breathing. Patricia leaned back in her chair, exhaling slowly, the tiredness finally catching up to her.

“I should get going, I have this charity thing tomorrow” she mumbled softly so you nodded.

She got up and reached for the bed, she then sat down at the edge to caress his head. He shifted a little before he opened his eyes. He didn't want her to leave but he couldn't keep her here either and she had her obligations tomorrow.

When she left you cleaned a little before jumping into the bed next to him. His arm immediately curled around your waist to pull you closer.

“You didn't eat much baby” you mumbled softly as you caressed his cheek so he hummed

“I want to eat you” you pulled away a little just to make sure you heard it right.

“No overexertion, doctor's orders” he opened his eyes to look at you finally, lids heavy from sleep and drowsiness but also there was a hunger there that you knew food won't curb.

“Can I just suck on your titties then?”

Your face flushed as he said that, you still let out a chuckle before you turned to switch off the lamp. Then you sat up and took your shirt off, bra followed.

Eric’s eyes darkened with need, a low groan escaping him, even in the dark he could see the outline of your curves, feel the warmth of your flesh. His hand found your hip almost instinctively, dragging you flush against him. The heat radiating from his body mixed with the fever he had been fighting.

“You’re going to get me in trouble, you know that, right?” you teased softly, pressing your lips to his temple.

He tilted his head toward you, lips brushing your neck lazily, no rhyme or rhythm to how his lips moved

“I don’t care about trouble” he murmured, his voice thick with both exhaustion and desire. “Just let me taste your skin”

You let your fingers trace the line of his jaw, feeling him shiver beneath your touch. His hand moved up to cup your breast, thumb brushing over your nipple, making your breath hitch. He leaned down then, capturing one of your nipples into his mouth, a moan escaped his chest as he suckled slowly.

You moaned softly, surrendering to the pull between you, letting his fevered need mix with your own. Even sick, he made it impossible to resist. You tilted your head back, lying on your back completely, giving him more access, letting him worship you in the quiet, sticky warmth of the bedroom.

“Fuckk i have missed you sweetheart, never going this long without touching you like this again” your fingers curled into his hair.

“Mmm I missed you too” you murmured between bated breaths. His mouth teasing and stimulating your sensitive flesh. As his breathing suddenly got heavier, you pulled his head up and kissed his forehead.

“That's it baby.. we will make up once you're all better I promise” you murmured softly so he hummed in response before pressing his face between the warmth of your chest. You put your arm under his head, another curling over him as you held onto him, fingers running over his back, his body felt warm, but the usual, he wasn't feverish and that was a good sign.

Fortunately he recovered pretty much in the next two days, barring the occasional sniffling, unfortunately the clingy Eric took a step back when he wasn't high on medicine and fever.

You didn't mind it though because you knew the softness didn't just come from the sickness, it's just who he was deep down, soft and sweet, but afraid to open up because he never really had anyone he felt safe with.

You got more busy with work as well, more responsibilities now that you were promoted. You didn't get to see him for two days as he got busy with the event he was organising. But later that night he turned up on your door, all wound up and strung, though he didn't make a move, he stood against your door and just stared at you for a good minute, jaw tight, fists clenched, eyes burning with lust and hunger.

When he didn't make a move you closed the distance between you two. You reached for his cheeks and climbed up to kiss him, he didn't respond, he was holding back and you could tell.

“Hey..what is it?” You murmured against his mouth, his fingers curled into your hair as he pulled your head back, he pecked your lips once before he grabbed your jaw between his fingers, thumb running gently over the skin.

“I don't deserve this” he murmured softly “not yet”

You gulped as he said that.

“You don't have to punish yourself like this baby” your fingers hooked on the collar of his crisp shirt “I forgave you the moment you fell into my door” his eyes softened for a moment but then they went back to being stoic.

“I didn't..not after what I did, i haven't earned the pleasure yet”

“Eric–”

“Don't argue okay?” He cut you in as he pulled you in for a kiss “There's nothing I want more than to rip the clothes off your body and take you right on the floor but I haven't earned it yet” His restraint was just guilt dressed up as control.

You rested your forehead against his chest, feeling how tight he was holding himself together. His heart was racing beneath your palm.

“Earning isn’t how this works,” you said quietly “This isn’t a debt”

His grip on your jaw loosened just a fraction. Enough for you to see the crack.

“For me it is ..I hurt you..I was cruel to you..very cruel” he said. The words came out rough “I shouldn't even be standing this close to you after what I did. But you let me be close, and every time I touch you, I forget that for a second, forget what I put you through, what I broke and I don’t want to forget. I need to remember what it cost when I chose to be selfish”

You stepped back just enough to look at him properly. The sharp suit, the controlled posture, the man who could command rooms, underneath the facade was just the boy who was terrified of being forgiven too easily.

That did it.

“So what do you want to do then?” you asked softly. His breath shuddered

“I don’t deserve you…but I still need you”

You reached up, slower this time, and unbuttoned the top button of his shirt. Your palm flattened over his chest, right over his heart, lips latched onto the soft skin of his neck.

He placed his head back on the door, reeling into the feeling of your softness. You didn't say a word after that, you just held onto his fingers as you walked toward the bed, then you undressed him to his briefs, before pulling him down and next to you.

“You don't have to fuck me to stay the night, you can just sleep like you have been doing when you were sick” he sighed deeply before pulling your closer to him.

“If you're okay being poked all night” you chuckled at his words before you kissed him softly

“I'm more than okay”

“Good..now get down to your underwear so we are matching” he ordered as he placed his hands behind his head to watch you. You sat up and pulled the night dress over your head before laying down and snuggling into him under the blanket. Just him and the warmth of his body next to you, as much as you'd have liked it if he was inside you, you didn't want to push him, whatever self inflicting punishment route he was on, you wanted him to figure it out himself.

Mira’s sixth month halfiversary arrived quicker than expected. You couldn't even believe it, it's been six months and ten days already since he had been in your life but it felt like years and then seconds at the same time somehow, it was as if the time was moving too fast but too slow because of how much you knew about him now.

A day before the party Eric surprised you with a spa visit, he had booked the appointment for you and Patricia, a full body massage, beauty treatments and then hair care. You also got the Brazilian again just in case tomorrow he breaks the vow of celibacy.

Mira and Peter were throwing a party at this VIP exclusive club in uptown NYC, their friends and cousins were invited for this event. The party was just an excuse, truth to be told she just wanted to get away from the palace for a few nights, especially her MIL and you understood why.

Eric picked you up around 7, he had bought a dress for you and you liked it much better than whatever you were looking up online. A fiery red slip dress that was sexy but not in a vulgar way, perfect for the occasion, you had lost a few pounds since you started gymming, especially in those two weeks where you didn't eat much so it looked way better on you than expectations.

Eric looked devastating as usual, dressed in all black. Peter had called him personally and asked him to come, he had been reaching out to Eric a lot since the wedding, Mira told you that he felt guilty how he was treated during the wedding and because there was a time when they were kids, Eric used to be one of his only friends that wasn't there just for money or who his father was.

You wondered how he was going to react when he learned the truth about their relationship. Would he be happy and excited to know he had a brother all along? Not just a sibling but a twin?

The moment you walked into the club, hand in hand with Eric, a few familiar faces turned to look. Mira immediately caught up to you, she even reached to hug Eric and you had never seen him look so awkward and confused before. It was as if he had forgotten how to behave like a human being. That was his sister in law, he probably felt some way about it.

The cuteness of it all disappeared when you saw Adam and Tanya gyrating in the middle of the dance floor and it made you want to hurl, when she saw you both she whispered something in Adam's ears and he let out a snicker.

Asshole

“You want a drink?” Eric asked you so you thought about it for a moment “Orange Juice, I have to work tomorrow” he smiled before kissing your forehead and heading to the bar.

That's when you saw Shelly talking into some guy's ears and at first you thought it was some random guy but as you walked closer you realised it was Rick. The guy Rita was supposedly dating, you weren't really surprised it didn't last.

“Hey bitch” she said as you walked into her vicinity, Rick gave you an awkward smile before stepping away.

“Uhh what's the story there huh..”

“Nothing as scandalous as yours and Eric” she responded, smiling ear to ear.

“God let it go” she rolled her eyes as you said that.

“I'm just kidding, I'm over him I swear” she giggled as she hugged you so you responded with the same zeal.

“Good, I don't want to be friends with someone who's after my boyfriend” she scoffed as you said that..

“Oh please.. I'm done.. besides Rick knows how to treat a woman right” her face flushed so you smiled.

“How did that happen again? What happened to Rita?” you asked as you sipped on your drink.

“She was just using him to make Eric jealous, she had no interest in him, he eventually caught up to that”

“Wow” you murmured under your breath, she then dragged you on the dance floor along with Mira so you just let your hair down and danced, eyes scanning over the room to find him, he was standing in the corner of the room, talking to one of Peter's friends, drink in hand, he did catch your eye though as if he could feel them on him.

All of you were going to be at Patricia's tomorrow for dinner and you knew he'd rather be there instead of this place. As the man he was speaking to left, you excused yourself and approached him, your arms then wrapped around his neck

“I know you don't dance and all, but can I just move against you anyway?” You whispered softly, his eyes trailed down from your lips to your cleavage then back up.

“You're lucky I like you” he murmured against your mouth, putting the glass down on the table, then his palms wrapped around your waist. You moved slowly to the rhythm of the music, there was something really comfortable about the position you were in at the moment, despite the noise and the crowd, you felt safe and at peace.

As the party dulled and people got more and more drunk, they began leaving in pairs and groups, you stepped out of the club as well with Mira and Peter, Eric was already outside as he had to attend a call. Your eyes rolled as you saw Adam putting completely inebriated Tanya into the BMW, he didn't go with her though. He walked back to you instead, a stupid smirk on his face, eyes stuck on Eric. He was still salty about the rejection you gave him, you were probably the only woman to put him down like that when he had expected you to fall head over heels for him.

Mira muttered under her breath, “Oh God, here we go”

Peter straightened subtly beside you, already tensed. Then Adam’s voice cut through the air, too loud, too confident, fuelled by alcohol and an audience he thought he had.

“Well I’ll be damned” he drawled, stopping a few feet from you. “Isn't this great? The corpse husband and his charity bride..made for each other”

Peter’s head snapped up immediately at the comment.

“Hey…relax you're drunk..you need to go home–” he intervened.

Eric stiffened but didn’t turn around yet. You crossed your arms as Adam’s eyes dragged over you openly.

“Chill man. I'm just spitting facts here” he scoffed as he stepped away from you, then approached Eric, looking him up and down “What do you even see in her? Who even is she? All I see is a fat, broke maid clinging onto rich friends to feel important”

Your stomach dropped. Humiliation rushed to your face so fast it made your ears ring. Why was he being so awful for no reason? You didn't even look at him all evening. Mira’s hand came to your arm instantly and protectively. She looked at Peter as if to ask if that really was his best friend.

“That’s enough, Adam.. can't handle your drink can you?” she snapped. Adam snickered and ignored her, her words didn't affect him at all. Eric ended the call then and turned around.

“Walk away right now, you have already said more than enough” He said. His voice was calm. Too calm in a way that you knew was just him trying to keep his anger in check.

Adam grinned wider, feeling more encouraged now.

“Awn, touchy?” His gaze slid back to you “Guess beggars can’t be choosers, huh? Or maybe you like it easy. Bet she’s just grateful some rich guy even wants her..bet she's willing to do anything”

You could see it then. The anger bubbling in his veins so you stepped closer to Eric instead and grabbed his arm. “Let it be, he's a drunk, arrogant fool” you glared at Adam so he scoffed again.

Peter stepped forward too.

“Back off, man…what are you even doing?” Adam smiled and leaned in closer anyway, lowering his voice, filthy with intent. His words were meant to humiliate and hurt you.

“Tell me, Eric, is that pussy good or you just—” He never finished. Eric got out of your hold and crossed the distance in a second.

The sound of his fist connecting with Adam’s face was sickeningly loud, his head snapped to the side, his body stumbling back before Eric hit him again. And then again until he was on the ground.

“Holy shit—” Mira gasped.

“Eric–” Peter shouted, moving forward instinctively.

Adam hit the pavement hard, blood already spilling from his mouth, but Eric didn’t stop. He hauled Adam up by the collar and slammed another punch into him, fury pouring out of him like something he had been holding back for years. And maybe he had, all the jokes, the hazing, the bullying that he probably suffered from the likes of Adam since they were kids, all of it was coming out, he never fought back before, maybe because of Peter.

“Say it again. Why don't you?” Eric snarled as he grabbed Adam's head and pressed it onto the concrete and then there was a punch after another. You wanted to pull him back but you didn't. You let him take it out. All the anger, the hurt over the years.

Security rushed in as Peter grabbed Eric from behind, wanting to pull him away from Adam but failing.

“Eric, stop! That’s enough..you can get in deep trouble for this” Peter yelled at him.

Eric fought for half a second before letting go. Adam collapsed back onto the ground, groaning, curled in on himself. As the security guys neared the scene Peter asked them to not touch Eric.

His chest heaved. His knuckles were split and bleeding, he turned to look at you, then he leaned over Adam's bleeding body on the floor again.

“You fucking speak about her again and you'd be six feet under the ground next time” he warned as he tapped Adam's cheek, making him flinch in fear. “And yeah that pussy is really good, the fucking best, and you'd never get to have a taste, not even in your dreams because I'm never letting go”

Mira let out a sharp, scandalized gasp.

“Oh my God—”

The sidewalk went dead silent.

For half a second, your face burned hot with embarrassment because of the words, because of the people, because of how public it all was.

And then something else curled low in your stomach. Heat. A dangerous, undeniable rush that made your breath hitch before you could stop it.

You stared at him, blood on his knuckles, chest heaving, eyes dark and feral and the way he said it, the way he claimed you without hesitation, without shame, sent a pulse straight through you.

You swallowed hard, thighs pressing together instinctively.

Mira’s hand flew to her mouth. She was very close to hyperventilating “Jesus Christ…”

Peter looked away immediately, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Okay—”

Adam whimpered on the ground, trying and failing to get up and scramble backward, humiliation finally overtaking his arrogance. Eric was still looming over him when he felt your fingers curl into his shoulder.

“Eric” you said softly. He stood up and turned to you at once. Whatever fury was still burning in him shifted the second he saw your face.

Your cheeks were flushed, eyes darkened. Your lips parted slightly as you looked at him.

Proud. You seemed very, very proud. He suddenly towered over you, his arm curled around your waist as he pulled you closer. You wrapped your arms around him to hug him as tightly as you could.

“I swear to God, if you two start making out over a bleeding man, I’m going to scream” Mira commented, making you chuckle despite the severity of the situation.

Peter cleared his throat loudly. He still had to make sure his friend was alright. He then looked at Eric, not really expecting an apology though, he just patted his shoulder, he was probably worried Adam might press charges and there was that fear in your mind as well.

You also felt bad that Mira’s party was somehow ruined by this but she wasn't upset at all, she seemed delighted instead. Adam started this and he had it coming.

The moment you sat inside his car, he sped away, breaths still heavy, anger dulled but not gone completely.

You didn't know what you were expecting but you definitely weren't expecting for him to pull over on an empty deserted road and then pull you onto his lap.

The engine cut, leaving only the quiet hum of the night and the distant chirp of insects. The headlights were off, leaving the darkness surrounding the car feeling immense, the road empty, swallowed by trees and shadows.

For a second, neither of you spoke but then he kissed you.

It wasn’t rough. It wasn’t frantic. It was desperate in a way that felt like he was holding something precious he still couldn’t quite believe was his. You pulled away for a moment just to breathe, grabbing his bruised knuckle to press a soft kiss where it hurt, his blood left red on your lips but you didn't care..

“Eric” you said, steady and sure, “you don’t need to punish yourself forever..you earned your forgiveness..you need to believe me”

Something in his eyes shifted, guilt replaced by lust and what you could only describe as love even though none of you had ever used that word.

“And you're not just punishing yourself here” you whispered in his ears and that's when the dam broke. He was done restraining himself, punishing himself, acting as if people weren't allowed to make mistakes, he had learned to have the same grace when it comes to you because he knew you'd never hurt him on purpose.

Tomorrow would probably bring trouble once the man he had assaulted wakes up sober and decides to abuse his name and the power. But for now, Eric didn’t care.

He had once stayed silent when that same man humiliated you, telling himself you weren’t his to protect back then but now that wasn't true because you were all his, the same way he was all yours and he would fight every person who ever tries to insult and humiliate you like that, he'd hurt anyone, even himself.

❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️

Taglist

@littledark11 @kikibit @wiseyouthinfluencer @loushaw131460 @ererebus-et-eigengrau @moonlight52moonlight @thewolfcubofkaermorhen @devilslittlehelper @purplerainx1 @cypherpt5fttaehyung @doesntmattert

@arttheclown666 @slutoru1207 @sagekisses @cookie-crumbs-x @loiita-xo @samanthaw16

[littledark11]

I would take overprotective Eric over jealous Eric (which is non-existent right now) because I'm so glad he beat the shit out of that rich asshole just to protect Y/N because he honestly deserves it!.

And I'm glad that Eric does have a softer side for realizing that he made the biggest mistake of his life because it could honestly ruin him.

And I love Patricia she's a sweetheart

[lokisprettygirl]

On a tight leash (Bill Skarsgård! Eric Draven x Female Reader) (18+) (AU)

Read chapter 21 here / Series Masterlist

Chapter 22

Summary : You and Eric work on rebuilding the trust again.. even though you know you're already all in like you always were.

Warning: 18+, Angst, Somnophilia, unprotected sex, sexual domination, oral sex, oral during mensuration, slight bdsm, sex during mensuration, body image issues, mention of cramps and mensuration, bodyshaming, mention of self loathing and insecurities, weird obsessive behaviour, classism

Next morning you woke up to the smell of toast, eggs and bacon sizzling. As you sat up you saw him in the kitchenette, he had discarded the shirt he was wearing, a dish towel slung around his shoulder, hair tousled everywhere. The only light coming into the room was from the window in front of the kitchen, early morning casting a soft glow on his skin.

For a moment you just watched him, and then your eyes teared up again because in the past two weeks you had convinced yourself that you'd never have him back here like this or back into your life again.

And now he was here, and as grateful as you wanted to be about it, the fear still crippled you. The way he had left still haunted you.

You softly padded on the floor, not wanting to make much noise as you stepped out of the bed. That's when he turned to look at you.

“Hey..it's almost 7.. I wanted to make something for you before you leave for work” he mumbled softly, a bit shyly, in the last few months he had only cooked for you when you were dying from the cramps on your period.

“Thank you..you didn't have to do that Eric” you told him as you stepped closer and stood against the refrigerator. Every inch of you wanted to reach for him, kiss him and caress him for making this effort but a part of you knew it was too soon.

“I know..i just wanted to” he whispered “Ahhh coffee?” He asked so you hummed in response.

“I'll just brush my teeth and stuff -” you mumbled before you went to the bathroom.

When you came out he had already prepared two plates and poured two cups of coffee.

You sat down on the bed and tapped the space next to you, wiping your face with the towel you were carrying. He didn't hesitate as he grabbed the cups first and put them on the night stand before walking back and carrying the plates with him.

“Here you go” he offered you one so you took it politely.

“Do you have work or something today?” You asked as you cut a piece of egg and placed it on the toast to take a bite.

