Apr 16
Little guy keeps returning to this exact tree cavity. Must be especially cozy...
Eastern screech-owl (Megascops asio) 📍 Essex County, ON
seen from France
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seen from United States
seen from Germany
seen from France
seen from United States
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seen from United States
Little guy keeps returning to this exact tree cavity. Must be especially cozy...
Eastern screech-owl (Megascops asio) 📍 Essex County, ON
losing my shit
The subtle reveal of Baby's Demon form was so cute and honestly perfect!!!!
if its no bother, could i request a continuation from that; Something the involves the other Saja Boys reaction to the 'Reader' knowing Baby's a demon. Like, one day, the group finds themselves at the 'Readers' and Baby's house/apartment and he just casually switches to his Demon Form.
Ahh I’m so glad you liked the reveal!! 😭🖤 Here you go!💌
“Wait—You Let Them See?!”
Sequel to: Little by Little
Summary: Baby’s been slowly revealing his demon form to you. You thought the others knew. Turns out—not like this.
-------------------------------
It starts with a knock and three bags of fried chicken.
You weren’t expecting company—at least not company in the form of all four Saja Boys—when you opened the door to find Jinu, Romance, Mystery, and Abby standing on your doorstep like a very attractive demonic boyband reunion tour.
“We brought food,” Jinu said. “Baby’s texts were vague.”
“I wanted banana milk,” Romance muttered, brushing past him.
“We’re out of soda,” Abby added helpfully, already kicking his shoes off.
Mystery said nothing, just dropped a tarot card facedown on your doormat and stepped inside.
The apartment filled fast—too fast—and you barely had time to throw a blanket over the couch pile of laundry before you heard the unmistakable sound of your boyfriend.
You turned just in time to see Baby walking out of the bedroom barefoot, shirtless, and completely, casually, demon-shaped.
Lilac skin. Jagged violet markings. Gold, slit-pupil eyes.
You’d gotten used to it. Loved it, even. He didn’t always shift around the others, but lately—at home, with you—he didn’t bother hiding anymore.
And now?
Well.
That comfort was about to backfire.
-------------------------------
The silence that hit the room was instant.
Abby froze mid-drumstick bite.
Mystery tilted his head like an owl tracking prey.
Romance—halfway into your fridge—dropped a bottle of water and said, “I’m sorry, WHAT are we walking into right now?”
Jinu blinked. Slowly. Twice.
“...Is that a full skin shift?” he asked, sounding like he might need to sit down. “With claws?”
Baby looked up.
Paused.
Looked at you.
Then looked back at the boys.
“What?” he said, flatly. “I live here.”
-------------------------------
Romance recovered first.
“You live here like this?!”
“Yeah.”
“With your markings out?!”
“Yeah.”
He turned to you, slack-jawed. “They’ve seen the claws?!”
“More than that,” you said calmly, pouring Mystery a soda without breaking stride.
Mystery hummed. “They’ve seen the glamour down.”
Jinu choked on air.
“You took off the glamour?”
Baby scratched his neck. “It gets itchy.”
“ITCHY?!” Abby squawked. “Bro, we’ve been rooming together for years and you make us sign non-disclosure forms.”
“They're different,” Baby muttered.
You didn’t say anything. Just leaned against the counter while Baby came to stand beside you.
Romance blinked. “Oh my god. You’re comfortable.”
Baby didn’t deny it.
Which somehow said more than anything else could.
-------------------------------
Jinu finally stepped forward, eyes wide but not angry.
“You let them see you,” he said softly. “Like really see you.”
“They didn’t freak out,” Baby replied. “Didn’t treat me different. Just… accepted it.”
He rubbed the back of his neck, claws glinting in the kitchen light.
“It felt… good.”
Abby made a quiet, emotional wheeze.
“I’m gonna cry.”
“Don’t you dare,” Baby grumbled, nudging him with a toe.
Romance was already on the couch, kicking his feet up dramatically. “This is so unfair. When I dropped my disguise around my last crush, they threw a salt packet at me.”
“You were floating and whispering in Latin,” Mystery pointed out.
“It was a love incantation!”
-------------------------------
You smiled and grabbed another plate. “You can all stay for dinner. Just try not to burn anything.”
Jinu blinked. “We’re not getting kicked out? Even after—”
You reached over and gently adjusted the edge of Baby’s hoodie, exposing more of the jagged violet markings along his neck.
“He trusts me. I trust him. You trust him too, right?”
The boys all exchanged glances.
Abby nodded first. “Always.”
Mystery placed a second tarot card on the table—The Sun.
Romance sighed. “Fine. But if he starts glowing, I want it on record that I called him pretty first.”
Baby smirked. “You’ve called all of us pretty.”
“Yeah, but I meant it less with Jinu.”
“I heard that,” Jinu muttered, already reaching for the takeout.
-------------------------------
Dinner became loud again—bickering, sauce-stained, full of laughter and neon chopsticks. Baby leaned into your shoulder at one point and whispered:
“Thanks for not making a big deal.”
You smiled, kissing the side of his face near one of the glowing marks.
“You’re not a big deal,” you whispered back. “You’re just mine.”
And when the others weren’t looking, he wrapped his arms around you—claws and all.
-------------------------------
Later That Night
After everyone had eaten and the chaos settled into content exhaustion, each of the boys found a quiet moment with you while Baby was in the shower, humming low and smoky under the water.
-------------------------------
Jinu found you in the kitchen.
He didn’t say anything at first. Just helped you rinse the dishes. When you passed him a towel, he looked down and said, almost too softly:
“He’s never shown that much of himself to anyone. Not even us.”
You looked up, heart soft.
“It’s not a secret,” you said. “It’s just… something he wanted to share. With someone who wouldn’t turn away.”
Jinu nodded, jaw tight.
“Thank you,” he said. “For not turning away.”
-------------------------------
Abby cornered you in the hallway, holding a half-crushed juice pouch.
“You’re in the safe list now,” he said, as if that explained anything.
“...The what?”
“People Baby won’t pretend to bite when they hug him. It’s a short list.”
You laughed. “I feel honored.”
He grinned. “Good. You should.”
-------------------------------
Romance plopped down beside you on the arm of the couch, watching the bathroom steam creep under the door.
“You know,” he said, tilting his head toward the shower. “It’s hot, right? That he trusts you enough to glow around you?”
You snorted. “Romance.”
“What? I’m just saying. If it were me, I’d be showing off immediately.”
He paused. A rare flicker of sincerity crept into his voice.
“But he’s only ever shown those to you. That’s not just hot. That’s… something else.”
You met his eyes. He winked.
“You’re good for him. Don’t forget that.”
-------------------------------
Mystery appeared beside you later, offering you the tarot card he’d flipped earlier.
“It changed,” he said quietly.
You glanced down. The card now read:
The Lovers.
You looked back up at him.
He gave the smallest smile. “You brought balance.”
-------------------------------
And when Baby finally reappeared—damp hair clinging to glowing skin, hoodie tugged on halfway, markings still dimly visible under the fabric—he blinked at the quiet hush of the room.
“What’d I miss?”
“Nothing,” you said, patting the space beside you.
He flopped down next to you, arms draping over your lap like it was his favorite place.
“They like you,” he muttered.
“I like them.”
“I like you more.”
You kissed his temple, right where the markings flared faintly again.
“Yeah,” you whispered. “Me too.”
-------------------------------
Next Morning
The sun is barely up when you shuffle into the kitchen wearing Baby’s hoodie.
It’s too long on you. Still smells faintly like smoke and something citrusy and warm. You’re mid-yawn when—
“...You’re glowing.”
You blink.
Not you.
Baby.
He walks in behind you, half-asleep, completely shirtless, faint steam rising from his skin, and violet markings still very much visible all over his chest, shoulders, and neck. His eyes are a lazy shade of gold.
“Coffee,” he mumbles, walking straight past everyone and stealing Abby’s mug.
The room is dead silent.
Until—
“We get it, you’re in love,” Romance says, raising both eyebrows. “But do your marks have to sparkle at breakfast?”
“They’re not sparkling,” Baby grunts, sipping.
“They’re glowing,” Jinu corrects, not even looking up from his phone. “Soft bioluminescence. Very romantic.”
“He’s like a walking mood lamp,” Mystery adds.
“You're jealous,” Baby says without heat.
“A little,” Mystery admits.
You stifle a laugh, reaching over to tug down the hoodie hanging loosely off Baby’s shoulder. It doesn’t help much. The glow pulses anyway.
“You’re still lit up,” you whisper, biting back a smile.
“You’re still mine,” he murmurs back.
Romance makes a strangled gagging sound from the couch. “I just sat down. I don’t want to get pregnant from secondhand tension.”
Abby throws a pillow at him.
-------------------------------
Eventually, someone makes pancakes.
Eventually, Baby puts on a shirt (kind of).
Eventually, Mystery stops using the steam from his skin to steep tea.
But even as the day rolls forward and the teasing settles into something warmer—something real—you catch Jinu watching the two of you.
Not with suspicion.
With something like relief.
Because the boy with claws and smoke in his bones glows now.
And maybe that says everything.
-------------------------------
M-List
A vibration from his pocket grabbed Tim's attention, making him put down the contracts he'd been going over in favor of his cell phone. Pulling out the device, Tim opened his messages, smiling as Danny's screen name flashed with a new message, and pulling up the conversation.
Happily Ever Afterlife: ok so dont be mad
Tim snorted, everytime Danny said that, the problem was small and simple and nothing to actually be mad about, inconvenient at best, and even then that itself was rare. If it was actually bad, and something getting mad over, Tim wouldn't find out until Danny had fixed the problem himself. It was the only real point of conflict in their relationship, how they both tried to shoulder everything themselves. Tim, because he felt pressure to handle everything himslef, and Danny, because he didn't want to be a burden or cause problems.
I won't be. What did you get up to? :You
Happily Ever Afterlife sent an image
[large brown, black, and tan canine with pointed ears that layed flat on its head, and a sharp, pointed muzzle. Its laying on the couch and staring at the camera with narrowed eyes.]
