Clandestine Meetings And Longing Stares

JJ, 26, she/her.

[steve-harringtons-bat]

Master List

🩵

Adam Frankenstein x reader

Wildflowers

Winter Solstice

I Thought I Lost You

Midnight at the Bookstore

Rainbow After the Storm

An Unexpected Wedding

Swimming Lessons

Valentines

Illicit Affairs

Stargazing

Last updated 3/23/2026

Thank you for all the love and support on my writing, I’m so grateful and appreciative. 🩵 My work is strictly 18+, MDNI. Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to read my stuff. Here’s a leaf for you. 🍁

[steve-harringtons-bat]

Stargazing

Adam Frankenstein x fem! reader

Word count: 4.1k

Warnings: brief mentions of past abuse, lots of fluff and super brief smut, MDNI, 18+ only

Note: The most personal piece I’ve written on here to date. I’m genuinely nervous about this one, as I’ve poured so many of my own insecurities and worries about how I am perceived in this. But it was such a cathartic writing experience, and I’m so happy I did it. I also drew from my own experiences with insomnia (I am much better now!) Please let me know what you think, and thank you as always for taking the time to read my work. My master list is linked here. 🍁🩵✨

***

You could not recall the last time you slept through the night

No matter how long your days were, or how much exhaustion pulled at your eyelids, once the sun slipped behind the horizon, you could not fall asleep. Hours spent tossing and turning soon gave way to you reading or writing by candlelight, the stars and moon outside your only companions. No one else was awake at such late hours, and even if they were, your cottage at the edge of the forest was not close enough to town for you to find another tired, lonely soul.

You attempted everything to make the sleepless nights pass quicker. When books did not do the trick, you tried your hand at drawing, baking, even woodworking. You did not excel at any of them, although they did make the morning come faster.

But they did not fill the aching abyss of loneliness inside of you. You had friends, yes, but they were not ones you could pour your heart out to.

Especially not after Henry.

The mere thought of your ex-fiancé made your stomach tighten, and when you recalled the night when everything fell apart between you two, you felt as though the floor was collapsing beneath your feet.

You are too much. You talk too much. I cannot put up with you a second longer. You exhaust me.

Tears bubbled in your eyes. You blinked them away before they could fall, and decided to get outside your cottage for fresh air. But even after inhaling deep breaths of early summer air, the scent of honeysuckle and wildflowers clinging to your skin, you could not erase the pain needling at your already-broken heart.

Fearing that your friends would feel the same, you felt yourself pulling away from them after that wretched night. You found yourself uncharacteristically quiet at dinners and social gatherings, enjoying their company but wishing you could participate in more conversations. You once shared your thoughts about science and art openly and willingly, and your friends never gave you the impression that they tired of listening to you.

But Henry shattered your confidence. And now you felt adrift, exhausted, and so achingly alone.

You sat down on the soft grass. Silver moonlight spilled over the forest mere feet from your small cottage, and you watched the green leaves sway in the gentle night breeze. Maybe being wide awake at such a late hour had its advantages. You could see dozens of constellations amongst the sea of silver stars in the sky. You spotted Orion and Hercules with your tired eyes. The familiarity of locating the pictures the stars painted slowly made your muscles relax and your nerves calm.

And that’s when you heard the twig snap.

You pulled your attention away from the sky and back to the forest, where a long, dark shadow stretched towards you. You scanned the trees anxiously. Was it an animal? A predator?

All you could make out was a tall shadow ribboning through the trees. You held your breath as the shadow suddenly stopped, and you finally traced the shape of it with your eyes. The figure was tall, the tallest you had ever seen, and all you could make out of its features was a single, glowing orange eye. You stood up, trying to get a better view, but just as quickly as it came, the figure was gone, leaving you alone.

***

The figure did not return for three nights.

You spent those nights trying to read and tidy up your cottage, but your gaze kept slipping back to the windows. Deep down, you knew you were hoping to see that mysterious shadow again. You had spent so many long, lonely stretches of time by yourself, and now that you had tasted, even for a brief moment, what it would be like to have someone to pass the nights with, you felt more alone than ever.

With school out for the summer, you would be free from your teaching job until the fall. Even fewer interactions with others waited for you. Summer never felt so endless as it did then.

On the fourth night, you were once again sitting outside your cottage, the clear sky littered with sparkling stars and a nearly full moon. You were cataloguing the constellations in a small notebook when you heard it again.

A sharp, sudden snap of a twig.

Your entire body buzzed as you leapt to your feet. When your gaze fell on the figure once more, you let out a small gasp.

This time, the silver light from the sky illuminated the shadow’s features; long chestnut hair and a single streak of white amidst his locks, that glowing orange eye, and a tall body with long limbs. You took one small step closer to him, and the figure turned, shoulders tensed and body coiled tight as if he were about to run away.

“Please don’t go,” you whispered.

The words were out before you could stop them. At first, you feared the summer breeze had swallowed them up, for the figure stood frozen in place and gave no indication that he heard you. But then, ever so slowly, he turned back around to face you. You took another step closer, and closer, and he did not move. When you were at the edge of the forest, just mere feet away from him, the figure finally inched towards you.

The moonlight washed over his patchwork face, pale white and blue skin stitched together. Thin red scars ran across his face like rivers. His dark eyes were large, framed by long lashes. He looked like a mosaic. He was the most beautiful man you had ever seen.

But his shoulders were still tense, his head dropping shyly. That curtain of hair concealed his scarred face. Your heart cracked. He was far more afraid of you than you of him, and the sight of him made something stir inside of you, something that felt a lot like the loneliness and hurt you had been living with too.

“I am not going to hurt you,” you said softly. “I only wanted to see if you needed company.”

The man’s gaze flickered to yours, and when your eyes locked, it felt like lightning had struck your entire body. Sparks danced in your veins, and the figure finally spoke.

“Do you really want me to stay?” He asked. His voice was deep and rich, scratchy and strong. It was the loveliest sound you ever heard.

You nodded. “I cannot sleep. I spend the night alone, doing anything I can to try and pass the time. I was charting constellations. I…”

You are too much. You talk too much.

The rest of your sentence died in your throat. You looked away from the man, convinced you had scared him off.

But he took a hesitant step closer to you, and when you found the courage to meet his gaze again, you were greeted with a small smile.

“I would like to hear about these constellations,” he whispered.

Your heart soared. The sparks inside of you caught fire, warmth coursing through you as you and the man settled onto your quilt and you showed him your notes.

You told him your name as you flipped through the book.

“That is a nice name,” he said. “I am Adam.”

“Adam,” you whispered, testing the feel and taste of it on your lips. He looked at you, curiosity in his gaze, and you were never so glad to have someone beside you as you did then.

“How much do you know about the stars, Adam?” You asked him.

“Not much,” he admitted. “Just the North Star, and how to locate it.”

You nodded encouragingly. “That’s amazing. Not everyone can find it so easily.”

Adam’s lips parted, then closed again. You wanted to hear what he would have said, but you did not want to push him. He would tell you things when he was ready to.

“Can you show me your favorite ones?” He finally asked, a hint of trepidation in his words.

You lit up, feeling as though you were glowing just like the stars above your heads.

“Of course,” you said, fighting to keep calm and the passion out of your voice. You did not want to scare him off, not when you had only just met.

You pointed to ten stars above you both, tracing the constellation with your finger.

“That’s Sagittarius, the archer,” you said. Adam held up his own hand, index finger replicating the same path you had just drawn. He whispered the name, continuing to trace the stars until he had it imprinted in his mind.

“I like that one too,” he said. “What others can we see?”

You spent the remaining hours showing Adam the wonders of the stars scattered across the indigo sky. He absorbed your words, and he was an apt student. When the first blush of daylight crept over the horizon, you both stood, not quite ready to say goodbye but not having much of a choice.

“I can give you some books I have about the sky,” you offered him.

“I would love that,” Adam said. “I promise to take good care of them.”

After racing inside your cottage and grabbing the books, you went back into the early morning light. When you handed the books to Adam, your hands brushed, a ghost of a touch that made every inch of you burn.

“You can come back tomorrow,” you offered. “Or whenever you would like. You do not have to, either, I understand if this was boring or…”

Adam shook his head, a disbelieving smile on his face. “This was the best night I have had in quite some time. I would love to come back tomorrow, if you will still have me.”

You beamed at him, at this kind, gentle man who you were lucky enough to have met by accident. “I guess it is settled, then.”

Adam nodded, and then he turned and disappeared into the forest, leaving you flooded with a feeling you had not had the luxury of embracing in so long: hope.

***

Your nights with Adam became your most treasured part of your day.

The setting sun no longer filled you with dread, but pure excitement. As soon as the sky darkened and the stars and moon glowed their brightest, you slipped outside where Adam was waiting at the edge of the forest. You would both settle onto your quilt, and after you taught him more constellations, you both slowly found yourselves opening up to one another.

One cooler night, you and Adam lying on your backs after you showed him Cassieopia, he took a long, deep breath.

“Elizabeth would have loved you,” he said.

You turned your head to face him. He had made vague illusions to a past full of hurt and horror, but never something so specific, so concrete as a name. His dark eyes shined with sadness and longing. You did not miss his use of past tense in talking about her.

“What was Elizabeth like?” You asked gently.

“Curious. Friendly. Smart,” Adam said, his voice even hoarser than usual. “She was the first person to show me any semblance of kindness. She loved science and nature, like you.” A single tear fell from his glowing eye, and you delicately wiped it away from his cool skin.

“She sounded wonderful,” you said truthfully. “I wish I could have met her.”

Adam nodded, a sad smile tugging at the corners is his scarred lips. “Me too,” he whispered.

“You can talk about her more, if you want,” you said. “If not now, then whenever. I love hearing about her.” You gently took his hand in yours, lacing your fingers together. “And I am sorry that she is gone.”

“I am sorry too,” he said sadly. You gave his hand a gentle squeeze, and he returned the gesture. A comfortable silence descended between you two, the summer wind and rustling of leaves filling the quiet.

A shooting star suddenly crested across the sky, a beam of white light winking at you both.

“Maybe that was her,” you whispered.

“It definitely was,” Adam said. Your hands were still locked together, a reminder that for the first time in so long, neither of you were alone anymore.

***

The summer continued to unfold, wildflowers dotting your yard and birds chirping in the branches. Your nights with Adam continued to be the brightest parts of your day. Even when you finally began to accept invitations from your friends to swim in the lake or go to the tea room in town again, you still found that the time spent under the sea of stars with your best friend was your favorite.

He had finally told you the entirety of his past, and you did not judge him for it. You could not believe that someone who had been so hurt and treated so cruelly by society, could be as kind and gentle as Adam was now, but he was. He always brought your books back, along with little bouquets of flowers he crafted for you and shiny, colorful rocks he found in the woods. You saved every gift he gave you, touched that he seemingly thought of you as much as you did him.

But you still felt like you were holding back from him.

One humid night, where so many stars were visible it was nearly overwhelming, you found yourself pointing out as many as you could to Adam, recounting story after story about their origins. He listened quietly, attentively like he always did, but when he did not reply to your gushing about Andromeda, you felt a familiar surge of self-consciousness eclipsing your thoughts.

You were boring him. You would not stop talking, and he had probably tuned you out, the same way Henry once did so well.

Adam is not like that, you chided yourself, but it was too late. Your chest tightened, stomach sinking as you dropped your hand and gaze down.

“Sorry,” you whispered. “I know I am talking too much.”

“I love listening to you speak. Your voice is my favorite sound in the entire world,” Adam said. You met his gaze, your heart slamming against your ribcage. His words were so kind they made your knees weaken and your pulse race.

“Not everyone feels the same,” you croaked.

Adam’s eyes filled with worry and sparks of what looked sadness. “What do you mean?” He asked earnestly.

You plucked at a loose thread at the hem of your dress, the horrible memory of that night with Henry overwhelming you. You were no longer in the safety of your backyard with your friend, but in that fancy estate, surrounded by people and fine clothes and champagne. Henry yanked you away from the group you had been regaling with one of your stories about your students. There had been laughter and a few chime-ins from some of those in the circle, and you felt pride and joy at making these people smile with your words.

And then Henry crushed your confidence, your heart, and your self-worth all in one fell swoop.

When you recounted the story to Adam, you watched as sadness, anger, and indignation all washed over the planes of his face.

“I am so sorry," he said when you were finished. Tears escaped your eyes and slid down your cheeks. Adam’s cool fingertips wiped them away, a soft purr emitting from his throat. “That man was not worthy of you.”

You faced Adam, vulnerability squeezing your entire body in its fist. You had told him your darkest secret, your deepest insecurity, and he had not abandoned you.

“Your passion and enthusiasm are beautiful to witness,” he continued. “I could listen to you talk about anything for hours and never tire of your voice. You are brilliant.”

You felt a blush blooming on your cheeks. “You do not think I am too much? That I am exhausting to be around?”

Horror and shock flickered in his eyes. “Of course not,” he said. “How could anyone ever say such a thing to you? How could anyone ever be tired of being in your presence?” Adam cupped your face in his large hands, and you melted into his touch. “You are like the sun, warm and bright. You are kind and smart, and you make me feel better just by being around you.”

He gave you a gentle smile, and you blinked your tears away. “You are wondrous as you are. I could spend every day of the rest of eternal life with you and it still would not be enough time.”

You could not help it any longer. You threw your arms around him, pulling him into a hug. The care you felt for Adam overtook you.

“Thank you,” you whispered into the shell of his ear. “You are the best friend I have ever had.”

Adam’s arms wrapped around you, and you buried your face into his neck.

“You are too,” he said so quietly you almost did not hear him. But you did, and the words sank into your bones as you both held one another under the glistening constellations.

What both of you did not realize was that was the moment you fell in love with each other.

***

The following day, you opened your back door to reveal a bouquet of daisies waiting for you, a small note tucked amongst the flowers. You grinned as you picked up the bushel of your favorite flower, breathing in their sweet scent. You plucked the card out and read,

I am sorry but I cannot be with you tonight. Please take these flowers as an apology. I will be back when the sky is clear once more. -Adam

The next four days were a deluge of summer storms. Thunder and lightning became your new companions. Any progress you had made of sleeping more was erased, and suddenly you felt more unable to slip into a dream than ever. Because every time you closed you eyes, all you could see was him.

Adam, tracing the stars with his finger. Adam, head bent over a book, long hair curtaining his face. Adam, looking at you like you were something sacred. Adam, holding out a flower he had picked earlier for you. Adam, scars peeking out from the neckline of his tunic. Adam, his throat bobbing as he asked you questions about the sky.

What an inconvenience, to fall in love with your best friend.

You filled your time with books and even finally managed to make a somewhat successful berry tart. Despite the lack of nighttime sleep, you were beginning to enjoy your own company once more. Adam’s reassurance really had stuck with you. If someone as kind as him enjoyed being your friend, then why shouldn’t you like yourself? Why give any weight or credence to the words of a man you did not even love?

Love.

Across the woods, Adam was pacing around his own humble cabin, that same word pulsing through him. He found himself seeing you everywhere; in the sparkling surface of the lake deep in the forest, in the colorful wildflowers blooming amidst the foliage, in the first blush of the sunrise, and in the stars you loved so dearly.

His mind constantly wandered to you and only you. Whether he was walking in the forest or reading or just lying down, thoughts of you consumed him. When he shut his eyes, your smile and your sparkling eyes were all he could see.

How could he have fallen for his best friend?

Both of you, miles apart, hearts heavy and thoughts tangled, yet only thinking of each other. Two stars in the same sky, so close yet so far away

***

The next day was finally sunny, a reprieve from the showers that swarmed the earth. You were relieved to see the golden light flooding your cottage when you awoke from a troubled morning slumber. You went into town, happily talking to every acquaintance and friend you came across. Adam really had reignited your love of conversation, and you felt as though that warm sunlight was bursting out of your chest.

You came back home, putting away the food and books you purchased in the village, and by the time you prepared and ate dinner, the sun was going down. You took a deep breath before heading outside, hoping against hope that Adam would finally be back.

When you spotted him at the edge of the woods, your entire body unraveled in relief. You dashed over to him, unable to keep the grin off your face. He was smiling too, and you threw your arms around him. You felt him gasp, his chest hitching at the sudden contact. Adam’s long arms encased you, and you nearly dissolved into his touch.. For a moment, in Adam’s embrace, everything was peaceful. You felt like you were home. You were both so lost in one another that you did not notice the storm clouds flooding the sky.

“You are back,” you breathed.

“I am back,” he confirmed softly.

You broke apart from one another. “I just got a new book about the stars, I cannot wait to show you!”

You turned around and were excitedly about to head towards the cottage.

Adam said your name, and you turned to him.

“What is it?” You asked him. Adam took a step closer to you, suddenly so close you could count every scar running across his body like rivers.

And that was when the sky broke apart.

A deluge of rain cascaded down from the heavens, soaking you and Adam to the bone in seconds. You both hastily ran inside your cottage, but even after you lit a few candles, both of you were drenched and trembling. When you came back over to him, you suddenly realized your proximity to him.

You both looked at one another, the minuscule space between your soaking wet bodies crackling. Raindrops slid down Adam’s stained glass face. His wet hair clung to his cheeks, and his dark eyes were swimming with longing, the same longing you were currently drowning in.

You carefully brought your hand to Adam’s face, gently brushing the singular lock of white hair out of his eyes. Your heartbeat roared in your ears. When your fingertips brushed Adam’s skin, you felt him stop breathing. His gaze was locked on you, and yours on him. Rain continued to pound against your roof and slap against the windows. A bright fork of lightning lit up the room before thunder crashed outside.

You found your body pulled even closer to Adam’s, and suddenly you were pressed against him, his forehead touching yours as you breathed in his scent of pine and rain.

“Earlier, I was trying to ask you something. Something I have wanted to ask you for a while.” His voice trembled with cold and nerves. Your pulse thundered under your skin, making your body shake.

“May I…may I kiss you?” Adam whispered. You nodded, and the second his lips met yours, euphoria rushed through you with such force you nearly collapsed.

You deepened the kiss, savoring the feeling of his lips on yours. Without breaking apart, you leapt into his arms, wrapping your legs around his torso. Adam held you as your hands cupped his face. Your tongues collided, and he tasted of berries and summer.

Your hands slid down his chest, and he let out soft moans as your fingertips traced the scars through the cotton of his shirt.