“Not really” he answered so you hummed in response.

Things were awkward between you two even though you had spent the last night snuggled tightly into his arms.

“Can I ask something?” He said as he turned his head to look at you so you nodded “I don't want you to take this the wrong way” he mumbled, voice riddled with hesitation.

“Okay..ask anyway” you answered. Heart speeding with anticipation as you had no idea where he was going.

He sighed before he turned his body towards you, one of his thighs settling on the mattress.

“I'm all in .. wanting to earn your forgiveness and rebuild the trust but-” he paused for a moment “You want this right? Me? Because if there's a part of you that just doesn't want to have a future with someone like me then just..tell me okay?”

Your breath hitched as the question landed heavy. How could he think you didn't want him anymore? Maybe the current awkwardness made him feel that way.

“Someone like you? What do you even mean by that?” You turned your head to look at him.

His brows knitted together when you asked him that.

“I mean someone who runs” he admitted quietly. His gaze dropped to his hands. You set your plate aside.

“You made a mistake Eric but that doesn't erase how well you treated me before that” you said softly, the words both comforted him and frightened him at the same time. That's what he should have remembered too before he abandoned you like that.

“You don’t get to rewrite our whole history because of one terrible night” you said gently but firmly. “Yes, you hurt me. Deeply. And yes, it changed things. But before that?” You shook your head. “You were patient. You were kind. You were brutally honest. You were loyal. You did things for me without asking” your eyes teared up but you continued “You showed up in ways you didn’t even realize mattered to me” He looked up then, eyes glassy.

“All of that still counts?”

“It does” you said immediately. “It just doesn’t cancel out the damage. Both can exist at the same time”

You shifted on the bed, turning fully toward him now. The awkwardness eased a fraction.

“I want you..there's nothing more i want more than to go back to how things were between us” you continued. “I wouldn’t be sitting here having breakfast with you if I didn’t. But wanting you doesn’t mean I’m ready to pretend nothing happened. It means I’m willing to see if we can rebuild something stronger and if you’re willing to stay if I unintentionally hurt you”

“I am .. I don't see my life without you in it anymore” you gave him a small smile as he said that. His words did make your heart flutter.

And you didn't want to hurt him, life has been cruel to him, you had a newfound hatred for Mr. Haines after what Eric had told you last night.

How could someone do that to their own child? Picking one and discarding the other as if he was choosing a pet from the pack of kittens.

No wonder he was so angry and defensive and not wanting to put his faith in anyone because the man who brought him into this world abandoned him because of how he looked, how he resembled his beautiful mother, the same woman Mr. Haines was friends with and in love with at some point. It hurt you to think about it, how he didn't get to live his privilege because of it and yet his brother got everything.

After eating you grabbed the plates and the mugs to keep in the sink, then you took a shower and got ready.

“Do you want to go to the gym in the evening?” You asked him, he seemed surprised for a moment. The look on his face made you want to kiss him until he was breathless but you had to control your desires.

When you met him none of you took the time to learn the patience it takes to not jump each other's bones. Maybe it was time to do that.

“Yeah it's been a while” he told honestly so you nodded. He wanted to drop you to work so he took a quick shower, when he came out you tried to not stare at his half naked body but it was almost impossible.

“Thanks for keeping my toothbrush still”

He murmured softly so you gave him a smile, he wasn't any different, he had his eyes on you too, the way your work skirt fit just right and how good you looked in everything black.

If things were like before he'd have just grabbed you in his arms and kissed you like his life depended on it but he had to be patient with you, show you that this wasn't just about sex or physical.

The next few days unfolded quietly, almost carefully.

You went to the gym that evening like you had suggested. Nothing dramatic, just a shared drive, music playing low, your knee brushing his once when he shifted gears. You pretended to not notice. He pretended to not notice that he noticed you anyway. At the gym, he kept his distance from you, you got the session done with Bill.

“You guys are back together huh?” Bill said as he helped with the stretches.

“Uhh we were always together” you told him so he chuckled lightly.

“Oh please..I know what heartbreak looks like” you hadn't said anything to him, in fact besides Mira and Patricia nobody else knew about the breakup.

He was just observant, not as much as Eric but enough.

“It was just a misunderstanding..we are fine”

You told him so he gave you a nod and didn't press further. As you sat up after the stretch your eyes drifted to him, he gave you a small smile so you returned it. He was on the treadmill, cooling down after heavy sets. His ass looked amazing in those black joggers, the compression shirt sticking to his toned physique, and you felt it again, that tingling sensation in the pit of your stomach.

Control.

That night, he didn’t want to stay over, he was probably trying to give you space.

“I should go?” he said at the door, keys already in his hand, hesitation written all over his face

You nodded, maybe that would be better, you didn't want to break your resolve anyway and that's exactly what would have happened if he slept in the same bed tonight. Your fingers were already itching to touch him.

And Eric? Well he didn't want to leave just to give you space but he was going through similar trouble. He had watched you in the gym today, bending down and groaning in all sorts of positions,he had to take a cold shower before leaving so it wasn't evident how much he had missed touching you like that.

But he was also worried when he left, he didn't want you to cry all night long like last night. So around 12 he called you.

“You okay? Not crying are you?” He asked softly and your heart skipped beats.

“No I'm okay” you mumbled softly. He went quiet for a moment.

“And dinner?”

“Done”

“Good”

It became a pattern over the next five, six days, him checking in without demanding anything in return, not that he ever did that but he was being extra attentive. He didn't push, didn't even touch you because you were keeping a physical distance, he came to see you, he talked to you and then he left. He often accompanied you to the gym, to go grocery shopping together and those trips brought back the closeness and the comfort you had shared with him before.

Mira called once between those days and when you told her what had happened she was really happy for you even though she was scared that he'd do this again, but you didn't want to think about that. You knew why he did it and it was unfair to you but he was trying to fix it. You weren't going to hold that against him forever.

When you got your period he spent the day looking after you, cooking whatever you wanted to eat, heating your pad whenever it went cold, massaging your legs because they were sore, he made tea for you, then he went out only to get you bunch of snacks that you liked and later that night he cuddled you to sleep when you asked for it, the moment you felt his warm embrace you went out like a light.

*****

A week later at work you were called in by the manager while you were wrapping up a report you’d been dreading all week. A part of you felt scared that you were getting fired but it was the opposite. You were getting a promotion instead, the manager was offering you the position of sales manager.

For a moment you couldn't believe it. You would earn more, get more benefits and you were actually making a growth here.

When Rachel and others heard about the position change they were really happy for you, so you decided to treat them to free drinks and dinner tonight..

By the time evening rolled around, you were buzzing with happiness, not just from the achievement but from the fact that for the first time in weeks things were falling into place on both personal and professional fronts.

The pub was loud, crowded, dimly lit in that comforting way. Glasses clinked, music hummed in the background, conversations overlapping.

At some point you stepped outside, the night air cool against your skin, and pulled out your phone.

You hesitated before calling him because he had a meeting for an event he was going to organise next week. But he did pick up on the second ring.

“Hey” he said, voice warm but it also sounded gravelly as if he was sick “Everything okay?”

“Yeah..you busy?” you asked softly

“No, tell me..do you need me?”

The question made you feel so warm you almost forgot for a moment that you had news to share with him.

“I got a promotion” you blurted out suddenly. There was a moment of silence as if he was processing it.

“Congratulations sweetheart, you deserve it you know that right?” He finally spoke so you smiled.

“Thank you.. I'm out with some colleagues” you continued. “Would you… would you be able to pick me up in an hour? Only If you are free. No pressure”

“I’ll be there” he said immediately. “Just text me when you’re ready, okay?”

You hummed before hanging up. You were excited to see him and celebrate this little thing.

An hour later you were slightly tipsy so you called him and asked him to come pick you. As you stepped out of the pub he was leaning against his car, jacket slung over his arm. The moment you reached him, you reached up and wrapped your arms around his neck without thinking.

“Thank you for coming” you murmured into his shoulder.

“Congratulations again.. I'm very proud of you” he mumbled softly as he hugged you back just as tightly.

That's when you felt it.

Heat.

But not the normal warmth of his body against yours, he was burning up like lava..

You pulled back, hands still on his arms, brows knitting together.

“Eric” you said softly. “Why are you so hot?”

He gave you a small, dismissive smile as you asked him that.

“I was born that way” he quipped but you ignored that, pressing your palm to his neck, then his forehead. His skin was burning. His nose was flushed red, and under the streetlight you could see the faint glassiness in his eyes.

“I'm serious, Eric. You’re not okay” you said, concern cutting through the haze of alcohol instantly “You’re running a high fever..do you even know that?”

You knew he must be feeling it even though he was pretending to be fine. He was shivering slightly as well.

“I’m fine ..it's probably just cold” he tried again, quieter this time. “Don't worry, let me take you somewhere..we need to celebrate this”

Your chest tightened as he said that.

“No..You should’ve told me if you weren’t feeling well”

You took out your phone, there was a hospital nearby. You didn’t even give him time to argue properly and caught his wrist before he could open the car door.

“Eric. Hospital. Now. Okay?”

He sighed, eyes fluttering shut for half a second like the effort of standing upright was suddenly too much

“You’re overreacting…I'm fine”

“You’re burning up and shaking…that's not fine” you said firmly, already opening the passenger door “I'm not listening to anything unless we have you checked out okay?”

He studied your face for a moment, the stubbornness he usually carried dulled by exhaustion. Finally, he nodded once.

“I’m driving still”

You watched him the entire way, heart sank further as he sniffled like a child, the tip of his nose was red, his skin looked flushed too, despite the discomfort you couldn't help but admire how pretty he looked like that.

You didn't hesitate then, you turned to him and reached for his neck to caress him softly, thumb grazing over his cheek and as the car halted at a stop light, he closed his eyes and leaned into the touch. He didn't seem okay and it bothered you that he wasn't bothered by it.

At the hospital, things moved very fast.

A nurse took one look at him, pressed a thermometer in his mouth, then frowned at the screen. “103.2,” she said, already guiding him toward a bed “How long have you had a fever?”

“I uhh.. morning i think”

Eric shot you a weak look that might’ve been an apology. He didn't want to worry you, it didn't seem that of a big deal to him.

They hooked him up, checked his vitals, asked questions he answered slowly, voice hoarse now. You stayed close, watching them take the blood samples so they could find the reason for the fever.

“I'm fine..it's probably just exhaustion” he told you as the nurse left so you glared at him.

“Exhaustion doesn't cause 103 degrees fever .. Please don't do this to me again, i want to know when you're not feeling well” You scolded him and he couldn't help but smile. You were treating him like Patricia.

The doctor came in half an hour later after, clipboard in hand.

“Looks like a viral infection. It’s already running high, and without the antibiotics it would’ve worsened quickly” He glanced between the two of you. “We’ll start with those. He’ll need strict rest for a few days” you hummed as he said that.

“Are you his wife?” he suddenly asked. You froze, breath caught somewhere in your chest. You found yourself speechless so Eric answered on your behalf instead.

“Not yet” he said, voice soft but certain.

Not yet.

Not yet?

He didn't even hesitate once. He Just said not yet as if he was sure you were going to be his wife someday. The idea of being Mrs. Draven did please you but you didn't want to get ahead and set yourself up for disappointment.

The doctor raised a brow, amused, and nodded.

“I'm asking because the fever might spike again at night, if it does, apply cold compresses until the temperature gets back to normal”

You stood up immediately as he said that.

“I'll do it..we live together”

The doctor hummed before giving you the list of medications. Once he left and you two were alone again, the bravado slipped.

Eric leaned back against the pillow, eyes half-lidded.

“I didn’t want to bother you..it didn't seem like a big deal and I wanted to celebrate your achievement” he murmured. You reached out, smoothing his sweaty damp hair back gently as the fever began to subside.

“You don’t get to decide that” you said quietly “There can't be any celebrations if you're not feeling well”

His fingers found yours, weak but warm, squeezing once.

You stayed with him as the fever meds kicked in, watching his breathing even out, the tension in his shoulders slowly easing. As he drifted off to sleep, you took the prescription list and bought the medicines. When he woke up you called a cab instead, you didn't want him to drive in this condition.

On the way he was staring ahead constantly, all loopy and drowsy from the meds so you just placed your arm around his shoulder and put his head down on your shoulder. He placed his head between your neck and shoulder, humming as your fingers ran soothing circles in his scalp.

The moment you reached the apartment, you made him lie down on the bed, then you pulled a blanket out as he was feeling chilly again.

After bundling him up you made sure he was comfortable, he was still drowsy so it didn't take him long to drift off again.

In the meantime you took a shower and changed, feeling almost sober now, your focus was completely on him now.

In the middle of the night his fever spiked again so you filled a bowl with icy water and grabbed a cotton cloth, then you shifted him a little as you got on the bed, putting his head between your lap so it would be easier for you.

You repeated the action again and again until the fever went down slightly. Once his head felt normal you put him down on the pillow again and then moved as you applied the compress on his palms and then the sole of his feet, you remembered your mom used to do this when you were a kid.

As the fever began to go down he started to sweat a lot so you sat down next to him, grabbed a handkerchief and wiped his forehead. That's when he opened his eyes to look at you.

“Hey you feeling okay? What do you need baby?” Your voice came out softer than usual and as tender as he remembered before he had ruined it.

His eyes welled up and that worried you so you reached closer and leaned over him.

“You know how I said men would kill for a woman like you and still fuck it up when they have it?” He asked softly you hummed, as the tears rolled down you wiped them before they could touch his ears.

“I fucked it up.. and I don't deserve this anymore” he sniffled, your heart nearly broke again but for different reasons.

You didn’t answer him with words right away.

Instead, you leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, brief, gentle, grounding.

His breath hitched at the contact, eyes fluttering shut for a moment like it physically hurt him to feel that tenderness. Then you pulled back just enough to look at him.

“You did fuck it up” you said quietly, honestly, your thumb brushing away the tear clinging to his lashes “I’m not pretending you didn’t”

His chest tightened, a shaky breath leaving him.

“But” you continued, voice steady and sure, “You’re also trying to fix it. And that means everything to me”

He swallowed hard, eyes glistening again.

“Does it?”

“It does” you said without hesitation. “And just because you made a mistake, that doesn't mean you stop deserving my care, it never left, my feelings never changed for you, not one bit” You rested your forehead against his “You don’t have to earn my affection by being perfect, Eric”

“I don’t feel like I deserve you”

You exhaled softly, fingers sliding into his hair again, anchoring him.

“That’s not your decision to make either…it's mine”

Another tear slipped free, but this time you didn’t rush to wipe it away. You let it fall, let him feel it, let him be seen in it.

“And all I want is you” you said gently

He nodded, exhaustion finally overtaking the guilt, he brought his hand up to curl it around your waist. You let the silence fill the moment, just existing in the peace he had brought back into your life when he chose to come back.

You stayed like that for a long moment, letting him rest, the quiet hum of the apartment around you filling the space where words weren’t needed. His breathing evened out, shoulders relaxing, and finally you broke the silence, voice soft and careful.

“You didn't have dinner baby” you said, brushing a stray lock of hair from his damp forehead “Let me make something, what do you want hmm?”

He blinked up at you, expression still fuzzy from the meds and the fever. “Uh… I don’t know” he murmured, voice hoarse. “Maybe… one of those spicy ramen things… the one I made on your period”

A small smile tugged at your lips despite the worry that hadn’t fully left your chest. He looked like a little kid at the moment.

“Spicy ramen, huh?” you teased lightly “Are you sure you can handle it?”

“I think… I’ll survive” he whispered, his lips twitching in what could almost be called a smile “Just hot water and seasoning..don't try to make it fancy”

You chuckled softly, leaning down to press another gentle kiss to his temple. You knew where he was coming from, he was sick, his senses probably craved something spicy and strong.

“Alright, I’ll make you ramen”

You got up quietly and went to the kitchen to prepare it, it took like five minutes. While the noodles were boiling you made him sit up and placed the laptop table in front of him so he won't strain his neck.

When you brought the steaming bowl over, he was waiting with his hands neatly folded up on the table, blanket still wrapped around him.

You set it in front of him and waited until he picked up the chopsticks.

“Careful… it’s hot” you warned softly.

“I know mommy” he muttered, eyes meeting yours briefly, a small smile playing at his lips, you crossed your arms and glared at him as he teased you, even though deep down you were relieved he wasn't feeling bad anymore. “Thank you really… for this. For… everything” he mumbled as he grabbed the bowl and took a sip, the spicy soup immediately made him feel better.

“Eat and sleep mister, that's all you're allowed to do for next two days at least” you mumbled as you went back to the kitchenette to clean the mess.

He didn't argue.

When you finally got back to the bed, you bundled him up in the blanket again and caressed his head until he was asleep again, then you scooted closer to him even though he protested because he thought he'd get you sick too.

After such a long time he slept the whole night without waking up for any reason. He woke up straight around 8 in the morning, because you were talking to your boss on the phone, telling him you needed an urgent leave.

As you hung up you reached towards the bed to check his temperature.

“Good morning sick boy, are you feeling okay?” You asked so he hummed in response. He wasn't burning up so that was good.

“You know taking a leave right after getting a promotion is not a good look right?” He asked as he sat up.

“They can't demote me because I missed a day..” you spoke as you stood up “Now Bathroom. Toothbrush. You need to eat something before medication”

He didn't argue further and got out of the bed immediately.

He hadn't been sick in a long time so this felt weird. He freshened up and also took a quick shower because he felt disgusting.

When he sat down to eat, you brought a dryer to dry his wet hair before he'll catch another cold.

He sat still while you dried his hair, shoulders relaxed, eyes half lidded as the warm air brushed over his scalp. Every now and then your fingers combed through his hair to make sure it dried evenly, gentle and practiced, like you had done this a hundred times before. He didn’t speak. Neither did you. But the quiet between you wasn’t awkward anymore, it just screamed comfort.

Once you were satisfied you turned the dryer off and set it aside, pressing a quick kiss to the crown of his head

“Eat everything”

He obeyed, glancing up at you every now and then as if to make sure you were still there. You leaned against the counter, cleaning the dishes in the sink.

When he was done eating you handed him his meds, watching until he swallowed them. Only then did you finally sit beside him again with your own breakfast, your thigh brushing his.

“You don’t have to babysit me all day” he said quietly as he cut the piece of toast and fed it to you..

“I know” you replied just as softly. “I want to”

That did something to him. You felt it in the way he exhaled, slow and deep, like he’d been holding his breath for weeks. He had spent so long thinking love was something you lost the moment you failed. That one mistake could cost you everything. That he had to keep earning his place, keep proving he was worth staying for.

But watching you now, taking an urgent leave without hesitation, drying his hair, feeding him, nurturing him, he understood something he hadn’t before. He understood that love wasn't about not messing up but staying despite it.

Later, you coaxed him back into bed, tucked him in again despite his weak protests, and this time he didn’t fight it at all. He just reached out, fingers catching your wrist.

“Stay” he murmured.

You didn’t even hesitate. You climbed in beside him, letting him curl slightly toward you. Within minutes his breathing evened out again, sleep pulling him under.

You stayed awake longer, watching him. The faint crease between his brows was gone. His face looked younger like this, unguarded, at peace.

And somewhere between the hum of the refrigerator and the soft rise and fall of his chest, a thought settled in his mind when he stirred again hours later. Not fear. Not doubt. But Clarity. The kind that came from deep somewhere in his heart.