Happily Ever Afterlife: isnt he the cutest little dog? i found him sniffing through the garbage at work! dont worry i already gave him a bath, i think hes a german shepherd! hes kinda grumpy and not very sociable but that can be fixed with kisses! Can we keep him please please please??
Tim stared at the picture with wide eyes. A Coyote. Danny found a Coyote, brought into their apartment, and was asking to keep it.
Not for the first time, Tim silently cursed at the Fenton's for not having a safe enough home, that caused Danny to have never even toy with the idea of getting a pet, so he never familiarized himself with animals. To Danny there were Dogs, Cats, Rodents, Birds, and Repitles, and while, sure those were rather umbrella terms, it made it to where Danny recognized all Canines as puppies, and anything small and fluffy with pointed ears as cats. Tim, and Damian just got him to stop giving the raccoons cat food because, to Danny, Racoons classified as cats!
Happily Ever Afterlife sent a video
[The Coyote eating, what looks to be leftover turkey, from Danny's hand, while Danny can be heard cooing excitedly behind the camera, when the turkey is gone, the coyote continues to lick Danny's hand before laying its head down on his palm and nuzzling against it.]
Happily Ever Afterlife: he likes me!
Taking a deep breath, Tim breathed slowly out of his nose. "Ancients I love this man." He muttered to himself before pushing away from his desk and heading towards the door, firing a quick text to his father and Tam that he was going home early.
The CEO lemanted internally that he would have to be the one to break Danny's heart by telling him that the Coyote was not, in fact, a German Shepherd, and that they'd have to get rid of it. While Tim wasn't against the idea of them getting a dog, he knew they couldn't keep the Coyote, it was illegal, and dangerous to keep a wild animal and while Tim wasn't a really a law abiding citizen, just look at his night time job and the shenanigans surrounding it, he didn't think they could get away with keeping a Coyote, even if it was Gotham-
Actually, Tim paused his thoughts as he waited for the elevator to go down, didn't Harley have two Hyenas that nobody blinked an eye at? He thought to himself, thinking of Bud and Lou, and how nobody batted an eye when Harley took them out to walks. Sure people stared, but that was because it was Harley Quinn and not because she had two Hyenas.
"...We're keeping the Coyote, aren't we?" Tim sighed, already accepting his fate, which was further solidified when Tim's phone dinged once again.
Happily Ever Afterlife sent a photo
[Danny sitting next to the Coyote, the Coyote resting his head on Danny's lap fast asleep]
Happily Ever Afterlife: what do you think of the name Owl? or maybe Vulture works better? ohmyancientshejustyawned!
Tim shook his head fondly, a soft smile on his lips as he got into his car, texting a quick reply that he was on his way home, and they'd discuss the "dog" once he got home. Danny's response was a string of heart emojis.
bsf!ellie and reader go camping and kiss for the first time under the stars
also, I'd love it if you could add the:
admiring the view x admiring her
trope somewhere in there, thank you!
for us, for the stars
⊹ ࣪ ˖ᯓ★
hi hello hi i was very excited and honored to get a request from you <3 especially with such a lovely trope that i ADORE and such a cute idea... i was very excited to write this so hopefully it does not disappoint. i was just going to do one (1) kiss but. also i was going to do this as a canon au but it was giving me a weird achy feeling for some reason?? so i changed it to modern eek. anyway!!
warnings : ellie williams x afab!reader. modern au. fluff. swearing. kissing. no major warnings <3
w.c : 6.4k
⊹ ࣪ ˖ᯓ★
Even in the summer, Wyoming could get quite cold at night.
You could feel the chill even now, despite being wrapped in blankets and dressed comfortably in pajama pants and a sweatshirt. Twisting around in your sleeping bag, you raised your head away from your pillows to glance at Dina, the other girl just a few inches away from you in your shared tent. She appeared to be sleeping soundly, most of her dark strands having slipped free from her ponytail and were instead sprawled over her pillow.
You felt a soft sort of fondness for your sleeping friend, though it was also laced with a hint of envy. Despite how tired you felt, and how busy the day had been… sleep was eluding you. You had remained still for quite some time, your eyes shut, but it had been no use. You knew it was late, as it had been late when the four of you had finally decided to call it a night.
As you had tried to rest in your tent, you could hear the occasional hoot of an owl somewhere nearby. The chirring of cicadas had been a constant–though you couldn’t decide if it was nature’s lullaby, or just loud enough to keep you awake.
Though, if you were having trouble sleeping, then surely…
Being as careful and as quiet as possible, you maneuvered your body out of your sleeping bag without causing the material to rustle too much. You left your phone in favor of grabbing the flashlight that had been beside your pillow, and gathered up one of the quilts that you had been curled up with. Stepping carefully over Dina’s legs, you unzipped the tent flap extremely slowly so as to not stir your friend from her sleep. You grabbed your shoes at the last second before quietly stepping out of the tent, repeating the cautious zipping movements.
Once free, you exhaled in relief. The air was fresh and chilled, the sky dark and filled with stars. You didn’t have to turn your flashlight on, because you had already managed to spot a familiar form sitting just several feet away.
You dropped your shoes to the ground, slipping your feet inside of them as you continued to hold the quilt and flashlight in your arms. “Couldn’t sleep?”
Ellie didn’t startle at the sound of your voice. You could just barely make out her shrug, your lips curving upward after witnessing even the slightest bit of movement from your best friend. Every little thing that Ellie did, it was like both your body and mind were attuned to it.
“Not next to fuckin’ Jesse,” Ellie scoffed, though her tone lacked malice. It was a gentle ribbing, despite the person in question being asleep, tucked into the second tent that currently occupied their reserved space of the Earth.
You hummed in response, trudging carefully through the grass and stepping over sticks until you made it to Ellie’s side. Her head was tilted slightly up, gaze fixated upon the sky of bright, twinkling stars. Your fingers clutched the quilt a little tighter as you resisted the urge to reach out and brush some strands of auburn away from Ellie’s face, despite how endearing you thought it looked whenever her hair was like that.
“You okay?” You murmured, standing next to where Ellie was sitting. “Just awake, or…?”
“Just awake,” Ellie answered softly.
Ellie was on a blanket, sitting cross-legged with her shoulders slightly hunched. She was in pajamas too, faded blue pants with a hoodie thrown over whatever t-shirt she was most likely wearing. The hoodie was one that she’d had longer than the length of your friendship.
“You down for company?” you asked quietly. You didn’t want your voice to carry, didn’t want to risk it reaching Jesse or Dina in the respective tents. It also felt impossible to speak normally due to the current atmosphere, like it would be insulting to the world to disturb whatever tranquil thing the wildlife and the stars had going on during this time of the night.
Ellie wrinkled her nose. “Nah,” she muttered. “Go back to your tent.” Her head turned, a crooked smile tugging on her lips as she looked up at you.
You returned her smile easily, like the silent exchange between the two of you was the most instinctive, natural thing your body had ever done. Then, you forced yourself to roll your eyes.
“Always so welcoming, you are,” you quipped dryly. “Scoot.”
Your instruction was an unnecessary one to leave your lips, because Ellie had already started to shift to make room for you the very second that you had smiled down at her. You plopped next to her on the blanket, setting the flashlight to the side on the ground. You unrolled the quilt, tucking it over both of your laps.
“Aren’t you cold?” you asked, reaching over Ellie to make sure that her pajama pant clad legs were entirely covered.
In response, Ellie offered another small shrug. “Yeah. But the stars.”
“But the stars,” you acquiesced.
Ellie turned her gaze back to the inky sky, her body aware of the familiar warmth of your own at her side. She breathed out, feeling like something within her bones relaxed at the very feeling of it. Your proximity had the same impact as a security blanket or a nightlight, though Ellie seldom spoke of it. The pages of her journal were aware, however–as well as just about anyone that witnessed Ellie merely being in your company.
It had been a slow, steady thing… the way with which Ellie had found herself at ease while around you. Curse her heart for how comfortability had bled into something more–for how her thoughts managed to run away from her despite her endless attempts to clamp down on them.
“Have you been out here for long?”
“Dunno,” Ellie mumbled, a faint crease appearing between her brows.
“I tried texting you a bit ago, but there’s no fucking service,” you said, keeping your tone soft. Yes, it was quiet, and you didn’t want to disturb anything. But, truthfully, even if you were somewhere different–much louder, during the day maybe–you still would’ve kept your tone the same. There was just something about being around Ellie that made you soften. Like every moment, every interaction was precious. “Figured you’d be up. I was scared to leave the tent and wake Dina up, though.”
“Did she wake up?” Ellie asked, her gaze shifting to flicker over your features. Ellie loved Dina, of course she did, but she also… deep down, would prefer that this very moment stayed as it was at the current second. Just the two of you.
You shook your head, a small smile curving on your lips. “No. Out like a light.”
Ellie huffed out a short breath, almost instantly changing her mind about her previous thought. She did value the time alone that the two of you spent together–always did–but ever since a couple of weeks ago, it had been harder to keep herself and her thoughts in check.
Not that she had a choice but to deal now, anyway. It was just the two of you, and the stars.
“Same as Jesse,” Ellie finally muttered, dropping her attention to her hands in her lap. “Didn’t realize he’d turn into fuckin’ Mr. Wilderness out here. Tired himself out.”
A sound of amusement escaped you at Ellie’s words, causing her lips to twitch upward.
“Kinda wish we were sharing a tent,” you attempted, tilting your head to the side as you looked at her.
Ellie idly pulled at her middle and index finger, frowning down at her hands. “...Yeah,” she huffed.
It would’ve been nice–the two of you–like how things often fell to be. But maybe the tent separation was actually a good thing. At least, that’s what Ellie had been trying to tell herself.