He kissed you even harder, and you ground your body against his, your breasts pressing against his chest. The delicious friction fizzling between your bodies made you feel delirious.

A booming clap of thunder erupted, making both of you startle apart. When you realized what had happened, you both burst into laughter, foreheads touching and neither of you able to stop smiling.

Reluctantly, you pulled apart from one another, just long enough for you both to dry off and change into clean clothes. When you came out of your room and back into the small living space you had, Adam had spread a quilt out across the floor, your new books carefully set to the side. Your heart swelled at the sight, of how normal and good it felt to have him in your home.

“Sorry we cannot see any stars tonight,” he said quietly as you joined him atop the quilt, both of you lying down.

“They will be there tomorrow,” you reassured him, pressing a kiss to his jaw. In the flickering candlelight, you saw the tip of his nose blushing pink.

You laid your head on Adam’s chest, the soothing sound of his heartbeat lulling your eyes closed. Adam’s lips pressed against your temple, and you smiled so wide your face hurt. You were not too much, not to him, nor was he anything but perfect to you. Two lost souls who found one another under a sea of stars.

“Sleep well,” Adam whispered into the shell of your ear. “I love you.”

“Love you too,” you said softly.

And for the first time in so very long, you slept through the night.

***

[steve-harringtons-bat]

Illicit Affairs

Adam Frankenstein x fem! reader

Word count: 4.1k

Warnings: cheating (not between Adam x reader!) explicit smut, 18+ only MDNI, super brief mention of blood.

Note: the longest, most challenging thing I’ve ever written. I wanted to create something angsty and passionate, and idk if I achieved that here or how it even turned out. I also know the cheating trope is not for everyone, if this isn’t your thing I totally understand skipping this one 🖤 depiction does not equal endorsement! I’ve been emotionally cheated on and I know it sucks, but sometimes you gotta write a fic where the reader cheats on her shitty husband with a beautiful monster. I really appreciate you giving this fic a chance! My master list is linked here. 🍁

***

Thunder crashed outside your window. The loud clap joined the chorus of raindrops pelting your roof and the wind howling against the house. You continued fixing your hair at your vanity, watching a reflection you no longer recognized. The shine from your eyes was dimmer than the candlelight flickering against your walls. You were adorned with jewels glistening on your ears and around your throat, yet you could not bring yourself to even muster even a modicum of happiness.

Your life was, by all means, quite charmed. You were married to a rich man, who was waiting for you to come downstairs and celebrate your housewarming with him and all his, not your, friends. You had recently finished your studies in botany at university, and were hoping to continue at a higher level. You had a warm bed and all the dresses and finery a woman in high society could ever want.

So why were you so, so miserable?

You opened one of your vanity drawers and took out a hollowed-out book from amidst the rogue and hair clips scattered inside. You peeked over your shoulder, making sure your husband wasn’t coming, before opening it.

Inside your secret treasure chest were only two items; a silver heart-shaped locket and a flat, dry orange leaf. Your fingertips delicately traced over the items with reverence. You closed your eyes, and just for a moment, you were back in the forest with him, with Adam.

With the only man you ever truly loved.

A chance encounter in the woods, back when you had the freedom to wander amongst nature and research the wildflowers and plants growing out of the soft earth, had altered the course of your entire life. Adam, so unconventional looking yet still so beautiful, had immediately caught your eye when you stumbled upon him eating berries from a bush, sunlight shining off his hairless head. Your eyes traced every scar, every piece of patchwork skin, before he noticed you. He had startled at first, bracing to run, but instead you had held out a single cornflower to him, allowing him to come to you and take it. You remembered vividly how cold his fingers were as they brushed against yours.

You snuck him into an abandoned cottage deep in the forest, and from that day on, you visited him after classes, bringing him food, clothes, and books and teaching him how to read and write. Seeing him slowly learn more and more words, his dark hair growing along with his wealth of knowledge, it filled your heart with warmth. You and Adam were in your own little universe in that cottage, where every touch, every accidental brush of skin, suddenly felt like you were being struck by lightning. Every glance you shared made your chest tighten, his dark eyes locked on yours, scarred lips parting as though he was desperate to say something but could not bring himself to do so.

The day you met your husband, your world ended.

You ran to the cottage in tears, Adam holding you in his lithe but strong arms as you sobbed for the future you did not want, the life you were being forced to give up all to keep your family in good societal standing. Adam wiped your tears away, lamenting the loss of your connection as much as you did.

And then, your faces mere inches apart, you kissed him.

One long, perfect kiss that held all the longing and yearning you both possessed for one another. One kiss that tasted of tea leaves and berries. One kiss that made your entire body tremble.

And then you were gone, lost to the world of selfish people with more money than they knew what to do with, a husband you did not love and who certainly did not love you, and a life so stifling you felt like you could never get enough air into your lungs.

You opened your eyes in the present, tracing the leaf Adam had given you as a thanks for your friendship, back when he still could not talk. You knew he had spent hours combing the woods for the brightest and fullest one, and you had shed a tear when he gave it to you. And the locket, the one you once wore everyday, the one that held a lock of Adam’s hair, you could not bear to part with, not even when your husband insisted on nicer jewels and necklaces.

As if summoned by your negative thoughts of him, your husband threw open your bedroom door with a crash. You hastily shoved the book and your sacred treasures inside the drawer before turning your attention to him.

“How long could it possibly take for you to get ready?” He snarled, his straw colored hair glinting in the candlelight.

You rose from your seat, refusing to back down and be the docile, complacent wife you knew he wanted.

“I do not think that’s any of your concern,” you snapped. “It is not as though I have anyone here I actually care to impress.”

“Well I do!” He said through gritted teeth. “And I will not have a wife who is late to parties I pay for! Get downstairs now!”

And with a slam of your door, he was gone.

***

The night was endless.

Your husband paraded you around as though you were an object, refusing to allow anyone to converse with you beyond a surface level compliment. Any talk of your studies and your interests was swiftly shut down. Your anger dulled into numbness, and you floated through your own house feeling like a stranger, like you did not belong.

When your husband was drunk enough to get swept up in a game with his equally cruel friends, you escaped upstairs, your body weary. You took off your gaudy jewelry and let out a long, shuddering sigh. The storm outside had dulled to a drizzle, but a sharp wind suddenly washed over your skin. You turned in surprise to see your window open, lacy curtains floating in the cool night air. Something was sitting on the windowsill, the only colorful object in your room.

A perfect, orange leaf.

A gasp escaped your lips as you covered your mouth with your hand in surprise. Hope swelled inside your chest. It could not be, it was impossible.

But oh, that hope. You had already begun to drown in it.

You raced outside, your exit unnoticed by the drunken guests. Every nerve inside of your body twitched as the drizzle seeped into your skin. Dawn slowly broke over the horizon, lavender and pale pinks spilling across the sky as the storm clouds slowly crawled away. You used that soft morning light to your advantage as you tumbled into the woods surrounding your home, the fall leaves trembling on their thin branches. Your eyes scanned every corner of the forest, heart slamming against your ribcage.

Was it all in your imagination? Could your window have simply opened on its own from the wind, a lone leaf blowing into your open room?

No. It was him. In your heart, in your soul, you knew it was.

You ventured deeper into the woods. Dead leaves and soft dirt squished under your impractical shoes. Cold morning air filled your lungs, a bird softly singing in the distance.

Mist slowly rolled away from the trees it was ribboning through, revealing a tall figure a few feet away from you. His hair was longer, his clothing nicer, but you would recognize that glowing left eye and stained glass face anywhere.

“Adam?” You whispered. You were not just drowning in hope anymore; you were consumed by it, your entire being bursting with light and color and euphoria as your gazes locked and a gasp escaped your lips.

The man’s broad shoulders dropped in relief at the sound of your voice. “It is you,” he croaked.

You did not waste another second; you ran towards him and leapt into his arms, burying your face in his neck. Adam’s eyes closed as he breathed you in for the first time in three long, lonely years, his hand stroking your hair as your lips ghosted over his jaw. Your bodies were tangled together, morning mist slowly rolling back over you.

“You are here. You are really here,” you whispered in awe.

“I am here,” Adam said hoarsely. “I looked everywhere for you. And now you are here with me too.”

You pulled your head back slightly, just enough to be able to drink in the sight of him. You cupped his face with one hand as you studied his beautiful, scarred face, the happiness flooding his dark eyes, the long lashes kissing his cheekbones as he closed his eyes. You spent the last years dreaming of this sight, and now it was right in front of you.

“Oh Adam,” you said softly. “I missed you. So very much.”

“I spent every day and every night trying to find you,” Adam confessed. “But I could not do it in a way that would make people suspicious of you, that our connection would cause you harm.”

You softened at his words, knowing how much pain he was likely concealing from you. “You found me,” you whispered to him. “And I will never leave you again.”

And before you could overthink it, you kissed him.

Adam’s lips immediately parted for you, your kiss deepening and tongues and teeth clicking together. He tasted of mint and the berries he so loved, of those golden days spent together in your little haven in the woods.

He tasted like home.

The weight of your diamond wedding ring pressed into his face. You both were forced to break apart for air, and Adam’s gaze fell onto your finger.

“You are married,” he said sadly.

You let out a sad, heavy sigh. “It is complicated,” you admitted to him. “I…”

Unsure how to finish your sentence, you pressed a long, soft kiss to his forehead. “I do not know much right now, but I do know I cannot lose you ever again. You know where I reside now. Come to dinner tonight. Please.”

Adam allowed a small smile to tug at the corners of his scarred lips. “I will.”

And for the first time in years, you felt a genuine grin stretch across your face.

***

Adam sitting at your dining table felt like a dream.

You kept sneaking glances at him as you both ate your food, Adam’s eyes locking with yours. Golden candlelight flickered across his face, staining his scars orange.

Your husband poked at his salad. “And why is there no meat at this table?” He demanded of you.

“Adam is a vegetarian, darling,” you said smoothly. “I informed the chef prior to the meal.”

Your husband scoffed before turning his attention to Adam. Your stomach sank as he stuck his sharp, cruel gaze upon your favorite person in the world.

“So…Adam,” he began. “Where have you been these past few years, exactly?”

Your friend set his water glass down, and you were relieved to see his hands were steady. Your husband did not intimidate him.

“I have been traveling,” Adam said, his gaze landing on you as you gave him an encouraging nod to continue. “I have been studying nature and documenting my findings for the university. I am finally settled back in town.”

Your heart leapt into your throat. He was truly back, for good this time.

Your husband raised an eyebrow. “A man of science and academia, then?”

Adam gave a small nod in reply. “It has been very enlightening.”

“It makes sense for you to be buried in books and lost in the forests of the world,” your husband continued. “It is not as if anyone would want to see that face for long periods of time.”

Your hand smacked the table so loudly the candles and silverware rattled. “That is enough,” you snarled at him. “Apologize.”

“Darling, it is a fact of life that your friend does not exactly exude handsomeness,” he scoffed.

“He does to me.”

A quiet so thick you could slice it with a knife enveloped the room. Your husband glared daggers at you while Adam watched you, making sure you were okay.

“I think it is time for Adam to leave, don’t you?” Your husband sneered.

“No, I do not think it is,” you retorted.

“You are a woman. You do not get to tell me what to do in my own house, you stupid whore.”

Adam’s voice was deathly low as he said, “Do not ever speak to her like that.”

Your husband snapped his attention to your friend, and your entire body began to tremble. “And what are you going to do about it, you hideous monster? You are not hers. You will never be hers.”

“That is enough,” you said sharply. “Adam is my friend, and I want him here.”

A smile so eerie and unsettling stretched across your husband's lips. “My name is on this house. Not yours. I get to decide who stays and who leaves.”

Adam stood up abruptly. “Thank you for having me,” he said softly to you. “I will be around should you need me.”

You knew him well enough to catch his message; if things got dangerous for you, you could always come to him.

With your husband storming out of the room, you leaned in close to Adam.

“Come back to me when the moon is full tonight. I will be waiting.”

***

When pale moonlight flooded your bedroom, a soft knock sounded on the glass. You locked your door before heading over to the window, opening it to reveal Adam. You gave him a kiss, pulling him inside without breaking apart from one another. Once his feet were firmly on the floor, Adam picked you up and into his arms. You wrapped your legs around his torso, deepening the kiss.

“You are so beautiful,” Adam whispered into your mouth. “In the cottage and now, every time I see you I am utterly enchanted.”

You blushed, not used to such compliments from your husband.

Adam’s gaze wandered over your thin silk nightgown, your cleavage spilling out of the neckline. He looked at your makeup-free face, at your hair now mussed from the wind that poured through the open window and his hands.

“You are the loveliest creature I have ever laid eyes on,” he said reverently. “And that man does not deserve you.”

You ducked your head down, but Adam continued. “I wanted to hurt him, when he spoke to you like that,” he admitted. “I do not want you to be in a place where you are not cherished, where someone cannot see how special you are. I want you to be safe.”

You gave him a long, languid kiss before responding. “I am safe with you. I always have been.”

Adam let out a soft sound of relief, and you savored the way your name sounded leaving his lips. He said it as though it were something sacred to him.

He carefully laid you down atop your bed, his long hair tickling your cheeks as he kissed you. You cradled his face in your hands as he shed his coat and shoes. It had been so long since you had been kissed like this. Since another man touched you like you were a map and his handle were cartographers charting new courses and routes.

Adam’s fingers kneaded your breasts, and you moaned softly. You could feel the hard length of him pressing against your hip, and the friction between your bodies crackled.

And then your locked doorknob rattled.

“What is going on in there?” Your husband demanded.

Adam broke away from you, frozen atop your body. You pressed a hand against his lips, hoping you were communicating everything you wanted to say through your gaze. For a few agonizing seconds, neither one of you moved. All of the oxygen in the room seemed to have evaporated. All you could feel was Adam’s cold skin under your palm. All you could feel was the blood rushing in your ears.

“Nothing,” you finally called out to your husband. “I am having women’s troubles.”

He let out a sound of disgust. “You were right to lock the door. Do not bother me until you are finished with that.”

When the sound of his retreating footsteps finally disappeared, you slowly pulled your hand away from Adam’s mouth, but not before slipping a finger in between his lips. Adam moaned as you pulled it away. Relief unspooled inside you both at the near-disaster.

“That was close,” he whispered.

“I know,” you said softly back. “But we seem to be pretty good at this, don’t you think?”

“I do,” Adam said, peppering your face with kisses. “I think we should try this again, just to really strengthen the hypothesis.”

You giggled as his lips traveled from your jaw down to your collarbone.

“I think so too.”

***

As the weeks slipped away along with the sun and moon, your trysts with Adam only intensified. Whether in your bedroom or deep in the forest, surrounded by bursts of red and orange leaves, you could not stay away from one another. Every kiss, every touch, every stolen moment made your entire body burn. For the first time in years, you felt truly alive.

Even beyond the physical, just lying in your bed next to him, listening to Adam recount his travels and stories made you thrum with euphoria. The sound of his deep, scratchy voice always made you feel at home, and you savored every word he said. Sharing the same space, breathing the same air as him. It was all you ever wanted.

Some days, you just spent tracing his scars with your fingertip, Adam gazing adoringly at you while you read to him or told him the brief moments of joy you had experienced in his absence. You both had changed and grown since your time in the cottage together, and seeing how much more confident and sure of himself Adam was moved you to tears.

You tended to sneak Adam upstairs with you when your husband was busy with his parties, and you disappeared into the woods when he was preoccupied with work. It was not easy, all of the sneaking around, but you would do it a thousand times over if it meant getting even five minutes with Adam.

It was one of those nights, snow softly falling outside and concealing the last signs of autumn, when Adam and you were sprawled atop your bed. The wind howled outside your window, bare tree branches scraping against the glass. It all dulled in comparison to the sound of your heartbeat in your ears.

Adam’s head was between your legs, licking and biting and sucking the most sensitive part of you. It felt as though your veins were flooded with champagne bubbles. Every inch of you burned. Your fingers were tangled in his hair, pulling the dark strands the way he liked. Adam’s tongue made stars bloom behind your closed eyes as you unraveled completely, his lips kissing the insides of your thighs as he held you through the rush.

“You are wonderous,” he whispered, voice hoarse. “I will worship you gladly for the rest of my eternal life.”

When you were clean and spent, lying on your back atop the bed, Adam laid beside you, pressing kisses to your temple.

“Thank you,” you whispered to him. You were grateful for a myriad of things: his reverence of you, your friendship, his kindness, and how he had proven to you that you deserve love, to be held and touched and treated with care. The past weeks had been a whirlwind, but you had never felt happier or more alive than when you were with Adam.

He beamed at you, brushing your hair away from your face.

“I went back to that cottage,” Adam confessed. “Just to see what it was like. How different I am now compared to when I was last there.”

You intertwined your fingers with his, nodding encouragingly for him to continue.

“And I found something.” He reluctantly untangled his hand from yours to pull out a small piece of paper from his trousers. When you saw what it was, you let out a small gasp. A drawing of you, a book on your lap and your gaze locked on the pages, one that made you look brilliant and beautiful all at once. One you had seen before.

“Your drawing,” you whispered. “It was still there? After all this time?”

Adam nodded. “Some of the books were beyond saving. There’s a hole in the roof now. But this was still there.” He swallowed nervously. “The first good drawing I ever made.”

You could not help it; you pulled Adam close to you and kissed him hard. He immediately melted against you, savoring the feeling of your lips on his, of the beautiful past and glorious present you two shared together. You were both so lost in one another that you did not hear the sound of angry footsteps approaching your door. You only heard the crash of your bedroom door slamming inward, revealing your furious husband.

“I knew it!” He roared. You and Adam leapt apart, both of you bolting to your feet. Your husband charged towards you, but Adam blocked his path, towering over him.

“Do not touch her,” Adam growled.

Your husband let out a maniacal laugh. “And who are you to tell me what I can or cannot do to my own wife?”

“I have never been your wife in anything but name!” You cried. “You and I both know that.”

Your husband sneered at you. “And what right does that give you to cheat on me?”

“You have never told me you love me,” you said. “You never held me. You act as if you do not even want me around!”

“I do not!” Your husband roared, Adam holding an arm out in front of you protectively. “I never have, but especially not now! Get out! Get out of my house and out of my life, you dirty whore!”

Adam’s fist crunched against your husband's nose before you could even formulate a response.