He realized then that nothing about this, nothing about you could ever feel temporary again. He knew now that If things ever changed again between you two, if life shifted the way it always did, it wouldn’t be about him leaving or running because he was scared.

It would be about permanence.

One day, when he would be strong enough, brave enough, worthy enough and when he had healed enough, he’d put a ring on that pretty finger and make you his wife. And to his surprise the thought didn't scare him at all. It made him feel at home instead.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Note: The eric from chapter 1 and now..my boy has grown so much 😍

Taglist

@littledark11 @kikibit @wiseyouthinfluencer @loushaw131460 @ererebus-et-eigengrau @moonlight52moonlight @thewolfcubofkaermorhen @devilslittlehelper @purplerainx1 @cypherpt5fttaehyung @doesntmattert

@arttheclown666 @slutoru1207 @sagekisses @cookie-crumbs-x @loiita-xo @samanthaw16

[littledark11]

finally understands that he really fucked up and to be honest I would have left him buddy he's a baby boy and I love him too much 😢😢😢

It's probably going to take time for them to rebuild the relationship but honestly I believe in it.

And awwww baby boy sick 🤒🤒🤒 do I think he has a mommy kink?maybe or that he enjoys that Y/N taking care of him that I believe.

[lokisprettygirl]

On a tight leash (Bill Skarsgård! Eric Draven x Female Reader) (18+) (AU)

Read chapter 20 here / Series Masterlist

Chapter 21

Summary : Your heart gets broken and you knew it would stay that way for years to come. But life brings you another surprise.

Warning: 18+, Angst, Somnophilia, unprotected sex, sexual domination, oral sex, oral during mensuration, slight bdsm, sex during mensuration, body image issues, mention of cramps and mensuration, bodyshaming, mention of self loathing and insecurities, weird obsessive behaviour, classism

Once he left you didn't get out of the bed even for a second, a part of you wanted to call him, to ask him to come back, to listen to you because you never meant to hurt him but you knew it was futile. He had made up his mind. And if there was something you knew about him, it was that he did whatever he wanted. Whatever made him stay in that comfort zone where he has always lived.

As the night deepened, you couldn't even stay in the same bed anymore, it suffocated you, his scent was everywhere and you couldn't escape him even if you wanted to. So you just laid down on the floor, legs pressed into your chest, but the tears didn't stop coming.

And when it finally did, the heartbreak, and the hurt gave way to anger. Just two nights ago he had told you how important you were becoming to him, how he missed being around you when he was away from you, and because of one mistake, one fault you became nothing to him?

How do you love someone like that?

You didn't get any sleep, you didn't eat either and you had to be at work the next morning so you got ready and left for work. Despite all the attempts to cover up how you were feeling everyone that saw you kept asking if you were doing okay, if you were sick, if you needed to take a leave.

But you couldn't take a leave, that small apartment that once was your escape now made you want to escape. He had touched everything and made it his own. Your body, your heart, and even the place where he stayed with you.

You weren't really okay but you had to be. What other choice did you have here? Better now than two years later when you were more entangled with him. You made excuses in your mind, trying to justify whatever happened, it happened for a reason. But none of those reasons brought any solace.

Mira called you that evening and you just told her in a plain, almost lifeless voice that you and Eric had broken up. She was shocked, she didn't really understand what was going on, but she pressed you to tell her the truth so you told her that you had done something to fuck it up and ruined it. You told her he had done nothing wrong.

He already had rumours surrounding him, some true, some completely baseless and you didn't want to add anything else to it.

She didn't believe you though, she knew you were in love with him and you'd never hurt him or cheat on him. She kept asking for an explanation but you didn't have one to give.

There was no explanation, you chose to stay quiet about something that mattered to him and he didn't believe in giving second chances to people he trusted, if they failed him once he was done.

Others could get a pass of course, like Rita. Because he didn't trust them in the first place. And you understood that. You understood where it came from—the past, the damage, the fear of being made a fool again. You knew he didn’t leave because he stopped caring. He left because caring for someone that could hurt him terrified him.

That understanding didn’t soften the blow though. If anything, it made it worse.

The reason why he broke your heart wasn't because you treated him poorly but because you treated him better than anyone else ever had. You couldn't really tell anymore which one of you was the fool here. You for treating him the way he deserved or him for holding you to a standard that you could never live up to.

Patricia called you once during the week. You were at work when her name flashed on your screen.

“Hello Mrs. Draven..How are you?” you mumbled politely. Trying to keep your voice from trembling.

She didn't say anything for a moment.

“I'm sorry sweetheart. It's all my fault” your eyes teared up when she said that but you didn't want to break down in a cubicle so you just sighed.

“It's not all your fault, he made the decision to leave me, it wasn't something we couldn't have worked through or fixed but there was no room for that in this relationship because he decided it. He decided to be with me on his own terms and left on those same terms too. You did nothing here”

She went quiet for a moment, she knew what heartbreak sounded like, how numb and cynical it could make you and she was just disappointed that her son had put you through something like that.

“I'm still sorry, I know and I understand what you're going through..don't feel alone in this. He might have ended the relationship but I still care about you the same way. Never forget that”

You hummed at her words, eyes welling up so you told her that you were at work and hung up. You couldn't keep going without falling apart.

Mira called you everyday, she was worried you could tell, but she was also hoping with time you'd move on from him.

You couldn't tell her that time didn't heal all the wounds, sometimes it only made it worse. They festered in absence, rotted in silence and became more painful with every moment.

Two weeks passed and you were still miserable, he was probably in the arms of someone new already, and you couldn't even take a breath without feeling suffocated by it.

Patricia had told you he had left NYC that night itself.

After breaking your heart and his own, he drove back to her apartment and he was determined to go to the Shadowhall palace, wanting to take her along with him but she begged him and convinced him to not ruin lives that weren't his to ruin so he listened to her. Again.

And you felt horrible, not just for yourself but him, when he was a child he was told something that wasn't true, and then he grew up believing something else, and now he knew he had barely scratched the surface of the truth. No wonder he had trouble putting his faith in anyone. You just wished he hadn't left, because the last thing you ever wanted was to hurt him in any way.

Around 8 at night you heard a knock on your door. You had a sickening feeling that it was Mira, she had been trying to come see you since you told her but the wedding season was on and she had to be at different places at once now that she was the daughter in law of one of the wealthiest families in the country.

You opened the door expecting to see her but your heart stilled at the sight. There he was, tall as ever, looking as devastating as you remembered.

You stared at him but he couldn't look you in the eye, he was looking at the door knob instead..

“Can I come in?” He finally asked so you shook your head.

“If you want to take your bed back, send someone..I'll buy another one” You told him, voice stoic and unfamiliar, he finally looked up at you.

“Okay, I deserve that”

You looked at him as he mumbled under his breath..you looked like you had lost a couple of pounds, even just two weeks he could tell the difference.

When Eric had left that night, in his mind he was determined, in his mind he was right. He was doing the right thing by not wanting to keep those who hurt him or broke his trust.

His mother convinced him to not go to the Shadowhall and not ruin everything for everyone so he listened. For now he did. He didn't know how long he would be able to keep it in though..

He was used to being away from you for days, so for a week he was fine, he thought about you, of course he did but he didn't turn around or run back to you. He wasn't that person, he didn't look behind, didn't read the same chapters over and over again.

But then another week passed and he started thinking.

Thinking about that night at the palace when you didn't even know him and came to check up on him because you thought he was hurt. To make it even worse Mira called him that night, asking him to reconsider, to forgive you if you had done something to mess it up. He was confused so he asked her what you had said to him..

The answer nearly broke him again, despite what he had done and how he had left, you didn't put any blame on him.

As another day passed he started thinking about moments where you had treated him with grace instead of turning away from him, moments where you had trusted him enough to give him the space he needed, moments where you had lied for him and hidden his truth to keep his trust, moments you had spent the nights with your fingers running over his scalp because you wanted him to sleep.

All those moments where you just want to take care of him, and then his thoughts ended with that preciously wrapped sandwich that you had kept on the counter for him that morning, the one he didn't get to have.

And that was the exact moment he realised how cruel he had been to you.

The very exact moment where he knew he had fucked up something really beautiful and he had probably ruined it forever.

His father might have hurt his mother but then he wasn't any different. He hurt the only woman who he knew would have stood next to him in the Rain and the Storms, the poverty if the worst comes to worse.

“I have never been in this situation before—” he spoke again, voice no longer carrying the heat as it had that night when he was crushing your heart under his indifference.

“Am I supposed to care?” You asked as you crossed your arms, heart beat fast even though you were pretending that him standing there wasn't affecting you at all.

“I know you care, but you can act, i won't stop you from doing that”

“I'm not acting” you glared at him,eyes teary, heart crushing under the ribcage.

He stepped a little closer so you stepped back.

“Can I please just get in? It feels weird doing this at the door” he argued so you shook your head again.

“It didn't feel weird when you slammed it on my face” you shot back.

“I didn't come here to make excuses for my behaviour”

“You shouldn't have come here at all Eric” you responded to him as you proceeded to close the door on his face. The sound loud and harsh. He didn't expect anything different.

He opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. He had lost the right to even argue with you, he didn't give you a chance to even tell your side that night, it was so easy to just end that relationship, that bond he had built in the last four months.

All because his mind caught up to him before his heart could.

You crawled into the bed and stayed there as the tears rolled down your cheeks, you hadn't changed the bedsheet since he had left, as much pain as it brought you, it also became a source of comfort for you. You had something that reminded you of him and the good times you have had with him in the past few months.

You didn't know why he came back today, or if he wanted to reconcile. All you knew was that you couldn't go through with this again, your heart was broken, barely holding itself together, the next time would probably end you. And knowing him it was a possibility that it could happen.

Because he'd leave you somewhere in the middle of the road and not look back to see if you were lost without him.

You wanted to be there for him, he probably needed someone to keep him grounded as he worked through the troubles and turmoils of his past unraveling but what about you? He wasn't there when you needed him the most, he left as if you never meant a thing to him.

*******

The next morning came quietly, your alarm went off at seven. You laid in the bed for a long moment, staring at the ceiling, chest heavy, eyes burning, body exhausted in a way sleep could never fix. Then you dragged yourself out of bed, got ready mechanically, every movement on autopilot.

When you reached the door, hand closing around the knob, you hesitated.

You didn’t know why. A feeling, maybe.

The door barely moved before it hit something solid. There was a soft thud and then he opened his eyes.

Eric had been sitting on the floor with his back pressed to your door, knees bent, head tipped forward. When the door opened, his weight followed, and he jolted awake as he stumbled slightly inside, back flat against the floor, you had to step back a little so he wouldn't hit your ankles.

His eyes opened immediately.

Wide and alert. As if sleep had never really claimed him at all.

He looked up at you, confusion flickering for half a second before recognition settled in. He had been here all night.

“What do you think you're doing?” You asked as you crossed your arms so he sat up.

“Nothing” he mumbled as he stood up to give you space. You closed the door behind yourself before locking it.

“You don’t get to do this. You don’t get to disappear whenever you want, come back whenever you wish, and then punish yourself on my doorstep like that would make anything better”

You told him as you turned to look at him. He looked exhausted, more than ever. His back must hurt from sitting all night but you had to stay strong and not give into whatever he was doing.

“I wasn't punishing myself” he mumbled softly “I just didn't want to leave ..again”

You scoffed as he said that.

“Why not? You know you're capable of that” his eyes teared up, he knew he was capable of that, all his life that's how he had been until you came along.

“I have to go to work” you finally said as you stepped further into the hallway.

“Let me drop you, please” he said as he followed you, and it made your anger flare up immediately. The word please sounded wrong coming from him now, too late, too fragile.

“No” you said immediately, not breaking your stride “You don’t get to play boyfriend when it suits you.”

“I’m not trying to” he said, staying a step behind you.

You stopped so suddenly he almost ran into you.

“Then what the fuck you think you're doing?” you said, turning to face him.

His jaw clenched, eyes glassy but steady on you.

“I don't know. I wished I did but I don't. The only thing I know is that I don’t deserve to be here, you don't deserve someone like me in your life. But just let me do this one thing, just let me drop you to work” you shook in disbelief once more.

“That’s the problem, Eric” you said quietly. “You always decide what that one thing is for you, everything is on your terms, you decide when to call, when to talk, when you need your space, it's all your decisions and i was okay with it, i really was, it wasn't pretense but the moment I didn't follow your script you scooped me up and threw me out of your life like i meant nothing”

The words landed hard. He looked away, hands curling at his sides. Silence stretched between you, heavy and brittle.

He swallowed, throat working, and for the first time since you’d opened the door, he didn’t rush to fill the silence, he took his time because he knew he had fucked it up already.

“Youre right about everything, except the one thing..I didn’t throw you out because you meant nothing,” he said quietly “I did it because you made me feel more than i have ever felt in my life”

You let out a sharp bitter laugh at that. You knew he wasn't lying to you, that was one of the things he couldn't really do but that knowledge didn't make this alright.

“That’s supposed to make me feel better?”

“No” he said immediately. “It’s not. It’s just the truth”

He dragged a hand down his face, fingers trembling slightly.

“All my life whenever I felt cornered I ran..I chose to break them before they could break me. That night… my head convinced me this wasn't going to last without honesty so I left first ”

“And you didn’t think to ask me?” your voice cracked despite you trying to keep it steady “You didn’t think I deserved even one conversation after all that I knew about you?”

“I know” he whispered. “And that’s what I can’t forgive myself for.. I treated you like you didn't mean anything when it's not true”

You turned away from him, blinking rapidly. The hallway felt too narrow, the air too tight.

“I’m trying to be better” he said after a moment “I don't want to live like that anymore” he approached you so you shook your head, not wanting to warm up to the idea of having him in your life again because the next time he decides he was done with you, you didn't think you'd be able to recover from it.

“Then go get therapy because I can’t pretend that it didn't happen, that you didn't hurt me more than I have ever been hurt before”

You reached the stairs and stepped down. He followed anyway, slower now, like he wasn’t sure he was allowed to exist beside you anymore.

At the bottom of the stairs, you paused again, hand tightening around your bag strap.

“You can’t fix this by showing up tired and remorseful” you said “You broke something in me. Something I am not sure I know how to put back together”

“I know” he whispered. “And I hate myself for it” you finally looked at him then. Really looked.

There was no arrogance left in him. No certainty that once made him untouchable. Just a man stripped down to regret and fear, standing in front of the consequences of his own choices.

“Please just let me drop you to work..that's all I'm asking for” You turned around to face away from him.

Because you were scared that he might see how close you were to breaking and how terrifying it was that even now, a part of you still wanted him to catch you before you fell.

“That wouldn't change anything Eric.. I don't trust you anymore” you told him sharply so he hummed in response.

“I know.. that's what I deserve”

You gulped before walking further and stepping out of the building. He wasn't sure if your silence meant yes or not but he still reached towards his car and opened the door for you. You hesitated for a moment before you stepped inside.

The car ride was quiet. He drove slower than he ever used to, hands steady on the wheel, eyes fixed on the road as if he didn’t trust himself to look at you for too long. The silence between you wasn’t awkward, it was careful. Like one wrong word would shatter whatever truce had settled between you two.

You stared out the window, jaw tight, heart heavy. You could feel his presence beside you, restrained, contained, like he was holding himself back from saying everything he wanted to say because he knew he was quiet when you needed him to say something, to fight for you.

When he finally pulled up outside your office building, you unbuckled and reached for the door handle.

“Thank you” you said, voice neutral, professional almost as if you were speaking to an uber driver “For the ride”

“Of course”

You paused, hand still on the handle. Something in your chest tightened, not exactly forgiveness, definitely not reconciliation, just… humanity. The man beside you looked like he hadn’t slept, hadn’t eaten, like the night had taken more from him than he was willing to admit so you exhaled slowly.

You pulled out your keys from the bag and offered it to him.

“You can… go back to my place” you said, pulling your keys from your bag. His head snapped toward you then, startled but not surprised, you have always been kinder to him than he deserved “To shower. Change. If you want..there's leftover in the fridge”

You placed the key on the dashboard before he could say anything else.

“It doesn’t mean anything,” you added quickly

“I know” he said immediately, fingers curling around the key “I won’t read into it”

You nodded, pushing the door open. As you stepped out, he finally spoke again, softer this time.

“Thank you” he said, not just for the key, but for the mercy behind it. You knew he could very well afford all that anywhere, you weren't offering him a place to relax but something that was familiar.

You heard him of course but didn't respond. And as you walked toward your office, heart aching in ways you didn’t have words for, he sat there for a long moment longer, keys clenched in his hand, knowing that this quiet, painful distance was the consequence of having everything in life and still fucking it up.

All day during your shift, you couldn’t focus, it was always so easy for him to take up space in your mind and heart. Your mind kept circling back to the image of him collapsed outside your door, stubborn enough to stay but coward enough to leave when it mattered most. You hated that it hurt. Hated that part of you that wanted to go back, to sit beside him, to ask if he was okay, to feed him because he looked weak and hungry..

Around 5 he came to pick you up. He was leaning against his car when you stepped out, posture relaxed. He seemed better, showered, fed and smelling divine as usual, wearing a sky blue shirt that was a bit loose on him, but it made him look less intimidating, soft even and your heart thudded at the sight of him even though your mind screamed to not fall into the same habits again.

You didn't say anything, you just sat inside and he drove off. The ride back to your apartment was quiet, he was too guilty and afraid of saying something wrong and you were too broken to even be angry with him..

As you went upstairs he followed you, he didn't walk next to you. The man that has proudly claimed once that he didn't chase anyone was now doing exactly the same. That's what he had been doing when he chose to sleep outside your door and offered you the ride.

“Thanks again” you said as you turned your head to look at him.

“Thanks for letting me change and shower” he said as he took your keys out of the pocket and walked closer to give it to you. His fingers brushed over your palm and you shivered instantly at the touch.

“Did you eat?” You asked him as you opened the door so he shook his head, hand coming up to scratch the back of his neck. “How long has it been?” You asked again.

“Yesterday I think”

“Come in then..you don't have to starve because you're feeling bad” you told him as you stepped inside, leaving the door open for him.

Eric wanted to tell you the same but he didn't dare bring it up.

He closed the door behind himself as he entered, eyes fell upon the spot where he had pushed you away and hurt you that night.

You didn't say anything as you grabbed a towel and clothes to go shower and change.

He didn't know what to do so he sat down on the bed and waited. This morning after dropping you off to work he didn't really come here, he had gone to Patricia’s instead, he had spent the afternoon with his head in her lap before asking her what he could do to fix this.

She didn't say anything for a while, she just let it settle in, she was happy that he had come to his senses, and it didn't take him years to do it, just a mere few days and he needed those days to come to this conclusion.

“Just be honest” she finally murmured “I know what she's going through but trust me when I say this, if she cared as much as I know she did, she'd rather want you back in her life then not have you at all. She might not trust you, might hold resentment but she'd want to fix it, to give another chance”

And she said that because that's exactly what she'd have done if Rupert ever got back to her and wanted to spend his life with her. She would have taken him back in a heartbeat because sometimes moving on is not an option, some people touch your life in a way that tethers you to them forever.

The apartment felt different now that he was inside it again. Like the walls themselves remembered what had happened.

Eric sat on the edge of the bed, hands resting loosely on his thighs, shoulders tense despite how still he looked. He exhaled slowly and leaned forward, elbows on his knees, staring at the floor.