Because it really had been harder for Ellie to keep herself in check as of late. There had been no big, monumental moment that suddenly altered her ability to play it somewhat cool. It had just been a sleepover. A sleepover like the kind that you always had, sharing a bed or a couch or even a floor space, sometimes. But a couple weeks ago, the two of you had woken up differently. Ellie had stayed over at your place after a movie night had run later than expected–no big deal. When she had woken up, though… your leg had been thrown over her. Your arm had been stretched across Ellie’s stomach, and you had been pressed right against her side. Just… existing. Sleeping.
It hadn’t made Ellie want to laugh. It hadn’t made her want to pull away from embarrassment, or joke about it when you had woken up. No. The simple weight of your limbs against Ellie’s body was quite literally the most comfortable thing she had ever felt. And that made her panic.
It had startled her, genuinely, how her fingers had twitched–wanting to instinctively skim down your back, or even the expanse of your leg. The urge to wrap her arm around the form of another had never hit Ellie so hard in her life. You had been soft with sleep, warm and cozy against her in a way that Ellie didn’t know how to compartmentalize.
So maybe it was okay that you hadn’t shared a tent on this camping trip, because Ellie wasn’t sure how she would be able to handle being in such a close proximity to you during sleep, without her body naturally seeking you out after experiencing it just once before–because that once was enough to send signals throughout Ellie’s body and mind that she wanted, she wanted and she missed and she needed.
But Ellie didn’t like wanting things much. Didn’t like the feeling of needing. She never wanted to be greedy.
That morning, Ellie had been frozen. Tried to go back to sleep, and then instead settled for pretending like she still was asleep. You had both “woken” up at the same time, giving soft, awkward laughs as you rolled apart. That had been it.
Surely it was a common experience for pairs of friends everywhere. But not every person had a heart that would beat for their friend in the same exact way that Ellie’s heart would beat for you.
“They were being super fucking normal today though,” you said. “Jesse and Dina.”
The two had broken up–again–just under three weeks ago. The plan originally had been for you and Ellie to share a tent, until the breakup happened–which is why you were with Dina, and Ellie was with Jesse.
The whole day, however, Dina and Jesse had been fine. More than fine, really. They had been joking around and laughing together while helping to set up the tents, and had sat together while the fire dwindled in the late evening.
A soft scoff fell from Ellie’s lips as she twisted her fingers. “They’ll be back together by the end of the week,” she muttered, lips twitching upward as she shot you a sidelong glance.
You returned Ellie’s smile easily, heart thumping at the quick eye contact. “Can’t bet against that.”
Ellie’s smile lingered, even as her eyes shifted away from your face. She glanced elsewhere–anywhere–from her fingers, to the stars. She was too aware of you at her side, knees bumping comfortably. Separated by two layers, your pajama pants and her own, though Ellie could very much feel the warmth of your body at her side from the proximity. She swallowed hard, tugging at her fingers a little more incessantly.
“That’s not what you’re out here thinking about, though,” you attempted softly. Your head was still turned, never leaving Ellie’s side profile.
“Huh?”
“Jesse and Dina’s relationship timeline. Is that what you’re pondering while looking at the stars, or…?”
“Fuck off,” Ellie huffed, nudging her elbow against your arm.
You bit back a grin, entirely pleased with any reaction from Ellie, even if it was just her feigning annoyance. “Do you think Joel’s called for a search party yet?”
Ellie snorted, raising a hand to rub at her eye. It was hard for her to think–or turn her brain off, she wasn’t exactly sure what she wanted–when you were just… sitting so close and verbally throwing things at her. But Ellie didn’t actually mind, either.
“God, don’t make me think about that,” Ellie muttered, her hand leaving her eye in favor of moving to the back of her neck. She never was very good at sitting still.
“I can’t stop thinking about it,” you admitted, voice soft yet laced with a hint of amusement. “I almost keep expecting to see his truck pulling up the path.”
Dropping both hands back to her lap, Ellie ducked her head and shook it at your words. You had a point though, she knew that. She really had been trying not to think about Joel–how he must be at home, pacing holes in the living room carpet and checking his phone for a text that wouldn’t arrive.
In Ellie’s defense, she had called during the last gas station stop, before they all lost service. And yet, she knew that Joel would probably stress himself out throughout the weekend… until Ellie, Jesse, Dina, and yourself would be headed back for Jackson and able to call and confirm their whereabouts once more.
Typically, the summer camping trip consisted of Joel, Tommy, and Ellie. Sometimes Maria. Sometimes you. This year, however, Joel had the idea for Ellie to go with her friends. Well–Tommy had the idea for Ellie to go with her friends, to which he convinced Joel to be somewhat okay with the concept.
“He’s probably watching the news just in case,” Ellie huffed with dry amusement.
You quirked a small smile, reaching over to idly adjust the quilt across your laps. Ellie stayed still as you did so, forcing her attention back to the stars. They were the safer thing to pay attention to, as opposed to how careful you were being when trying to make sure that Ellie wouldn’t get cold. Placing an elbow on your leg, you rested your cheek in your palm to peer comfortably at Ellie. Ellie’s eyes remained stubbornly up.
A brief silence settled–not amongst nature, but between yourself and Ellie. The sight of the stars was gorgeous in Wyoming, especially so far out from any populated town. You admired the sky momentarily, but your eyes always fell back to the side of Ellie’s face.
“Penny for your thoughts?” you attempted quietly, your tone lighthearted.
“Pffft.” Legs spread, Ellie drew her knees up toward her chest, pulling her legs out from under the quilt. She rested her elbows upon her knees, her position a lot more casual than she felt internally. Her hands dangled in the space between her legs, and she grasped her own fingers to fidget once more. Ellie squinted at the stars, a crease appearing between her eyebrows. “You know some low-mass stars will end up shining for, like, trillions of years?”
Immediately, you softened. Whether Ellie was telling you that because it was actually what she was thinking about, or to distract you… the why didn’t matter, because it was still something that she found to be interesting and was sharing with you. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. They’ll shine longer than the universe has existed so far.”
“So the low-mass is…?”
“Determines supply usage, basically. The gas is fuel. Since low-mass stars don’t burn through their supply as rapidly–”
“They get to shine for longer.”
“Exactly,” Ellie breathed out.
You hummed, tilting your head back to peer at the stars. You always appreciated them, but you could get a little more lost in the beauty of it all when Ellie was right there, talking to you about it. “You know what always trips me up?”
“Your feet?”
“Ha ha. No,” you replied dryly. You stretched your legs out in front of you. “The whole thing about, like… looking at the stars being like looking back in time.”
“Oh. Yeah,” Ellie muttered, sparing you a quick glance. “Because of the light. The time it takes light to move through space. Like we’re seeing it at a delay.”
You knew the fact of it, but you listened intently anyway. “Still trippy,” you murmured. “Like, to wrap my mind around.”
“Yeah. I guess it is. I think it’s pretty cool, though,” Ellie replied softly, the casual enthusiasm evident within her tone.
“It is cool. Like a little picture in time.” You adjusted slightly, shifting one of your legs to be beneath where Ellie’s were drawn up.
Ellie’s gaze flickered down at your shift, but she didn’t move or angle her legs away. It did float the memory back through her mind, the one of the sleepover that she had been trying to mentally avoid. It was so easy for you to just… be in her space. Not that Ellie minded–because really, she didn’t. She liked it a little too much, though, and that was the problem. She could never really pull away from you, even when she probably should.
“We should take one of our own,” you mused, head tilting.
“You have your phone?”
“No. Not, like, an actual picture with a camera. But like… our own little moment in time.”
Ellie blinked at you, one corner of her mouth lifting begrudgingly. “For…?”
“For us. For the stars,” you enthused softly, leaning into her side to bump her arm with your own.
Scoffing, Ellie’s gaze flickered over your features. “You’re so weird,” she whispered, smile growing despite herself.
“Shut up. Come on, it’s cute. Our own little moment with the stars. Past and present, and whatever. Here.” You shifted closer to Ellie’s side, leaning your cheek against her shoulder as you tilted your head upward.
“What’re you–”
“Just smile. For the stars,” you answered simply before grinning right up at the sky, as if someone up above were to take a snapshot of that very moment.
Cheeks blooming red but disguised by the darkness, Ellie copied your expression with less confidence. Her smile was faint but real, eyes locked on the stars even though her senses were in overdrive due to your comfortable proximity. Ellie leaned a bit into your touch, practically holding her breath at the feeling of your cheek squished against her shoulder. Even through the material of her hoodie, it was close enough contact for Ellie to wonder if all this closeness was just… easy for you. Like you didn’t think about it in the same way that she did.
You both grinned at the stars, until a small sound of satisfaction fell from your lips. “I think that was perfect,” you said, reluctantly pulling away from Ellie’s side.
“Yeah,” Ellie muttered, swallowing thickly as she watched. “Perfect.”
Your eyes locked–same as always, in a way that was to be expected when spending so much time with someone, and sharing so many moments with them. Ellie’s eyes were probably your favorite thing in the world to look at–aside from her cheeks, her nose, and the freckles that followed the curves of her shoulders–but with this very moment, you felt a strange urge to pull your gaze away from her own.
It was an odd sort of shyness–the same one that had been clouding you since the sleepover, where you had been too tired and too cozy to try and force yourself to have some sort of strict boundary in your sleep. Sitting with Ellie under the stars now gave you the same weird twist in your stomach that you had gotten then, and had gotten earlier in the evening, too. The four of you had been making s’mores, and you had accidentally watched just a little too intently as Ellie had licked melted marshmallow goo off of her fingers.
You were so hopelessly captivated by and fond of every little thing about Ellie’s being… more often than not, it felt as though your heart was trying to run away from you and instead head straight to her.
Normally, you were the one that was better about holding eye contact in the friendship between yourself and Ellie. But you forced your gaze away, letting your arm press against her own instead.
“Tell me more about your stars,” you said.
“My stars,” Ellie replied with a breathy chuckle. She shifted to sit cross-legged again, and you pulled your leg out from under her own. “Uh. I really like that we can see the constellations out here. Like, perfectly. You know there’s seasonal ones? Based on the celestial hemisphere, and… Okay, there’s like, the different latitudes that are best for observing. I have that book at home, the one that–”
“How many actually are there? Constellations.”