Blood poured from his face as your husband stumbled backwards, crying out in pain. Adam pushed him out of the room and locked the door.

“I’ll grab what I can,” you said hastily. “And then I’m out of here. For good.”

But before you could even open a bag, you kissed Adam once more.

“I normally do not endorse violence, but I shall make an exception in this case,” you said. Adam finally smiled as you both quickly threw clothes, your gifts from him, and jewels you could sell into a bag. When you were finally packed, your husband pounding on the door the entire time, Adam helped you out the window and onto the soft, snow-covered ground. The powder was cold but fluffy beneath your boots as Adam took your bag from you in one hand and used his other to lace his fingers with yours.

“What do we do now?” He asked you.

You gave his hand a small squeeze. “We do what we should have done all of those years ago. We go be happy together.”

Adam beamed down at you, snowflakes sticking to his hair. “My home is very small. There is not much money to be made in academia. I cannot give you the life you had here.”

“I do not care. As long as I am with you, that is all I need,” you reassured him. “I do not want the life I had here ever again.”

You let go of his hand briefly to remove your wedding ring. “Besides, this will probably go for quite a bit of money in the market, don’t you think?”

Adam kissed you again, but you both could not stop smiling long enough to truly press your lips together. You both set off down the snowy path with only the stars and moon to guide you.

And even without knowing what the future held, without knowing how you would join Adam at the university in the botany department, without knowing how you both would eventually fix up the cottage and turn it into your home with the money you made from selling your ring, without knowing all of the happiness that waited for you ahead, you held Adam’s hand and walked into the unknown with him at your side.

And there was no other place you would rather be.

[steve-harringtons-bat]

Valentines

Adam finally gathers the courage to tell you his feelings. Unknown to him, you’ve felt the same for ages.

Adam Frankenstein x fem! reader

Word count: 2.5k

Warnings: just some pure fluff in the spirit of the holiday season! MDNI

Note: Happy Valentine’s Day weekend 🩷 I wanted to write something sweet and friends to lovers is my absolute favorite trope so I wrote this! This one is definitely more in Adam’s POV than what I normally write, let me know what you think! Hope everyone is having a good Valentines weekend 💌 my master list is linked here. 🍁

***

Early morning sunlight streamed into the university library through the tall glass windows. Golden flecks mingled with dust motes floating amongst the endless shelves of books and journals packed tightly together.

The only sound in the building was Adam’s heavy footsteps atop the cold stone floors. His unusual nocturnal job as the university’s night librarian allowed him plenty of time to shelve tomes, catalogue new arrivals, tidy up the study tables, and of course, watch the morning sunrise bleeding over the city. Adam admired the way orange, red, and purple light painted the buildings and streets. The sun was still rising, and he was still living, and things would be okay.

The library’s front door opened with a whoosh of frosty air. Adam turned around, and when he saw who was entering, relief and happiness alike filled him.

You were shaking tiny snowflakes out of your hair, books clutched to your chest and ice chips falling off your boots. When your gaze locked with Adam’s, you smiled so brightly it felt like Adam was looking at the sunrise all over again.

You eagerly rushed over to your friend, beaming. “Guess who got full marks on their essay?” You asked him in a rush. Adam’s heart swelled at the news, and he embraced you, his long arms wrapping around your body still chilled from the outdoors.

“That’s wonderful,” Adam said. “I am so proud of you. I knew you could do it.”

His praises made you blush, and when you pulled apart from one another, your eyes were locked on his. The library was where you two had first met; you’d fallen asleep during a late night study session, the night of Adam’s first shift at his new position. When he had discovered you, he simply covered you with a blanket he found in one of the storage spaces of the library, left a glass of water in case you woke up, and allowed you to get some much needed rest. When you awoke in the middle of the night and discovered who had taken care of you, you instantly decided Adam was one of your new friends, and after finally coaxing him to join you on a walk around campus where you discovered your mutual passion for literature, the rest was history.

Your own university friend group took an equally quick liking to Adam. He was relieved and overjoyed that they accepted him just as he was, not caring about his unconventional appearance in the least. Slowly but surely, Adam joined your group for meals and trips to the bookshop, and he became such a comforting, warm presence in your life that you could not recall a time without Adam by your side, making you laugh and going out of his way to assist you with reaching tall shelves and anything, large or small, that you needed.

“I better get started on preparing for my next exam,” you said reluctantly. “But you are still coming to my apartment for dinner, right?”

“I would not miss it,” Adam promised. You beamed, kissed his cheek, and bade him goodbye. Once you disappeared up the spiral stairs to the second floor of the library, Adam’s fingertips unconsciously touched the spot of scarred skin where your lips had just been. He felt as though lightning had struck that small section of flesh, and his heart rate quickened.

Adam hurriedly left the library, escaping into the cold but clear winter day outside. He pulled his hood over his head and fabric over his nose, and right as he began his journey down the busy street, a vendor caught Adam’s eye. The man was holding red and pink paper, and the table behind him was covered with lace, ribbons, ink spots, and scraps of white paper.

“Looking for some valentines?” The man asked Adam with a wide smile.

“Valentines?” Adam asked, confused.

The man nodded, too wrapped up in his sales pitch to examine Adam’s appearance more closely.

“Yeah, you can buy one or make it yourself, and then you give it to the one you love!”

Adam’s eyes dropped to the pink and red cards in the man’s grasp. Lace, flower petals, and ribbons were stuck to the colorful paper.

The one you love.

Adam’s mind immediately went to the same place it always did these days: directly to you. His best friend, his favorite person, his closest companion. For months now, the mere mention of your name made his heart race. Seeing you under a blanket of sunshine, your eyes sparkling and the golden rays weaving themselves into your hair, made his stomach feel as though it were sinking. When your hand brushed against his skin, he felt like he was under a shower of sparks. His cheek still burned from where you had kissed him this morning.

But you were friends. You could not be anything more. He was utterly terrified of losing you. He could not ruin your friendship. It was the most sacred thing in the entire world to him. If he destroyed the most important relationship in his life, he could never forgive himself. Yet he still yearned for you, to hold you in his arms and feel your body pressed against his. To kiss you, to worship you, to find some way to show you how much he had grown to love you

Adam knew how beautiful you were, especially in comparison to him. How your eyes glittered and your smile could make even the rainiest, bleakest days feel full of light and warmth. You charmed everyone you came across, you showed kindness to even the smallest of creatures, and your beauty eclipsed every other thing in the world when he saw you. He did not want to leave your orbit, nor did he want to put you in an uncomfortable position should you not reciprocate his feelings.

And why would she? He thought sadly. You’re not like her. How could she ever be happy with you?

“I…” Adam stepped away from the man, pulling his hood even higher on his head and preparing to slip into the crowd and vanish.

But the salesman slid a small bag into Adam’s hand with a wink.

“Just try it. I’m sure she will love whatever it is you make for her.”

Adam hesitantly took the bag, his pale hands trembling as he did.

“Thank you,” Adam said quietly. The man gave him a pat on the shoulder before turning to a couple walking hand in hand.

Maybe this was a sign. Divine intervention.

Adam returned home with the bag. His small apartment was a few blocks outside of the university center. He longed for the forest, but he did not want to leave his new job, his new friends, and of course, he did not want to leave you.

He removed his winter layers and sat at his table, carefully emptying the contents of the Valentines bag. Red, pink, and white paper, a strip of white lace, and dried rose petals were spread atop the wooden table, and Adam, nervous but determined, set to work.

***

The valentine was a disaster.

It had started off fine enough, Adam pouring his heart out on the inside of the card. His fingertips were stained with ink, but he was proud of what he wrote. All of his feelings for you, the fear of destroying your friendship, and the love he held for you was all on the page. It was the best thing he had ever composed on paper.

Then he ruined it.

The red paper would not adhere to the pink, the lace was unevenly stuck to the page, and the rose petals kept crumbling piece by tiny piece.

He could not give someone as beautiful and kind as you something so tarnished, but the hours had slipped away from him, and the sun was beginning its slow descent, staining the sky pink and lavender. He did not want to give you such a wretched creation, but he truly meant every word he had written on the card.

With his nerves twitching and stomach sinking, Adam slid the valentine into his coat pocket and ventured the few blocks to your dwelling. Your apartment sat atop a fabric shop, and he took the back stairs up to your door. He had to stoop once he was inside from the low ceilings, but it was a small price to pay for the pleasure of your company. When you opened your apartment door, you beamed at Adam and gave him a quick hug before retreating back to your rapidly collapsing bread loaf.

“Sorry!” You said as you valiantly tried to save the dough. The apartment smelled of flour and herbs, and Adam welcomed the familiar sight as he took off his coat. His chest tightened at the sight of you, flour clinging to your fingers and the flickering candlelight washing over your beautiful face. You were so beautiful it made him ache, and as nervous as he was, his hands shaking and heart thundering against his ribcage, Adam retrieved the card from his coat.

Your eyes flickered to the valentine in his grasp, and Adam took a deep breath.

“I have something for you,” he whispered.

You wiped your hands on a nearby towel before delicately taking it from him, the space between your bodies almost nonexistent. You could see the orange candlelight filling the rivers of scars across the planes of his face. His dark eyes met yours, and your breath caught in your throat.

“Happy Valentine's Day,” Adam said softly, his voice thick with an emotion you could not decipher.

You looked at the card, at the glued on lace and petals, at the amount of effort Adam had clearly poured into the gift. Where he only saw the flaws, all you could see was how hard he had worked to create something beautiful for you. And it was, truly. The rose petals were spaced out evenly, and the lace looked better with a bit of fraying at the edges. It made the card look like something from another time, another world, and you adored it.

And then you opened it.

Adam’s handwriting filled the entirety of the card’s inside. He did not take a single breath as your eyes drank in what he had written for you.

My best friend,

Your companionship over these last months has been the most treasured part of my life. You have shown me such immense kindness. You truly have a heart of gold, and just being in your presence has made me a better man. You show me every day how beautiful this world can truly be. You are brilliant, and generous, and so utterly enchanting that sometimes I cannot find the words to express myself around you.

But today, I have found them. I love you. I love you with everything I have, with every last fiber of my being. You are prettier than the first wildflowers of spring, than the sea under a summer sunset. You are as lovely as the first snowfall of winter. You are so kind, so smart. You make my heart race. You understand me in a way so few else have during my eternal life. You are the brightest star in this endless universe. And I love you with all that I have. I could not hold these feelings inside of me any longer, and I am truly sorry if they fracture the bond between us. I just had to tell you how magical you truly are.

You finally brought your gaze up to his, your eyes glistening with tears. Adam’s heart sank.

“I am so sorry,” he stammered. “I did not mean to upset you, I…”

“You love me?” You whispered.

A million butterflies unleashed themselves in Adam’s stomach. His eyes were completely locked on yours, the tension in the room so thick it could be sliced with your bread knife. For a mere few seconds, your relationship hung in the balance, forever to be altered by the response Adam would give you. The only sound in the room was your shaky breathing. You took a step closer to him, the card still held in your hands as though it was a precious jewel. You looked up at him, and the world stopped spinning. All of Adam’s focus was solely on you.

Adam finally nodded. “Yes,” he croaked. “I love you. And I do not want to ruin our friendship. It is so important to me, and I do not wish to make you uncomfortable. I understand if you do not feel the same, and if you no longer wish to be…”

You gently lifted your index finger to his lips, your touch ghosting over him. Adam stopped talking, his breath catching in his throat. It felt as though fire was dancing across his face as you shyly smiled at him.

“I love you too,” you whispered.

Euphoria coursed through Adam as he absorbed your words, those three little words that just knocked his entire world off of its axis. The tidal wave of emotions sweeping through him nearly brought him to his knees.

“You do?” He said breathlessly.

You nodded, beaming up at him as smiles slowly stretched across both of your faces. “How could anyone not fall in love with you, Adam? You’re the sweetest man I’ve ever known. You spent your day making me this beautiful card. I will treasure this for the rest of my life.”

You closed the distance entirely between your bodies, and Adam let out a soft moan as you pressed against him. You cupped his face with your free hand, and he leaned into your touch.

“May I kiss you?” Adam whispered.

You nodded eagerly, and your lips collided with Adam’s. A flood of ecstasy surged through his body as you deepened the kiss, months of longing pouring out between you two. The molecules of space between your bodies were far too large for your liking, and when you leapt into Adam’s arms and wrapped your legs around him. He did not miss a beat, holding you firmly against him as your lips continued to collide with his.

“This is the most wonderful Valentine’s Day I have ever had,” you whispered in between kisses. “Thank you.”

Adam could not contain his smile. “I cannot believe someone as lovely and wise as you loves me too. I promise to make every day as happy for you as this one.”

You continued kissing Adam as the sun went down, the candle flames flickering as the two of you continued to show one another how long you had waited for this very moment through touches and kisses and laughter.

And every year on Valentine’s Day, Adam crafted a card with you, his very soul poured out on the paper. You kept every single one and treasured them more than jewels. They were beautiful because they had come from Adam’s heart, the very heart you so cherished and adored. Your jewelry box soon turned into a home for the valentines, and you opened the box on both good days and hard ones, reminding yourself of the man who loved you as much as you loved him, and how he truly made every day with you feel like February 14th.

[steve-harringtons-bat]

Swimming Lessons

On the first day of summer, you teach Adam something he’s secretly always wanted to learn

Adam Frankenstein x fem!reader

Word count: 3.3k

Warnings: brief mentions of past drowning, lots of fluff, 18+ only, MDNI

Note: as a former lifeguard for 7+ years, I do miss my summers teaching people to swim. With the crazy snow and cold where I’m at I thought I’d bring some summer to anyone who needs it! I wanted to write something with a little angst and a lot of fluff and I hope I achieved that with this. 🩵 My master list is linked here. 🍁

***

You had always been drawn to water.

Ever since you were a child, you felt most at home on the shores of the lakes, ankle-deep in the babbling brooks in the forest, and with sand-covered feet as you raced up and down the beach, ocean waves spilling onto your skin. You lived for the feeling of water washing over you on a blazing hot day, droplets clinging to your skin as you splashed and swam for hours.

You could not say the same for your love, however.

Adam was many things: kind, intelligent, and thoughtful. But he was not one for a trip to the lake, a dip in a rushing river, or even just getting his toes wet after a long walk in the woods. In all the time you had known him, almost a full year now, the only body of water he chose to get in was the bathtub in your cottage. Every time you asked if he wanted to accompany you and some of your friends to the lake, he politely declined. You did not push the subject; you knew his past was full of suffering and pain, and you came to the conclusion that some upsetting memory was the reason for his refusal to swim.

But you still missed him so badly it physically hurt whenever you jumped into the waters without him by your side. You longed to lay beside him on the sandy shore, your wet hair and dewy skin pressed against him as the sun dried you both off. You wanted him to see the beauty in the water. He loved the earth, and the air, and had even grown fond of fire, building them for you both on frigid winter nights. But he avoided water like it was a disease he was afraid to catch.

On the day of the summer solstice, the burning sun had barely begun to bleed over the horizon when you awoke. Heat permeated the walls of the cottage, your blankets strewn on the floor in some midnight fit you did not remember. Adam remained asleep next to you, his breathing steady and even.

You smiled at the sight of him, so peaceful in his sleep. Golden morning light swept over the gray and blue patchwork skin of his face and the thin red scars that stretched like rivers across his forehead and cheeks. His chestnut locks were strewn across the pillow, his singular white streak of hair resting on his jaw. He was so beautiful it made your chest tighten.

You quietly went outside, and even the cool dewdrops atop the grass seeping into your feet could not keep the unbearable summer heat at bay. It was already so hot that just being outside for a moment had beads of sweat blooming on your temples. After watering your garden and flowers, you went back inside, where Adam was up, preparing a plate of fruit for you. When his gaze landed on you, he smiled and his eyes glittered with happiness.

“Good morning my love,” he said, his voice even deeper and raspier in the early hours of the day. You beamed back at him. You never tired of the sight of Adam in your home. For so long, you felt like something was missing in your life, like an abyss that could never be filled. But then, you had met Adam, and the bond you shared together suddenly filled that hole burning inside of you.

“Good morning,” you said, kissing him on the cheek and picking up a knife to begin slicing an apple. “It’s already so hot outside, the poor flowers are wilting.”

Adam nodded as he placed berries you two had picked yesterday into a bowl. “Yes, I opened the windows up, but I do not think it is doing much at all.”

You handed him an apple slice, and he accepted it gratefully, popping it into his mouth with a smile.

“Would you like to go swimming with me?” You offered. “Might feel good on such a scorching day.”

Adam remained quiet, swallowing his apple slice and not breathing a word. Your stomach twisted with guilt for asking him a question you already knew the answer to.

“It is okay, I do not want to pressure you,” you said hastily. “We can find something else to do.”

“I…” Adam took an unsteady breath, his gaze dropping shyly down to the ground. His hair curtained his face, and his shoulders dropped. He was retreating into himself, something he had not done in a long time.

“I cannot swim,” he admitted. “I…when I escaped from that tower, during that fire that almost ended my…” Adam sighed, burying his face in his hands in shame. “I ended up in the sea, and I could not swim. I could not do anything but sink, and then in the Arctic, I slipped under the ice and into the freezing waters.”

He was quiet for a long time, taking deep breaths of air as the weight of his distressing past smothered him.

“The water has never been kind to me,” he admitted. Adam finally dropped his hands back down, revealing eyes shining with unshed tears and a pink blush staining his nose and cheeks. “And I know how much you adore it. I did not want to ruin it for you.”

Your heart cracked at his sadness in his voice and the pain in his words. He had hurt written all over his stained glass face, and seeing him in such distress hurt you far worse than your own ailments ever could.

You closed the distance between you two, gently holding his face in your hands. Adam leaned into your touch, his eyes closing as a relieved breath escaped his scarred lips.

“Oh Adam, I am so sorry,” you whispered. “You are so thoughtful, even when it hurts you. Thank you for telling me, for trusting me with this. It is nothing to be ashamed of, not at all.”

He nodded, one hand reaching up and pressing against the back of one of yours.

“Thank you,” he said softly. “But I know how sacred it is to you, that lake. And I want to learn. I need to, to be closer to you and so if I ever fall into the sea again, I am prepared.”

“I do not want to pressure you,” you said. “You do not have to learn, not if you do not desire to.”