He didn’t belong here. Not like before.

From the bathroom, the sound of the shower starting filled the space. It grounded him, reminded him that you were still here, still moving, still alive despite what he had done. He pressed his palms together, fingers interlacing tightly, as if holding himself in place.

Patricia’s words echoed in his head.

Just be honest.

Not excuses. No explanations. Not the careful, controlled version of himself he had always relied on. You needed his honesty more than ever now. And he wanted to tell you that he meant to stay this time. That he'd never leave again but he didn't know how to make you believe him anymore.

The water shut off and his spine straightened instinctively.

You emerged a few minutes later, hair damp, face bare, wearing soft clothes that made you look more tired than you probably meant to but you looked real, so real, you didn't have a pretentious bone in your body. It knocked the air from his lungs in a way he didn’t expect.

He stood up and followed you at a careful distance as you pulled things out of the fridge, moving on muscle memory alone.

“You don’t have to cook” he said. “I can bring takeout—”

“Sit down, it will take just minutes” you interrupted, but not unkindly.

He didn't sit down though, he stood leaning against the door of the refrigerator, moving every time you needed something.

“I went to see my mom,” he said suddenly “After I dropped you off”

You didn’t look at him despite yourself.

“And?”

“I asked her what to do” he admitted. “I don’t trust my instincts. They’re… clearly broken”

That earned a small, humorless huff from you.

You handed him a plate a moment later. Simple grilled chicken sandwich. Warm. Thoughtful.

He took the plate but didn't eat yet, he put it down on the counter instead and moved closer to you. Then much to your surprise he went down on his knees in front of you.

“Just look at me please..just once” He asked, voice tender and your eyes welled up immediately at the sight of him.

“You didn't when I needed it Eric” you mumbled as the tears rolled down.

“I know, and that's my guilt to live with..I'm not going to make excuses for my behaviour that night, I just need you to listen to me once..just once” he said before grabbing your hands into his own.

His thumbs brushed over your knuckles, slow and grounding, like he was afraid you might disappear if he let go.

“I was terrified” he said quietly.

The word didn’t sound like something he had ever allowed himself to say before.

“I used to feel… manageable things,” he went on, eyes fixed on yours. “Anger. Desire. Control. I knew how to live with those. They didn’t make me feel so fragile” Your chest constricted in on itself again.

“But what I feel now?” his voice cracked, just slightly “It hurts. All the fucking time. I wake up with it, go to sleep with it”

A tear slipped down your cheek. He didn’t wipe it away. He didn’t assume he was allowed.

“I’ve never been afraid of losing someone like this” he continued. “Because I never had anything worth losing. I left first. Always. That’s how I survived”

“You can't just pack up and leave every time I make a mistake Eric, I'm a human being..I'm not a doll that could just do what you want it to do” you said firmly. His past didn't give him the right to treat you as if you were disposable..

“I know.. I never thought you were, you are more real to me than anything else in this world.. and I couldn't handle it”

You sighed as he said that.

“You didn't deserve it, any of it, you didn't deserve some man with unresolved issues dumping all his traumas on you, yet you stuck around for me. But when that picture fell out of your closet, I couldn't see anything else, I was blinded by what else I didn't know, I couldn't stop thinking about it and I blamed you for my misery even though you had been nothing but kind to me”

He placed his forehead down on your torso as if he couldn't bear to look at you anymore.

“You know why my father didn't take me in?” He asked softly so you shook your head, you didn't trust your voice to not fall apart. You wanted to know the reason even though you didn't understand why he was telling you that now.

“Because I looked like her, my mother”

Your fingers immediately curled around his neck as you heard that, caressing over his scalp.

“And Peter didn't .. Mama told me how both of us were supposed to be with him, he had made an arrangement with her that their children will have everything in life even if he can't give her the same”

You didn't say anything, you let him speak.

“But then I was born, and it all changed. While Peter came out with his features. I resembled my mother, same eyes, same nose, same lips, and then it became so apparent that I was born out of an affair..” his jaw tightened in anger “That the mother wasn't his wife Alicia but a simple house maid of the family and they couldn't have that. They couldn't have those rumours affecting the reputation of the family so he discarded me. He stepped looking at me, stopped being around me, stopped spending time with me so he won't get attached to me”

You bent down on your knees to be at his level and hugged him as tightly as you could. He closed his eyes as he felt your warmth around him again.

“I learned all that when I was eleven. I never told you that part because I didn't want pity, and I'm not telling you this because I want you to feel bad for me or use it as an excuse or reasons for that night. I just want you to know that it hurt me because I thought that was the whole truth, that my mother just made a mistake but when that picture fell out of your closet, that changed everything, it changed the story, I went crazy thinking about things I still didn't know”

His palms wrapped around your waist, face hiding between the crook of your shoulder as he let it all out.

“I wanted to cut it clean, I wanted to be selfish again, to not depend on anyone again so I ended it, I didn't think about you at that moment and I don't think i could ever make up for what I did, but I need another chance”

You stayed there for a long moment, arms wrapped around him, feeling the way his body shook.

Then you pulled back just enough to look at him, your hands sliding up to his face, forcing him gently to meet your eyes. His lashes were wet. His expression was bare in a way you had never seen before.

“Eric… another chance doesn’t erase what happened” you said firmly “I didn’t just lose you that night. I lost my sanity. I started wondering if everything between us was something I imagined”

He shook his head as you said that

“It wasn’t”

“But you made me feel disposable” you continued, voice trembling despite your effort to keep it steady and neutral “The moment I became complicated or made a mistake, you walked away from me”

“I know” he said again, voice more broken this time. “And I hate myself for it.”

“Loving you doesn’t mean I stop being human. It doesn’t mean I stop messing up. And if every mistake I make sends you running, then what we have will never be secure.. I'll keep looking over my shoulder wondering when you'll decide to pack your bags and leave again”

He nodded slowly, like engraving every word in his head. Loving him? Did you really him? He hoped so.

“I don’t want to run anymore” he said. “And I never want to hurt you like that ever again..but I know i don't deserve your forgiveness either”

Your thumb brushed under his eye, wiping the tears, before you even realized you were doing it

“You don't..and I’m not saying yes” you said honestly “Not yet” His heart sank, you could feel it in the way his grip loosened. “But” you continued, lifting your head just enough to look at him “I’m also not saying no”

Hope flickered in his eyes, he liked the sound of that.

So this is what it feels like. Fighting for someone, compromising for them even if it went against everything you ever stood for.

“I need time” you said “And space to decide if I can trust you again”

“I’ll wait..as long as you want me to.. I won't stray, I won't look at anyone else like I haven't in the past two weeks” he said immediately. Too quickly.

A relief surged through you, he wasn't numb, he did care about you. He stayed loyal.

You stood first, offering him your hand, not to pull him back into your life, not to absolve him of the abandonment that night but to help him stand.

“Let’s start with tonight” you said. “You eat the food before it gets cold”

You grabbed the plate and handed it to him so he hummed in response, taking a small bite out of it.

After he was done eating, you didn't say anything, but you didn't ask him to leave either, you just laid down on the bed, but not in the centre, you laid down on the side, giving him the space to crawl into the bed if he wished to..

And he did without hesitation. None of you said anything, he didn't dare touch you again. He turned the lights off instead and watched you sleep facing away from him.

But sometimes later he heard you sobbing quietly into the pillow, your mind still replying that night over and over. Your heart was still fearing that he'd leave again so he didn't say a word.

He quietly moved closer to you and pulled you into him, you immediately turned around and snuggled into him, craving the warmth, his scent, everything that you had been missing since he had left.

He held you then like he knew he could still break you if he wasn’t careful. One arm circling around your back, the other resting lightly at your waist.

Your sobs eased, slowly, unevenly, until they softened into breaths.

He realised that this was what staying looked like. His chest ached with the knowledge that you were crying because of him, and yet you had let him stay.

Your fingers curled into his shirt, unconsciously, as if your body remembered before your heart could catch up.

He didn’t sleep.

Every time you shifted, every time your breathing faltered, he tightened his hold just enough to remind you he was there. That he wasn’t leaving. Not tonight. Not ever. Not until you'd want him to leave.

You stirred closer to him as the night went by, your forehead pressing into his collarbone. For a moment, you whispered his name. It was out of habit.

He swallowed hard.

Morning would come with its questions, with its uncertainty. With the slow and probably terrifying work of rebuilding something that had been cracked.

But for now, in the dark, with you breathing against his heart it felt enough.

For once in his life he felt like he was enough, because for once in his life he had someone he knew he could count on, someone he knew would never abandon him. Someone he wanted to do the same for because that's what love was supposed to be. And he loved you. More than he ever wanted to love anyone.

🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹

Note: Babyboy needed the distance to come to his senses :(

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@arttheclown666 @slutoru1207 @sagekisses @cookie-crumbs-x @loiita-xo @samanthaw16

[littledark11]

I FEEL SO MUCH EMOTION!! 😭😭😭😭

Anger, sadness, relief but disappointment.

Why why did he have to do this why?!? What did he gain from this? It just ended up blowing in his face.

(to be honest I'm very Petty) because I would just make it worse by saying "well you dug your own grave now lay in it!"

Now it's going to be a long road of fixing the cracks

Eric right now:

[lokisprettygirl]

On a tight leash (Bill Skarsgård! Eric Draven x Female Reader) (18+) (AU)

Read chapter 19 here / Series Masterlist

Chapter 20

Summary : Sometimes Love isn't enough to heal the lifelong trauma and you learn that lesson in the worst possible manner.

Warning: 18+, Angst, Somnophilia, unprotected sex, sexual domination, oral sex, oral during mensuration, slight bdsm, sex during mensuration, body image issues, mention of cramps and mensuration, bodyshaming, mention of self loathing and insecurities, weird obsessive behaviour, classism

Eric didn't want to make his mother upset. That was the last thing he ever wanted in life, he didn't want to rip open the old wounds again but he was hurt. So hurt that his mother kept this away from him, especially when she knew how much he despised being deceived like this.

She was standing in front of him, with tears in her eyes and his own eyes teared up at the sight, not just from hurt but anger, there was so much anger in him at the moment that even he didn't understand how he hadn't already exploded.

“Tell me the truth Ma, for god's sake, for me. If you have ever loved me even for a second in your life just tell me the fucking truth” her mouth hung open as she heard that.

His anger was valid, she didn't blame him for that but how could he even think like that. How could he even bring her love into this?

“You know I'd die for you baby, the only reason I kept this away from you was because you already knew enough, you already suffered enough.. you didn't need to know how your mother -” she paused as her voice choked on her tears. His jaw clenched. He should have let it go but he was pissed, absolutely furious at what that picture represented about his mother.

It wasn't just a mistake was it? It was love, she was betrayed by someone she loved and despite that she chose to stay and have children with that man.

“Tell me the truth ma or do you want your favorite son to come here and ask you this question instead?” he asked as he stepped closer to her. Fury burning in those green irises.

“How dare you say that to me? You know I have loved you both equally” He looked down as she said that and then scoffed.

“No you haven't..he was always above me. You never shied away from neglecting me when you had to choose between us. When we were kids..” he continued, voice shaking despite how hard he tried to hold it steady “You were never there when it mattered to me…you were always with him”

Patricia’s brows knitted together, tears spilling freely now.

“That’s not fair, Eric—”

“It is not.. I know that” he cut in sharply “You went to his school functions, his performances, his matches. Every time they clashed with mine, you chose him..never me” His hands clenched into fists at his sides. She swallowed hard.

“I told you why. That was the only time I got to see him when he got older. You lived with me, baby. I came home to you”

“Peter already had a family” he went on, each word cutting deeper now. “A rich one. A father who claimed him proudly in public. A surname that opened doors I couldn't even think of” His voice cracked, just for a second. “I didn’t have a father who wanted me…and the one man who accepted me as his son also left and despite all that I didn’t get to have a mother who was completely mine, who chose me before anyone else”

“That’s not true” she whispered. “I chose you every day”

“No. You were stuck with me because Rupert Haines didn't want me” he said quietly, and somehow that hurt more than if he had yelled. “You chose peace. You chose not to upset anyone. And every time, I was the one that you hoped would understand. The one you assumed would be fine. Why is it me that has to uncover the lies every fucking time?”

Silence stretched between them, heavy and suffocating. Patricia covered her mouth, a sob breaking free.

“I didn’t want to hurt you” she said through tears “I thought I was protecting you by hiding the complete truth”

“You weren’t protecting me” Eric replied, blinking the tears away “You were protecting the lie. So for once, for once in your life just tell me the complete truth”

She slumped down on the chair behind her, exhaustion settling in. She didn't even know where to start and where to end so she went all the way back when she was a child and she told him the first memory she had of him. Rupert.

Then she told him everything, every little thing that she had never disclosed to anyone before, she told him all of it. When she finally stopped speaking Eric didn't say anything, he just sank down on the floor in front of her and cried with his head in her lap until he couldn't even cry anymore.

When his tears finally stopped coming, when his chest stopped heaving with those broken, uneven breaths, the room fell into a quiet so thick it felt unreal. Patricia’s hands rested in his hair, trembling as she smoothed it back again and again, the way she had always done.

“I’m sorry” she whispered, the words trembling from years of burden. “I can't lose you too my precious boy”

Eric stayed where he was, eyes unfocused, staring at the pattern on the rug as if it were the only thing anchoring him. Everything inside him felt hollow now, scraped clean by the truth.

“You would never lose me Ma” he said finally, voice hoarse. “You are all I have”

When his tears dried up he stood up and composed himself, he was done. He was done being quiet, done taking the disrespect Rupert Haines had put his mother through. He was done being the hidden secret of the family, and he was done acting as if he was beneath his brother Peter in any way.

“Don't be upset with her” Patricia said to him as she stared at the picture, the same picture that had reached into the past again and pulled the rug from under her feet.

“It wasn't her, it was Mira, she was the one to find it, Mira asked her about it, she was just worried this will harm us, that's why she came to me and told me immediately”

Eric fixed his hair in the mirror, his mannerisms a complete shift from the emotional breakdown he had just now. Falling into that same stoicism that was a core part of his personality now.

“I don't care who showed her the photograph, I spent the last night with her and she didn't say a word to me about this. Acting as if it didn't happen, as if she didn't know something about my life that even I didn't” he said as he buttoned up his sleeves one by one.

“To you it must be harmless, for me it's deception and I have had enough of that in my life” he mumbled sharply, there was no emotion in his voice.

And that genuinely terrified her.

Because she knew what it meant.

She had known him all his life but the way he was softer, the way he had felt safer with you in the past few months was something he never had before. And it was something she didn't want him to lose.

Patricia pushed herself up from the chair, the sound of its legs scraping softly against the floor cutting through the stillness.

“Eric…” her voice trembled, tentative now, as if she were afraid of breaking something fragile “That’s not fair. She was trying to protect you. She didn’t want to be the one to reopen this..it should have been my responsibility”

He didn’t look at her. He slipped his watch around his wrist, fastening it with deliberate care, every movement precise, controlled. Too controlled.

“Protection without truth is still a lie” he said flatly “And I don’t live well with lies” she walked around him, facing him, wanting to see the look on his face as he spoke of you like he didn't care at all now.

“That girl cares about you..she loves you Eric and I know a part of you knows that as well” Patricia insisted, stepping closer. “She came to me because she was scared of what this could do to us..to you”

He finally met his mother’s eyes in the mirror. There was nothing raw left in his gaze now, no anger, no grief.

“She chose silence and she chose to keep me in the dark” he replied. “Just like you did. And I’m done excusing that” Patricia flinched, his words hit her deeply.

“You don’t mean that” she whispered “You’re hurt. You’re reacting—”

“I’m reacting because I finally see clearly” he cut in, turning to face her fully. “All my life, people decided what I could handle. What I deserved to know. What version of the truth I was allowed to live with” His jaw tightened. “I won’t let anyone do that to me again. Not you. Not her. Not anyone else”

She reached out, fingers brushing his sleeve. He didn’t pull away but he didn’t lean in either.

“You’re punishing her for my mistakes,” Patricia said softly. “For mine… and Rupert’s.”

“I’m not punishing anyone” Eric replied “I’m drawing the boundary I never should have crossed in the first place”

Silence fell again, heavier than before.

“She knew something about my life,” he continued, quieter now “Something that shaped everything I am… and she looked at me, touched me, spoke to me like normal, knowing I was still in the dark” His voice didn’t shake, but his hands did, just slightly “I can’t just unfeel that”

Patricia’s eyes filled again with tears, this time they were for you. In his anger he didn't realise that he was being unfair to you, that he was choosing to hurt someone innocent the same way his father had done.

“What are you going to do?”

He picked up his coat, draping it over his arm. For a moment, he looked impossibly tired, older than his years, worn down by decades of carrying lies that weren’t his to bear.

“I don’t know” he admitted. “But I know this, if I keep letting people decide when I deserve honesty, I’ll lose whatever is left of myself and there's not much if I'm being honest” He kissed her forehead before he walked toward the door, then paused.

“For years” he said without turning back “I lived like I was less than Peter. Like I should be grateful for scraps of acknowledgment I got from the Haines as if it wasn't my birthright too. That ends now..You can't stop me anymore”

The door closed behind him with a final, echoing click.

Patricia sank back into the chair, staring at the photograph still clutched in her hands, proof of a past she could never undo. And a son who has finally had enough, the rage she saw in his eyes today would burn everything to the ground and she could do nothing but watch.

As she snapped back to reality somehow she picked up her phone and called you.

“Hey Patricia” your voice came carefree, Happy even, she could hear the happiness in your tone and it just about broke her heart completely. You didn't even know what was going to hit you.

“Sweetheart, Eric found that picture in your closet, and he's really hurt and really mad and I don't know what he's going to do–” she paused as her eyes welled up “Just wanted you to know that”

She hung up the call, didn't even want to listen to your questions or the confusions that you might have had. You called her back, a lot of times but she had no courage to speak to you. This was all her fault.

On the other side of the phone your heartbeat had suddenly raced.

He found the picture, of course he did. God how could you be so stupid? Why didn't you just give it back to Mira? Why the hell did you keep it in the closet of all places?

He was upset with you wasn't he? But why? Was it simply because you hid this from him or there was something more to this?

There was still an hour left until 5 pm, you did call him once in between, the severe anxiety you had at the moment after listening to Patricia made you feel nauseous, you couldn't even share this with Mira. She has no fucking clue what was going on here..

You clocked out right before five, but as you came out, you saw his car parked outside the office building, he didn't step out to open the door for you like he normally did. As you sat inside he just drove off without a word, he wasn't saying anything, in fact he wasn't even looking at you.

It took only two minutes for your apartment to arrive, but those two minutes felt like the longest one twenty seconds that had ever went by in your life. The silence between you both was uncomfortable and suffocating.

“Eric” you finally managed to whisper his name as you stepped inside the apartment. Your heart thudded in your chest as you watched him grab his duffle bag and he began putting his stuff inside, his clothes that he was keeping in your place, his perfume, his watch that he often left behind.

“Eric” your eyes welled up as you approached him and grabbed his arm. He acted as if this wasn't hurting him and that's what bothered you the most. “Baby please -” you mumbled again, voice soft, hoping it would bring him back. But he just turned to you, crossed his arms and glared at you.

“This ends here okay?” He said it, just like that, like it was so easy and so usual for him to just break your heart and then leave.