“Eighty-eight.”
“Right.”
Ellie continued on, naming off constellations that she’s seen, and ones that she wished to see. You listened–of course you did–but your visual focus was set steadily upon Ellie’s side profile. The way in which her mouth curved and twitched as she spoke. How her eyebrows tended to pull together as she explained. She always did this little head tilt thing while she was talking, you were enamored with it.
“I mean, seriously,” Ellie continued quietly, gesturing vaguely at the sky with her hand. “Look at that. It’s incredible.”
“Yeah,” you muttered, brows knitting together as your gaze moved slowly over her features. It was so dark, but you could see her freckles from how close you were. The little auburn wisps of her hair that never stayed pulled back. How her cheeks curved when she smiled. “It’s really fucking pretty,” you continued, voice soft with affection that was so strong, it nearly felt painful.
If she were a worse person, maybe the ache of longing would kill you. But it was Ellie–your Ellie–so you leaned into the feeling as if it were a safety net.
Ellie turned her head to look at you, her expression of concentration shifting into one of confusion. “What?”
You swallowed. “Nothing. Just listening.”
“Are you?”
“Yes, Ellie. I always listen when you talk.”
You did. Ellie knew that. You remembered things about her that sometimes she didn’t even remember. You remembered the things that she would mention only once or twice in passing. You remembered things in great detail, even. It impacted Ellie in ways that she wished she didn’t have to acknowledge.
“...Yeah. Yeah. I guess you do,” Ellie mumbled.
“You guess?”
“Shut up.”
“You shut up. Look at the stars. Stop.”
Ellie blinked. Swallowed. Look at the stars, you had said–and yeah, Ellie had been. And she should turn her head right back and stare at them some more… but your gaze was boring into her own, and in a weird way, she kind of was looking at the stars, because your eyes might as well have been up there with those celestial objects due to how mesmerizing Ellie always found them to be. Your eyes. And the stars.
“I am,” Ellie managed, swallowing once more.
You had meant it as a physical joke, had wanted to be funny with the way in which you had lifted a hand to Ellie’s face, gently grasping her chin to turn her face away from your own. With your fingers pressing delicately against the warmth of Ellie’s cheeks, however, you found yourself wanting to linger.
Ellie gave a tiny jerk of her chin, almost like she wasn’t sure whether to pull away or lean into the touch. Your thumb gingerly followed the round of Ellie’s cheek before dipping down to her chin. You gave a small tweak to her chin while scrunching your nose–an attempt at playfulness to spite the hammering of your heart. Then you dropped your hand.
Ellie attempted to clear her throat, the sound more awkward than not. “You’re so touchy,” she mumbled, one corner of her mouth lifting slightly as she averted her gaze. It was a lighthearted observation, but also a callback in a poor disguise. To the sleepover. The sleeping position that could’ve been a casual thing except for the fact that Ellie hadn’t been able to shake it.
“Am not,” you mumbled in defense, reaching to fidget with the quilt that wasn’t covering either of your laps now.
Ellie didn’t know what to make of that. So she continued. “You just had your fingers all over my–”
“You exaggerate so much.”
Ellie didn’t know what to make of that, either. Maybe she was exaggerating things. Overthinking. Wanting things to mean more than they actually did. “Coming from you?”
“Yeah, coming from me,” you responded easily, despite the warmth of your cheeks. “I’m an expert, apparently, so I should know.”
Ellie snorted at that, rolling her eyes. “What is wrong with you?”
You copied her eye roll. “If you don’t want me to touch you, then–”
“I didn’t say that,” Ellie mumbled, blinking down at the ground at how the words had sounded upon leaving her lips. She had meant to do a dry retort–to just brush off your comment. I didn’t say that, she had wanted to say with a scoff. But it had instead sounded much too fucking soft. Too honest–like yeah, Ellie really didn’t fucking mind if you touched her. She preferred it, unfortunately, and that very thought made her want to trek into the woods and not come back out.
The two of you weren’t stupid–just anxious. Oblivious, maybe, regarding the extent of affection from one person to another. You were both very evidently talking around something, that much you were able to recognize. You knew what it was–of course you did. There had only been one thing that had made your friendship feel slightly off as of late–one very tiny, stupid thing.
You could brush it off. Make a joke and change the topic. Both of you were seemingly good at that.
Or you could take the plunge. With the stars and the dark and the loud cicadas, you could take the plunge. If the conversation failed you, you would not have to fret. Ellie would save face for you, you knew that much. Your best friend would sooner wave something off awkwardly than try to make you feel bad for it.
“I’m glad you’re not mad at me,” you muttered, your shoulders rising and falling as you took a deep breath. “I was worried, for like, a minute that–”
“Mad at you?” Ellie questioned, her eyebrows pulling together as her gaze searched your face. Your words had gotten her attention quickly–not that you ever didn’t have Ellie’s attention. “Why would I ever be– When?”
You really were doing this now, apparently. Plunging.
“Couple weeks ago,” you mumbled, shifting to fully face your body toward Ellie, going cross-legged once again. “When we– It’s so beyond stupid, I know. But, I don’t know. I guess I was, like… overly paranoid that maybe I made you uncomfortable or things got weird, or–”
“Hey, no. It’s fine,” Ellie muttered, shrugging her shoulders and shaking her head at the same time. Her volume was quiet, voice smooth and easy despite the way in which her pulse quickened. Maybe she hadn’t really expected you to truly address it, like, ever. But you were, and you sounded genuinely concerned, and it was sort of messing Ellie up. Especially due to the way that your eyes kept darting over her face. “You didn’t make me uncomfortable. It’s fine, really.”
“You mean that?” you asked, eyebrows knitting together as your voice softened. “I know I overthink. But I can’t stand the idea of you potentially feeling off and not being comfortable to tell me, or like, if I crossed a–”
“I’m not uncomfortable. I wasn’t. I didn’t…” Ellie bit the inside of her cheek, tugging idly at her middle finger as she struggled to throw some coherent words together. “I didn’t hate it, or whatever.”
“You didn’t hate it?”
Ellie blinked at you, her forehead creasing. She exhaled. “...I don’t know what I’m supposed to say.”
You blinked back at her, unable to tell if you were teetering at the edge of something or digging yourself into a very deep hole. “You’re not supposed to say anything. I’m just… telling you. Trying to see if–”
“Did it bother you?” Ellie countered suddenly, tilting her head to the side as if it could help her to better gauge your reaction. “If you’re still on that, and you thought I was mad–”
“Just because it was different–”
“Yeah, but I’m telling you, it wasn’t a big deal–”
“And I don’t think that different necessarily means bad,” you rushed quietly, twisting your hands in your lap.
Ellie inhaled slowly. Her mind was spinning, heart racing. This definitely was leading into something, she couldn’t play dumb. Despite her own wariness, she couldn’t deny you a conversation if that was what you truly wanted. But Ellie chose her words carefully, still wanting to tread lightly. “Yeah. Yeah, no. It doesn’t mean bad,” she agreed softly.
You huffed, your cheeks puffing slightly from the action. “I mean, you did basically just say that you didn’t mind if I touched you, so.” Lightheartedness was safe. You were trying.
“I don’t… think that’s exactly what I said,” Ellie replied, her voice smooth with a feigned nonchalance that she was oddly really good at.
“Well, I said if you didn’t want me to touch you, and then you interrupted me and went, like, I didn’t say that, so that’s basically–”
“Impressive short-term memory, dude. Yeah, that just happened.”
“Shut the fuck up,” you huffed, a wry smile tugging on your lips. It faded too fast, though. You could literally feel it–the way in which your expression melted into something that was much too earnest, but you couldn’t control it. “Ellie. I’m trying to–”
“Trying to what?”
You groaned, momentarily squeezing your eyes shut as you tipped your head back. “Can you please just understand? I don’t wanna– Trust your gut. Just, like, say something. Say something real.”
Trust her gut? Usually Ellie probably did, yeah. But when it came to things like this? Fuck that.
And yet…
“You know stars have winds? But they aren’t our kind of wind. They’re like–”
“Ellie,” you interrupted gently, and then instantly felt guilty for it. “Sorry. I do wanna hear. Tell me in a second. But…”
You slowly inched your fingers toward her, gingerly nudging the back of your hand against her own. Ellie paused–froze, more like–but she held her breath to listen… giving you the space to figure out what you wanted to say, even if she typically lacked patience.
“I feel like…” You took a breath, letting your fingers graze against her own before you retreated. Just a little. “There’s stuff that we’re both not saying. And it is kind of driving me crazy, if I’m honest. And if I’m wrong, then tell me I’m wrong, but–”
“You aren’t. Like, wrong.” The words left Ellie’s mouth without her permission, but now they were out there. Out there between the two of you. Out for the trees and the stars and the owl in the distance to judge.
The conversation was, realistically, barely anything. But it was still everything. Vague and simple, sure, but Ellie’s verbal confirmation was enough for you.
“You have to know that I care about you so fucking much,” you managed, your voice hushed.
And that just about did Ellie in.
“You have to know,” you continued, emboldened by the night and the comfort of nature draped around you. “There’s no way that you don’t. I feel like I’m obvious. Maybe I’m not. But I can’t tell if you–”
“What am I supposed to do?”
“What do you want to do? Do what you want to do,” you muttered, your voice a soft and earnest plea.
“Fuck,” Ellie breathed out, her green eyes searching your own. She leaned in, just a little, and her heart thumped when you mirrored her instead of pulling back.
Tentatively, Ellie raised a hand. She allowed it to hover for a moment, before placing it lightly on your shoulder. Her hand lingered, and then it skimmed. For maybe the first time in your entire life, you were completely aware of your own body. Ellie’s hand grazed up the side of your neck before stilling against your cheek. “If you don’t–”
You leaned in, and Ellie met you halfway.
Her lips brushed against your own in a way that was soft–trying. They were chapped, warm despite the chill of the air. You took a shuddering breath–or maybe it had been Ellie–and then the kiss ended.