“No, I…I have wanted this for a while,” Adam admitted. “But I could not find the courage to ask you, and I do not even know if I can even get into the water at all. The fear…it remains inside of me. And I wish to expel it from my body.”

You stood on your tiptoes as high as you could and gave him a soft kiss. He tasted of apples and summer air.

“Well, we can try,” you assured him, giving him a warm smile. Adam returned it, his left eye glowing in the morning light.

“Thank you,” he croaked. “You are the most wonderful person I have ever met.”

You beamed at the compliment, giving him a kiss on the jaw that held the promise you had given him all those months ago when your friendship had first formed.

I will take care of you, always.

***

You held hands for the entirety of the walk to the lake. Your thumb brushed over Adam’s knuckles gently. Birds chirped in the branches of trees bursting with green leaves, sunlight ribboning through the gaps in the canopy above your heads. The day was beautiful, and anticipation and excitement braised themselves together inside of you. You were thrilled Adam was finally joining you in the water, but you were anxious to be a good teacher, to show him how to do the activity that filled you with so much joy.

“This lake is a special one,” you said. “I stumbled upon it accidentally a long time ago, and I have never seen another soul there. We will have plenty of privacy.”

Adam gave your hand a gentle squeeze in reply. You trekked through the forest under curtains of shade and patches of light, and after you took Adam down a narrow path, through a copse of old trees, and down a steep slope, you arrived at your secret lake. It was smaller than the one you and your friends normally frequented, but it was your favorite one. The clear, calm waters lapped lazily at the small stretch of sandy shore, pebbles strewn amongst the grains of sand and tall blades of grass. Sunlight sparkled atop the lake’s surface.

You looked at Adam, who drank in the sight with equal parts awe and terror.

“I am right here,” you reassured him. “And there is no need to rush. We have all day together.”

He nodded, and you untangled your hand from his to set up your camp for the day. After spreading a blanket on the sand and drinking from your canisters of water, you peeled your thin dress off your body. Your bathing suit was scandalous by societal standards; your seamstress friend Cecelia had crafted two separate pieces for you, a top that concealed your breasts and bottoms that rose up past your belly button and just barely touched the tops of your thighs. But it was far too hot for so many layers, and your friends never were ones for modesty, so you had shrugged, accepted the gift, and now wore it any time you swam.

Adam, meanwhile, still had his white tunic and dark pants on, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. His eyes roamed over you, looking at you with reverence and wonder glittering in those dark eyes of his.

“You look like a mermaid,” he said. “Like you came out of the ocean and just began to walk on land.”

You blushed. “Oh stop,” you teased, but Adam shook his head.

“I am serious. You are so beautiful, so lovely, that I cannot help but feel like you are a creature from a fairy tale come to life. You are too pretty for the mortal world.”

Heart skipping a beat inside your blazing chest, you gave Adam a long, slow kiss.

“Thank you,” you whispered to him. “For making me feel so wonderous.” You pulled apart from each other, and you slowly made your way onto the edge of the grass.

Adam slowly removed his clothing, revealing his scarred torso, arms, and legs. The stitched skin reminded you of a watercolor painting. Adam was the loveliest man you ever had the fortune of laying eyes upon, and despite how many times you told him, he still could not see his beauty. He was wearing nothing but fabric around his hips that covered his length and arse, and the sight of so much of his exposed body made you even warmer than you already were.

You laced your fingers with his, and you both walked into the soft sand. The water was mercifully cold, splashing weakly against your ankles as the tide kissed the shore. Adam drank in a deep breath, his gaze affixed to the water.

“We will get in whenever you are ready,” you assured him. “We have all the time in the world.”

Adam nodded, biting his lip. “Can we wait? Just a bit more?”

“Of course, my love.”

You both stood in the shallow water, the cold spray sinking into your skin. The birds sang and the breeze whispered in the trees.

“Okay,” he whispered. “I am ready.”

You walked into the lake, hands falling once you got deeper into the water. Adam, always better at acclimating to the cold than you, did not even flinch as he moved deeper into the depths of the lake. You could see panic flashing in his eyes, and you halted your movement.

“We can stay here,” you said, where the water reached the top of his stomach. “You can still stand here, so this is a good spot to practice.”

Adam nodded, his head turning slowly as he surveyed the lake. The water rippled out from your bodies and an underwater plant tickled your toes. He slowly stretched his long arms out, letting the lake water run between his fingers and slide over his skin. The ends of his hair grew damp. You watched the worry in his gaze slowly turn into curiosity, eyes widening and his lips parting in awe.

“This is…not so bad,” he said. “It is peaceful here.”

Relief filled you at his words. “I am glad you are feeling that way,” you said. “But if at any moment you are ready to stop, or if it is too much, please tell me. The lessons can end at any time.”

You took a step closer to him, sand squishing under your feet. “We are going to begin with floating. All you need to do is lie on your back on top of the water, like you are getting into bed. I will hold your body until you are ready for me to let go. If you never want me to let you go, then I will not. Okay?”

“Okay,” he confirmed. You placed your hands on his sharp shoulder blades as Adam leaned backwards, stretching his long body out just as you instructed. You kept one hand on his shoulder blades as the other traveled down to the small of his back, holding him carefully atop the bobbing water.

“This is excellent,” you said to him. “You are doing so well.” Adam’s eyes were closed, but he relaxed at your praises, and you felt his muscles unclenching beneath your palms. You held him as he continued to float. Pride overwhelmed your senses as you gazed down at your love, doing something he was so scared of.

When you guided him back upright on his feet, Adam let out a sigh of relief.

“I floated,” he said quietly. “Well, kind of.” He glanced at you, his eyes shining in the summer sun. “Thank you. I sink, normally. If you were to let me go, I would not have stayed floating. I was too embarrassed to try.”

“We will get there,” you promised. “But you did it! You should be very proud of yourself!”

Adam bashfully dropped his gaze down to the water, and your heart clenched at the sight.

“Do you think you are ready to try treading water?” You asked. “You do not have to go underwater yet, if you are not ready. I can show you how to do it above the surface.”

He nodded, eyes locking with yours. His wet hair clung to his skull and cheeks. Water drops slid down the planes of his face and stuck to his eyelashes. Oh, did he look devastating in the lake.

“This is probably better,” you said, excitement dripping from your words. “Your head will never go under, and it will keep you afloat the entire time! Want me to show you?”

A shy smile spread across his lips. “Yes. I would love for you to teach me to…tread water.”

He said the words slowly, as though testing out the sounds and syllables of them. You nodded, enthusiasm rushing through your veins as you and Adam got ready.

“Okay, for your arms, you just have to keep moving them from side to side, back and forth underneath the water,” you explained patiently. You showed Adam the gesture, the clear water offering him the perfect view of your steady arms churning back and forth through the lake. Adam mimicked your movements, and though his arms cut through the water much slower, you kept encouraging him. Once you felt his arm movements were correct, you detailed how to incorporate his legs, calves and feet moving outwards then back in, over and over, in tune with the gestures of his arms.

You did not mind how long it took him to keep himself steady; you wanted this time spent with Adam in your favorite place to last forever.

“You are doing it!” You cried out happily when he finally managed to tread upright, his moments a bit stiff but effective. “Adam, you are treading water!”

You both set your feet back on the lake’s bottom, and you threw yourself excitedly at him. You wrapped your legs around his hips, your arms looping around his neck. You pressed your forehead to his, breathing in the scent of summer on his soaked skin. The faint sound of his soft moan sounded in your ears, and you pulled back ever so slightly to look at him.

You studied him under the bright light of the summer sun, beads of water clinging to the ends of his wet hair. You watched droplets slide down the lines of his face, the scars running down his torso and arms, and off his collarbone. You brought one hand to his chest, your fingertips delicately tracing the wet path one of the water drops had left behind on his cool skin. Adam let out a soft moan of pleasure, and you continued after his permissive nod. His skin was soft and smooth in parts and rigid and a bit rough in others, but you kept touching all of it, just the way he liked.

“You are such an apt student,” you whispered into the shell of his ear. “I am so proud of you, Adam. You are magic.”

He kissed you as though your lips were made of air and he had just been saved from drowning. You parted your lips, and your tongues and teeth eagerly collided. It felt as though the summer sunlight had poured itself into your veins. Despite the cold water clinging to every inch of your skin, you burned from the inside out with pure passion and love for Adam.

“You are the most excellent teacher,” Adam said softly when you were forced to take a breath. “You…you are the one who makes this place special.”

You beamed, kissing him once more as his arms wrapped even tighter around your body. Without pulling his lips away from yours, Adam walked you both out of the lake and back onto the shore. He carefully set you down on the sand, the warm grains sticking to the bottoms of your feet as you reluctantly broke the kiss with him.

Adam and you settled onto the shore. You laid atop your blanket, your head on Adam’s chest as the sun dried you both off. He threaded his fingers in your damp hair.

“I…I really like it here,” Adam whispered. “Maybe we can come back tomorrow?”

You craned your neck to look at him, a wide smile stretching across your lips. You kissed the tip of his nose, earning you a grin from Adam. The joy of knowing he liked it there just as much as you did flooded your body with freshly popped champagne bubbles.

“Of course, darling. We can come back whenever you wish.”

Adam pressed a kiss to your forehead, and your eyes closed. Bliss rushed through your veins.

“Maybe tomorrow you can teach me…more. More ways to swim?” Adam asked, his hopeful tone melting your heart.

“I would love to,” you confirmed.

Adam grinned. “Thank you for showing me how wonderful the water can be. I love you, so much that it sometimes makes me ache, and I adore you. This world is so much brighter because you are here in it.”

You did not know it was physically possible to feel your heart increase in size and scope until you had fallen in love with Adam, but in that moment, your body showed you once again that it was possible. Your heart swelled at his kind words, and you gave him a long, languid kiss before replying.

“I love you too. Always, and ardently,” you whispered. “Thank you for letting me into your life. I will always teach you anything you long to know. You are the most beautiful person, inside and out.”

And under the bright sun with only the lake, grass, and birds for company, you and Adam dozed on the sand, a beautiful lifetime of swimming lessons and more happy, golden summer days ahead of you both.

[steve-harringtons-bat]

An Unexpected Wedding

Amidst the wedding planning chaos, you and Adam decide to have a spontaneous ceremony just for you two.

Adam Frankenstein x fem! reader

Word count: 4k

Warnings: fluff and multiple scenes of explicit smut, 18+ ONLY, MDNI

Note: literally the fluffiest, longest, (and perhaps sappiest) thing I’ve ever written but idk I’m a lover girl at heart! I had so much fun with this one! Thanks so much for reading. My master list is linked here 🍁🖤

***

Your wedding was in three days time.

The manor in which the ceremony was being held was aflutter with activity, wedding guests and staff members alike darting in and out of the many rooms the estate held. Your feet ached from standing all day, and you longed to retreat to your bed and sleep, but your mother had other ideas for you. You longed to see Adam, your betrothed, but your mother was firm about the bride and groom being separated prior to the big day.

You were so relieved that your family accepted Adam when they first met him after your engagement. Your mother was just so ecstatic that you were marrying at all; the man you were to wed was of little consequence to her. You had been prepared to cut ties with your family should they have rejected Adam or treated him cruelly solely based on his appearance, but your father and siblings got on well enough with him, and Adam was happy to be accepted. You attended family meals and celebrations together, squeezing his hand and boasting with pride about Adam’s accomplishments and discoveries about the world, while he defended you from cruel remarks from extended family and gushed about your own achievements.

It was everything you could have hoped for.

So once he proposed to you in a meadow at the end of last summer, surrounded by wildflowers and chirping birds and tall green grass, you were thrilled to begin preparations for your wedding. You would’ve married Adam on the spot, but your mother insisted on a massive ceremony and reception, the guest list full of family and acquaintances you didn’t even speak to. All you wanted was a dress you bought with your own money, some flowers, and a simple cake. Nothing about the actual party mattered to you at all; only being able to marry Adam did.

But there you were, trapped in the ballroom while your mother directed staff members this way and that, demanding the white roses be placed in specific vases on specific tables.

“Mother, it is fine,” you protested. “Let the staff go home. We don’t need so many decorations.”

Your mother scoffed, dismissing you with a flick of her wrist as she continued her spiel. You sighed, eyes darting to the door that would take you out of the ballroom and back upstairs to your room. All day long, you had been pulled in a million different directions, your mother hounding you about every possible last minute detail and final touch, and of course, ignored everything you had to say about them. When you told her you wanted a simple cake and not a six layered confection, she spent the next half hour on a tangent about why you were wrong about your own damn wedding.

Your dress was the only piece of the wedding that was purely yours. Since you paid for it out of your own pocket, you told your mother she couldn’t have a say over it. That had not gone over well. You could still hear the echoes of her yells bouncing off the walls.

You sighed in the present as your mother barked out another order. You tried twirling the silver engagement ring on your finger for comfort, but your stress level was much too high. You felt overwhelmed and exhausted. How did what was supposed to be such a happy time for you turn into something that made you so weary?

“I’m leaving now,” you declared, and she did not even acknowledge you. But did she ever, unless it was to dismiss what you had to say?

You made your way out of the ballroom, up the stairs, and into your bridal suite. The room was beautiful, a four poster bed in the middle of the space, a large vanity and mirror to the right, and a wardrobe that held your wedding dress to the left. It was also incredibly lonely. Everyone was forbidden from coming to see you there, even your family, per your mother’s orders. You were grateful to have a second to breathe, but you wanted your friends here. You wanted your love. You wanted anyone who would actually listen to you.

Three more days, you reminded yourself. Just three more, and you would finally be wed, and all of this would be over. You would finally be married to the man you loved with every fiber of your being.

A small knock sounded on your door. Confused, you turned around, smoothed out your dress and fixed your hair, and took a long breath.

When you opened the door, the sight of the person standing there made fireworks shimmer inside of you. Adam, the love of your life, candlelight flickering across his beautiful, scarred face, was outside your door, holding a small bouquet of wildflowers out for you. You felt like pure sunshine was running through your veins as you leapt into his arms, Adam holding your body up with just one of them as the hand by his side clutched your bouquet.

“I missed you,” he whispered into the shell of your ear, and hearing the sound of his deep, familiar voice felt like coming home. It had been almost an entire day since you’d last laid eyes on him, your mother sending him off for formal suit fittings and walks with your father and other miscellaneous tasks designed to keep you two apart.

“Oh Adam, you have no idea,” you replied. Still clutching onto one another, Adam walked you both inside your suite, closing the door behind him with his body. Your embrace turned into a long, languid kiss as you tried to pour every emotion, every ounce of your love for him into his lips. He kissed you back fervently, adoringly, like he hadn’t seen you for years instead of just one day. How divinely lucky you were, to be able to kiss Adam for the rest of your life.

When you broke apart from one another, Adam gently set you back onto the ground, carefully placing the bouquet onto the vanity table. You looped your arms around his neck as his hands instinctively settled on your waist.

“I cannot wait three more days!” You confessed, your words laced with desperation and enthusiasm alike.

“I cannot either,” Adam admitted. “These past few ones have felt like an eternity.” He gently brushed your hair away from your face, his dark eyes swimming with admiration and fondness for you. “I long to be married to you.”

“Then let’s not wait.”

The words escaped your lips before you had a chance to think them through. But right as you said them, waves of calm and ecstasy alike washed over you. They felt right. Those words felt so inexplicably right, like saying them had made a missing piece of a puzzle finally slot into place.

Adam’s eyes widened, a disbelieving smile stretching across his patchwork face. “You mean it?” He whispered in awe.

“Of course I do,” you said, the excitement in your voice impossible to contain. “I mean it with all the conviction I had the day you proposed.”

Adam held your face tenderly with his large hands, reverence shining in his gaze.

“Let’s get married tonight,” he declared, and you threw your arms around him, both of you dissolving into laughter. When you pulled apart, the reality of the situation rolled over you like a tidal wave.

“We must get ready!” You said. “Go go! It’s bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other before the ceremony!”

Adam nodded and turned to leave, but he came right back to you, kissing you one last time before finally disappearing out of your room. You pressed your fingertips to your mouth, savoring the taste of him before you let out an excited squeal. You were getting married tonight. No opulence, no fuss, nothing but you and Adam and your eternal love.

It was what you had always wanted your wedding night to be.

It took twice as long for you to style your hair and put on your makeup than it normally did because your hands were trembling with anticipation. You were not nervous in the slightest; despite the harried nature of this spontaneous ceremony, you were as calm as the surface of a lake in the summer. Adam has only ever brought peace, warmth, and intimacy into your life. Even a last minute, split second decision such as this one only filled you with elation and bliss.

When you finally got your dress on, you took a long look at yourself in the mirror. The white dress embroidered with small pink, blue, and yellow flowers across the hem of the long skirt and the top of the bodice, the sheer long sleeves that flowed into a matching sheer neckline, the soft silk fabric, it was everything you had ever dreamed of. You were every inch the blushing bride you’d imagined yourself to be. You picked up the beautiful bouquet Adam made for you, smiling at the bundle of pink and blue flowers. He knew you so very well.

Sneaking out of the manor and into the woods behind the estate proved easier than expected; everyone was drunk and either caught up in lively conversation or asleep on various pieces of furniture. The moment you stepped into the soft grass outside, you felt the reality of the moment fully sink into your skin. You were about to wed the love of your life under a sea of stars and a full moon. The spring air was cool on your cheeks. Your confidence in this spontaneous decision only solidified.

You made your way through the forest, moonlight guiding you down a path until finally you came into a small clearing surrounded by a copse of trees. A handmade arch constructed of branches, ivy, and wildflowers waited for you, along with the beautiful man in front of it. Adam’s long hair and white tunic were gently blowing in the wind. When his gaze landed on you, his lips parted in awe, wonder and joy sparkling in his dark eyes. You beamed back at him, walking down an aisle composed of twigs and leaves.

When you finally made it to Adam, you were both drinking in the sight of one another.

“Hi,” you whispered to him.

“Hi,” he whispered back, eyes glittering as his gaze raked over you. “You look…you are a goddess. You are so beautiful, so lovely.”

You blushed, taking one hand off your bouquet to caress his face with it. Your thumb traced the scar above his lip. “You are beautiful too,” you said. “You always have been.”

A rustle sounded behind you both, and the culprit was a small gray rabbit, nose and tail twitching.

“We have a witness,” you said softly.