“No it doesn't” you tapped on his chest lightly as if that would snap him out of it “You don't get to decide that because of a photo”

He scoffed softly, a humorless sound, and looked away

“Well I just did” he went back shoving his clothes in the bag. Did he even realise what this was going to do to you?

“You aren't even letting me explain,” your voice cracked as tears rolled down your cheeks.

His jaw tightened as you spoke.

“I don’t need an explanation”

“Yes, you do,” you insisted, stepping in front of him when he tried to move past you “Because if you think I hid this to hurt you, then you don’t know me at all”

“You spent the whole evening with me knowing something about my life that I didn’t. And you said nothing about it”

“I didn’t know what to tell you” you said quickly, tears spilling now “I came to your mother the moment I saw it. I panicked. I didn’t know what it was, or what it meant, or how deep it went—” you tried to form your words in sentences you hoped would reach him, reach those dark corners of his mind where he had already sealed the fate of this relationship but it was as if he didn't care anymore.

“You chose to be dishonest with me, knowing how much I despise being lied to. You hid the truth anyway”

“I didn’t hide it” you snapped, then immediately softened “I didn’t know how to tell you. There’s a difference” you grabbed onto the collar of his shirt but he held your wrist and pushed you away.

“Oh really? Is that it? Is that your explanation?” he cut in coldly “So you can dig into my past, figure out why I watch people sleep and go through my phone accidentally but this was something you couldn't tell me? Hmmm make it make sense”

He laughed again, bitter this time.

“That’s always the excuse..isn't it? The moment they are caught lying that's what people say”

You shook your head desperately, he sounded so…detached all of a sudden, you could already feel your heart breaking, he was already at the point of no return. In the last four months you kept telling yourself that this won't last, that he wasn't going to stay around forever but now that your worst fear was a reality, you still somehow felt completely struck by it.

Maybe it was because you didn't think it would end like this, so suddenly, so cruelly. You thought you still had time with him.

You let go of his hand. He wasn't listening to you anymore because he had decided already that he was going to leave.

“There is no room for an error or a mistake in this relationship..is it?” You asked, voice still soft but the fight was gone, the fire you wanted to keep burning, he had extinguished it with his nonchalance. How could you fight for someone when they didn't want to do the same? How could you beg someone to keep you in their lives if they saw you as an mere inconvenience?

“Dishonesty is not an error or a mistake, it's a choice and you made the choice”

He watched your hand fall away from his arm, and for a fraction of a second something in his eyes shifted. Then it was gone, replaced by that same cold resolve.

“You don’t get it” he said, voice low, controlled like he was ending a business contract “This isn’t about a photograph. It’s about trust. And once that cracks, it doesn’t just… glue itself back together”

You nodded slowly, swallowing the lump in your throat.

“So that’s it then?” you murmured. “One mistake and I’m out of your life. No conversation.. No space to explain.. you're just going to throw me out..Rita gets second, third and final chances..but I don't?”

He inhaled slowly, jaw tightening as he turned his face away from you.

“That’s not what this is” he replied, though the control in his voice was starting to fracture “I knew who she was. You—” he stopped himself, swallowing hard “Until this morning I thought I knew you too but apparently I don't”

The words hurt you more than any knife could have in that moment.

“I haven't changed Eric...”

He finally looked at you then, really looked at you. His eyes were tired. Haunted. Not angry anymore, wounded in a way that went too deep to heal.

“With her” he said slowly, “I already knew what to expect. The lies, the games, the tests. I didn’t expect honesty from her…I stuck around until I couldn't” His laugh was bitter “That was my mistake” Your chest constricted painfully “But with you” he continued, voice lower now, “I let my guard down, I told you my secrets. And I believed that if something mattered, you would tell me. That I wouldn’t be blindsided by a photograph falling from your closet, it was like a slap on the face”

He picked up his bag again, fingers tightening around the strap like it was an anchor.

“Don’t go please..we can fix this” you cried again. One last try to keep him tethered to you but he had already checked out.

“I don’t know how to stay here and look at you without resenting you” he said honestly. “And I don’t want to turn into someone who punishes you for my issues”

Your lips trembled as he said that.

Easy, so easy it was for him to just cut you off like you had never mattered to him.

“So you’d rather just leave…you'd rather break my heart?”

“I’d rather not destroy us slowly when I know this thing is going to stick with me” he replied.

You nodded, a quiet, broken acceptance settling over you.

“I wish you had trusted me enough to let me make it right, to see it from my place” you said softly as he reached for the door. He turned around to look at you once, but his eyes remained cold, then he closed the door behind him. Sharp and harsh, exactly how he had closed the doors on this relationship.

You sunk into the bed as the silence engulfed you, you felt as if your heart was in a cage, a cage that was closing in on you every passing second..

You still couldn't believe this was happening, you had stayed up with him until three last night. He had made plans with you, to go to the gym, to get dinner, to have sex all night until both of you were exhausted.

This morning you had kissed him before leaving, he had almost convinced you to stay. Maybe you should have stayed but then what would have changed? No matter when he found the truth, this was exactly how it was going to end.

There was always an invisible leash around you when it comes to him, he pulled and pushed as he wished but this time he had decided to cut the tie altogether. And now you didn't even know where to go from here.

Your back hit the bed as you collapsed against the mattress, staring at the ceiling, hoping it would suck you in somehow.

Some people come into your life to teach you what true love is and sometimes those very people leave you with wounds you can never really heal from. And Eric Draven? He had just become that person for you.

🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲

Note : Sorry guys but it gets worse before it can get better.

Taglist

@littledark11 @kikibit @wiseyouthinfluencer @loushaw131460 @ererebus-et-eigengrau @moonlight52moonlight @thewolfcubofkaermorhen @devilslittlehelper @purplerainx1 @cypherpt5fttaehyung @doesntmattert

@arttheclown666 @slutoru1207 @sagekisses @cookie-crumbs-x @loiita-xo

[littledark11]

you just basically stabbed me in the hard 20 times, it's not fair it's not it's not her fault! 😭😭😭 Sure he has some points to make but the same time in my opinion, Y/N knew this could destroy him even more whatever insecurities or doubts or trauma that he had with completely destroy him yet what did he expect her to do? Should Y/N have said "hey bae! Look I found this photo that looks very suspicious!"

I don't know make it make sense it's not fair that she messed up one time one time and he's like "okay bye!"

[lokisprettygirl]

On a tight leash (Bill Skarsgård! Eric Draven x Female Reader) (18+) (AU)

Read chapter 18 here / Series Masterlist

Chapter 19

Summary : You finally tell Eric why you think he watches people in sleep. His past brings more questions than answers.

Warning: 18+, Smut, Somnophilia, unprotected sex, sexual domination, oral sex, oral during mensuration, slight bdsm, sex during mensuration, body image issues, mention of cramps and mensuration, bodyshaming, mention of self loathing and insecurities, weird obsessive behaviour, classism

Note : A short chapter? Not really it's still 4.5 k words so enjoy

Eric had several memories from his childhood that had clung to him, memories that never left him no matter how much time moved forward.

Often the painful ones than the ones that brought him happiness. But this was where it had all begun, this was the incident that made him want to find the holes in the story his mother often told him.

He was six, he remembered that because it was his birthday. He knew that because just past midnight his mama had surprised him with his favourite chocolate cake and a present wrapped in the most beautiful wrapping paper he had ever seen. It was a toy that Peter had, he had been crying for the same toy for ages and she had finally managed to buy one for him.

Next morning she took him to the mansion to play with Peter. There was a party planned in the evening. Apparently it was Peter's birthday too and little Eric was thrilled with the idea of sharing his birthday with his best friend.

“Mama mama ..me and Petey have the same birthday ..how cool is that?” He jumped up and down, squealing in excitement, holding his mother's fingers, Patricia bent down to kiss his head as she reached the Play room with him. Peter was already playing with his cars and other toys on the floor.

Alicia sat on the Ottoman watching him, the moment she saw Patricia she got up furiously.

“Why are you so tardy? You know I have so much to prepare for the evening” She asked Patricia, voice arrogant as usual but she only gave her a smile.

“Just one moment, I need to use the loo urgently, please..just a minute” she pleaded before moving to the attached bathroom in the room.

Alicia rolled her eyes, resisting the urge to stomp on her legs.

Eric immediately joined Peter on the floor as his mother left him, wanting to show him the toy his mama had gotten for him.

Alicia glared at the young boy, his dirty clothes, the food stains riddling them.

“Happy Birthday petey” Eric spoke softly. Peter didn't respond, he was a quiet boy as compared to Eric. Often shy. “New toy” Eric spoke again as he handed his car to Peter so they could play together.

“It's my birthday too..we have the same birthday” Eric spoke in his child like excitement. He shared his birthday with his best friend, it meant a lot to him.

Peter looked at him, tilted his head in confusion and then went back to playing with the toy.

“Hey it's my birthday too” Eric repeated again, wanting to hear him wish the same to him.

That's when it changed. That was the exact moment where he lost a sliver of his innocence. Or maybe that was the first incident that he remembered still because it had left such a mark.

Alicia Haines grabbed him by the back of his shirt and made him stand up. His little body light as a feather.

“What did you say?” She asked as she glared at him. Eric was confused but he knew the lady, she was Peter's mom, so he wasn't scared of her.

“It's my birthday too.. six..I am six now, mama said I am a big boy now” he answered innocently.

That's when she slapped him right on the cheek, it was sharp and loud and meant to cause harm. So harsh that it had left a mark. So loud that the sound echoed in the playroom.

Eric stumbled back, his small hand flying to his cheek. The sting came first, then the burn. He had never been hurt before like this, his Mama and Dada loved him. Even when he was naughty they didn't hurt him. His eyes widened, filling instantly with tears, not quite understanding what he had done wrong. Alicia leaned down to his level, her manicured fingers digging into his arm hard enough to hurt.

“Don’t you ever say that again little boy” she hissed, her voice low and venomous “You are not the same. You will never be the same as him.. it's not your birthday”

Eric’s lip trembled as the lady of the house spoke to him so rudely.

“But Ma said—” he whimpered but she was ruthless. She felt no empathy for the young child. To her he was just an abomination.

“Your mother lies” Alicia snapped, giving his arm a sharp shake before shoving him back toward the floor. “This is Peter’s birthday. You’re just here because you’re allowed to be, so be grateful and stop spitting lies”

Peter had gone very still, clutching the toy car to his chest, eyes fixed on the floor. He didn’t say anything..he probably didn't even understand what was going on.

Eric sat there, frozen, his cheek throbbing, his chest tight in a way he had never felt before. Something heavy settled inside him, it was embarrassment and shame-a feeling no little boy should have to feel ever.

His joy, his excitement was snatched away from him in a moment and he didn't understand why.

When Patricia came rushing out of the bathroom moments later, her smile faded instantly.

“Eric?” she whispered, dropping to her knees in front of him. She cupped his face gently, her thumb brushing the red mark on his cheek.

“What happened?” she asked as she turned to Alicia.

Eric opened his mouth to speak, but Alicia cut in sharply.

“He was being rude” she said coolly, already turning away. “Teaching him manners early would do you some good”

Patricia’s jaw tightened as she said that.

“You'll never touch my boy ever again, you hear me?”

Alicia was shocked but instead of responding she turned on her heels and stepped out. Patricia pulled Eric into her arms, holding him a little too tightly, as if she could shield him from this world.

That night, while balloons filled the mansion and laughter rang through the halls, Little Eric sat quietly in a corner, a birthday cap on his head that his mama had put on him, a paper plate on his lap filled with the cake, watching his friend Peter open presents without him, surrounded by his family and his other friends. No one sang happy birthday to him. No one wished him a happy birthday. No one asked him to come join the celebration.

And for the first time, he noticed it.

The way his mother stood a little apart from the others. The way Alicia watched him like he was something unpleasant in that hall, something unwanted.

The way the stories didn’t quite line up.

That was the day he learned that birthdays could hurt. And that his mother’s life and by extension his own, had cracks in it, cracks that no amount of cake or toys could hide.

Next year on the same day when Eric turned seven and Patricia wished him for his birthday he just held her cheeks in his small hands and spoke in a voice that broke her heart into pieces, so many pieces that she knew she'd never be whole again.

“It's not my birthday Mama..it's only Peter's birthday.. never mine okay?”

At that moment Patricia knew she had failed him already.

*********

Step step step.

You walked another five hundred metres, the concrete smooth under your sports shoes.

Since you had started the gym you had been walking a lot. Bill asked you to incorporate that habit into your routine, and considering your workplace was barely a mile away from your apartment building, you decided to get your steps in this way.

Around two hundred meters away from the office you could feel that someone was following you.

A smile graced your features, you didn't feel scared. Not when you had a feeling who it might be. However everytime you turned around he disappeared into the crowd like a ghost.

Around a few blocks away from your building you slowed your pace deliberately, pretending to adjust the strap of your bag, then made a sudden turn into a narrow alley. You were familiar with the alley but it was often deserted and abandoned. The noise of the street dulled behind you, footsteps echoing softly against brick and concrete.

You didn’t look back right away. You walked until you had hit the dead end. Then you waited, heart steady, lips still tilted in that knowing smile, until the presence behind you had nowhere left to hide.

That's when you turned around and saw him. Standing in the middle of the alley, his presence was tall and towering as usual. It was almost six pm, the sun had already gone down and it was slowly getting darker. He looked devastating as usual in his black shirt, fitted trousers, his coat slung over his shoulder.

He closed the distance between you two in two strides before pressing you against the wall. A gasp escaped your lips as the purse fell down on the floor but you didn't care at the moment.

“You’re reckless” he snapped quietly, anger tightly leashed “Do you have any idea what you just did?” His eyes searched your face, jaw clenched.

“It could’ve been anyone” he continued, voice low and furious. “Anyone could’ve followed you in here. You just handed them the perfect opportunity.”

His hand tightened briefly at your sides as he pulled you closer, your back arched into him.

“I knew it was you” you mumbled as you tipped up and kissed his jawline.

“How?” His mouth curved, jaw clenched as if he was restraining himself from not ravishing you right there.

“I felt safe.. completely, utterly safe” you murmured. The damn broke right there, he lifted you up, mouth latched onto yours as if he was starving to taste you from the last four days.

“Mmm baby I need a shower” you whined, just because you wanted to. He was going to fuck you raw and dirty right here in this alley and you were going to take every thrust like you were born for it.

“No” he murmured in your ear, fingers already on the buttons of your formal shirt, snapping them open one by one.

Anyone could walk in, they could see you like this, half naked and exposed. And that thought added to the thrill of it.

Your fingers curled around the back of his head, desperately wanting to hold onto something.

“You need my cock in your wet pussy, that's what you need” he murmured as he hiked your skirt up, the sound of the zipper going down was sharp, he didn't even bother to unbutton his pants.

Pulling aside your panties he teased your clit with the tip of his cock. Your back met the brick wall again as he thrusted in, slipping in with ease into your warm wet flesh, his body shielded you from the world beyond. The city still existed out there, cars, voices, life but here, it was just him, just his smell and the heat of his body.

Thrust after thrust, he didn't say much today, the sex after the distance was often like this, quiet but passionate, he let his body speak to yours in the language they understood. He didn't have to tell you how much he missed you, how much he craved you or how he probably came under the showers thinking of you.

If he wasn't holding you in his arms like this you probably would have sunk into the ground, wobbly and shaky from the pleasure coiling in your core.

Your legs trembled, useless and limp, he sensed that, his hold tightened around you as if to protect you, but his cock kept pumping in and out of you in that relentless pace you were familiar with now.

It came fast and suddenly, both of you shattered at the same time and your fingers dug into the fabric of his shirt as you fell apart in his arms. He let go with the sound of your name spilling from his lips.

You rested your forehead against his chest, feeling his heart still racing beneath your palm. It matched yours.

When he finally put you down, it wasn’t abrupt. It wasn't rushed.

He held your cheeks at first and made you look up, he stared at your face for a moment before he leaned down to kiss you. Lust was replaced with tenderness now, his lips were soft on yours as if he was cherishing this moment, relishing being back to you.

He pulled away only to breathe, and in the meantime he adjusted your clothes with care, snapping each button of your shirt slowly, he then fixed your hair with his fingers. You didn't want to ruin the moment by telling him that you had a brush in your purse.

He then bent down and grabbed your purse from the floor, dusting off the dirt and grime before passing it to you. Then he picked up his coat in the same manner but instead of putting it around himself he placed it over your shoulders. His arm wrapped around your waist, holding you close as he walked you out of the alley that was completely dark now.

“Do you want to go grocery shopping with me? I want to make you dinner” you mumbled as you leaned into him.

“I was actually going to take you out, I parked the car outside your building”

You groaned as he said that.

“Mmmmm nooo mister you promised to stay in bed with me for a full day” You whined like a teenage girl so he chuckled before he gave into your demand.

“Alright..you win today”

You squealed, he shook his head in amusement. At the grocery store he followed you to every aisle but he didn't give any input, he was no help in choosing anything if you were being honest. But he found his voice again as soon as you both reached the checkout counter.

He didn't want you to pay, of course he didn't, he was such an old school husband at times, always wanting to provide for you even though you could nurture yourself.

At home, shoes were kicked off carelessly in different directions, you helped undress each other and spent half an hour under the shower, you didn't shy away as you scrubbed every inch of his body with the loofah.

“Did you go to the gym?” he asked so you hummed in response.

“Yesterday I did”

“Mmm we can go tomorrow together..how's Bill treating you?” He asked as he placed his lips on your neck, sucking wet marks while you ran the loofah over his back.

“He's not treating me, he's torturing me” you answered immediately.

“Mmm Good”

Dinner was a simple affair, for a rich man he didn't have a fancy taste, at home he just wanted to eat the simple food, the kind of food he had grown up eating because of Patricia. Again he was no help, he just watched you cook and commented how hot you looked ever so often, it was just to rile you up but you still fell for it.

After dinner you laid down in bed in your usual attire. Tank top and shorts while he just had a black brief on.

“How was the event?” You asked as you turned on your side, propping yourself on one hand, fingers circling over his chest.

“Good, I might have impressed them too much, the main guy Pierce wants to be my buddy now, already texted twice since I left this morning” you chuckled as he said that but then the thought made you sad. He didn't have close friends, he only had acquaintances.

“It's okay to have friends in life Eric” you mumbled softly as you leaned over him and pecked his lips, he turned his head to look at you..

“You are my friend”

He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. If on that first night at the palace someone had told you that you'd become friends with the broody Eric Draven, you'd have smacked them on the head.

“That I am” You paused as you kissed his lips again, he was so kissable you couldn't help it “But you know that’s not what I meant” you said gently.

He looked away for a moment, jaw tightening, eyes fixed on some invisible point on the ceiling.

“I’m not very good at that” he admitted quietly. “People come close because of work, or money, or convenience. It doesn't work”

You shifted closer, resting your head against his shoulder, your arm draped across his torso.

“Well” you murmured “It wouldn't hurt to hang out with those who want your companionship, this guy is already rich right? He must have it all ..maybe he just liked your vibe”

That earned a small huff of laughter.

“My vibe huh?”

“You have a cool vibe when you're not stalking people and psychoanalysing them” you joked softly.

He smiled then. His hand came up to cup the back of your neck, thumb brushing idly along your skin.