A slow, careful press of the lips it had been–the pull apart slow, too. You blinked, taking in the sight of Ellie’s face. Her thumb grazed over your cheek twice. A first kiss, so long in the making, with the stars bearing as your witness.
“That was different,” you attempted, ignoring the way in which your voice hitched with emotion. “But not bad. Like, not bad at all.”
“No?” Ellie asked, feeling a weird mix between being dazed and overly alert. Her tone was soft, almost bordering on uncertain.
You shook your head, fingers inching to gently grasp the hem of her hoodie. Just for something to hold–because hoodies were for comfort, and you found comfort within Ellie, so it only made sense. “No,” you murmured, tilting your face just slightly toward her own once more. A silent invitation–kiss me again, if you’d like. I’m right here. I’ll always be right here.
Clearly, Ellie took note of your signal. She relaxed imperceptibly, your tiny shift being enough to indicate that she didn’t fuck up. If you wanted another kiss, so be it. Ellie could give hundreds.
“No?” Ellie echoed, this time a little smoother. One corner of her mouth lifted, her gaze flickering over your features.
“No,” you said again. “Not a bad different.” Your lips twitched in return, your eyes undecided between focusing on her eyes, or her lips. “Good different.”
Hand still on your cheek, Ellie guided your face back to her own. She kissed you without hesitation this time, lips moving against your own with a steady sort of confidence that could only come from having long-term feelings validated.
You weren’t even embarrassed about how quickly you melted against her. Your hands fumbled briefly at the hem of your hoodie before you shifted to loop your arms around her neck–anything to keep her warmth close. Lips parted, the kiss deepening–Ellie tasted a hint of mint from your toothpaste and you and your mouth was so warm, she couldn’t possibly give this up for anything. She wouldn’t.
Her hand stayed steady against your cheek, the touch grounding. Comforting—though everything in the moment genuinely was. Ellie let your tongue slip into her mouth, and your heart soared when she did the same. It didn’t feel messy, or rushed. Just right.
So right, in fact, that you grinned against her lips and fucked up the rhythm of the kiss. Ellie exhaled a chuckle, and your nose bumped against her own.
“Do not fucking laugh at me,” you murmured, eyes crinkled shut as your giddy smile lingered.
Ellie gave a quick peck to the corner of your mouth, kissing exactly where your lips had tugged up. “I’m not. I didn’t.”
You kissed her cheek in return, silently cursing the dark of the night for disguising the blush that inevitably painted her skin. You could feel it though, the warmth that was there.
“I do wish we were sharing a tent,” you muttered, circling back to your earlier comment. You opened your eyes to peer at her, but made no effort to pull away. In fact, your arms remained looped around her neck.
“Complaining,” Ellie remarked, eyebrows quirking upward as she kissed your cheek, and then went for your lips again.
You sighed, lips pecking against Ellie’s a few times. “Not complaining,” you mumbled between short, soft kisses. “Just wishing. Wishing upon a star. Which–” You broke the kiss, just barely, bumping your nose against Ellie’s. “I did want to hear about the wind thing.”
Ellie made a sound of amusement, which was promptly cut off by you initiating another kiss. You shifted more toward her, Ellie’s form almost starting to lean back before she adjusted. Her hands slid to the back of your head, warm as she held you there. Ellie leaned toward you, one of her knees digging into the blanket covered ground as she dropped a palm down as well to steady herself. You slowly went backward and Ellie followed without breaking the kiss, leaning over you. Your senses buzzed, the quick kisses slowing into something deep. Your fingers laced within her choppy, auburn strands… and you could’ve sworn that Ellie stifled a sigh.
You went back, back, back–carefully reclining as the warmth of Ellie’s tongue slid against your own. Your back hit the blanket, Ellie’s hands moving to better brace herself… but you instantly inhaled sharply.
“What?” Ellie rasped, abruptly pulling away from the kiss to scan your face.
“I went on a fucking stick or something,” you hissed, shooting upwards. Ellie bit back a smile, barely holding back a snort.
Ellie pulled away to let you sit up, her hands hovering. You brushed your trembling hands over your pajamas, shooting Ellie a sidelong glance. Ellie’s chest was rising and falling a bit rapidly, her senses in overdrive. Even so, she rubbed her palm gently over your back, as if to soothe whatever small hurt could’ve potentially been there. You leaned into her touch without thinking about it, the familiarity a strong force even if the type of touch was new.
“You’re good?” Ellie muttered, fingers twitching over your back–the material of your sweatshirt soft beneath the calloused pads of her fingers.
You nodded, almost shooting her an incredulous look. “It’s kinda perfect,” you murmured, shifting your gaze to the sky. “Like… this. Being here. The whole night. The stars. They are incredible,” you continued, agreeing with Ellie’s previous statement.
Ellie exhaled, her eyes glued to the side of your face. With her gaze, she traced your nose. She would kiss that soon, too. “Yeah,” Ellie muttered.
You leaned into her side, allowing your cheek to squish against her shoulder once more. Both of your heads tilted back, soaking in the sight of the sky for a bit longer before you would have to retreat back to your tents in an attempt at sleep.
“Tell me about the star space wind thing,” you prompted softly.
Ellie breathed in, preparing herself. “It’s not actually moving air. They’re really fast streams of particles, basically. They’re called stellar winds, and they emit from stars.”
You hummed in response—not dismissive, but fully engaged and listening.
You would, of course, have to rejoin Dina eventually. Ellie would rejoin Jesse. Until morning, at least.
But for now… it was just you and Ellie. And the stars.
⊹ ࣪ ˖ᯓ★
You Again (A Not Quite Him Drabble)
Pairing: Adrian Chase/Vigilante x Reader
Summary: Not too long ago, Adrian Chase lost the love of his life. And it broke him.
But when he stumbles into another dimension, he finds you again. Drunk and happy and breathing, with no idea that he isn’t the Adrian you know.
And maybe he lost his mind when he lost you. Maybe he’s fallen a little too deep into the darkness. But when he sees you again, touches you again, he can’t help but think that maybe…maybe he can have you again.
Warnings: 18+ Minors DNI: Swearing, Mentions of grief, Mentions of death, Alcohol consumption (reader is drunk), Kind of dubcon? (Reader is drunk and doesn’t know he’s not her Adrian), Thoughts of kidnapping, Obsession, Please let me know if I forgot anything!
Author’s Note: This ended up being a little longer than I expected it to be, but here it is! I haven’t figured out exactly how Adrian got to our dimension in the first place, so I’ll leave it up to interpretation. Just enjoy the angst! Don’t hate me! I know so many of you have become as attached to Alt!Adrian as I have, so this one’s for you guys! Have our poor grieving boy trying to pull himself back from the edge and…well, failing.
(This is a drabble/prequel to Not Quite Him. If you haven’t checked it out, I encourage you to do so!)
-
The door to the bar opens, releasing the sound of chatter and music into the night, and Adrian turns to duck down another alley. To hide himself against the brick and continue on his mission to get out of here and back to his-
Your laughter cuts through the air. Through him.
It feels like a fucking gunshot. It makes his knees nearly buckle. His blood runs hot and cold at the same time. His vision blurs behind his contacts and his heart freezes in his chest.
“Adrian!” And there you are, illuminated by dim streetlights and grinning from ear to ear. You. The love of his life. The ghost of the woman who died in his arms, now standing before him outside the bar in an alley not too different from the one you died in. When you were choking on your own blood while he held you and couldn’t do anything but watch the light leave your eyes as he rocked you and clung to you and begged you to stay stay stay baby please don’t go don’t go don’t-
He hears commotion coming from inside. Raucous shouting and more laughter. He sees Chris Smith through the foggy window, taking a shot with Emilia Harcourt and another woman he doesn’t recognize.
You’re…friends with them? Chris Smith is friends with…huh?
“Hey! How long does it take to get somethin’ from the car?” You ask, and you’re drunk. Hammered, even. Your eyes are hazy, cheeks flushed, and you’re looking at him with so much familiar love in your eyes that he might just fall to his knees right there. Worship before you like a poor man at your drunken altar. “Did you try to catch an owl again? You know you can’t like, actually befriend those. That’s just in movies.”
He barely registers the words. He can’t stop staring at you. His fingers twitch by his sides with the urge to yank you into him. To slam his mouth to yours and taste what he’s been missing for too long. To press his ear against your chest and listen to your still-beating heart until time itself crumbles into dust.
He almost does. He actually reaches his hand out towards you, helpless to stop himself. But then you frown, brows suddenly scrunching together and hazy eyes scanning over him. Shit. Shit, you figured it out. You’ve seen through him. You know he’s not from here and maybe maybe maybe he can just grab you and hold you for a second before you run. Maybe he can keep you for a little while if he just holds you tightly enough. Maybe-
You reach up, and squish his cheeks together, tilting his head from side to side and staring directly into his eyes. “Where’re your glasses?”
“I-“ the words catch in his throat, and his hands might be shaking when they come up to pull yours from his face. Gentle. So gentle. You might break if he touches you wrong, after all. The mirage could crumble and leave him alone again. Strand him back in the murky water where nothing fucking matters anymore because you’re not there and there’s no one left to kill about it.
The darkness that’s become so familiar creeps in at the corners of his mind. No. No, he can’t fall into it now. Not when you’re here. Not when he can feel your skin against his for the first time in so, so long.
You’re still looking up at him. Still confused. Too drunk to put together that he isn’t your Adrian.
But he is, isn’t he? Any version of him is yours. Any part of him that could exist in this universe or any other, it will always be yours.
“Hey, Earth to Ade? You alive in there?” No, he’s not. He hasn’t been since you died in his arms. Since the warmth of your skin turned cold beneath his bloodstained fingers and every part of him that mattered died with you and-
“Yeah. Yeah.” You’re looking at him too hard. Even in your current state, you’re too smart not to piece together that something is off. He moves forward, just a little. Just enough to guide you farther away from the light. To enshroud you both in the dark of the alley and hide you from the world. His hands release yours to come up to your face, cradling you in his palms like the precious thing you are. You’re warm. Soft. Here. His lips brush against yours, and you smell exactly the same. You feel exactly the same. He swears he can hear your heartbeat alongside his, singing that beautiful word over and over. Alive. Alive. Alive.