Adam looked at you, the corners of his lips tugging upwards. “Then I think it is time to begin,” he whispered.

You nodded, and you both stood upright facing each other. Adam took a deep, shaking breath, and began his vows to you.

“I have loved you for so long and so ardently that I cannot remember a time in which I did not. You have healed every broken piece of me. Your kindness to me and everyone you come across never ceases to inspire wonder in me.

When you see me, you do not see a monster. You never have. You have only ever now look seen the good in me, good I did not truly believe was there until I met you. You make me believe that I’m worthy of companionship, of love, because I could not have earned yours without doing something good in my long life.

You are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on. When you first awaken every morning beside me, I have to remind myself that you are real, that you are flesh and blood and bone, and that I am not dreaming. You are real, and you are lovelier than all the oceans and all the flowers in the world.

I cherish every moment we spend together. When we are reading side by side and you fall asleep on my chest, or when we’re walking in the forest under a deluge of autumn leaves, or when you dance with me outside in a summer storm, I am at my happiest when I am beside you. I am at my very best when I am with you.”

Adam’s eyes welled with tears, and your heart swelled at the sight of the man you loved pouring his feelings out to you. How could you still be falling deeper and deeper in love with him with every passing day?

“I love you. More than the moon or sun or stars, I adore you. I do not think a time ever existed when I did not love you. You are my heart and my very soul, and you becoming my wife is the highest honor and privilege bestowed upon me. I promise to treasure you always, to care for you in sickness and in health, to hold you and love you and fill our home with as many books as you like.”

Tears of happiness pricked the backs of your eyes, but you rapidly blinked them away as Adam pressed a long kiss to your forehead and then produced your wedding ring from the pocket of his trousers. It was silver with a sparkling emerald at the center. He delicately placed it onto your left ring finger, right atop the one he’d crafted for your engagement.

“I take you to be my wife, always. I belong with you”

You took a deep breath, trying to dull the wildfires dancing in your veins from Adam’s words, but it was no use. A shower of sparks washed over every last inch of you. You were flooded with so much passion and admiration for him that you swayed on your feet.

“Adam,” you began, voice as steady and sure as the love you both shared. “I have had my heart broken. Men have made me false promises and built my hopes up only to shatter them to pieces in front of me. I gave up on love, on finding someone to spend the rest of life with. And then I met you.”

The memories of your first encounter rushed back into your mind, and you were unable to keep the smile off your face at the recollection of that day in the woods.

“You were so kind to me, so gentle with me in a way men never have been. You saw me, every part, even the ones I try to conceal from the world, and you never fled. You loved me, the real me, and the entirety of me. You welcomed my flaws and supported me in my pursuits. You gave me flowers just because they made you think of me. You showed me colors and lights and words I never experienced with anybody else before.

When I laid eyes on you for the first time, I realized I had not seen true beauty until I saw you. You are a mosaic, Adam. You are the most precious being in the entire world to me. Loving you is the easiest thing I have ever done, because you are so incredibly special. You are fair and kind and caring. You have seen and experienced such suffering, yet you still rise with the sun and see the beauty and wonder of the world.”

Tears finally escaped your eyes, twin rivers shining on Adam’s face as well. You slid the simple silver band on Adam’s finger, holding his hand with your free one when you finished while the other clutched your beautiful bouquet.

“I love you,” you whispered to him. “Every day I only fall deeper in love with you, and getting to spend the rest of my life alongside you is the greatest blessing I have ever received. You are my home, Adam.”

You produced his simple silver band from your dress pocket and slid it gingerly on his left ring finger. “I take you to be my husband. I belong with you.”

And with only a rabbit and the shimmering night sky as your witnesses, you and Adam sealed your marital promise with a deep kiss. Euphoria burst inside of you, leaving your body sparkling and warm. Your arms looped around Adam’s neck as he craned his head down to deepen the kiss, your lips parting.

When you were forced to break apart for air, you pressed your forehead against his, closing your eyes and inhaling the scents of the forest and Adam’s skin. For a brief moment, you and him were the only two people in the entire universe. You were in a galaxy all to yourselves, and you would not have had it any other way.

“May I have this dance?” Adam whispered, and you nodded. You pulled apart from one another, Adam’s hand taking your free one as you both made your way into the middle of the clearing. You set the bouquet beside the rabbit, who sniffed it curiously.

You rested your head on Adam’s chest, savoring the sound of his beating heart and the coolness of his scarred skin. His hands held your hips, your arms laced around his neck, and you both swayed to the music of the wind, the babbling creek somewhere behind the trees, and the sound of each other’s breaths.

Your rings pressed into the skin of your finger, and you cherished the feeling of the jewelry on your body, physical reminders of your love with Adam that you vowed never to remove.

“This was perfect,” you whispered to him. “This wedding…it was exactly what I wanted.”

Adam let out a soft hum of agreement. “Yes,” he said. “For me too. I never even let myself indulge in the dream of marrying someone, much less one as lovely and kind as you are. And now…this has been the most incredible night of my long life.”

You pulled slightly back from him so you could drink in the sight of his face, awash with silver moonlight. You cradled his jaw with your hand, Adam leaning into your touch. His left eye glowed brightly in the night.

“I love you,” you said. “Thank you for making me the happiest bride on Earth.”

Adam beamed, his hand cupping your chin. “I love you,” he replied. “So very much. Thank you for making me the most fortunate creature in this life and the next.”

You kissed each other deeply, lost in the feeling of his lips on yours for so long that you did not notice the rabbit hopping away into the forest or the moon beginning its descent back down to the horizon. But time did not matter, not tonight. All that mattered was the man in your arms.

When you broke apart, Adam lifted you into his arms, one hand under your legs and the other under your back. You laughed as he carried you through the woods, even making sure to stop so you could pick up your bouquet. You peppered his neck and collarbones with kisses, Adam moaning in pleasure as you did.

When you made it back to the manor, the windows were dark and all was quiet.

“Go in through the kitchen,” you whispered to him, and he obliged. Once you were back inside and your feet were on the ground, you hurried over to the countertop where the cake tasting samples from that evening remained, fresh and coated in frosting. You found one uneaten piece of vanilla cake and two forks, and hurriedly brought them over to Adam.

“We have to have cake,” you whispered, and he looked at you with enchantment sparkling in his eyes.

“You really make every moment so much more colorful than before,” he said softly to you. You beamed at his compliment. Adam handed you a fork before taking the other. “To our new life,” he whispered.

“To our new life,” you replied, and you both ate the delicious, fluffy cake, sweetness coating your tongue as you savored every bite. When you finished, your gazes caught, and without even hesitating, you and Adam collided, kissing and touching and desperate for one another. Without breaking your kiss, Adam lifted you back into his arms and hurriedly carried you up to your suite, your lips and tongues and teeth all over one another’s necks and faces.

Starlight spilled in your room through the window. Adam laid you carefully atop the bed, and you eagerly pulled him closer to you, kissing him with every ounce of passion and lust you held in your heart for him. He tasted like vanilla and sugar from the cake.

Adam pulled away to remove his shirt, and when the troublesome fabric was out of the way, he slowly peeled your dress off you, revealing the scandalous, lacy white undergarments you’d purchased for this very moment. His dark eyes filled with unbridled lust as they drank in the sight of you.

“You are my salvation and my undoing,” he groaned before joining you atop the bed. His large hands came to your chest, and after getting confirmation from you, he slid the lacy white fabric off your body, leaving your breasts exposed. Adam cupped them in his hands, squeezing and kneading and holding them the way you liked. You felt wetness blooming between your legs, Adam’s length hard against your body.

“Yes, yes, please keep going,” you begged him, and Adam, kissing you without breaking his hold on your breasts, obliged. His lips traveled down your collarbones to your ribs to your hips before making their way to your waistline. He dropped his hands down to remove the soaked fabric of your undergarments before placing his mouth on the most sensitive part of you. Your head snapped back as waves of pleasure coursed through you. Your fingers threaded themselves into his hair, tugging at the dark strands the way he loved.

You began to unravel as he finished, and as soon as the euphoria finished wrecking you in the most delicious way possible, your lips found Adam’s again, your hands pulling off his trousers and undergarments to reveal the long, hard length of him.

The realization that all you both wore were your rings made you even wetter. Adam climbed beneath you on the bed, and after confirming with one another and climbing atop him, he slowly, deliciously slid inside of you, your hips thrusting as he rocked you again and again. Heat and bliss twisted inside of your veins, your entire body shuddering with pleasure.

“Look at you,” Adam groaned as he continued to thrust. “So divine. So beautiful.”

You both unraveled together, riding out the tidal wave of rapture in each other’s arms, your bodies glistening with sweat. When you both came back down to Earth, Adam retrieved a clean towel and cleaned you up, kissing the space between your thighs once you were dry.

“You are so gorgeous,” you whispered to him. “The prettiest, most handsome man I’ve ever seen.”

“And you,” Adam said between kisses on your hipbones, “are more beautiful than the sunrise and the sea.”

Even after marrying one another, your compliments still made each other blush. When you were both clean, Adam joined you beneath the sheets, immediately enveloping you in his arms as you eagerly curled up against him, your head resting atop his chest right above his heart. You kissed his jaw, the tip of his nose, and the scar above his lips.

“I love you,” you whispered. “My husband.”

“I love you,” he said softly before kissing you long and slow. “My wife.”

And tangled in the bedsheets, you spent your first night as a newly wed couple exactly the way you always wanted: together, drunk on love and happiness, and in each other’s arms as you both drifted into dreams that could never compete with how perfect your reality had become.

[steve-harringtons-bat]

Rainbow After the Storm

You have a hard day. Adam decides to make it better.

Adam Frankenstein x fem! reader

Warnings: toxic workplace/boss, brief mentions of physical harm, multiple scenes of explicit smut, 18+ ONLY, MDNI!

Word count: 3.7k

Note: If you’re having a hard day, especially because of work, I hope this makes you feel a bit better. (Trust me, I’ve been there, in fact all of last week I was there lmaoo). I haven’t written this much smut in one fic before, definitely nervous about this one! Thank you for the continued support of my writing, it means so much to me! 🖤

My master list is linked here 🍁🖤

***

Your day was off to a rocky beginning.

Plagued by nightmares in your restless sleep, you awoke well after dawn broke. You’d clamored out of bed and hastily got dressed, consumed by anxiousness as you struggled to lace up your corset. You barely had time to fix your hair. Adam, your love, handed you a lunch bag he’d prepared.

“Why didn’t you wake me?” You asked him, your tone harsher than you intended.

Adam flinched, and guilt immediately flooded your system. You knew it was your own fault, as you’d instructed Adam to let you settle into the morning on your own when he’d first came to live with you.

“I am sorry,” you sighed, kissing him on the cheek. Adam’s shoulders dropped in relief.

“It is alright, my love,” he said. You thanked him for the lunch and then dashed outside, still feeling awful for snapping at him. You never fought, never even raised your voices at one another, and now you had to go and mess that up.

Your mornings with Adam were usually your most treasured time of day. He’d make breakfast while you brewed a pot of tea, and the two of you would talk as the rising sun spilled orange and pink light into your kitchen. It felt wrong to miss such a sacred tradition, but you had no choice. Still, leaving your home without doing so made you feel like you’d forgotten something.

You had never been late for your job at the bookshop before. The muddy ground squished under your boots from last evening’s rain. You hurried into town, and right as you turned onto the main road, a carriage going too fast sped by you, its wheels cutting through a massive puddle and splashing the dirty water all over your dress. You gasped as the soaked fabric clung to your body, but you didn’t have time to stop and assess the damage. You rushed into the bookshop, making it on time with a minute to spare.

Heart racing, you let out a small sigh of relief, but tension immediately flooded your muscles when your eyes landed on the man waiting for you, his arms crossed and foot tapping.

When he said your name, the pit of your stomach plunged. Winston usually did not work alongside you, preferring the nighttime hours. But of course, today of all days, he would be here.

“You were almost late,” he snapped. You flinched as you hastily set your personal items behind the payment counter. “And your dress looks hideous and unkempt. You couldn’t have made yourself more presentable and feminine?”

You held your head high, fighting not to show how much his words hurt as they burrowed under your skin. Like your mother always said, ladies did not show emotion. Nor did they burden others with their feelings.

“My apologies,” you said. Your voice was steady, not betraying how tangled up you felt internally. “It won’t happen again.”

The front of your dress was still damp and cold. You were desperate to step away just for a moment to attempt to dry off, but Winston was already dumping a towering stack of books onto your unsuspecting arms.

“Get to work,” he demanded. You did your best that morning to get everything finished, from shelving the books to sweeping the floors to creating a new display in the window that faced the busy street. The routine of the tasks improved your mood slightly, and for the first time since kissing Adam before you left your home, you were beginning to feel alright again.

And then the day came crashing down.

It seemed as though every customer who walked through the front door made it their personal quest to be as cruel as possible towards you. From the old man shouting and swearing at you upon hearing you didn’t have the book he wanted to the young woman pointing and laughing at your ruined dress and scoffing at your recommendations, every interaction you had with another person in the shop was worse than the last. The pit of your stomach plunged down to your toes and wouldn’t come back upwards, and your hands wouldn’t stop trembling. You forced a smile to stay plastered across your face, your mother’s words ringing in your head over and over again.

Even lunch didn’t improve your temperance. You managed to escape outside into the alleyway between the shop and the bakery next door. You opened the pack Adam had sent you off with, revealing bread he’d baked last night, a hunk of your favorite cheese, and an apple. But your favorite item was the small note he’d slipped inside, the one caressing a small daisy.

The note read, Have a great day my love. I miss you always.

For the first time since you awoke, a genuine, true smile stretched your lips apart. Your fingertips traced over Adam’s familiar handwriting. A glimmer of hope slowly began to spark in your chest. Leave it to Adam to be the brightest part of such a bleak day.

Right as you twirled the small flower between your fingertips, the back door to the shop slammed open. The crash was so sudden and ear-splitting that you dropped your food, Adam’s note, and the flower to the deep puddle beside your feet. A sharp crack fissured across your heart at the sight of all of his hard work submerged in dirty water.

“Get back inside and get to work right now!” Wisdom roared from his place in the doorway. When you didn’t move right away, he stormed over to you, grabbing your wrist with such force you could feel his fingers digging into your skin. But you didn’t cry out, nor say a word. You had to keep being polite, keep being a proper lady if you wanted to keep this job.

You stole once last glance behind you at the mess you’d made. Just like that poor daisy, you too felt like you were drowning.

***

The rest of your day plummeted you into despair. Right as you came back inside, cradling your bruising wrist, Winston proceeded to yell at you about a task you had already completed. You could feel the phantom press of his fingers into your skin, even as you restocked shelves and cleaned around the shop.

The cold and brash tones of those you assisted stopped stinging after a while. You felt utterly numb, worn down to your very bones, and the second your workday concluded and you mercifully escaped back into the street, you dropped the veneer of your fabricated smile. You couldn’t even bother to listen to your mother's grating voice in your head anymore.

The journey home felt like it took an eternity, as you dragged your weary body through cold puddles and muddy clumps of dirt. When you finally saw your glowing cottage, candles flames and orange firelight flickering off the window panes, you never felt so grateful to be back home in your life. When you approached the front door, you caught a glimpse of Adam in the kitchen, carefully cutting vegetables, and your heart clenched.

While he was so open about his past, telling you about the abuse and cruelty he’d suffered and the mistakes he’d made, you’d only given him brief glimpses into your own life. You did not want to burden him with your worries, not when he had endured far worse. You knew he wouldn’t mind, that he’d listen to your troubles and offer to help, but all that conditioning from your mother made opening up to Adam feel like a Herculean task.

You took a deep breath and entered the cottage, immediately concealing yourself in the washroom. Adam called out your name from his post in the kitchen.

“I’m here!” You forced out. “I just need to wash up!” Steam and bubbles rose to the top of the tub’s surface, and your chest tightened at the sight. Of course Adam had already prepared a hot bath for you. Of course he’d laid out your favorite rose-scented soap. He was so thoughtful and caring, more so than any other romantic partner you’d ever had, and you couldn’t even tell him what was wrong.

You finally took off your ruined dress and boots and sank into the bath. The warm water did little to ease the tension in your muscles. Your entire body felt like a coiled spring. Even after you dried off and changed into a soft, clean nightgown, the stress and affliction of such a horrid day refused to leave your body and mind. The bruises on your wrist, now deepened from lavender to violet, were constant reminders of what you’d endured in the past hours. You pulled your sleeve down over them, as though covering them up would make them disappear.

Slowly, you made your way into the kitchen, where a steaming bowl of soup and fresh loaf of bread waited for you. Adam turned around, and it was that hopeful, sincere, and beautiful smile on his scarred lips that finally did you in.

You finally fell apart in the middle of your kitchen.

Thick, salty tears tumbled out of your eyes. Your shoulders shook from the weight of your sudden sobs.

And then a familiar pair of arms engulfed you. For a moment, all you could focus on, all that anchored you to the present, was Adam’s embrace. His large hands stroked your damp hair, his body pressed firmly against yours. You felt tears dripping off your checks and onto his clothes, but Adam made no complaint. He just kept holding you tight, weathering your storm. His touch, always so gentle and loving with you, was enough to make you melt.

When you finally ran out of sobs, Adam used the pads of his thumbs to carefully wipe away the remnants of your tears.

“Oh my love,” he whispered. “What is wrong?”

You inhaled a deep breath, forcing yourself to look at Adam. The urge to hold everything back, to keep your feelings buried deep, pulsed inside of you. It would be so simple, so easy to keep all of it locked away.

But you were so, so tired.

You let it all out. How guilty you felt for blaming him this morning, the horrible customers, dropping you lunch and his gifts into the puddle, the abhorrent treatment from Winston, the damp stain on your dress, it all tumbled out of you. Adam listened patiently, his dark eyes shining with worry and sadness at your words.

When you finally finished speaking, Adam pressed a long kiss to your forehead. You closed your wet eyes, savoring the feeling of his lips on your skin.

Adam pulled back, and your gaze locked with his. “Do not feel guilty for this morning, my love, I have forgiven you and I will continue to do so. It is alright. I am so sorry,” Adam said softly. “For not waking you, and for everything else that happened today. I wish I could take all of that pain away. You did not deserve such horrible treatment, not at all.”