__

You didn't remember falling asleep but you certainly woke up in the middle of the night, he was watching again. Your vision was clear as the lamp was still on. He was in the same position as he often was, head propped over one hand, eyes glued on your chest. You stretched your arms before scooting closer to him.

“Mmmm no naughty stuff today?” You murmured as you caressed his chin. When he didn't answer you, you scooted closer to him and climbed on top of him, his head sunk into the pillow beneath him.

He kept staring at you. Not even blinking so you pecked on his lips softly before your nose brushed over his in a gentle manner.

“Hey?” You murmured, voice barely a whisper.

“Didn't mean to scare you” he spoke at last so you sat up a little, placing your palms next to his head.

“You don't scare me baby” you mumbled as you leaned in to kiss him again, his hands curled around your waist as if to anchor himself..

“I would ask why you do this but i kind of figured it out” you told him finally. You had been walking around the edge for so long. You couldn't do it anymore. And you hoped he won't push you away because of this.

“Whatever assumptions you might have made are wrong” he argued so you shook your head.

“Patricia told me, how your father died Eric” his body stiffened underneath you as you revealed that without any hesitation in your tone.

“And what did you make of it?” He asked, jaw tightening as the memory of that night still haunted him.

“You watch for the signs of life.. movement, breathing..because you can't take a risk or have someone else become completely still next to you”

His breath hitched, just once but you felt it, the way his chest rose sharply beneath you before he composed himself. His hands stayed at your waist, but the grip changed, tighter as if he was afraid he'd fall down.

For a long moment he didn’t answer. His eyes flicked away from your face, drifting somewhere past your shoulders then he looked back at you..

“I was seven” he said finally. His voice was controlled in the way it always got when he talked about things that made him look vulnerable “I woke up in the middle of the night because the room felt too quiet”

You didn't say anything, you didn't move either but you kept your eyes on him, giving him your full attention without interrupting.

“He used to snore” Eric continued. “Loud enough to piss anyone off” his eyes teared up and the sight immediately made your heart clench. You couldn't tolerate the tear in his eyes, this was exactly how you had felt the night of his birthday “I woke up to complete silence and it just felt wrong because I could still see him next to me, still touch him..but the longer i watched the worse it got..he was cold, unmoving and was gone..just like that”

Your chest tightened, you couldn't imagine a child going through it. You couldn't imagine how terrified and scared he must have been.

You leaned down then, resting your forehead against his, letting him feel you there, solid and warm and alive.

“So now you watch” you said softly.

His eyes snapped back to yours, sharp, he didn't want pity in any shape or form.

“I don’t need fixing..I don't do it because I'm psychologically damaged, it has just become a habit”

“I know” you replied immediately. “I’m not trying to fix you”

You slid one hand up, threading your fingers gently into his hair, slow enough that he could pull away if he wanted. He didn’t. Instead, his eyes fluttered shut for a brief second.

“I just wanted you to know” you murmured “That I understand. And that you don’t have to pretend with me that it's nothing”

Silence settled between you for a moment before he sighed deeply.

“I hate that you put it together” he admitted quietly. You kissed the corner of his mouth as he said that, not pushing, not demanding more.

“It was something awful. And you survived it..it's nothing to feel ashamed of” His arms tightened around you then, pulling you down against him, his face pressing between the crook of your neck like he needed the proof, your warmth, your heartbeat, the steady rise and fall of your breathing.

“It feels good when I wake up and you're warm and breathing next to me” he murmured, almost to himself as he breathed you in deeply “Did you figure this out before I told you about my want to fuck you in your sleep kink?”

He asked so you looked up and nodded. His brows knitted together, searching your face.

“And you didn’t say anything..didn't find it weird or creepy”

It wasn't exactly a question but a statement. You leaned in, brushing your nose against his again, slow and deliberate.

“No. Not when I know why. And not when I know you’d never cross a line without me being okay with it, you didn't do anything without my consent, why would it be weird?”

You sat up as he kept staring at you, as if trying to figure out why you were so accepting of him. When he saw you the first night he had felt an instant mutual attraction but he never thought things would get so personal so fast.

He had spent a year with Rita, not everyday, he still had the same schedule but things weren't this intimate with her. Maybe because she was too involved in wanting to make him feel jealous than understand who he was below the surface..

With you it took days, mere days and you already felt like someone he could open up to and someone he could trust with his darkness.

“You are insufferably adorable, you know that?” A sound escaped your chest, something between a laugh and disbelief.

“That's the cutest thing you have said to me till now” he couldn't help but scoff

“I don't say cute things” he argued

“Mhhm and I don't like lasagna.. whatever” you mumbled as you got off the bed. He didn't appreciate the sudden lack of warmth.

“Let me make you some tea and then we can sleep again” you said, stepping into the kitchen.

He rose up on his elbows, watching you as you moved around the kitchenette at 3 o'clock in the morning. Almost morning. Filling the kettle, reaching for a mug, warming up a pizza toast because you were hungry suddenly.

“It doesn't make much sense” he said finally, voice low, rough with sleep, you glanced over your shoulder

“What doesn’t make sense?”

He pushed himself up, dragging the sheet around his waist as he leaned back against the headboard, still watching you like he might miss something if he looked away.

“You” he said simply.

You snorted softly as you thought he was joking, in his Eric Draven fashion.

“That’s not something I haven't heard before my lord”

“No” he continued, unfazed “I mean..I don’t get how you’re already not married to some idiot who doesn't know what he has”

You closed the microwave door too harshly. That simple statement had you weak in the knees.

“What brings that thought?” You asked, fingers tapping on the counter nervously as the kettle boiled, his words had made your heart skip several beats at once.

“You did. You are not toxic, You take care of people without making them feel small about it. You don’t play stupid games..you are so fucking fuckable its impossible” His jaw tightened slightly. “Most men would kill for that and still fuck it up when they finally have it”

Heat crept up your neck as you poured the water in the mug before putting the bag of chamomile tea inside.

“Is that your way of proposing?”

He snorted as you said that.

“Don’t push it”

You carried the mug over, handing it to him. He took it, fingers brushing yours, eyes lifting to meet your face as you munched on your toast.

“I just mean” he added more quietly, “Anyone who gets this version of you… they’re lucky. And stupid, if they don’t acknowledge it” Your smile softened, something warm settling in your chest.

“That might be the nicest thing you or anyone has ever said to me” he scoffed as you said that.

“Don’t get used to it”

Oh but you were so going to get used to it and then be heartbroken beyond repair when he suddenly decides that he didn't want you in his life anymore. That fear always stayed with you no matter what.

That night when he closed his eyes, he didn't wake up until 8 in the morning, it was only when you shrugged him lightly because you had to leave for work.

“What will I do here?” He asked as he looked at you.

“Mmm you can spend the day with Patricia..she misses you a lot and then you can pick me up from work” You told him as you kissed him softly so he hummed in response.

Before leaving you kissed him a long goodbye. He decided to pay heed to your advice, after an hour he got out of bed, he saw the sandwich you had kept all wrapped up on the counter so he'd have something to eat.

The thought made him smile.

He did want to shower first so he opened the closet to grab the towel but something fell out. He immediately bent down to pick it up and when he saw the picture, his whole body went still.

The towel slipped from his fingers, forgotten.

It was old, slightly yellowed at the edges, the corners soft with age. His mother was in the frame, no older than sixteen or seventeen, smiling shyly at the camera. And beside her.

Rupert Haines. That man he couldn't see eye to eye.

His biological father.

His chest felt tight, anger creeping up in every inch of his existence as he stared at the image, his mind racing backward through every story he had ever been told.

It was an affair, a meaningless one night stand between a servant and the owner, an affair that resulted in the two children. That's what she had told him all his life then what was this? And why did you have this in your closet?

👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀

Taglist

@littledark11 @kikibit @wiseyouthinfluencer @loushaw131460 @ererebus-et-eigengrau @moonlight52moonlight @thewolfcubofkaermorhen @devilslittlehelper @purplerainx1 @cypherpt5fttaehyung @doesntmattert

@arttheclown666 @slutoru1207 @sagekisses @cookie-crumbs-x @loiita-xo

[littledark11]

The first part of the chapter did make me cry because it is heartbreaking that he never noticed or question why they never truly celebrated his birthday it's always been Peter until that witch told him he was basically a mistake yet the damage was already done.

The second half of the chapter:

No notes! 🥵🥵🥵

But Y/n is in hot water now because of that photo and I think it's going to put a stain on their relationship.

[lokisprettygirl]

On a tight leash (Bill Skarsgård! Eric Draven x Female Reader) (18+) (AU)

Read chapter 17 here / Series Masterlist

Chapter 18

Summary : Eric's absence on your birthday pushes you into the dark corners of your mind. But he knows how to bring you back.

Warning: 18+, Smut, Somnophilia, unprotected sex, sexual domination, oral sex, oral during mensuration, slight bdsm, sex during mensuration, body image issues, mention of cramps and mensuration, bodyshaming, mention of self loathing and insecurities, weird obsessive behaviour, classism

You didn't really know what to think of it. Eric told you that his mother was in the kitchen service at the Haines mansion before him and Peter were even born.

She had told you the same thing. But this photo seemed personal. Intimate in a way you couldn't really describe, it screamed comfort, the kind you would have if you were really familiar with the person sitting next to you.

Maybe Eric didn't know the whole truth either.

“What do you think?” She asked again, snapping you out of your thoughts so you handed the picture back to her.

“I don't really know, I mean she has been involved with the family for so long, maybe she worked there since she was a young girl. You know how hard it used to be for some women back in the days..if you didn't have money and —”

You rambled on so she sat back down and stared at the picture.

“There's so much I don't know about the family I married into” she mumbled as she put the photo on the bed. Well she wasn't wrong but you couldn't tell her anything no matter how much you wanted to.

“You know there's something off about Alicia Haines. I mean Peter is more comfortable sharing his problems with Patricia than his own mother”

You gulped as she said that. So they weren't covering up the secret as well as they should. It took four months for someone new to come into the family and scratch the surface of the mystery that surrounded them.

“She did raise him you know..she was there when he was growing up” she hummed, buying your explanation for a moment.

“Anyway..look at me talking about the nonsense stuff on your birthday..so where are we going?” She asked as she suddenly stood behind you in front of the mirror and fixed her hair.

“Mira, you can talk to me about these things you know that right?” You turned around to look at her, she gave you a big smile before she hugged you “I already called a few people from the office..you can come..it will be fun”

“Ofcourse babe.. like old times”

As you reached the pub, Rachel and others were already there, waiting for you.

“Uhh this is my friend Mira.. this is Rachel..Mark .. Sally and Aaron” you introduced them to each other but then Rachel came forward, her mouth hung open.

“OMG are you Mira.. like the Mira? Mira Haines?” she asked, eyes glittering with recognition as if she was in the vicinity of a celebrity. You could see how this might look, for you she was just Mira, a woman whose puke you had cleaned from your floor after she got too drunk at the parties. For them she was the highlight from a vogue wedding feature.

“Yeah.. Hi!!! She told me about you guys” she smiled awkwardly. She didn't want to make this day about herself, she never asked for it but she always had a fancy name backing her so it was inevitable.

About two hours later your friends were already either too drunk or too beat so you decided to take off with Mira after making sure they'd get home safely..

“Hey listen. Patricia just called. She's inviting us for supper. Do you want to go? Or we can just chill at your place” She asked as you both sat down in the backseat of her car.

“We should go” you answered as you put your seat belt on, you wanted to meet Patricia too and probably ask about the picture. It wasn't prying really, in fact it was concerning. On the way she told you about how Mrs. Haines had been pressuring her for children already like a typical mother in law.

“She just never shuts up ..she's like do it already, your biological clock is ticking and this family needs an heir” you chuckled nervously at her animated gestures.

“No pressure huh?”

You didn't understand how she was dealing with all that pressure. Before marriage she had her perfection obsessed mother and now it was her mother in law.

“How's things with Peter?” You asked as you placed your hand on hers.

“It's really good, if it wasn't for him I don't think I'd have married into the Haines family”

You hummed as she said that.

To you Peter always seemed like someone who got influenced by the people he hung out with, like how he treated Eric as soon as Adam came was a giveaway. The rest of the time their equation seemed different to you, albeit awkward but Peter seemed to like Eric more than he showed.

The car slowed as the driver pulled up outside Patricia’s place in the Bronx, a modest brownstone house tucked between two others, its porch light already on like it had been waiting for you both.

“I like coming here” Mira said as you both stepped out “It feels… real. Not like I have to be on my best behavior all the time” you smiled as she said that.

“That’s Patricia”

Inside, the air was warm and smelled faintly of garlic and herbs. Patricia greeted you both with open arms, pressing a kiss to Mira’s cheek before turning to you.

“Happy birthday, my sweetheart” she said, squeezing your hand “I hope you’re hungry”

Peter appeared from the kitchen, sleeves rolled up, a dish towel slung over his shoulder. He hugged Mira before turning to you.

“Happy birthday Sis” he said as he gave you a hug from the side so you smiled.

“Do you need help Mrs. Draven?” You asked as she urged everyone to sit down at the dining table.

“No no..the soup is almost done. Bread is in the oven.. and ooh i have cake” she said as she rushed inside the kitchen.

When she came back she had a cake decorated with lit up candles that she put down in the middle of the table.

“Ohh I wish Eric was here too, this would have been perfect” her eyes moistened so you gave her a comforting smile. You couldn't imagine being in her shoes, raising one of your kid under the pretense of being his nanny, then watching your other kid not getting the same name and recognition as he deserved.

“Why don't we facetime huh?” Mira said excitedly.

“He'd not pick up if he's working” you mumbled softly.

“Try it anyway” Patricia nudged your arm so you nodded and reached for your purse that you had kept on the couch.

You hit the call button as you stepped towards the table, not really expecting him to pick up but to your surprise after a few rings he did pick up.

“Ohh hiii” you giggled at the sight of him.

“You at mama's?” He asked curiously so you flipped the camera.

“The whole gang is here”

They all waved at him and he merely gave them a knowing nod.

When you turned back the camera, you noticed he was standing outside some building. A club or something. You could hear the faint music.

“Where are you?” You asked him.

“These people I'm working for wanted to get a drink, we are in a bar” he answered so you hummed and put the phone down on the table.

“Say hi properly” Patricia said softly, leaning closer to the phone.

Eric’s expression shifted the moment he heard her voice.

“Hey ..Ma” he said, the word slipping out naturally, like it always did when it was just them. Her smile trembled but she composed herself “Are you eating properly?” He huffed a small laugh at the question.

“You know I am”

“Alright let's cut the cake and celebrate our beautiful girl” Patricia said, Mira stood on the left of you, Patricia on the right with Peter standing next to her. Then they began singing the song for you, you didn't really know what to do so you just looked at the screen in front of you and smiled.

“Happy birthday again” Eric mumbled softly as you cut the cake. You truly wished he was there instead of being miles away from you but you didn't want to make him feel bad about it.

Once he hung up, all of you sat down on the table, talking about the most random things.

“Ohhh by the way all of you can stay here for the night, enough rooms” Patricia said as she got up to grab the plates so you stood up to help her, much to her protest.

“Actually i have to be at work tomorrow” you insisted so Mira tilted her head.

“I'll drop you home early in the morning. Don't worry. Pleaseeee?” she gave you a pleading look so you hummed in response.

“He's doing really well for himself isn't he?” Peter said as he looked around the house, having such a property in New York City was no small feat.

“He made like five million dollars alone from our wedding.. and he never stops working despite that” Mira added, this was your queue to disappear in the kitchen because you had never seen a million dollar in your life, let alone dream of making it.

Patricia followed behind you, you smiled as you kept the dishes in the sink. Your mind drifted to the photograph Mira had shown you, you knew she wouldn't stop being curious about it and things would escalate eventually.

“Ummm Patricia. Can I ask you something personal?” You mumbled as you stepped closer to her.

“Ofcourse dear” she murmured as she poured herself a glass of wine.

“How long have you known the Haines?” You asked, not wanting to beat around the bush. She went pale for a moment but then she smiled and turned to you. “I didn't mean to intrude ..it's just Mira found a really old picture of you and Mr. Haines and she was just thinking a lot about it”

You asked, her eyes teared up slightly.

“Is it the one where we are sitting in the garden?” She asked, a hint of recognition flickering in her eyes.

“Yeah ..that's the one ..how do you-”

“We didn't have many pictures together.. I always wondered what happened to those” she mumbled as she sipped on her drink before she continued speaking.

“My mother used to work for William Haines.. Peter's grandfather, she was his trusted chambermaid” she answered “I grew up in that mansion, in the servant’s quarters basically”

You nodded as she said that. That made sense. It also made sense why and how she probably fell in love with Rupert.

“We were friends, Rupert was an only child, quiet and shy, didn't have many friends, we grew up side by side, so we became friends….well at first”

She paused for a moment as if the memories still hurt her, there was always this deep sadness inside her whenever she thought about her past. Life has been unfair to her, you could tell.

“Does Eric know about this?” You asked her, that question has been bothering you since you saw that picture.

“He doesn't know everything, but he knows enough, he knows the truth about his heritage” She answered as she gulped the wine in one go before turning to you.

“Eric would always be my only regret in life”

You looked at her shocked as she said that..

“Regret?”

The word slipped out of you before you could stop it, sharp with disbelief. You stared at her, trying to connect it with everything you had seen. He adored her, he was devoted to her and she so clearly loved him too.

Patricia let out a shaky breath, her fingers tightening around the edge of the counter.

“Not regret in the way you’re thinking,” she said gently, almost sadly. “Loving him was never the regret, having him wasn't either..that was a blessing indeed” She looked down for a moment, gathering herself, then met your eyes again.

“I regret failing him” Your chest tightened as she said that

“That beautiful boy… he was supposed to be my responsibility” she continued, her voice trembling now. “As a mother I should have protected him, shielded him from everything cruel in this world. I should have run away with my sweet boy the day he was born. But I didn’t. I couldn’t” she paused as she gulped, trying to keep her tears at bay “I couldn't because my heart was torn in two pieces and I couldn't live without the other half either”

Tears welled up despite her trying to blink them away. She then gave you a small, broken smile.

“Eric grew up far too fast, he began observing, noticing, finding truths in the lies I told him. And then for my sake he learned to stay silent. And God—I'm so proud of the man he has become now”

Her voice cracked “But even now, at times when I see him. And that feeling always hits me out of nowhere, always in the most innocent, mundane moments, like watching him eat something I cooked for him or when he sleeps with his head in my lap..or when he sits down to massage my legs because they ache from standing too long. I still see that beautiful little boy I failed to protect”

You swallowed hard as she painted a vivid image for you.

“You did the best you could in the circumstances you had and he didn't have to tell me but I know Eric feels the same way about all of it. He'd give up everything for you in a second, there's nothing in this world that matters more to him than you” you hugged her immediately to comfort her. Her arms wrapped around your waist.

After a minute she pulled away and wiped her tears.

“God.. look at me weeping on your precious day” you smiled as she said that.

“You can cry with me whenever you want” you assured her so she caressed your head.

“I hope Mira won't dig too deep into it, nothing good will come out of it. Everyone has moved on and somethings are meant to stay buried”

You hummed as she said that. It still bothered you though. How one of her babies got the life of luxury, everything served on a platter and the other one had to stay in the shadows. Eric never got the name he deserved. You didn't understand why.

“You know the moment I saw you and Eric interacting for the first time, I just knew you'd become someone important to him” she said as she grabbed a rag to clean the counter.