“What’s up with you, weirdo?” You ask, a surprised giggle vibrating through your lips to his. The sound is music. The most beautiful thing he’s ever lost.
He kisses you. Slow and soft and so, so careful because he doesn’t have long and he needs to savor this moment for just a second. Just one damn second. You relax in his arms with a soft hum, pliant and warm and absolutely perfect.
Where is your version of him, anyway? He left you alone? Drunk and beautiful and perfect and alone? Does he not know how easy it can be to lose you? How quickly someone can take you away?
Like him. He could take you away. He could do it right now. He’d never leave you alone again. Never let anything bad happen to you again.
The darkness creeps back in, slow and clawing and familiar. His fingers glide through your hair. Your breath ghosts over his lips. Your fingers curl in the front of his shirt, and he can make you so fucking happy. He can protect you. He can have a thousand more smiles. A thousand more kisses. He can get drunk on your laughter every night. Fall asleep with you wrapped safely in his arms. This version of him can’t possibly deserve you. He left you to go chase an owl, didn’t he? He doesn’t know what he has.
His hands drop to your waist. He pulls you closer. You laugh again, sweet and lovely as you wrap your arms around his neck, and this is right. This is so fucking right. Maybe he can take you with him right now. He’ll nurse your hangover tomorrow and lay in bed with you all day and everything will be-
“Hey, where’d you go?” He freezes, breaking the kiss but unable to pull back more than a millimeter. That’s Chris Smith. Chris fucking Smith is calling your name, and he’s seconds away from turning the corner and seeing Adrian standing here with you and the chances of his other self being inside that bar are too high. To horribly, sickeningly, unfairly high. “C’mon, Ads got another round!“
You open your mouth to call out to him, and Adrian kisses you again. Just once more. Soft, but firm enough to keep you quiet.
“I’ll be inside in a sec, okay?” He murmurs against your lips, and he can’t help but brush his fingers over your cheek again. Touch you one last time. For now. Just for now. “Gotta go…find that owl.”
You look confused again, and he smiles. Tries to make it look as convincing as possible.
“Okay, weirdo.” You frown, pressing one last wonderful kiss to his cheek before pulling back. “Might wanna find your glasses first. You look weird.”
It takes everything in him to let you walk back inside the bar.
For now. Just for now. He can wait. He can plan. He can get you back. He just needs a little time.
-
“Babe! Where were you?” The grin that splits Adrian’s face is so happy and drunk it borders on insanity, and he stumbles over to you to wrap his arms around your middle and all but shove his face into the side of your head. You giggle, returning the embrace with a drunken laugh of your own, and you snort as he begins to pepper loud and exaggerated kisses into your hair.
“Hey, you got your glasses back! And…” you frown, pulling back to look at him. “And you got super fast.” Wasn’t he just outside? Like, five seconds ago? How is he…
“Whhhaddya mean?” He slurs, leaning forward and looking very much like he’s about to attack your face with kisses again. “I went and got the pokemon card from the car. See?” And then he procures the crumpled infernape card from his pocket, proudly showing it to you, before you’re both being pulled away for another round of shots, and all thoughts of teleporting boyfriends are lost in the haze of the rest of the night.
-
Outside, green eyes watch through the window, shrouded in shadow. Adrian’s fingers come up to brush over his lips, the memory of your mouth against his replaying in his mind over and over again. Your laugh. Your smile. Your heartbeat. Alive. Alive. Alive.
The muffled sound of an 80s rock song drifts into the street, and he watches you laugh again. He watches Chris Smith throw a large arm around your shoulders, other arm around the woman he doesn’t recognize, and the three of you shout the lyrics, singing into your beer bottles like they’re makeshift microphones.
The light emanating from you, from your smile, your laughter, cuts through the darkness wrapping around his mind. Just enough to create a pinpoint. You. He’s found you again.
He won’t lose you again. Never again.
Never again.
CAT AND MOUSE - dennis whitaker x resident!langdon!reader
synopsis: nobody said his first day was going to be easy but nobody prepared him for the chaotic, hot resident that would make it impossible for him to think about anything else.
warnings: inaccurate medical knowledge, bodily fluids, graphic injuries, child abuse (patient), HORNY PEOPLE, langdon!reader but you’re adopted so no specific race or descriptions, smut (not full p in v though), hand job, making out, graphic descriptions. you are a horny bitch in this which hey, same here so, also im pushing sub/switch!dennis propaganda in this but you’re a dom so fun times all around!
a/n: so we all knew this was coming. i did threaten you guys with a good time a while ago and i actually kept my promise. sorry i got a little hornier than usual on the main, this whole thing is basically a stream of consciousness from me of everytime i saw dennis’s little victorian mousy face so i hope yall enjoy! also, i have a trinity santos fic in the works so let me know if you’d like to be tagged in future pitt fics :)
Day shifts happened to be your least favorite shift out of all the two options that there were. You were much more of a night owl, thriving in a new found energy under the moonlight. But these complaints faded the further into your shift you got, your mind being taken over by the adrenaline of saving lives. It’s like when your parents tell you that you’re going to your grandparents church and you dread and hate it but the minute you actually get there, your dread fades and you forget that you had complained about it. You were contracted with the hospital to be a floater, meaning you weren’t specifically day shift or night shift, you just came when they needed you.
It wasn’t as though you had meant to work at the same hospital as your brother. It just ended up like that. Pittsburg Trauma Medical Center was where you finished out your medical schooling, and instead of leaving you were now a resident with your brother, Frank. The chaos twins as Dana so lovingly called the two of you.
You slumped against the center counter as you filled out release forms for a guy who had fallen off a ladder with a concussion and lacerations on his legs. Why was this man on a ladder at 5am? Who knows? Night shift didn’t tell you.
A small voice piped up from behind you, “Ex-excuse me?”
You turned and froze. It was a man, very short sandy blonde hair, an angular shaped face and the largest, saddest blue eyes you had ever seen. He looked like a Victorian child that would have a heart attack if you showed him Euphoria. He might have had one anyway from the look of him.
You smiled at him, like a cat that caught the canary, or in this case, the mouse.
“How can I help you?”
“Hi, I’m Dennis Whitaker, fourth year med student. I-I start my shifts today. I was just wondering where to change into my scrubs?”
“Yes, of course,” Your hand grabbed his bicep gently to pull him passed the middle of the center so that he could see the other side, “Right down that hall, there’s a big metal vending machine. Just tap your card to it and it should spit some scrubs out at you and the locker room is just two doors down from there.”
He gave you a small smile and a nod of his head, “Thank you…”
“Langdon.”
“Thank you, Dr. Langdon.”
You watched him walk away, biting the inside of your lip before giggling while sliding over to the front side of the center desks where your brother and Dana were standing.
“What are you giggling at?” Frank asked, amused by this version of you at 7am.
“I just met one of our med students.”
This peaked Dana’s attention as she peered over his glasses at you with a smirk.
“Oh, does someone have a crush?” Frank teased, poking at your neck meat with his finger.
“I want to crack him so badly.” You said with a wicked smirk as your brother groaned in disgust.
“God, sis, I really don’t need to hear that.”
“Okay, I’ll tell Dana then,” You said matterafactly before turning to Dana and continuing, “He is so cute, and sweet, and he’s got a little midwestern accent that is just to die for. I want to destroy him. He’s got such huge blue eyes like look perpetually sad and I want to make him cry.” Despite the huge contrast in your words, it was all said with this love sick tone and dizzy smile.
“Jesus Christ, dude. You are so sadistic!” Frank said as he ran his hands roughly over his face while Dana laughed.
“Ugh, honey I love you so much but you are a walking HR violation.”
“Only if Gloria finds out.” You said, winking at her.
When Robby walked in, always in the same navy sweater than he seemed to live in, everyone was surprised. He never came in today, the date of Adamson’s death. You immediately trotted over and gave him a hug, something he usually only let you and Abbot do among the staff.
“Kid, I’m fine.” He said with a small laugh.
You pulled back and said quietly, “Yeah, I know. Maybe I needed a hug, you ever think about that, big guy?”
He ruffled your hair as he escaped your grasp, “You have more energy today than usual.”
“Ah, just feeling good about today.”
Once Robby got settled, he called a team meeting and rounded everyone up. You and Frank were in the middle of the nurses station as you listened to the introductions and instructions.
“Good morning, good morning. Come on over. As you can see, we have some new faces with us this morning. Starting with second-year resident Dr. Melissa King, fresh from the VA.”
“Everyone calls me Mel. I’m so happy to be here.” She said with little tempered excitement. You liked her already, you could just squish her and put her in your pocket.
Robby nodded and then looked across to the newcomers so they could introduce themselves.
A woman with bright cyan eyes and dark slicked back hair piped up, “Trinity Santos, intern.”
“Victoria Javadi, MS3.” With a mauve jacket over her scrubs and a low ponytail, the next spoke up. She looked a little young, very baby faced but obviously not in a bad way. Youthful, you should say.
Then came your little mouse, “Uh, Dennis Whitaker, MS4.” Oh, he looked so hot in his scrubs. How did he do that? You tapped your brother on the arm to get him to look at you before nodding your head slyly towards Whitaker and then scrunching your nose at Frank with a smirk as you telepathically spoke to him. His own nose scrunched but in disgust as he shoved your head away from him, causing you to cackle.
“Welcome to the Pitt. I’m-“
He was cut off for a moment with Dana calling over her shoulder while on the phone, “We’ve got two traumas from the T, five minutes out.”