You nodded, a minuscule smile tugging at the corner of your mouth. You had poured out your feelings, and he hadn’t run away. All your fears had been completely unfounded, and you’d never been so grateful to be wrong. “Thank you for listening to me. I…I know I am not as open as I should be with you, but I don’t want to burden you. I…”

Adam cupped your face in his palms, his hands cool against your flushed cheeks.

“You will never burden me,” he assured you. “You are my heart. You are my soul. When you get hurt, I want to help ease your afflictions. When you triumph, I want to bask in your joy with you. When you want to share things with me, good or bad, I will always listen.”

You stood on your tiptoes and kissed him, savoring the feeling of his mouth on yours. You pulled back, smiling gratefully at him and resting your hand on his jaw. As you thanked him, the sleeve of your night gown slid down, revealing the bruises on your wrist. Adam glanced down, and when he saw them, his eyes widened, shock and anger sparking inside of them.

“Who did this to you?” He whispered, his voice deep and trembling. “How could anyone ever lay a hand on you?” He looked horrified at the sight, lips parting and eyes darkening.

“I am fine,” you told him. “I…I know it’s not right. But they will heal, and I will too.”

You kissed Adam again, desperate to forget about your wrist, and he pulled you close to him. You knew he’d want to discuss it further later, but for now, kissing him, touching him, it would be more than enough to heal what broke inside of you today. Adam, always so good at reading you, let it go, for now, and deepened the kiss.

“You are poetry come to life,” Adam said quietly when you were forced to come up for air.

You could feel his length hardening against your thigh.

“See what you are capable of?” Adam whispered into the shell of your ear. “You make me come undone. Just the sight of you makes me weak at the knees. You are the loveliest, most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen. It’s like you walked out of a dream and into my arms.”

You basked in his praises as Adam’s tongue met yours, and you felt heat pooling in your core. Your nipples hardened, and you felt yourself growing wet between your legs. You both moaned as you kept kissing, as Adam’s hands slipped under the hem of your nightgown and found their way to your breasts.

“Yes,” you told him. “Please keep touching me.”

His large, cool hands cupped your breasts, squeezing and kneading them, thumbs flicking your nipples as you moaned directly against his mouth. Adam kept praising you with his touch, and he slowly dragged his lips down your jaw, your collarbone, and down into the valley between your breasts. You rolled your head back, savoring the sparks dancing under your skin at his touch. You felt incandescent, like a galaxy was spinning and whirling around inside of you.

His hands dropped from your chest, migrating to your hips and then down to the curve of your ass. Bliss flooded you as he kneaded your muscles and skin. His hands suddenly released your body, and you let out a whimper of protest before seeing them going down to the hem of your nightgown. You nodded, and he peeled the fabric off your body, leaving you naked. Adam’s dark eyes raked over you, and pure, unfiltered admiration and lust glimmered in his eyes.

“You are a work of art,” he said, and you beamed. All of that pain, the smallness you’d felt the entire day, it all evaporated away. You felt beautiful, strong. “You are a goddess,” Adam whispered. “Please allow me to worship you the way you deserve.”

“Yes,” you told him. “Please Adam, please.”

He hurriedly carried you into the bedroom, laying you atop the quilt of your shared bed. He kissed his way down your stomach, across your hipbones, and finally found his way to the most sensitive part of you. Euphoria coursed through you, supernovas bursting behind your eyes and between your legs as Adam kissed and sucked and licked at your center. You moaned, hands gripping Adam’s hair, and he continued to devour you. You unspooled beneath his lips, and when the stardust fully sank into your skin, Adam’s long, cool fingers teased your entrance. You gasped.

“Is this okay?” he whispered, his voice hoarse and soft.

“Yes, oh yes,” you moaned.

He slipped a fingers inside of you, and a pleasure you’d only ever known with him burned in your nerves. He added another finger slowly, pumping inside of you once you had adjusted. “You are utterly enchanting,” he said, his eyes reserved only for you in that moment. “You are the sun, the moon, and all of the stars, and I will spend my eternal life loving you the way you deserve.”

You unraveled once again, galaxies swirling inside of your body as your body shuddered in pleasure. Adam held you through it, kissing your forehead and collarbones until you came back to earth.

“Did I make you feel good?” He whispered. You knew he knew the answer; he always made you feel like you were something sacred, something holy to him,

You kissed him, hard, and after an eternity of your tongues and teeth colliding, Adam peeled off his tunic, and after getting confirmation from him, you pulled off his pants and undergarments, leaving both of you naked and warm and needy for each other. Adam’s hard length pressed against you, and without breaking apart, after checking in with one another, he slowly slid inside of you. He was long and thick, and the delicious pressure of him inside of you made lightning strike in your veins. All of these wonderful, earth-shattering feelings you’d experienced in the wake of such a horrible day were consuming you, washing you anew, and they were all thanks to the man you loved more than anything.

“So beautiful,” Adam whispered. “Some days I cannot believe that you are real. That you are mine, and I am yours.”

You both unraveled, riding out the overwhelming rush of bliss together. When you were both back in one piece, you laid side by side, your fingertips tracing Adam’s scars and his lost in your hair, faces just inches apart.

“Thank you,” you said softly to him. “For always being the brightest part of my day. For loving me more than anyone else ever has.”

Adam kissed the tip of your nose. “Always,” he whispered. “Thank you for healing what was broken in me. For showing me love and kindness and how beautiful life can be.”

You moved closer to him, and Adam opened his arms, your head resting on his chest. You were exhausted, both from the pain of earlier and the happiness of this night, and you drifted off into sleep. Your storm was over, and Adam was the rainbow welcoming you back on the other side of it.

***

When you awoke the next morning, you were under the quilt of the bed and alone. Next to your head was a note.

I apologize for leaving you so early in the day. I had something to take care of. Breakfast is on the table. I love you, always. -Adam

You smiled at his words and then rose from bed. Your thighs were sore from last night, and the feeling was incredible. As you got ready for the day, you couldn’t stop thinking of Adam, of the elation he had filled you with. How he’d dried your tears and treated your body with reverence, and how much you loved him.

When you finally made it out of the cottage, you felt as if you were floating. You made it to the bookshop without incident, your dress dry and clean. Once you were settled in for the day, rain began to tap against the roof. You were carefully shelving some new arrivals when the thud of the back door closing echoed in the empty shop. Out of nowhere, Winston appeared from the dark back entrance. The sight of him caused you to drop the books you were holding, and it took all of your strength not to let out a cry of alarm. His nose was covered with blood-stained bandages. Purple half moons stained the spaces under his eyes, and two of his fingers were also covered in some kind of splints. His eyes kept darting side to side, as though he was waiting for something to come out from hiding in the shadows of the store.

Or someone.

“I am sorry,” Winston said abruptly, his voice shaky. “I should not have grabbed you like that yesterday. Or talked to you in the way that I did.” The shop bell tinkled, and he nearly jumped out of his skin. When he saw the person who walked in was a small old woman, he visibly relaxed.

“I won’t be working during your hours anymore,” Winston continued, eyes unable to meet yours. “And…that is all I have to say.”

You studied his bruised face, his bandaged fingers, and the pieces fell into place for you. Adam was not lying; he certainly did have something to take care of that morning. And while normally you condoned violence, in this case, you could make one exception. You’d never understood the desire to have a man who fought physically for your honor, but now you were beginning to grasp the appeal.

When you went outside into the alleyway for lunch, the sky had started to clear, a magnificent rainbow poking out of the gray clouds. You opened your lunch to reveal a small bouquet of wildflowers, wrapped in a string of twine with a letter tucked amongst the petals.

I hope this day is kinder towards you. You are like these flowers, beautiful and resilient enough to bloom even in the harshest conditions. I adore you. All my love, Adam.

You covered your smiling mouth with your free hand, the kaleidoscopic colors of the rainbow washing over Adam’s handwriting. You looked up at the bright sky, the dark gray clouds beginning to pass and revealing patches of bright blue. The storm had finally passed.

You picked up the bouquet Adam made for you, inhaling the fresh scent of spring wildflowers. Eventually, you made your way back inside, ready for whatever the day would bring you, because you knew whether it was good or bad, Adam would be waiting to hear all about it when you made it back to the home you’d built together.

[steve-harringtons-bat]

Midnight at the Bookstore

You surprise Adam with a trip to his favorite place.

Warnings: Mostly just some pure fluff, very brief mentions of smut, 18+ only, MDNI

Word count: 2.4k

Not entirely sure how this one turned out but I hope you enjoy! Thank you for all the love on my writing so far, I’m overwhelmed with gratitude 🖤

My master list is linked here 🍁

***

As rain slowly drummed its fingers against the windows of your cottage, you scanned your overflowing bookshelves for something to read next. A steaming cup of tea was waiting for you, along with the tall, scarred, and beautiful man finishing his own book by the fireplace. You turned to face him, smiling at the sight that awaited you.

Adam was sitting with his back to the wall, legs bent at the knees and his book resting in his lap. His long chestnut hair curtained his face, and his dark eyes were wide with wonder as he absorbed the words on the page. Firelight flickered across the patchwork blue and gray skin on his face, his thin red scars glowing orange from the embers.

He’d never looked so beautiful.

You quickly grabbed a worn but well loved copy of one of your favorite mystery novels before settling down in the chair across from Adam. He looked up from his book, smiling warmly at you. You blew him a kiss, pink blooming on Adam’s nose and cheeks, and you both got lost in your respective novels.

You’d always loved reading. Getting lost in another world, meeting characters and getting attached to them, had been your favorite way to spend an afternoon. You eventually grew to write stories of your own, published in newspapers and journals. You were proud to have your name in print alongside your words.

Books were what had brought Adam into your life. Last autumn, you’d fallen asleep in the woods during a picnic, and when you woke up to the setting sun, you’d hurriedly packed your things and raced home, leaving your beloved copy of Romeo and Juliet behind. At the break of dawn the following morning, you’d hurried back to your picnic spot, only to find Adam sitting against a tree, reading the book. When his eyes met yours, he’d cowered, immediately setting the book down and covering his face with his hands, as through bracing for an attack. Your heart shattered at the sight, and instead of grabbing the book and running, you’d held it out towards him. Patiently, you’d waited for him to close the distance between you two. When he finally took the book from your outstretched hand, you told him your name and that he could keep it. Ever since, you’d brought books with you into the woods and read with him, and when he finally came to live with you, you shared your ever-growing library with him.

Now your evenings were filled with fires, teacups, and stacks of books alongside Adam. You sipped the last of your drink, getting up from your chair and walking over to Adam. You settled on the floor beside him. Without missing a beat, he lifted his book up and stretched out his long legs, allowing you to rest your head on his lap. He held his novel in one hand and used the other to gently play with your hair, stroking it the way you liked. Bliss flooded your body. Your life with Adam was pure peace. His past was so full of pain and loss that you tried to make his present safe, easy, and calm. You’d spend your days writing while he tended to your garden and the forest, working on tasks around the cottage while your evenings were either spent reading together or walking through the woods, hand in hand.

The rain outside your windows picked up speed, slamming against the glass. A low rumble of thunder boomed above. The fire crackled, spitting out tiny embers that fluttered like orange butterflies. You sighed in contentment, Adam’s fingertips still in your hair as he closed his book. You glanced up at him.

“Did you finish?” You asked him.

Adam nodded, smiling down at you. You adored his smile. He’d always been so self conscious about it, letting his hair cover his face when he did so or ducking his head away so you couldn’t see it. But after months of kissing his scarred lips and doing everything you could to make him grin, he’d finally allowed himself to smile uninhibited around you. Even now, after so much time spent together, you never tired of the sight.

“Yes, I did,” Adam said. “It was very good. I am glad Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy ended up together.”

“Me too. That’s one of my favorites,” you said, setting your book down and sitting up to better face Adam. “I think you’ve read all the books I own now.”

Adam nodded shyly, dipping his head down. “I love all the books you have. And all the things you’ve written too.”

You kissed him on the cheek. “Well, I’m very happy you enjoyed them all. I’ll get you some more next time I go to town.”

Adam’s dark eyes widened. “Oh no, you do not have to spend your money on me. I can always read these again.”

“You can never have too many books,” you informed him. “And I love spending money on you. What else is it good for?” An idea slowly began to take shape in your mind, and before you even had time to work out the finer details of it, you were nurturing it, letting it bloom and grow inside your brain. “And I think this visit to the shop will be even more special.”

***

Three days later, under the cover of midnight, you slowly guided a blindfolded Adam through the edge of town. The cold lingering from the thunderstorms of the past few nights kept everyone inside, all their candles dark and windows shuttered. Meager pools of light from the gas lanterns lining the town square lit the way for you both towards the bookstore. When you asked the owner for a late night visit, she didn’t hesitate to accept and promised to keep the door unlocked as long as you were both gone by sunrise.

Sure enough, the door opened with ease, and only after you locked it behind you and lit all the candles and lanterns around the shop did you finally untie Adam’s blindfold. You were bubbling over with excitement. Your entire body felt like it was filled with freshly popped champagne. The fact that you’d managed to keep this a secret was a small miracle.

“You can look now,” you whispered to him.

Adam’s dark eyes fluttered open, and when he soaked in the view of the crooked shelves full of hundreds of books, the scent of glue and ink everywhere, he let out a soft gasp. He traced the spine of the closest book with a fingertip, a massive smile stretching across his beaming face.

He turned to you, happiness shining in his eyes. He wrapped his arms around you, spinning you around as you laughed.

“Thank you,” he said, his voice deep and ecstatic, the sound of churning ocean waves colliding with the shore. “Oh, thank you so very much!”

When he set you back down, he brushed your hair out of your eyes and held your face in his hands like you were something sacred. “Thank you for this most precious gift. This is the most wonderful thing anyone has ever done for me.”

You reached out your palm and cradled his jaw. “We have until dawn. Select any books you like. They are yours.”

Adam leaned down and kissed you as though your lips were paper and his were ink and he was writing to meet a deadline. He tasted like the hard candy you two had shared just hours earlier. Your body melted into his. No matter how many times he kissed you, the sparks his lips ignited inside of you never dulled. The rush of euphoria kissing Adam gave you never ceased to enchant you.

When you broke apart from one another, you took his hand in yours and guided him towards the fiction section. His eyes curiously roamed over the shelves as you passed. You leaned up and kissed his cheek.

“I’ll be looking around. Find me when you are ready to go home,” you said. He nodded, and the two of you split up.

You wandered slowly among the stacks, stopping often when a title or cover caught your eye. The sounds of books sliding off the shelves, pages turning, and Adam’s heavy footsteps filled the shop. You found a few books: a romance, a gothic horror, and a mystery amidst your browsing. The type of calm that perusing a bookstore was one of life’s greatest feelings, and you let it take over you.

And then you spotted it.

Wuthering Heights, one with a stunning purple cover and silver lettering, a pink ribbon bookmark attached to the binding. It took your breath away, and you traced the spine longingly with a fingertip. It was beautiful, but too extravagant, too pricey. Maybe one day.

With the tomes you were purchasing clutched to your chest, you turned the corner and saw Adam, sitting beside a stack of books almost as tall as he was. The sight made your heart so full it felt like it was going to burst. You loved every version of Adam, but this one, the one where he was surrounded by the books he so cherished, his nose buried in a story, might’ve been your favorite.

When Adam’s gaze met yours, you both exchanged warm smiles, blushes staining both your faces. How wonderful, that every glance, every kiss, and every touch with Adam still felt as magical as the first ones.

“I found some I think we would both love,” Adam said, his voice raspy and soft. “I do not plan to buy all of these. I can put some back and…”

You shook your head teasingly. “Absolutly not. You will be getting every last one. I will be deeply upset with you if you put any of those back on the shelf. I love getting you books, just like you love picking flowers and making daisy chains for me. You take such precious care of me, and I take care of you. That’s what we do best, right?”

You gently tapped the slope of his nose with your fingertip, as Adam beamed and nodded.

“Yes, we are quite good at that,” he admitted.

He set his book to the side and kissed you. You dropped your books, and after a quick peek to make sure they were alright, you deepened the kiss with him. Your arms looped around his neck as his instinctively went to your waist. You climbed onto Adam’s lap without breaking the kiss, earning a soft moan from him as you straddled his body with yours. He was hard against your leg, and you rolled your hips, friction fizzling between you both. Your dress straps fell off your shoulders, cleavage spilling out of your neckline and pressing firmly against Adam’s chest.

“You are so beautiful,” Adam whispered in between gasps for air. “Do you have any idea how much I adore you? How hopelessly, ardently in love with you I am?”

Lightning exploded in your veins at his words. “Yes,” you assured him, kissing him with a fervor you didn’t know you possessed until you’d met him. “I know because that is exactly how I feel about you.”

Adam’s perfect, exquisite smile nearly made you melt into a puddle in his lap. He began to kiss you again, and you couldn’t recall a time where you had ever been happier in your entire life. It was only when the first light of dawn slipped through the front window that you both were able to break apart from one another, hastily fixing your clothes and hair but unable to keep from laughing.

You left your payment on the countertop and carefully tucked all of the books you’d purchased into bags. Adam carried both, refusing to burden you with one. You waited outside for him when he hurried back in to blow out one more candle.

The two of you left the shop and headed back to your cottage. The last beams of moonlight painted the road gray and white ahead of you, cold spring air tickling your skin.

When you were finally back home, Adam carefully arranged the new books into whatever gaps and pockets of space he could find on your shelves. He was so gentle with the books, handling them like they were precious jewels, and his care for them filled you with warmth.

When he was satisfied with the arrangement, Adam came back over to you, eyes sparkling with gratitude as he pulled you flush against him.

“Thank you, my love,” he said to you. “I…I don’t think I can ever fully express my gratitude for what you’ve done for me. What you’ve always done for me. I cherish you and all you do for me. The bookstore was marvelous, but so are our nights reading side by side. I treasure everything we do together.”

He pulled away from you, shifting his body towards the bags you’d brought to the bookshop.

“I didn’t go back in the shop for a candle,” Adam admitted to you. “I had some money saved from woodcutting and helping others who live in the forest. I wanted to use it for something special, and there is no one more special, more deserving of a gift, than you.”

He reached into one of the bags, hiding the surprise behind his back.

“You do so much for me. You showed me kindness when no one else did. I’d been alone for so long, and then I met you, and it felt like seeing the sunlight after years of being trapped in a storm. I know material possessions aren’t a measure of love, but I saw you looking at this, and I just…” Adam blushed as he revealed what he had gotten for you.