The comment made you miss him all over again.

You were feeling heavy from how the day had turned out to be, not just about the family history but also how you knew you were the odd one out here, the amount of money you had in your bank account, Mira often used it mindlessly on luxuries.

Eric was loaded too, it didn't feel that way when you were with him but when he was away it often became apparent.

And now he was in some bar, having drinks with rich people, your mind wandered, there must be gorgeous women at the bar. Maybe his eyes drifted once. Maybe the thought entered his mind that if it wasn't for you he'd have been free to do whatever on these trips.

Like how he was free with you when you met him the first time..

Later that night Patricia took you to Eric's room where he stayed whenever he lived with her. She also gave you one of her nightgowns in case you wanted to shower and change.

After putting the glass of water on the bedside she lingered in the doorway for a moment, her hand resting lightly on the frame.

The room was simple, warmer than you expected. The bed neatly made, the shelves still holding traces of him..old books, a few framed photographs, a watch placed carefully on the dresser as if he had meant to come back for it. The faint scent of his cologne lingered in the air, subtle but unmistakable, and it hit you right in the chest.

“Get some rest dear. I'll see you in the morning ” she said softly before leaving.

You nodded, managing a small smile before quietly closing the door behind her.

The room smelled just like him, unmistakably Eric. It hit you all at once. The weight of the day. The conversation in the kitchen. The way Patricia’s voice had trembled when she spoke about her son. The way everyone here belonged so effortlessly to a world you felt like a visitor in.

You took a shower, letting the warm water run longer than necessary, as if it could rinse the heaviness from your chest. When you slipped into Patricia’s nightgown, it hung loose on you but it was comfortable. You padded back into the bedroom and climbed onto the bed, pulling the covers up around yourself. Everything had his essence, the bedsheet, the pillow.

The moment you laid down, the quiet became too loud.

Your eyes drifted to the ceiling, but your mind was already miles away, back to him. Somewhere in a bar, surrounded by people who spoke his language of wealth and ease. You pictured him, glass in hand, looking devastatingly handsome without even trying. The thought tightened something ugly and sharp in your chest.

You felt small suddenly. Replaceable even. Like a pause in his life rather than a part of it.

What if his eyes lingered on someone else? What if, for just a second, he wondered how much easier everything would be without you, without the complications, the differences, the quiet insecurities you never said out loud?

You turned onto your side, clutching the pillow to your chest, breathing in his familiar scent, hoping it would offer some comfort but it only made you feel worse. You hated how fragile you felt, how quickly your confidence unraveled when he wasn’t near. Hated that love or whatever this was had made you this exposed.

The tears came suddenly, without warning.

Silent at first, just hot streaks sliding into the pillow, your shoulders trembling as you tried to keep the sound in. But the more you tried to stop it, the worse it got until a soft, broken sob escaped you. You pressed your face deeper into the pillow, muffling it, your body curling inward as if you could make yourself smaller.

You cried for the distance. For the fear of not being enough.

For the way his world and yours felt galaxies apart when he wasn’t holding your hand. And somewhere beneath it all, you cried because you missed him so much it physically hurt.

You grabbed your phone just to look at the pictures of him that you had clicked. He was lying in your bed, in that small apartment of yours that just felt enough when he was there with you.

Mira's words rang in your ears. You knew he was filthy rich but hearing how he had made millions in just ten days did something to you. You curled tighter around the pillow, the thought settling in your chest like a crushing weight.

He deserved someone who belonged to that world.

Someone who didn’t flinch at price tags or felt so awkward, so out of place between wealthy people. A woman who could be with him without feeling small, without constantly doing the math in her head, without wondering if she was an inconvenience he carried.

You wiped at your cheeks, more tears slipping through anyway.

He deserved a woman who had the same luxuries as him, who could sit beside him in those bars and have conversations effortlessly, laugh with those people without second guessing herself, who wouldn’t feel like an outsider borrowing someone else’s life. Someone who wouldn’t need reassurance that she belonged with him.

That's when you realised that you were hopelessly in love with him. You loved him despite knowing you couldn't really afford his love.

An hour later your phone rang around 2 at night. You immediately picked it up and pressed it to your ear to hear his voice.

“Hey .. I just came back to my hotel room.. took a shower and now I'm exhausted” he murmured, voice heavy from the tiring day.

“Mmm are you okay?” You asked softly, voice came out whinier than you intended.

“Yeah, just tired .. you had fun today?” He asked you so you hummed in response. You did have fun until his absence became too apparent and began suffocating you..

“Yeah I did. Thank you for the dress, the earrings and the flowers and chocolates” You didn't want to sound as pathetic as you did. A thirty year old woman should know better, should act better.

“Then why do you sound like that?” He asked as he sat down on the bed.

“Like what?” You murmured as your eyes welled up again.

“Like you're falling apart” he asked, voice honest as ever.

“I just miss you” you sniffled once and he went quiet for a moment. “Can we talk tomorrow? You should sleep, you must be tired” You added, not wanting to be a burden, an annoyance after he already had a long day.

“Where are you? Still at Mama's?” He asked so you hummed in response.

“Sleeping in your room”

He hummed for a moment.

“Facetime?” He asked so you took a pause this time before humming.

He immediately switched the call to video mode and you wiped your tears and faked a smile before accepting it.

“Heyyyy” you smiled as he came into the view. He was in the bed of some five star hotel room, hair still damp from the shower, sheet covering his lower half.

“Why didn't you call me?” He asked as he stared at you.

“I did..in the evening” you told him so he sat up, resting his back against the headboard.

“Before crying just now” he said, no hesitation in his voice.

“I didn't cry-” you argued.

You lied when it was convenient, he wasn't wrong about that apparently.

“Haven't I told you to call me when you need me?” He asked sternly as if he was disappointed.

“You have”

“And?” his brow arched.

“I just felt overwhelmed .. nothing too bad” you answered, making him sigh deeply.

“You do things for me, I want to do the same for you.. I don't care how stupid your reasons are. If something is bothering you just text me, tell me that you need me” he said, tone firm but there was a tenderness that was unmatched.

“I'm a grown woman..I'm not supposed to be like this-” you argued again.

“You're also my girlfriend. You can be forty and fifty tomorrow but a human being needs comfort, especially women” You froze at that, his words sinking deeper than you expected.

He shifted slightly on the bed, his expression softening even though his tone stayed firm.

“You don't bother me sweetheart, never” he continued. “And you don't have to earn my comfort, it's all yours because you're mine to take care of” Your lips trembled despite your attempt to keep them steady.

“Are you listening to me?” he asked so you nodded, finally letting the tears fall..

Silence stretched between you, heavy but not uncomfortable. You could hear the faint hum of the hotel’s air conditioner on his end, he didn't interrupt you, he let you cry, let it all out so you could tell him what was bothering you.

“I was lying here in your room” you admitted finally, voice barely above a whisper “And everything just felt… big..it felt above me. Your life. Your world. I started thinking maybe you’d be better off with someone who could keep up with those things..keep up with your lifestyle”

His jaw tightened instantly as he heard that.

“Don’t do that” he said “Don’t decide for me what I deserve”

“It’s hard not to feel small sometimes”

He leaned closer to the camera, his face filling the screen.

“And why is that? Because you don't have as much money as Mira or Rita? Do you think that's what I value in a relationship?” He asked so you shook your head like a child.

“I have been with those women that you think would look better next to me” he said with utmost honesty “And it didn't last either”

You sniffled as he said that. You knew you were overreacting, it was probably just hormones acting up. Or maybe it was the distance bothering you. His absence.

“I spend all my day trying to be impressive. I want to come back to someone who makes me feel at home.. and that is you” He exhaled slowly, eyes never leaving yours “With you, I don’t feel like I’m performing. I don’t feel like I have to be anything other than what I am”

Your chest tightened, a fresh wave of tears blurring the screen,but he kept going as if he was on a mission to drill this into your head.

“You talk about keeping up with my lifestyle” he said, softer now “But I’m exhausted from that lifestyle. It’s loud, it’s shallow” He leaned back slightly, rubbing a hand over his jaw.

“I never used to feel this way before I met you. Never felt the need but you know what I miss the most now when I’m away?” he asked, the question was rhetorical “Eating leftover lasagna with you. Sitting in silence in that tiny apartment while you lay next to me. Fucking you every day, every night because I can't get enough”

He paused, letting that settle. You wiped your tears, it was as if there was a crack somewhere deep inside your heart and he was filling it with his words. You knew he wasn't lying to make you feel better, he was being genuine, you did make him happy. You let him breathe and he needed that in his life.

“I'm sorry I didn't mean to be such a debby downer on my birthday” you mumbled softly so he smiled.

“You can feel whatever you want, you just have to tell me when you need me” he assured you again “Something else bothering the birthday girl?” He asked softly so you shook your head.

“Okay..sip on some water for me” he ordered you so you grabbed the glass of water from the side table and sipped it. “Good girl..now lie down and let me see you breathe deeply” he ordered again. Your heart leaped in your chest. He was so sweet at times and he didn't even realise it.

As you laid down, he did too, placing one arm behind his head as he held the phone with another.

“Anything else?” You asked him, a slight chuckle left your throat.

“Mmm smile” he murmured softly. You gave him a smile, a genuine one that came from the deepest corner of your heart “Are you wearing Mama's clothes?” He asked finally, you knew he had noticed it the moment he saw you.

“Yeah..she wanted me to be comfortable”

“That's a boner killer” he commented, making you laugh genuinely.

He didn't enjoy being away so often but it was a necessary evil. His motivation made complete sense after the life he had. He wanted to become a wealthy man, so wealthy that he'd never need to beg anyone ever again—never have to ask, bend, or lower himself just to feel secure.

For a moment none of you spoke. You just watched him look pretty as ever. His wet curls were falling on his forehead, lips plump and red from the hot shower. Skin flushed from the heat .

“Has anyone told you how pretty you are?” You asked him so he chuckled.

“Yeah..I hear that alot. It's all because of my Ma” he said fondly.

“Mmm i know..you're lucky”

You smiled so he nodded. He really was, he had never regretted looking the way he did even though he was treated unfairly because of it.

“Sleep now..I'll see you tomorrow okay? And I owe you birthday sex” he said unabashedly.

“A whole day in bed, that's what I want” you demanded.

“Mmm that can be arranged”

The call stayed connected a little longer, neither of you rushing to hang up, he put the phone on the bedside table, camera facing him, you placed it in front of the pillow, and you stayed like that until exhaustion lulled you both to sleep.

You felt at peace…real peace, the kind that let you float. Eric Draven, with all his self proclaimed emotional shortcomings, had reached into the dark corners of your insecurities and pulled you back into the light simply by being who he was. No grand declarations, no rehearsed promises, no cute names to soften you up, just pure honesty, steady and sure, offered in his own unguarded way.

And somehow, it meant more than all the I love yous you had ever been given before, words that sounded right but felt hollow.

He might never say it aloud and you wouldn't care either if those words never come out of his mouth, but Eric Draven loved you, as much as you loved him.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Taglist

@littledark11 @kikibit @wiseyouthinfluencer @loushaw131460 @ererebus-et-eigengrau @moonlight52moonlight @thewolfcubofkaermorhen @devilslittlehelper @purplerainx1 @cypherpt5fttaehyung @doesntmattert

@arttheclown666 @slutoru1207 @sagekisses @cookie-crumbs-x

[littledark11]

I'm not crying you're crying!

I don't know it just hurts that Patricia knows that he's not mistake but the situation is the mistake that she wishes that she could shield Eric from everything but it's hard knowing that he's a shadow amongst everyone which hits like a ton of bricks.

But I'm glad that Y/N is setting boundaries with herself about this whole situation, she knows when to talk about it and when to not with Eric.

I know Eric will most likely not say "I love you" anytime soon but at the same time he's just a sensitive little bean 😔

[lokisprettygirl]

On a tight leash (Bill Skarsgård! Eric Draven x Female Reader) (18+) (AU)

Read chapter 16 here / Series Masterlist

Chapter 17

Summary : You enjoy the domestic evening with Eric before he has to leave again..he reveals the reason why he left Rita.

Warning: 18+, Smut, Somnophilia, unprotected sex, sexual domination, oral sex, oral during mensuration, slight bdsm, sex during mensuration, body image issues, mention of cramps and mensuration, bodyshaming, mention of self loathing and insecurities, weird obsessive behaviour, classism

Note : This is again a not so exciting chapter, not much is happening here,i hope you enjoy nonetheless.

You stood next to Eric as he spoke to the guy at the desk, handling everything with the precision he always did. You were currently standing in a high profile rich people's expensive gym in Brooklyn named The Crow. If it was up to you you probably never would have stepped in here.

Now you were one of those women who followed their handsome, well built boyfriends or husbands around the gym, asking them what to do next.

“I mostly travel, she'll be regular here. What's the charges for a personal trainer?” he asked the guy so he passed him a pamphlet. His name was Bill, apparently he owned the gym. He was actually quite handsome and tall.

“I overlook everything here, I do have people working under me, but I plan the program and first few sessions will be with me” Bill told Eric. You nudged on the sleeve of his shirt so he looked at you.

“What?” He asked you so you looked at Bill before turning your attention back to him.

“Do you think I need PT?” You asked him so he took you aside.

“I can't come with you everyday, and I know you'd have no motivation without me, a trainer will keep you in check” he told you sternly.

“It's also hella expensive -” you argued.

“I'm paying for it..consider it your birthday present okay?”

Eric didn’t give you time to argue further. He turned back to Bill, already slipping into that calm, authoritative tone he used when he had made up his mind

“Let’s do it. Three sessions a week to start. Mornings possible?”

Bill glanced between the two of you, a faint smile tugging at his mouth like he had seen this dynamic a hundred times before.

“Morning slots are tight, but I can make room. We’ll start with an assessment today if you have the time, nothing too crazy” You crossed your arms, shifting your weight. Eric looked at you, one brow lifting.

“She just got back from work..she has all the time in the world” he said quietly. You scoffed, but your lips betrayed you, curving despite yourself.

No wonder people misunderstood him at times, this might seem controlling or dictative to some but you knew he was just trying to look out for your health. You had gained weight, it was affecting your stamina and it was making you more insecure than you usually were and he had noticed.

Bill then handed you a clipboard with a form attached to it.

“Fill this out. Injuries, limitations, medical history”

“Be honest” Eric commented

“I am honest.” you defended yourself.

“You lie when it’s convenient”

You shot him a look as he said that.

“You’re enjoying this way too much” his mouth curved slightly as you said that.

You took the clipboard and moved a few steps away, scanning the gym while you filled it out. The place was immaculate, dark steel equipments, black marble floors, lighting that made everyone look better. Men in tailored athleisure, women with perfect ponytails and airpods, all in their own worlds.

When you handed the clipboard back, Bill glanced over it quickly.

“Alright. We will start in five minutes..if you need to get changed, Locker room is down the hall”

You smiled as Bill disappeared inside the gym, then you looked at Eric.

“If I hate this—”

“You’ll hate it quietly” he said. “And thank me later”

“Well I already have my leggings on .. don't need to change” you told him as you placed your forehead down on his chest in defeat.

“I'm not sending you to war” he spoke sternly but his hand did come up to caress your head.

“Mmm aren't you afraid? Leaving me for an hour, three times a week in the hands of a very attractive man” you teased him as you looked up.

He looked down at you for a long second, like he was deciding how honest to be. Then he huffed a quiet breath through his nose, almost amused.

“I’m not the jealous type..you should have known that by now” he said simply. You lifted your head slightly, watching his face.

“And if you wanted to cheat” he continued, voice low but steady “You wouldn’t need a personal trainer to do it. You could do it anywhere. With anyone”

Your teasing smile faded, replaced by something softer, more serious.

“So no” he added, his thumb brushing absently against your hairline “I’m not worried about Bill. Or any other guy.. I know what I'm capable of offering to you and if it's not enough i know you'll tell me”

“You’re that confident huh?” you mumbled as you tugged on the fabric of his tshirt.

“It’s not confidence” he corrected quietly “It’s trust” he paused for a moment “I trust you to not hurt me,” he went on. “And if that ever changes… I’d rather want to hear it from you than cage you to me, trying to prevent it”

Your throat tightened a little at that. You pressed closer to him without thinking, arms slipping around his waist.

“God” you murmured, “you say things like that and then act surprised when I get emotional” he looked down at your face and smiled a little, the kind he only reserved for you.

His hand settled more firmly at the back of your head as he leaned down to kiss you.

“I'll never hurt you Eric..” you murmured against his mouth, almost forgetting where you two were for a moment.

“I know that..now go get the session done..I'll get a workout too” You let out a small breathy laugh, reluctantly pulling away from him.

“Bossy” you muttered, though there was no bite to it.

You turned toward the gym floor, glancing back once just to catch him watching you already, arms folding across his chest as he headed toward the free weights and started to warm up.

Bill met you near the stretch mat.

“Alright” he said easily. “Let’s start simple. Shoes off”

You raised an eyebrow but complied, stepping onto the mat barefoot.

He had you roll your shoulders, bend, squat, balance on one leg. You became painfully aware of every stiffness, every wobble, every shallow breath. Out of the corner of your eye, you caught Eric starting his warm-up for deadlifts. He looked over once, just once, checking in without hovering.

A few minutes in, your thighs were already burning so Bill gave you a rest of two minutes. From the distance you watched the sexiest man on earth lift 200 pounds like it was nothing. He was just warming up still. No wonder his ass looked the way it did. And his thighs were shaped like those men from Greek statues.

He didn't show off like you had often seen men doing at the gym, the plates didn't even make much noise when he put them down, no exaggerated grunting. And that was fucking attractive. A dreamy sigh escaped your lips at the sight.

Yeah you were about to go home with that hunk and spend the night in the same bed with his cock so deep-

“Okay some mobility work now” Bill's voice snapped you out of your dirty thoughts.

An hour later you both left the gym, he seemed fine, you on the other hand, you could already feel the soreness that you were going to feel tomorrow.

As you reached your apartment you immediately ran into the shower, Eric needed to make some calls so he stepped out as usual. When he came back you were already in bed, scrolling your phone and wondering what to make for dinner.

“I need a towel” he murmured as he stood at the edge of the bed and grabbed your legs to pull you down. A giggle escaped your throat at the sudden gesture.

“It's in the closet, I bought a new one for you..long one for your long long body” you murmured softly so he leaned down to kiss you “Not that I don't enjoy watching you come out of the bathroom wrapped up in a peach colored towel that barely reaches your thighs”

He chuckled against your mouth, low and warm, the sound vibrating through you “Cruel” he murmured, straightening up at last.

You watched him disappear toward the closet, the sound of hangers shifting, the quiet thud of a towel being pulled free, then he disappeared in the bathroom for half an hour. When he came back, the towel was wrapped around his waist. His hair damp and skin glistening from the steam.

He paused at the foot of the bed as he pulled over his boxers, eyes dragging slowly over you, your bare legs tangled in the sheets in those short shorts.

“You did good today” he said, voice genuine now. No teasing. Just the truth.

“You say that like I ran a marathon” He climbed onto the bed, carefully settling beside you.

“You showed up. That counts” He leaned back against the headboard. “You’re going to be sore tomorrow” he warned as he turned his head to look at you.

“I know” you sighed “You’re going to be on my beck and call mister”

“Mmm that's you expecting more than you should” he corrected “I'll be helpful though..Water. Food. Maybe a massage if you behave”

“If I behave?”