“Okay, copy that. Uh, actually this is the most important person that you’re going to meet today. This is Dana, she’s our charge nurse. She is the ring leader of our circus. Do what she says when she says it. As you can see, our house is always packed, and our department is mostly clogged up with boarders. Those are admitted patients waiting for a room upstairs, sometimes for days. Beds are a very precious commodity around here, so please be quick and efficient with your work ups. What else? We treat the sicker patients back here but please keep your eye on that waiting room. Make sure nobody’s gonna die out there. Your senior residents are Dr. Collins, Dr. Langdon and the other Dr. Langdon but you may refer to her by her first name or Dr. Lang to tell them apart.”
“Are they…?” Dennis piped up, trailing off like he didn’t even know where he was going with that.
“Siblings? Yes. They may not look related but they act as though they shared a womb. The chaos twins.” Dana said with a smirk, always loving even when she was being mean.
“You report to them, they report to me. Okay? Great-“
“Got a GI bleed and lacerations across the stomach, ten centimeters!” A EMT yelled from the doors as they pushed a gurney through the double doors. You shoved Frank out of the way as you raced to them, shouting over your shoulder, “I want the mouse today, Robby!”
All of their eyebrows pulled together in confusion over your turn of phrase besides Dana and Frank, who started laughing to themselves.
Robby looked over to them and asked, “Who’s the mouse?”
Dana collected herself before pointing to Whitaker, who was taken aback, not only from the fact that you wanted him specifically but also the nickname. Mouse? How was he a mouse?
Robby chuckled as he crossed his arms, “Alright, Whitaker, you are with Dr. Lang today. Don’t worry if you need to be switched out, happens with her. Santos-“
“Wait, I’m sorry,” He interrupted, almost raising his hand to ask his question, “Why-why would I need to switch out?”
“She is, to say the least, is a chaos junkie. She runs high on energy and adrenaline, taking any big case she can get her hands on. Sometimes it’s too much for the med students, that’s all. If you can do it, great.” Robby gave a weird smile, the kind that matched that one cat meme, with his hands shoved in his pockets.
“It can’t be that bad-“
The sudden lack of yelling coming from Trauma 2 and a steady heartbeat sound from the heart rate monitor pulled their attention, watching as you walked out of the bay with your front and gloved hands held up absolutely covered in blood.
“We’re good.” You said, a perfectly normal tone if you were talking about some spilled milk on the floor you’ve just cleaned. The manic look on your face could only be described as Joker like, having spread across your face looking absolutely ecstatic.
Whitaker gapped at you while Santos raised her hand and said, “I want her.”
“Nope, you get me today,” Frank said, clapping her on the shoulder while walking past, “The other, cooler Langdon.”
“Lucky me.” Santos murmured under her breath for the other two students to hear.
“Chaos junkie…That’s fine, I’ve got this.” Dennis whispered to himself, trying to hype himself up.
“Kid, go change before seeing your next patient!” Robby shouted across the room as you jogged closer.
“Finneeeee!” You dragged out, just pulling his tail. You clapped Whitaker on the arm as you passed, going towards the hall you had pointed out to him earlier and started peeling off your top just as you entered the open hall.
“Kid, no tits in the hallway!” Dana yelled, causing you to groan very loudly.
“God, I hate this family!”
His barely there confident façade was cracking by the moment, and it must have shown on his face as the charge nurse gave him a small smile and said, “You’ll do fine. She’ll mellow out in a bit, don’t worry.”
He gave her a shaky smile with a nod before speed walking to keep up with you. The pat on his arm must have been to follow you, right? Maybe wait by the locker room so that you guys could get started by the time you came out.
~
Oh God, you were going to kill him, weren’t you?
It seemed as though you had made it your mission to torture Dennis on his first day. You were a good teacher, explaining things in full and letting him take charge when you felt like he could handle it. But you kept doing small things to make him feel like he was going insane. You made an incredible amount of eye contact, every so often leading his hand during a procedure, teasing him lightly with little giggles following, lingering stares that he couldn’t tell if it was him or you just observing him. His body constantly felt hot all over, a combination of nerves and flushing from your attention.
“So, where are you from?” You asked, not even looking up the dead skin you were slowly removing from a man’s arm.
“Uh, Broken Bow, Nebraska.”
“Ooh,” You said as your eyebrows raised in surprise, “I knew I heard a little bit of an accent.”
He chuckled a bit out of embarrassment, “Well, you have an accent to me, if it’s a consolation.” He said timidly, his eyes flicking up every so often to you across from the man’s body and every so often your eyes would meet.
You laughed though and a small breath of air left his lungs, “That’s true, I’ll give you that.”
“Where are you from?”
“Well, originally I’m from California before I was adopted by the Langdons but now I’ve been here since I was four.”
“Ah, I understand now.”
“What?”
“Oh, Dana said earlier that it was like the two of you shared a womb. I thought that just meant you weren’t twins.” Dennis was sheepish almost, worried that he wasn’t supposed to tell you this, but you only chuckled.
“Yeah, most people believe that. Me and my brother are close, no matter how much he irritates me sometimes.” You looked up from your work and stare right into his soul, causing a shiver through his body. “He’s kind of a cocky bastard.”
Then Dennis did the unthinkable (in his mind). He snort laughed, immediately catching himself with the back of his hand covering his mouth while his eyes were completely wide. Your mouth turned down like it was trying to hide your smile before you started giggling for a moment and then swallowing it.
“I’m glad you guys are having such a great time.” Your patient sneered sarcastically at the two of you from the head of the bed.
“I apologize, Mr. Fullerton. We are done now,” You stood and pulled off your gloves, “Alright, you will need to change out your bandages every day and spray your burns with the antibiotics. Keep them dry and come back in three weeks to have them checked, if they are healing, we will remove the bandages altogether and you will just have to keep up with the antibiotics until the burns are completely scabbed over. Any further questions or concerns?”
“How am I supposed to take a bath?” He asked like this was a big concern of his.
You thought for a moment before offering, “Wrap it in a trash bag, keep it out of the tub.”
“Or sponge bath.” Dennis piped up. You pointed and winked at him as he was correct, sponge bath was the other answer.
“Correct. I’ll have a nurse come around with your discharge papers and get you a prescription for the antibiotics.” You held the curtain for Whitaker to go ahead of you and then left.
You looked over at him as you headed to the nurses station with a smile, “I like your laugh. It’s cute.”
His cheeks turned so red, his head dipped down to hide the look on his face.
“Th-thanks.” You had already walked away towards Dana to get your next patient so thankfully for Dennis, you hadn’t heard that pathetic attempt at receiving a compliment.
Its not that you were doing anything wrong or unwanted, it was more unexpected and flustered him beyond belief. You lingered, that was it. Your gaze, your touch, the effect you had on him lingered. It was his first day and he was supposed to be learning, which he was for the most part, but his mind kept wondering to his own imagination. To your voice, your smile, your eyes, the noises you made under your breath when you were working hard, how those noises would sound with you under him- Oh, this has got to stop.
“Hey, we’ve got a kid in South 5 to go check out. Black eye.” You said as you appeared in right of him once more, handing him the chart as you passed him.
“Right.”
He trailed behind you, reviewing the chart until you pushed the curtains open for him.
“Hello, I’m Dr. Langdon.” You introduced yourself as you sat on the round stool and rolled towards the little boy. Despite the incredible amount of pain he was probably in, he smiled a little at that, which was your goal, any little amount of calmness helps in the ED. “You call me Y/N or Dr. Lang, whatever you want. This is Dennis behind me. What’s your name?”
“Isn’t it in his paperwork?” His dad said roughly, arms crossed over his chest.
Dennis glanced nervously between the two of you to see what you would do, but you didn’t even look at the man, continuing to look at the boy and waiting for his name.
“Zachary, everyone just calls me Zach though.” He said in a small voice.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Zach,” You pulled away to grab some latex gloves off the table, “You got yourself a real shiner there, didn’t you?”
“He got it playing baseball, pitcher was awful, hit him right in the face.” The dad gruffed. If you were annoyed by this, your face didn’t show it, keeping your attention on Zach.
“Ahh, a sports guy, huh? I’ve been known to dabble myself. When I was like…ten?”
“That’s how old I am!” He beamed with a wide smile. You feigned shocked as you looked at him with your jaw dropped.
“What?! That’s awesome,” You stood from your chair and looked to Dennis, almost startling him as he thought you’d forgotten he was here, “Can you start a blood pressure cuff and heart rate monitor, before setting up a ultrasound machine-“
“Ultrasound? He’s a boy! Obviously, you don’t need that! Are you stupid? Do we need to ask for a different doctor?” The father yelled at you,
Dennis’s face burned as he glared at the man and walked towards him, “Sir, you-“
Your hand came up to silence him, just looking at the man calmly before you said, “Sir, I understand your frustration and that you are worried about your son. If you have a question about how I am handling your son’s care, you are more than welcome to ask instead of insulting my ability to take care of your son. The ultrasound is used to get a read on the blood flow behind or around the eye. If it builds behind his eye, he would have to have a procedure to relieve it before we could do anything or we risk infection to the eye and him losing his vision.” You stared at the man dead on, completely expressionless before you smiled, “Now, may we proceed with our course of treatment?”
The dad scoffs and gestures from too dramatically for you to go ahead.
“Whitaker, take his vitals please.”
He nods quickly and follows your earlier instructions while you sat back down in front of Zach.
“Right, Zach, when you were hit, did you go unconscious?”
“I-“
“No, he didn’t. He toughed it out.” His father interrupted once more, causing you to glance over to him far longer than necessary.
“Zach, any headache besides the pain where you were hit? Difficulty seeing out of either eye but especially your right one?” You pulled out your little flashlight and tested his pupils, both were reactive with the right one only being a little bit slower to dilate.
“No, he would have complained about it to the intake nurse.”
You ignored him as best you could, making quick eye contact with Whitaker who had mirrored your expression.
“Zach, I’m going to check your lungs for a moment with my stethoscope so I’m going to lift your shirt for a moment. Is that alright?”
“What do you need to do that for? His lungs aren’t the issue here!”