It was the gorgeous edition of Wuthering Heights.

You gasped, your lips parting in awe as your gaze darted from the book to Adam. Even on a night you had planned just for him, he found a way to surprise you too.

“I love you, and I love the books we share,” he said. You carefully took the book from him, holding it like it was a diamond necklace. Morning sunlight poured in through the front window and spilled into your chest. You felt like liquid gold was coursing through you as you set the book on the table and leapt into Adam’s arms, smothering him in kisses across his face, neck, and collarbone.

“Thank you so much!” You squealed.

Adam laughed, and the sound was poetry to your ears. When he set you back down, you picked up your newest treasure with one hand and gently took Adam’s wrist with the other.

“Can I read it to you?” You asked him.

“I would love nothing more,” he said, unable to stop smiling.

And as the golden morning slowly bloomed outside your home, you read one of your favorite stories to Adam, his head in your lap and your free hand in his hair, Adam’s eyes gazing adoringly at you.

Your life story was still being written, but you hoped this chapter with Adam would last forever.

[steve-harringtons-bat]

I Thought I Lost You

When you take a wrong turn in the forest, Adam saves you and makes you both realize the depths of your love for one another.

Adam Frankenstein x fem! reader

Warnings: blood, minor medical procedure + descriptions of injury, hurt/comfort and some fluff at the end, MDNI

Word count: 2.4k

Thank you for the love on my writing so far! I still get nervous to post my work and idk about this one but here it is anyway! :)

My master list is linked here 🍁

***

You shouldn’t have gone down this path.

All that remained of the sun was a thin strip of orange hovering above the violet and indigo horizon. Clouds rapidly smeared themselves across the darkening sky, blotting out any light the stars could’ve provided. The new moon was shadowed and tucked away behind the clouds. The thin, bare tree branches of the forest surrounding you clawed at the sky, and the wind howled.

You’d been on the way home from the market, ready to get back to your cottage and your love and settle in for the night, but then you’d seen a fork in the forest path. This road was clogged with weeds and broken twigs, but you figured it was worth a try if it saved you time.

How foolish you had been.

You quickened your pace, dead leaves crunching under your feet. Another sharp gust of wind pierced through your skin. You could feel weariness creeping into your bones, but you kept hurrying. Surely you were almost home now. Just a little bit longer. You ignored the worry inside of you, trying to focus on the path ahead of you instead of the growing anxiety churning in your stomach.

And that’s when you heard a low, powerful growl.

You whipped your head around, panic starting to seize control of your body. You trembled as your eyes scanned the woods. Another growl sounded, and your pulse began to race. You could feel every rapid beat of your heart in your ears. Two glowing yellow eyes emerged from the brush, and when you saw what creature had made those growls, your blood turned cold.

A large wolf stared you down, its massive, sharp teeth bared. Its growls increased in volume and frequency as it came ever so closer and closer to you. Every last part of you shook. You hadn’t passed a single other person since entering the forest. You were completely, utterly alone. The sun had finally disappeared completely, leaving you and the wolf in total darkness. The creature let out a snarl, and then leapt towards you.

You dropped your basket and took off.

You ran, pumping your arms and forcing your body to go faster than what you thought it was capable of. Twigs snapped and dead leaves crunched under your boots. Your pulse roared in your ears, even louder than the wolf snarling behind you. Your chest was tight and oxygen was becoming harder to come by.

And that’s when you felt yourself falling.

You hit the ground so hard the wind was knocked out of you, and before you could even attempt to gasp for air, you felt your battered body tumbling down a massive slope. You rolled over and over, a sharp pain exploding in your left arm as you finally came to a stop at the bottom of the hill.

It took you a while to catch your breath, to assess the full damage of your injuries. You collected yourself slowly. None of your bones appeared broken. You’d somehow sliced your arm open so much that the wound refused to stop bleeding. Bruises were blooming on your hips, elbows, and legs. You attempted to get up, but you immediately collapsed. Your body was too tired, too beaten up to make it back home. You were at the mercy of the woods. The wind was growing colder and your arm kept gushing blood.

A sharp snarl echoed in front of you, and you looked up to see the wolf. Fear coursed through you as the animal came closer and closer to you. You tried one more time to get back up, but you instantly fell back down. You were too weak to fight back, too hurt. Your blood pounded in your ears, your memories flashing before your eyes. This was it. You screwed your eyes shut, praying it would be a quick attack.

And that’s when the wolf screamed in terror.

Your eyes flew open to see a figure staring down the wolf, a loud and guttural cry escaping from the figure’s lips. The wolf cowered and fled, unharmed but clearly frightened of whoever was standing there.

You were so shaken up that it took you a second to hear your name being shouted over and over again by the figure who’d scared the wolf away. The figure’s voice…you’d recognize it anywhere.

Adam.

When you saw his familiar, hulking frame racing towards you, you felt a flicker of hope for the first time since you’d entered the woods. Still, the adrenaline refused to subside. You could feel your body drowning in it. Your chest heaved as you fought to get air back into your lungs. The wound on your arm stung, warm blood dripping onto your skirt and staining your wrist and hand crimson. The metallic scent of it filled your nose. Even as Adam came over to you, his large hands cupping your face as he worriedly said your name over and over again, you couldn’t stop trembling,

“Oh my love,” he croaked out. “It is alright. I am here. I am here. I was looking everywhere for you, and I am so sorry I couldn’t get to you sooner.”

You couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move, couldn’t think. All you were capable of was collapsing against Adam as his long arms enveloped you. Hot, salty tears burned your eyes as they fell, leaving shiny rivers down your cheeks. You could hear his heart pounding against his chest. You longed to focus on the steady rhythm, but terror kept coursing through your veins, kept pulling you under. You felt like you were falling apart, unraveling at the seams. And yet through all of the fear that still clutched you in its grasp, you could feel Adam’s white streak of hair tickling your cheek and his bicep muscles clenching as he held onto you with everything he had. You could feel the warm tear fall from his jaw into your windswept hair and hear the sound of his breath.

You pulled slightly back from him, and he pressed his forehead to yours, his thumbs gently swiping your tears off your face. In kind, you let your fingertips collect the remnants of his own, his cold skin wet. Your heart began to slow its pace as you and Adam collected yourselves.

“I thought I lost you,” Adam confessed, worry and concern laced in his words. His voice was hoarse and even deeper than normal. You clung onto him as hard as you could, and he pulled you even closer to him. You couldn’t stop trembling, but Adam held you through it, his arms forming a protective barrier from you and the woods where you’d almost lost your life. “I was terrified. Seeing you with the blood running down your arm, I…” His voice cracked, and your chest followed suit. “I never want to see you hurt. It shatters every piece of my heart when you’re in pain. If I were ever to lose you, I would lose my heart and soul along with you. I wouldn’t be able to bear it.”

You pulled your head slightly away from him, fixing your wet eyes on his. You gently rested your palm on his jaw, and he leaned into your touch, cherishing the fact that he still could.

“You will never lose me,” you promised. “And I feel the same way about you. If you were to ever be taken from me, all of the light in my life would disappear too. You saved me, Adam. You saved me today, just as you do each and every day.”

Adam tightened his hold on you, and you longed to entwine your soul with his. Any atom of space between you and him was too much. You savored the feeling of being in his arms, of being protected from all of the horrors the forest held.

“Let’s go home,” you whispered, and Adam carefully picked you up, one arm under your back and the other under your knees. You buried your face against his chest, his familiar scent of pine slowly decreasing your rapid pulses. You looped your arms around his neck, pressing a soft kiss to his jaw. He let out a soft moan of relief, and you let his sounds, his footsteps and breaths and the rustle of his clothing, overpower the memory of the wolf’s howls.

“I am right here,” you promised him.

His shoulders dropped in relief. “I am not going anywhere,” he told you. “If you are in danger, there is no mountain I wouldn’t move, no ocean I wouldn’t cross to get to you. If you are lost, I will search every last corner of the Earth and sea until I found you.”

You basked in his words, ones made all the more sweet because his actions proved them true.

When you finally made it back home, the sight of your cottage waiting for you two nearly made you weep again. Once inside, Adam set you on your favorite chair and retrieved bandages, a needle and thread, and a bottle of alcohol. He kneeled before you, gently holding your injured arm and wiping away the dried blood with a clean, damp towel.

“I am so sorry, my love,” he whispered. “This is going to hurt. I know you have suffered greatly tonight, but after this, the pain will finally begin to subside. I know how strong you are. Please be strong like that just a little longer for me.”

You nodded, biting your lip in preparation for what was to come. Adam uncapped the alcohol, and you screwed your eyes shut. Once the liquid hit your open wound, pure fire burst out of your arm. Stars exploded behind your eyes as agony took hold of your broken skin. You hissed, but kept still as Adam kept whispering profuse apologies to you. He’d known pain far greater than this, but he was still fighting to make every second of this hurt less for you.

“Did…did you read…about how to do this?” you asked him through gritted teeth. Adam’s voice would distract you.

“Yes,” he mused, wiping the excess liquid away with another clean cloth. “From my creator’s notes.” That caught your attention. Your eyes flew open and looked at Adam, who was deep in contemplation. He didn’t appear upset or angry at the mention of the man who’d made him, who’d caused him so much strife. He said it as through it was mere fact, like the sky being blue and grass being green.

“When I found the things he’d written about my creation, about how I’d come to be, he included details of how to care for wounds. They stuck in my head, but I’ve never had use for them, since my body cannot die and heals itself.” He offered you a small grin, admiration and pure, unfiltered love shining in his large dark eyes as he drank in the sight of you. “But now I can use my knowledge to help.”

“Well thank you for that,” you said. “Truly. I…I don’t know what I’d be doing without you.” The fire licking your arm slowly faded into a dull set of sparks. Pain lingered, but Adam’s story pulled you away from it. He began to thread the needle with a thin piece of string, and your stomach sank at the sight. But like he said, you were strong.

“Tell me all you know about first aid,” you asked him. Adam obliged. As he stitched your arm closed, agony spiking in your skin every time the needle poked through your flesh, he informed you of every method he knew of wound care, and it strangely kept your mind off of the pain. You could listen to Adam discuss anything, even the most mundane of topics, and his rich voice and genuine passion for the world would made you feel as though you were listening to poetry.

When your stitches were complete, Adam gently wrapped gauze around the wound.

“Are you doing okay?” He asked you as he secured the bandage in place.

“I am,” you admitted, even though the dull throb of your affliction was as steady as your own heartbeat. “It helps that my nurse is the handsomest man I’ve ever seen.” Adam blushed, pink staining the tip of nose and poking through the patchwork skin on his face.

“Well, I think my patient is beautiful,” he admitted as he double checked the dressings now covering your injury. “More lovely than the sea or the stars.”

When he finished, he kissed your shoulder, your collarbone, your jaw, and finally your lips. The kisses felt like cold water on your burning skin. You noticed how he carefully positioned his tall, long body away from your wounded arm, and your heart softened. His thoughtfulness never ceased to amaze you.

He prepared a warm bath for you, and after giving you careful instructions to keep your wound away from the water, he gave you privacy. You managed to only drop your lavender soap twice into the bubbles before finally emerging from the tub and drying yourself off. Adam assisted you in putting on a clean nightgown, and the exhaustion of such a tumultuous day was beginning to catch up to you. Your bones felt heavy and your eyes struggled to keep themselves open. Adam didn’t even have to ask how you were feeling; when he looked at you, he simply scooped you into his arms and carried you to bed, placing the quilt on top of you and smoothing your hair out over the pillow.

Right as he began to walk away, you croaked out, “Adam?” He stopped and turned to face you. “Will you stay with me?”

Adam immediately slid into bed next to you, opening his arms. You snuggled against him, and as he held you, the last bit of tension slowly dissipated from your body.

“I’ll always stay when you want me to,” he whispered into the shell of your ear. You craned your neck to face him.

“I love you,” you said before kissing him. He tasted of tea leaves and berries, and when you pulled back, the tip of his nose was stained pink from blushing. “Thank you for always taking such great care of me. You saved my life.”

“I love you too,” he said softly. “And I will always save you, the way you saved me.” Warmth flooded your chilled body at his words, at his glowing left eye and beautiful smile and the miracle that was Adam, holding you in this home you’d created together.

Stretching your bandaged arm out in front of you, you and Adam settled against each other’s bodies before you both slipped into peaceful dreams, knowing that no matter which one of you got lost next, the other will be there to help guide you back home.

[steve-harringtons-bat]

Winter Solstice

You decide to give Adam the winter solstice celebration he deserves

Adam Frankenstein x fem! reader

Warnings: brief mentions of past abuse, mostly fluff but also some explicit smut, 18+ ONLY!! MDNI

Word count: 2.6k

I am once again unable to stop writing about him. Still so nervous to post my work but here it is. :) Happy holidays and happy winter solstice everyone 🩵

My master list is linked here 🍁

*************

“Wake up, my love.”

You slowly opened your eyes, turning to see Adam already out of bed, holding your cloak and boots out towards you. He was beaming, a smile tugging his lips upwards.

“It’s snowing,” he whispered, his voice soft and deep in the early morning hour. That was all you needed to hear before leaping out of bed and grabbing your things from him.

Adam adored the snow. For as long as you’d had the pleasure of knowing him, he could stay outside in the powdery, fluffy piles of the stuff all day. The cold didn’t bother him as much as it did the average person. Seeing how much Adam cherished the season made you appreciate it even more.

That chilly night, the two of you headed outside, your only companions the moon, stars, and flurry of snowflakes slowly twirling down to earth. The frosty air filled your lungs as you took a deep breath. Adam held his arms out wide and closed his eyes, letting the glistening flakes cling to his dark hair and gray and blue patchwork skin across his face and arms. You loved watching him in those moments. Seeing him so unburdened, so content in the winter cold made your heart swell.

Ever since you first met him last year in the forest, right after the first frost of the year, the two of you had bonded and spent snowy winter days among the trees, hidden away from your village. You’d slowly opened up to one another, talking and reading and taking him to all of your favorite secret spots in the woods. In turn, he’d talked about his heart aching past and let you teach him to read and write. When gentle snowfall accelerated into flurries of ice, you’d asked him to live with you in your small cottage on the edge of town, right where the forest began. It had been pure bliss between the two of you ever since. Your love for one another was pure and easy. You understood each other on a level so deep that you could only assume there was some sort of golden thread tying the two of you together, slowly tugging your souls towards one another all this time.

Adam turned to you, bringing you back to the present. He gestured for you to join him, and a massive grin spread across your face. You hurried over, and you let his long, strong arms wrap around you, the cold snowflakes seeping into your skin. His familiar scent of pine and earth washed over you as you both looked up at the indigo sky. Hundreds of small white flakes shimmered as they floated down towards you. They looked like jewels.

“It’s beautiful,” you breathed.

“Yes. Beautiful,” Adam said, not taking his eyes off of you.

“Just wait until the solstice,” you told him excitedly. “The town always has a massive celebration. There’s food and fires and…” When you saw the sadness flooding his dark eyes, your words died in your throat. How could you have forgotten? As much as you loved one another, the two of you could never show off your relationship to others. Whispers of a monster in the woods had plagued the village ever since Adam had arrived at the end of autumn last year. You’d never feared him, not even for a moment, not even the first time you saw him and he shamefully tried to conceal his scarred face from you. He was a beautiful mosaic to you, but to the rest of the townspeople, he was nothing more than a story to be sneered at.

You constantly reassured Adam through words and kisses and touches that you loved him just as he was, but you knew those cruel people wouldn’t feel the same. They’d scream or hurl insults and weapons at him. You wanted to shield him from that, but you knew how much he and you both wanted to be able to walk hand-in-hand down the town square together, to step into the bookstore and get lost among the stacks together. You knew that you both wanted to share little cakes at the bakery, to sit together in the tea room and spend an afternoon there together. You longed to show everyone how special Adam was, how lucky you were to love him, and how much more colorful your life had become since he’d come into it.

The two of you pulled apart slightly from one another as the snow fell even harder. Flakes clung to your eyelashes and Adam’s lips as the cold wind combed its fingers through your hair. He gave you a sad smile.

“It is alright,” he promised. “I don’t want them to hurt you. I don’t want harm to come to you because of me.”

You gave him a soft, slow kiss, the snowflakes on his lips melting into yours. He tasted of ice. His large hands clung to your waist, his touch always so gentle and reverent with you. Your entire body flooded with warmth and light as he deepened the kiss.

And when you finally broke apart, hands interlocking as you walked back inside your home, a wonderful, perfect idea popped into your head. Suddenly, the solstice couldn’t come soon enough.

**********************

The morning of the winter solstice dawned cold but clear, the sun slowly climbing over the dark horizon and spilling orange and purple light into the sky. You were so excited about your plan that you felt as though your skin was buzzing, but you forced yourself to act calm and composed as you ate the breakfast of oatmeal and fruit Adam had prepared for you both. When you finished, you asked him to go deep into the forest to get some roots you needed for stews and medicines. He happily agreed, always willing to do anything he could to help you. You sent him off with a long kiss and a plea for him to stay safe. He promised and slipped into the trees and snow. The second he was out of sight, you leapt into action.

You strung up long pieces of twine, pinning one side to your cottage roof and the other to the roof of your small shed in the backyard. Once they were secure, you hooked empty glass jars all along the twine. The jars swayed gently in the cold breeze, but they stayed in place. You beamed with pride before checking the shed for firewood. Sure enough, Adam had stacked the entire space with enough dry, clean blocks to last you through the entire season.

“Thank you,” you whispered to him, pulling out armfuls of the firewood and leaving it next to the small fire pit Adam had built for you back in the autumn. You dragged out an older, rickety table from the shed and set it next to the pit, laying a lacy white tablecloth atop it and resting rocks on the corners of the table to keep the cloth from flying away. You carefully arranged holly, dried cranberries, and jasmine atop the table and the snowy ground, forming a path from the back door to the fire pit.

Once the outside was finished, you headed inside and began to work in the kitchen. You weren’t a great chef, nor did you particularly enjoy cooking, but for Adam, you would do anything. You began to prepare his favorite meals, the only ones you were actually skilled in making. Adam had taken a liking to cooking, and after voraciously reading every cookbook you’d acquired for him, he’d honed his skills quite well. You smiled sadly at the thought of him. You already missed him.