He chuckled and nodded as you said that. It's been a month since you two came back from the palace after Peter's birthday. One month since he had revealed the truth he had kept hidden away all his life. One month of you not pushing him for more or trying to pry into the details and he appreciated that a lot.

That's what he appreciated in this relationship more than anything.

The space you gave him when you knew he was overwhelmed, even when he was on a trip or disappeared when he needed to, you let him be on his own. Unlike Rita or anyone else before her, they often suffocated him, always asking him to talk and then talk some more.

He didn't think they were bad people, he also had a hand in ruining those relationships but he didn't want to compromise with them, he never got that feeling that his life couldn't just go on if they weren't with him.

With you however things were starting to change.

He felt it lying there beside you, the room quiet except for the distant hum of the city and your loud refrigerator. There was no pressure in the air, no expectation hanging over the moment. Just present.

Eric shifted slightly, turning more toward you, one arm resting under the back of the pillows. His gaze lingered on your face.

“You know” he said after a moment, voice thoughtful “You’re very good at giving me space”

“That’s a serious compliment coming from you” you spoke as you turned to face him.

“I mean it” he replied. “Most people think having a relationship means filling every silence. Asking every question. Fixing things that have always been a certain way” His jaw tightened briefly before easing again. “You don’t do that to me”

“I figure you’ll talk when you’re ready. Or not. Either way, I’m not going anywhere..it took me sometime but now I understand how you operate” you mumbled softly.

That did something to him.

He reached out, fingers brushing your arm, slow and deliberate. Not to pull you closer, just to make contact.

“I’ve never had that before” he admitted quietly “Someone that didn’t make my silence feel like failure”

“You’re allowed to have quiet” you said simply “Even with me” His mouth curved faintly, not quite a smile, but close.

“That’s really dangerous for me” he huffed.

“And Why is that???” you chuckled slightly, expecting a joke or sarcasm.

“Makes me want things I didn’t think I needed before”

You stilled at that, the chuckle fading. You shifted closer, propping yourself up on one elbow so you could see his face properly.

“And that's bad because?”

He exhaled through his nose, eyes drifting to the ceiling for a second like he was choosing his words carefully. When he looked back at you, there was no humor there, just honesty.

“Because I’ve built my life around not needing anyone except my ma” he said quietly. “Around knowing that even if people leave, I’ll still be standing. I won't fall apart no matter who comes and goes”

You listened without interrupting, the way you always did.

“And with you” he continued, voice lower now “I catch myself thinking about you being here when I'm driving to your place or even when I'm away. When I come here and I'm silent, giving you nothing, you ask me once if I'm okay but you don't interrogate me” His jaw flexed “That’s new for me”

You reached out then, your hand sliding into his, fingers threading together naturally.

“It sounds human…I know it's scary when you're not used to wanting someone around you” He gave a faint huff, something between a laugh and a sigh.

“I’ve never been very good at that part…the human thing”

“You don’t have to be good at it” you replied “You just have to let it happen”

He studied your face for a long moment, like he was trying to commit it to memory, not out of fear of losing it, but out of recognition. Then he squeezed your hand once, firm and grounding.

“I don’t feel cornered with you,” he said “That’s the difference i guess”

You smiled at that, leaning in to rest your head against his shoulder

“Good. Because I’m not trying to trap you”

His arm came around you easily, pulling you in without hesitation. He pressed his temple lightly to your hair, eyes closing for a brief second.

“Is that what happened with Rita? She suffocated you?” You asked while caressing his chest.

“She did that too but that’s not why I left her” he paused for a moment “She liked to test me alot” he continued quietly “Not once. Not accidentally but Constantly”

You didn’t interrupt as he spoke.

“She’d flirt with people right in front of me. Touch their arms. Laugh a little too hard. Sometimes she’d disappear with them for a bit at parties, come back watching my face like she was waiting for a reaction” His jaw clenched “If I didn’t react enough, she’d push even harder”

You didn't blame her, you probably would have wanted a man like him to be slightly possessive too but in four months you had understood that he was different, he didn't act like a bulldog the moment you were in some other man's vicinity no matter how attractive they were. He was secure and he trusted you. He probably felt the same around Rita and told her too but she never took the hint.

“She always wanted proof that I cared. Proof that I’d lose it and that she mattered enough to make me jealous” you hummed as he said that.

“But you don't play those games”

“I don’t chase people when they play games like that. I shut down. I detach. And the more I didn’t react, the more extreme she got with time” He sighed “And one day she just kissed someone right in front of me. Then begged me to not leave when I broke it off immediately”

“That must’ve been exhausting” you said softly.

“It was” he admitted “She didn’t actually want me. She wanted someone she had built in her head” His voice dropped. “And I don’t do relationships like that”

You traced slow circles over his chest, grounding him.

“So you left”

You didn't blame him, not after learning the truth.

“I did” His thumb resumed its movement against your arm. “Because once I feel like someone is deliberately trying to make me feel small or uncertain just to reassure themselves… I’m done. I won’t fight for attention. I won’t perform emotions on command”

“That makes sense” you paused for a moment but then you remembered something “Umm don't take this the wrong way but you seemed affected when she came along with Rick..that first day, at the pool party you kept looking at her”

“Mmmmm I was mean to you that night wasn't I?” he asked, voice tender as if he still regretted it.

“Yeah that had hurt me alot”

“I know. I was just surprised, wasn't really expecting you to check up on me like that, you had known me for five days” he murmured as he caressed your cheeks “I wasn't looking at her, I was looking through her, and as expected she was there just to get a rise out of me. I was reading her at the pool party, she was there to embarrass me, corner me, maybe hoping I was still hung up on her for reasons only she knew”

You grabbed his hand , playing with his fingers before kissing his fingertips one by one.

“Mmm to be honest if you ever leave me, I'd be hoping for you to stay hung up on me too”

You mumbled before climbing on top of him, then you bent down to kiss him.

“But I won't make a scene, I won't chase you, because I know you don't want to be chased, and you don't want to chase someone either, you want someone to just exist next to you”

You kissed him again and he melted under your touch.

“I have never talked this much with a woman I'm supposed to fuck at every opportunity I get” He mumbled, his fingers playing with the strap of your tank top.

“Awnnn …just for that effort I'll make something you like for dinner” you graced his chin between your fingers to kiss him again before you sat up and climbed out of the bed to give him space, he often needed that after such conversations.

“Do you want chicken or beef in your lasagna?” you asked as you opened the refrigerator to take out the pasta sheets, and other things you needed for the sauce.

“Both..add more chicken.. it's healthier” you chuckled as he said that “Make extra..you won't be able to move much tomorrow” you scoffed as he said that.

“Stop threatening me with soreness”

He smiled as you placed everything down on the counter.

“Need help?” He asked as he leaned on his elbow to watch you move around in the kitchen.

“I know you have no intention of helping me, you just enjoy supervising me”

“Occupational hazard, I like telling people what to do”

You shook your head as he said that.

“Tell me about your family..you never talk about them unless it's to complain about them” He asked suddenly, your hand paused on the spatula as the sauce began simmering.

“Well my dad left when I was like eight or something.. my mom..you know how she is..a bit too self absorbed” you murmured. There wasn't much to tell anyway. You had the typical dysfunctional family. No drama. No mystery. Not how his life has been.

“Did I tell you Mrs. Kapoor called my mother to tell her that I was behaving like a gold digger, running after rich men and embarrassing her family in front of The Haines family?” His brows furrowed as he heard that. It must have happened after Peter's birthday party.

“She's a bitch”

He said it so plainly and without any heat in his tone that it made you snort

“She is” you agreed, stirring the sauce again. “But she hides it behind concern”

“I’ve noticed” he said “Women like her..they rank people the second they walk into a room. Money, family name, who your parents are, what you do for a living. If you don’t tick enough boxes, you’re invisible at best and a problem at worst”

You glanced at him, not surprised. He really was the most observant person you had ever known. You turned slightly, meeting his eyes.

“You’re not… uncomfortable with it? With people thinking I’m with you for your money?”

His expression softened as you questioned him, he got off the bed, quietly like a feline and closed the distance in two strides, his arms wrapped around your waist as he stood behind you, chin sitting over the top of your head.

“No” he said without hesitation. “Because I know you're with me for sex”

You let out a short laugh as he said that. Ahh Eric Draven Jokes.

“Besides, if you are a gold digger, you are doing a terrible job. Making me dinner instead of demanding gold”

That pulled another laugh out of you, genuine and warm. As his phone began ringing he approached the bedside table to grab it.

“Hey you don't have to go out..just stay here and talk..you won't disturb me” you said to him so he hummed in response before he picked it up and laid down on the bed again while you finished cooking.

Apparently he had to be in Arizona tomorrow for a small event he was organising.

You were getting used to his unpredictable schedule and you missed him terribly when he was gone but it actually made you appreciate the time he spent with you like this when he wasn't worrying about something or the other. After dinner you crawled into the bed, sitting right over his crotch on top of him.

His eyes were glued on your cleavage, he never even tried to hide it.

“What other kinks do you have?” You asked him “I mean I know you're a fan of tying me up and doing me in my sleep..what else?”

He smiled, his gaze lingered a little longer on your cleavage before he met your eyes.

“That's a loaded question” he murmured as he reached for your shoulders, fingers playing with the strap of your top again.

“Doing it outdoors or places you are not supposed to” he murmured as he sat up and lowered down the straps, his mouth then latched on your neck.

“Like the woods?” You asked, biting your lips to stifle the moan

“Mmm” he whispered as he pulled down the top, the fabric resting on your torso, breasts free from the restrictions.

He palmed your tits then, one in each hand before lifting them up to his mouth, sucking and nibbling on them. Your head rolled back as the sensation tickled your spine.

“Places where you have to be aware. Where you’re listening as much as you’re feeling” He mumbled before moving to another nipple. Your fingers curled around his neck, bracing for support as your back arched.

“Risky” you could barely whisper as he kept stimulating the sensitive flesh.

“Mmmhm and you share that kink with me. The first night you wandered into an unknown palace and didn't leave until I had you ruined, you liked it didn't you? Submitting to a stranger?”

You moaned as he whispered in your ear, his palm wrapped around the small of your back, another held the back of your head.

“I did..it left me feeling ashamed though”

“It's natural to feel that way, didn't stop you from seeing me again”

He finally pulled you up to kiss you, tongue slipped in as if he was starving for a taste. You couldn't sit still, hips were already rolling on his crotch, frictioning against his bulge.

“Have you always approached your women this way? So aggressively sexual?” He didn’t answer right away as he leaned back a little, palms digging into the mattress, letting you work him up with your hips.

“No” he said quietly “I respond to the energy I receive” he paused for a moment “You weren’t fragile when you walked into the east wing” he continued. “You were curious. Brave. And reckless in a way that made me want to punish you for it”

A smile made its way on your lips, hips kept rolling.

“I never push” he added, voice low but steady. “I meet people where they already are. If you didn't want it..any of it, I would’ve known”

You searched his face, the seriousness there cutting through the heat

“So it wasn’t just about control?”

“It was” he said “But control only works when it’s given, when it's reciprocated, otherwise it's just coercion and I don't do coercion”

You pressed your lips on his. He wasn't wrong, he has come onto you but you had responded with equal passion and eagerness, you were often the one to sneak into the east wing late at night to forget about everything else “And you chose me. You wanted me..you needed me.. That's what I responded to”

You gasped as he said that.

There was a time when you didn't think he had such depth, you always thought he was just a sexual being, the rumours surrounding him didn't help. But just two nights in you were able to see past everything. He made it very easy to fall in love by being completely and crudely honest at times.

You raised your hips up and he pulled your shorts down, taking your underwear with it, then his boxers followed, you slowly sat down on his hard cock, inch by inch, your walls wrapping around him, talking him deeper and deeper to the hilt.

He groaned low in his throat, hands immediately gripping your hips to guide your movements as you slowly began to move. The bed creaked under the weight and rhythm of your movement, your cunt feeling every stretch and heat.

“You have no idea how desperately I miss the warmth of your pussy whenever I'm away from you” he murmured, voice rough, lips brushing the shell of your ear. His thumbs pressed into your hips in slow, grounding circles, holding you close while letting you set the pace.

You moaned, tilting your head back as he angled his hips up to meet yours, letting the friction deepen with each subtle roll. His chest pressed against yours, heart hammering against your own as you felt him twitch inside you.

“And you just know what I need. Don't even need to be told” he whispered, teeth grazing your shoulder, sending shivers down your spine. You clenched around him instinctively, hips moving on their own, and he groaned louder, one hand gripping the back of your neck while the other dug into your lower back, keeping you perfectly aligned with him.

“Move… just like that… don’t stop” he muttered, his voice dropping low, guttural.

You followed his murmured instructions eagerly, riding him slowly at first, letting the sensation build, tasting the edge before pulling back slightly and rolling down again, letting him fill you completely. The tension in the room thickened with every stroke, your moans and his low groans mingling, a rhythm of need and control and trust that made the world outside your bed cease to exist.

He shifted slightly, pressing deeper into you, hitting just the right spot that made your back arch instinctively, and his lips found yours again, kissing you with a hungry urgency that mirrored the pounding of your own heart.

“You're dripping on me..soaking me” he murmured against your lips, voice strained with desire, hands tightening on your hips as he guided you faster, deeper.. “Fucking cum with me”

You gasped, fingers digging into his shoulders as you leaned forward, meeting every thrust, matching every motion until the tension coiled impossibly tight, and then it snapped. Abruptly. Your moans and his grunts filling the room.

He followed seconds later, groaning your name, his body shuddering violently as he spilled inside you, both of you clinging to each other through the waves of release, breathing heavy, hearts racing, bodies slick and glistening with sweat and the aftershock.

When the sensations settled down , you collapsed against him, foreheads resting against his chest, listening to the sound of his heart pounding.

He didn't really say a word after that, he just pulled you in his arms and laid down, taking you along.

Reaching for the lamp he turned it off, leaving you both in the dark.

Before he came into your life you didn't expect much from your life, especially when it comes to men, you had been hurt and disappointed before, you knew good things didn't come your way easily so you had accustomed yourself to that life. Not expecting much, not wanting much.

But he hit you like a wrecking ball. He had raised the bar so high that now you feared going back to living the way you used to before him.

And God you feared losing him. You knew forever was a long time, passion would run out, spark would go out, and then you'd be just two people so used to each other's company. Knowing each other inside out.

That thought scared you. Because you didn't know if he'd ever want to go that far with you, if he'd want to stay once the fire burns out, when he's used to the sight of your naked body on top of him. He was probably on this new exciting journey with you and you had already chosen him as your destiny.

He didn't want you to make him your world but then how could you not when he treated you like this?

The next morning you made him breakfast before kissing him goodbye, you won't be able to see him for the next three days. At least you could distract yourself with work for the next eight hours.

Two days later your birthday arrived, he called right around the midnight. He couldn't be with you. You didn't ask or made him feel guilty for it. He appreciated that more than you could imagine.

“Why are you sulking?” He asked as you went real quiet on the phone.

“I'm thirty now. Big thirty” you sighed.

“It's just a number. You're still you” he murmured, voice half-exhausted and half-sleepy.

“You know once in a while you could just say ‘awn poor thing..I feel for you”

He chuckled as you whined, he could actually picture the face you were probably making.

“I do feel for you sweetheart. I feel alot” he murmured softly, heat crept up your neck at the sound of his voice. Whenever he did soft with you you always bloomed like a morning glory.

“But it's your birthday. Go out tomorrow and have fun with your friends and colleagues or whosoever you hang out with”

“Fineeeee” you groaned in petulance.

*****

Next morning you received his present, a beautiful dress and diamond earrings, No biggie right?

But he wasn't done yet, at the office you received something as well. You blinked at the bouquet, a mix of pink roses and white lilies, your favorite chocolates tucked neatly inside the wrapping.

You held the bouquet close, inhaling the sweet fragrance, a warmth blooming in your chest. Even from far, he had managed to make you feel cherished and adored.

Throughout the day at work, every time you glanced at the flowers or the chocolates, your lips curled into a smile. Whenever some colleague came to wish you and peeked curiously at your desk, you couldn’t help but brag quietly

“It’s from my boyfriend” you told them while keeping the bouquet close like a secret treasure..

A lot of people called you throughout the day. Including Patricia and Mira. But it was him you missed the most.

That evening, as you walked home, you couldn’t resist sending him a picture of the bouquet and sweets, captioning it simply

You: You really know how to spoil me

Within seconds, a reply popped up even though you weren't expecting it. He didn't respond to private texts and calls when he was working.

Eric : Send me the photo when you put the dress on.

So you did. You put on the dress, sent him the picture and then called Rachel and a few other colleagues to meet you in a pub. However as you were putting the heels on you heard the knock on your door. A part of you thought it was Eric but you knew he wasn't the type to pull this move.

When you opened the door It was Mira. And it was a shock as well. She said nothing last night when she called you, she had apologized for not being there etc etc but nothing about coming here to see you.

“Oh my God you sly bitch” you mumbled as you hugged her tightly. She was smiling ear to ear, pretty pleased from her planning.

“Happy birthday darling”

“What are you…how did you..-” you couldn't even finish any of your questions as you let her inside.

“I had to come, and don't worry I didn't bring Peter here..I knew you'd not appreciate that” she said to you so you nodded. You always felt weird about bringing people here, let alone someone as rich as Peter.

“Where is he?” You asked as you made her sit down on the bed.

“He's at Patricia's..she was so happy when she found out we were here” you gulped as she said that. You always had to be careful now since Eric had told you the truth.

While you were finishing your makeup she suddenly went really quiet so you cleared your throat .

“Something wrong?” You asked her as you put on the earrings.

“No just.. I stumbled upon something that I think is kind of weird” she said to you. You didn't really know what she was talking about or what to make of it.

“What did you find?” You asked her.

“You know I told you how things were being moved from the Haines mansion to the Shadowhall right?” You nodded as she said that. She then reached into the purse and took out something.

“I found this in one of the old albums of the Haines family..really old ones, forgotten ones” she said as she handed over what seemed like a photograph to you.

“Don't you think it's weird? I mean it kind of is, right? That's her right?” she asked as she stood up suddenly.

You kept staring at the photo. It was a black and white photo of young Rupert Haines, looking like the spitting image of Peter, he seemed young, probably in his late teens, sitting carefree in the garden behind the mansion. But that's obviously not what Mira sought to be weird.

It was the woman sitting next to him. You didn't have to blink twice to know that it was Patricia, she had all the features of Eric, just more feminine. And despite knowing some of the history you were confused too. Because why did Patricia have such a candid photo with Rupert Haines when they were just teenagers?

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@littledark11 @kikibit @wiseyouthinfluencer @loushaw131460 @ererebus-et-eigengrau @moonlight52moonlight @thewolfcubofkaermorhen @devilslittlehelper @purplerainx1 @cypherpt5fttaehyung @doesntmattert

@arttheclown666 @slutoru1207 @sagekisses @cookie-crumbs-x

[littledark11]

I secretly want to see Eric just possessive just for a little bit but I get it he's confident and believes that Y/N would never do that to him and they're complicated relationship.

My jaw dropped at the end of the chapter. 🥺😱😱😱😱 Like what you mean there's a secret photo? That no one knows about!

[bearlocked]

[astrovampz]

[astrovampz]