You prepared his favorite stew, a loaf of crusty bread, and a berry cake with icing. By the time you’d finished, the sun was beginning to slip away. Hurriedly, you bathed with your favorite lavender soap, dried off, applied makeup, and finally pulled on your favorite dress. It was a deep shade of blue with a long skirt and lower cut, something you knew Adam would love. After one last look in the mirror, you went back outside into the cold night, placing lit tea candles inside the jars swaying on the strings of twine. The flames flickered in the chilled air, but they still clung to the candle wicks. The backyard glowed with golden light. After lighting the fire in the pit and bringing all the food outside and placing it on the table, you saw a tall figure emerging from the forest.

Adam.

Your heart overflowed with relief and euphoria at the sight of him, safe and sound and finally coming back home to see his surprise. When he finally made it to the yard and looked up from the basket of roots in his hand, he stopped in his tracks. His large, dark eyes drank in the sight of your decorations, of the food waiting for him on the table, and the snapping, glowing fire spitting out sparks towards the indigo sky. His lips parted in awe, pure elation making his entire face light up. A single tear escaped from his eye, and when he looked at you, you couldn’t help but blush and smile at his joy.

“Happy solstice my love,” you told him softly.

Adam rushed over to you, dropping his basket and immediately cradling your face in his hands before kissing you with every fiber of his being. You wrapped your arms around his neck, savoring the taste of him and the feeling of his lips on yours. It felt as though shooting stars were accelerating through your veins as you parted your lips, allowing Adam’s tongue and teeth to collide with yours.

He lifted you off the ground, and your legs wrapped around him with ease. He carried you to the side of the cottage, your kiss still unbroken. As soon as your back pressed against the wall of your home, you tightened the grip of your legs around him. You could feel how hard he was against your thigh. Your cleavage spilled out of the neckline of your dress, eliciting a moan of pleasure from Adam. He slowly dragged his lips down your neck and chest until he was at your exposed breasts, and you eagerly tugged the fabric down even more. Adam’s lips and tongue and teeth scraped over the curves of your breasts, and you felt yourself growing wet between your legs. You moaned as he continued to taste and kiss and nip at your nipples, begging him to continue.

“You are the loveliest creature I’ve ever seen,” he whispered into the valley of your chest. “Thank you for this gift. Let me show you how much I worship you.”

Adam pushed your skirt further up your hips, exposing your legs to the frosty air. You eagerly pulled the fabric out of the way as he removed your soaked undergarments from your body, your thighs trembling with anticipation.

“Is this okay?” He whispered, his voice deep and hoarse.

“Yes, yes. Please Adam,” you pleaded. “Keep going.”

Adam's head plunged between your legs, his tongue instantly finding its way to your center. You gasped and whimpered as he licked and sucked and explored, savoring every moment his mouth was on your clit.

You gripped his locks between your fingers, the chestnut strands soft, and you wrapped the white streak of his hair that drove you wild around your wrist. You pulled his hair gently as he continued to make you come undone beneath him. When you dared a look downwards, Adam’s glowing left eye locked with yours, and a pool of hot, melted honey filled your chest and dripped down into your belly. Goosebumps rippled across your exposed skin, but you weren’t cold at all. How could you be, when Adam’s warm lips were all over your flesh? When entire galaxies were shimmering behind your closed eyes?

You finally finished unraveling, and Adam cleaned your thighs with a fresh towel from inside, whispering how beautiful you looked in his arms as he did. You pulled your dress back up, peppering Adam’s face with soft kisses once you were done. When you were finally back in one piece, Adam pressed his forehead to yours.

“Thank you,” he breathed. “This is…this is so kind. You are the most wonderful person I have ever had the great fortune of meeting. I cannot believe you are mine. I cannot…I cannot believe I get to love you. Thank you.”

“You deserve this,” you whispered to him. “All of this and more.”

You kept your gaze on him, enamored by how the moonlight washed over the planes of his patchwork skin, the blue and gray hues of his face and the lines of his scars that glowed in the night. Adam was so beautiful it made your chest tighten. He was snow and ice and sunshine all at once. He was so gentle with you yet could make you come apart the seams with his touch.

“I love you,” Adam said, pressing a kiss to your forehead, to your neck, to your jaw. “You are the most beautiful, brilliant, kindest person I’ve ever known. You…you make me feel as though I deserve to be alive.”

You cupped his face with one hand, his skin chilled but soft against your palm. “You do,” you reassured him. “You are the best thing to ever happen to me. You are more of a man than anyone I’ve ever known. You are perfect as you are, and no one deserves to have a happy, lovely life as you do. I love you too, so much.”

He smiled at you, giving you another long, lingering kiss. The stars and full moon glittered above your heads. The two of you finally disentangled from one another, moving over towards the fire. Adam, who was just so confident and in control during your shared intimacy, suddenly stopped. He reached into his pocket and held out something was hiding in his curled first.

“I got you a present too,” he said. “I…it is not very grand, but I wanted to give you something, because you are my favorite person. You deserve something special.”

You beamed up at him as he unveiled what was waiting in his palm; a silver necklace with a crescent moon pendant dangling off the chain. One corner of the moon was slightly warped, and you realized the true magnitude and depth of what he’d given you. Your heart lurched, so full of love and gratitude for Adam that your chest felt like it was going to collapse from the weight of your desire for him.

“You made this for me?” You whispered in awe. Adam nodded, shyly dropping his gaze, and you gently took the necklace from him. Your fingertips traced the slim pendant before you clasped it around your neck. The moon hung right below your collarbone. A perfect fit. “It is the most beautiful present I’ve ever received,” you told him truthfully. “And it is because you made it for me.” He blushed as you kissed the scars right above his lips, the one on his cheek, and the one stretching from one temple across his forehead. You hugged him close to you, his clothing soft and warm against your skin. “Thank you, my love. I shall never take it off.” Adam let out a soft hum of happiness, and the sound made your heart swell.

When you finally broke away from one another, the solstice festivities begin. You dined outside, laughing as you listened to Adam recount his journey of obtaining the roots and the small bunny he’d assisted in finding its way back to its burrow. Right as you both finished your cake, a small, crystal snowflake landed on the red tip of Adam’s nose. You both looked up with wonder as the heavens opened, spilling a deluge of snowflakes down upon you both. They tumbled and spiraled down atop the world, blanketing the ground in a fresh white blanket.

You took Adam’s hand and guided him towards the open yard. You embraced, his hands on your hips and yours around his neck, and with the wind and the snowfall as your music, the two of you slowly danced in the storm.

“Happy solstice, my love,” Adam whispered.

“The happiest,” you replied, and you sealed off the most perfect day with another perfect kiss from the love of your life.

Even on the longest night of the year, you’d never felt so full of light and warmth as you did then.

[steve-harringtons-bat]

Wildflowers

Amongst the wildflowers in the forest, you meet someone unexpected

Warnings: mentions of past abuse, briefly. Mild smut, 18+ only! Adam Frankenstein x fem! Reader

Word count: 2.4k

I’m so nervous to post my writing again but this movie has consumed my heart and soul so here it is :)

My master list is linked here 🍁

The first time he saw you, it was the first day of spring.

The snow and ice melted, giving way to bright green grass, tiny flower buds, and fresh leaves blooming on the tree branches. Rabbits and squirrels emerged from their slumber, the sun and rain clouds swapping places in the sky every few days, and wind slowly lost its bite. Adam loved the snow in a way few others seemed to, but he was grateful for a change in the weather. It was a reminder that he was still here, still in a world that, while cruel to him, held so much beauty and promise that things would get better.

Adam had been on one of his walks through the woods the day you’d met, the spring sunlight warming his chilled skin as chipmunks and mice greeted him before dashing away. He drank in the sights of plants finally beginning to bloom, their stems rising out of the soft ground, and the clear blue sky stretched for what seemed like an eternity above him. The day was pleasant, and nature was waking up from its winter slumber.

But then he saw you. And his entire world stopped.

You were sitting on the ground, tending to a patch of wildflowers. You’d always been fond of them, the variety of colors and shapes and scents wildflowers possessed. You loved how each one was different, how every bouquet of them was more unique than the last. So many suitors from your town had tried to win you over with roses, tulips, and peonies. While you were appreciative of all flowers, all those flowers did was prove how much those men didn’t listen to you. They never believed you when you said wildflowers were your favorite. They never seemed to believe you or listen to you at all.

You were clearing weeds and twigs from the other day’s storm from the flowerbeds, happy that they were steadily blossoming and growing. You never picked them until closer to the summer, wanting them to be nurtured and for them to enjoy their time in the forest you loved so dearly.

Then you heard a twig snap.

You looked up, your heart leaping into your throat. Was it hunters? Travelers? Another lost soul?

Your eyes landed on a tree in the shadows a short distance away. You caught a glimpse of long, dark hair, a scarred hand, and a black boot. This was no hunter; it was the spirit of the forest. Everyone in town had been gossiping about him all winter. Some said he was a monster, some said a ghost. You’d always been curious about this creature, but even though you’d spent so much of your free time in the woods, you’d never even seen a hint of him.

Until now.

“It’s okay,” you called out, voice gentle. “You can come out.”

For a few moments, nothing happened. Even the wind stood still. The forest held its breath. You waited, pulse quickening, hoping against hope that he would emerge.

Finally, he stepped into the light.

You drank in the sight of him. He was the tallest man you’d ever seen, limbs long and sturdy. Long chestnut hair framed the patchwork blue and gray skin on his face laced with red scars. His eyes, large and dark, glinted with both fear and the same hope that had just filled your chest, met yours. You could see the tension in his shoulders, the worry he possessed that you would scream or run away or harm him.

You did nothing of the sort.

You instead smiled at him, at this beautiful creature who reminded you of a strained glass window, of dozens of different pieces coming together to create something even more lovely than before.

“Would you like to join me?” You asked. “I could use some help.”

The creature hesitated, then nodded, slowly coming over to you. He sat down beside you, leaving too much space for your liking between your bodies. His head was bent shyly, hair falling in front of his face.

“What is your name?” You asked him softly.

“Adam,” he said, voice gravelly yet sweet, strained yet gentle. You told him your name in response, and when he repeated it back to you, you savored the way he said it. Like it was something sacred to him.

“It’s nice to meet you,” you said. You wanted to hold out your hand, but you decided against it. His body was still trembling, tension rippling off him in waves. He’s afraid, you realized, and the thought made a sharp crack form on the surface of your heart.

Adam finally looked at you, his eyes swimming with pain. They were beautiful eyes, glinting with gold from the morning sunlight. It would be so easy to drown in them.

“You…you are not afraid of me?” He whispered. The crack on your heart deepened.

“No,” you said confidently. “You are the spirit of the forest. I’ve heard of your kindness towards nature. I spend so much time in these woods, and anyone who protects them is a friend to me.”

“Friend,” he repeated, as though he couldn’t believe anyone would ever call him that.

“Friend,” you confirmed. To seal your promise, you plucked out one of the wildflowers, a small blue forget me not. It was the first of the bunch to fully bloom, and forget me nots were some of your favorite ones. “This is for you,” you said, holding it out to him.

Adam looked at the flower with awe, lips parting in surprise. His gaze slid over to you, and you nodded. He reached a large hand out and carefully took it from you. His fingers brushed against yours, sparks dancing across the section of skin he’d touched. His hand was cold but soft, and when he twirled the flower around between his fingers, you smiled.

“Thank you,” he said quietly. “It is beautiful.”

“Whenever you are lonely, come to this part of the forest,” you told him. “And I will be here. You can always find me among the wildflowers.”

And that was what he did. As spring settled into the bones of the earth, you and Adam tended to the wildflowers. You walked with him off the beaten path, listening as he slowly opened up to you about his heartbreaking past, about his origin and pain and monstrous creator, and his inability to find a place in this world. He listened to you too, about your desire to find love, about your teaching job you loved so much, and about anything and everything you talked about with rapt attention. Whenever you met him, you brought him books from your home and the local library, and he’d returned the ones you’d previously leant him. He gave you rings fashioned out of daisies, and you kept every single one in your jewelry box. They were more precious to you than any diamond or jewel ever could be.

Whenever the flowers had been attended to, you and Adam would spend the afternoons atop a blanket, him reading aloud to you as you braided and brushed his hair, or you telling him stories while he made you flower crowns and set them atop your head, both of you unable to stop smiling. Sometimes you’d just lay side by side, both of you lost in your books, before you’d rest your head on his shoulder before both of you would slide into sleep to the sounds of birdsong and rushing water from a nearby creek.

In conversation or in silence, in drizzling rain or the brightest sunshine, there was nobody else you’d rather spend your days with than Adam. When you were apart, Adam felt like he was missing a vital piece of himself, as though he wasn’t complete unless he could hear your voice or feel your hair tickling against his cheek. You missed him just as much, and the forest became your sanctuary. While you still found joy in your job, the townspeople began to whisper about you, that you were evil and heartless for rejecting the men from town, and you found that you didn’t care at all. Let them talk. They were the same people who were so cutting and cruel about Adam, and they hadn’t even bothered to get to know him and his gentle, massive heart. You’d rather be in the woods with him than anywhere else with them.

As spring melted into a hot summer, the two of you were spending a warm evening among the wildflowers. The sun was slowly melting into the horizon, staining the sky with swaths of pink and orange. Fireflies blinked as they slowly looped around your bodies. Adam was gingerly plucking forget me nots, daisies, and poppies as you gave one of the cornflower patches some extra water. When you finished, Adam was holding out the flowers he’d been collecting towards you, now wrapped into a bouquet with a small piece of twine.

“I…wanted to say thank you,” he said softly. “For showing me kindness when no one else did. For welcoming me into this world.” The tip of his nose turned pink from his blushing. “You remind me of these flowers. You are beautiful and colorful and full of life. You are warm and sweet and…” He cleared his throat nervously. “If it is okay with you, I would love to have the privilege of kissing you.”

Your heart skipped so many beats you feared it might’ve stopped all together. It felt as though the setting sun had flooded your bloodstream, golden light filling your veins. All this time, all those days spent in the woods, and he had fallen in love with you. The same way, you realized, you had fallen for him. All this time, you’d been love with one another, and it wasn’t until he handed you this beautiful bouquet and poured his heart out to you that you recognized that the feelings you’d been trying to stifle for Adam were ones of love, of desire, and best of all, that he harbored the same ones for you.

Without wasting another second, you took the beautiful bouquet from him, cradling it in your hands gently, before leaning towards him and finally placing your lips on his.

He tasted of summer, of honeysuckle and sunshine and wildflowers. His lips were scarred but soft. When you forced yourself to stop for air, you were both blushing and beaming and breathing raggedly.

“Oh Adam,” you said. “You may kiss me all the time if that’s what you’d like. I certainly would.”

You carefully placed his beautiful bouquet on a patch of soft grass before settling yourself atop his lap, straddling him and looping your arms around his neck. You could feel him hardening against your thigh.

“Is this okay?” You whispered.

“Yes,” he said, looking at you with pure admiration in those beautiful eyes of his. He looked at you like you were something holy, like you were every promise he’d ever been granted come to life. “Stay here forever, if you would like.”

You laughed before he kissed you again, your lips parting to allow his tongue to meet yours. Fireflies danced around you as twilight painted the sky in shades of lavender and indigo. You couldn’t recall a time when you were this happy, this full of bliss and euphoria that you saw stars behind your closed eyes. The only sounds were the leaves rustling on the branches and the rapid beating of both of your hearts.

Your hands and his began to wander, to chart courses on each other’s bodies. Your dress straps slid down your shoulders, exposing your cleavage. Adam’s eyes expanded to the size of moons at the sight.

“Beautiful,” he breathed, and you slipped out of the sleeves completely, letting the fabric pool around your waist. “May I…may I touch?”

“Of course,” you whispered, and the feeling of his massive hands cupping your breasts, stroking and squeezing and touching, made your entire body feel like a shaken bottle of champagne. Slowly, you grabbed the hem of his tunic.

“You may take it off,” he said. “But…no one, besides the one who made me, has seen me like that. What if you…what if you are repulsed?”

You gave him a long, languid kiss of reassurance, letting your lips and tongue paint covenants on him.

“You are the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen,” you promised him. “I will never find any part of you repulsive.

He nodded, and you slowly peeled his tunic off of his body. What was waiting for you was the most lovely mosaic you’d ever seen. His scars and patchwork skin appeared to go all the way down his body, and your fingers delicately charted new courses down the thin and thick lines painting his body like a watercolor canvas. How could anyone not see what a work of pure art he was? He let out soft moans, eyes closing.

“Yes,” he whispered. “Please keep doing that.” You complied, treating him as carefully as you did your flowers, and in turn, he did the same to you, kissing and touching and feeling every last inch of your bare skin. The stars and moon washed their silver light down upon you and Adam, making both of you glow in the night.

“I love you,” he said to you, no hesitance or trace of shyness in his perfect voice anymore.

“I love you too,” you replied. Nothing in your entire life had ever been as easy as loving this incredible, iridescent man under your lips and hands, and you knew through his touch and whispers in the shell of your ear that he felt exactly the same.

Little did you know that in a few months time, on one of the last golden evenings of summer, the two of you would be back in this perfect slice of paradise you’d carved out together in the woods. Forget me nots woven into your hair and one tucked carefully behind Adam’s ear by you, you spent the twilight sliding daisy rings on each other’s left ring fingers, exchanging vows promising to love and cherish and take care of one another forever. In your free hand was a bouquet of the most colorful, sweet-smelling wildflowers that Adam had crafted just for you, and you both sealed the promise of a beautiful life together with a long, perfect kiss.

[admiralty-xfd]

Better Call Saul 5.07 “JMM” 

written by Alison Tatlock

[lousolversons]

Don’t think I don’t see you, ay?

[shesnake]

Movies don’t create psychos. Movies make psychos more creative!

Scream (1996) dir. Wes Craven

[woolma]

the little coffee you get while out doing errands should be free for girls

[thewildetyme]

i love the rain. especially when it starts early in the morning. i love looking out to see a gloomy sky, i love the slight breeze as you open your window, i love the sound it makes as it touches the surface. i’ve come to appreciate life more every time it rains.

[goldduststevie]

Stevie backstage at the Houston Music Hall in Houston, TX. Dec 3 - 1975.