“Sir!” You yelled over him, noticing how Zach flinched at the volume of your voice, the same way he had done when he father was yelling at you. This was your patient. He is your priority, not getting your emotions off your chest at his idiot father. So you took a breath and calmed down before continuing, “You’re stressed, I understand. But I’m asking Zach about his condition, not you. Because it’s his black eye, not yours. It’s his body that I’m asking about, not whatever you may or may not have noticed about his condition. I’m going to ask you to step out so that I can continue your son’s exam.”
His face was practically red, “What?! You can’t-“
“I can.” You stepped to him, “And if you can’t find your way there yourself, I am more than happy to call security to escort you to the waiting room.”
Both Dennis and Zach seemed to shift uncomfortably at the staring contest the two of you were sharing. A few moments of zero movements before you opened your mouth to instruct your mouse to go get one of the officers but the father cut you off.
“Fine! Fine, I’ll go.” But before he fully left the room, he grabbed his son’s arm and leaned down to whisper in his ear, “Behave yourself.”
Your, and Dennis’, eyes followed him all the way until he tried to dramatically slam the curtain and went away.
“Sorry, about that. And for the yelling before, I didn’t mean to spook you.” You said with what you were trying to achieve with a warm look on your face, standing up to listen to his lungs. Your stethoscope popped into your ears but you didn’t really need to listen to his lungs, you had wanted to feel his ribcage because you had a sneaking suspicion his black eye wasn’t from a baseball.
“It’s alright.” He said quietly with a small shrug. You could feel his spine and ribs with a slight brush of your hand, unnoticeable enough to get passed a teacher or babysitter but not a doctor who knew the healthy amount of weight for a boy his age.
“Does your dad yell a lot?” Dennis asked suddenly, having finished up his vitals.
“Sometimes.” His voice was getting smaller and smaller, his eyes looking at the floor and nowhere else.
“So you like the Golden State Warriors?” You asked, trying to build a little trust between you two.
He smiled, looking down at his yellow and purple jersey.
“Yeah, they’re my favorite! I watch all their games.”
“So this isn’t the jersey you played in today?”
Zach paused, realizing that you had caught on.
Your head tilted to the side you looked at him, “Zach. I need you to be honest with us right now.”
The boy met your eyes, “Did your dad give this black eye?”
He slowly nodded.
“Is this the first time he has hurt you like this?”
He shook his head.
“Does he not feed you as a punishment?”
He nodded.
You sighed, making eye contact with Whitaker and seeing how his sad face had only gotten sadder.
“Okay. Thank you for telling me, Zach. That was very brave of you and I’m so sorry that he’s done this to you.” You noticed that as the poor boy was nodding at your words, he was silently crying.
“Would you like a hug?”
He thought for a moment before accepting with his arms opening. You wrapped your arms around him tightly. His little voice whispered something out that you couldn’t quite catch.
“What was that?”
“I don’t know why though…”
“Why what?”
“Why he hurts me.”
It only took thirty minutes to mobilize and get the police to come to the hospital, along with CPS. The dad had seen the cops come through the entry way doors and had try to make a run for his son, to create a hostage situation or get him out of here.
“You stupid bitch!” He yelled as he busted through the glass doors, other doctors and nurses were already getting in between the two of you despite the room length of space. “You’re trying to take my son from me?! Fuck you!”
The police tackled him to the white linoleum
floors and quickly cuffed him but not without a struggle. Zach was hiding behind your back with Whitaker in front of the two of you with an arm out. He normally would have been hidden away until the dad was taken by the police but you had been the handoff with CPS and signing the paperwork.
“I can’t believe you were do this..” He said this, almost like he was sad but angry was clouding his words.
With a hand to his upper back, you ushered Zach to take comfort in Whitaker as you stepped towards the dad.
“What I can’t believe is that you thought nobody here would find you out, despite the fact that we are all trained to recognize situations just like this. Or, even more unbelievable to me is the fact that you had the gall to not even try to hide it! Your son is in a basketball jersey, not even a baseball jersey as you claim he got injured in. Not only that, but that bruise on his eye that you caused with a bottle, that you are lucky didn’t shatter when it hit him, is not fresh as you claimed when you came in. It’s at least two days old by the coloring. So not only are you an awful, disgusting person for abusing your son, you are also fucking stupid.”
The man tried to lunge at you but the officers pulled him away as he continued to scream slurs and threats your way, just as Whitaker had stepped between the two of you with the arm out in front of you to pull you back while he kept his eye on the man.
Despite the fact that you were running on adrenaline at the moment, you became a little hot under the covers at the look on Dennis Whitaker’s face. Jesus Christ, that was hot, how all protective he got, the look on his face being the same as the look he had given that rat earlier. You probably shouldn’t be blushing in the ED right now but you were.
“You okay?” Dennis asked as he turned back to you, almost looking you over to make sure you were fine after such an encounter.
There was a pause. A moment? Perhaps, if you were fooling yourself. Where yours and his eyes met and there was something there. At least on your end, it felt thought time slowed in one of those unnecessary slow-mo scenes in action movies. Except for the X-Men movies. The Quicksilver speed scenes in slow motion were absolutely necessary.
“Yeah-yeah, not the first time a parent has threatened me and it won’t be the last time.” You say a little flustered, more than you were expecting, like the words were slipping out of your mouth like water.
“Okay. Good, you look a little…red. Let me get you some water.”
He jogged away to the break room before you could get a word in edge wise. You looked over to the nurses counter where both Santos and Frank were giving you the same smug mocking smile, the latter giving you a fake thumbs up. You just covered Zach’s eyes before flipping them up.
~
Dennis had to make a break for it. The shifts in your behavior from you being so warm and caring to Zach and, how you handled that situation like you weren’t high on adrenaline most of the day today that he had spent with you. Then later switching on the dad, yelling at him so viciously with a dumbfounded but mocking smile. There was a small, very small but loud, voice in the back of his mind that whispered at him throughout the day, all the perverse thoughts he really shouldn’t be thinking about you. Like he kind of, a little bit, wished that you would yell at him like that. Wondering which of the many sides of you he had seen today had he thought would translate over to the bedroom. It was driving him insane. Dennis was acting on instinct now, the kind he grew up with and studied before finding his way to medical school. Ignore, ignore, ignore and it, these thoughts and urges will go away. Maybe it only worked when his family was breathing down his neck and repeatedly reminded him of God’s watching eyes.
He couldn’t even get out of the break room before he heard Robby’s voice and a cold chill ran up his spine. There was an active shooter at PittFest. And they were going to get the majority of the victims.
Blood, screaming from both the doctors and the patients, supplies running out far before it could be refilled, a single person and a single moment meaning the difference between life and death were the last three and a half hours of Dennis’s first PMTC shift. He felt as though he had been handling it pretty well, especially towards the end of it when he was sent to help with yellow and green wasitbanded patients. (Except for the IO incident…). Plus having to take care of so many patients at once who were all simultaneously having the worst day of their lives was keeping his mind off of you since you were with all the other residents in the middle of the Pitt, dealing with all the red cases that were coming in with gunshots.
His last straw for his willpower was in the last 30 minutes of his shift, of the chaos that was PittFest was almost drizzling to a close.
“GSW to the chest, BP is low, she’s losing blood quickly!”
“Langdons! Get over here!” Robby bellowed to the two of you as Whitaker ran over with two bags of O Neg, praying that this wouldn’t be the moment where he falls on his face. That had been his biggest worry at the beginning of the day. Falling holding some kind of bodily fluid, getting a random boner, and killing someone. You had rushed to the scene when the stretcher finally came to a stop, pushing her side up so that you could see where the bullet had ended up.
“It’s a through and through. One to the abdomen, barely an inch in from the waist, missed any organs, one to the shoulder, nicked the scapula. She’s pretty lucky, all things considered.” You called out as you irrigated the wounds, your hands working incredibly quick over her body. You grabbed a small flashlight and pull up one of her eyelids, “Ma’am, can you hear me? Any sort of movement if you can hear me.”
Nothing. “Fuck. Okay, start patching the exit wounds while we deal with the entries. Get saline, suture kits, push four of epi and intubate her, now!”
Frank started the intubation as Whitaker ran over with the blood and suture kits, Dana pushing the epi while everyone rushed around to keep her from hemorrhaging.
“Alright, she’s bleeding out. Hold the O Neg and start on 2 CC’s of cells!” Robby yelled while rushing to keep her from flatlining.
So, you made a snap decision and shoved your fingers into the bullet wounds to keep them from bleeding out. It wasn’t a super technical method but it was used in combat on the field when transporting GSW soldiers to a med tent. Everyone froze for a moment at what you just did and looked at you with utter shock and confusion.
“What did you just do?” Robby asked, dumbfounded.
Your head tilted to the side with a completely blank expression with an underlying of anger, “Oh I’m sorry, did you want to question all of my decisions right now?”
Robby’s face fought to keep from showing that child like face of being scolded as he paused for a moment before telling Dennis, “Whitaker, get her on the stretcher to get her out of the way. Her hands are…preoccupied.”
He didn’t think, just moved, just as other ED doctors had described working here. Just like when helping some mount the saddle of a horse, his hand wrapped around your hips and lifted in one quick movement. It was incredibly difficult to try and stop thinking about the plushness of your hips and how it felt to pick you up, but he shoved it down because there was a woman’s life at stake and now really wasn’t the time. You whipped your head back to look at him from your position on your knees, hovering over this unconscious woman.
“Damn, farm life did you good.” You told him with a smirk. You had the manic look in your eyes again, just like you had this morning.
“She is the only thing stopping this woman from bleeding out everything we just pumped her full, let’s get her up to surgery, now, now!” Robby shouted once more as the three of them started wheeling the stretcher to the elevators.
Whitaker stood there lamely with red flushing his cheeks, ears and neck, blood on his gloved hands that made the matching handprints on your pale yellow surgical cover.
The straw that broke the camels back.
Your “extended” shift was almost over, now that the last GSW patient was stable and almost out of surgery. You were just starting to pull off your bloody surgical cover when you saw Dennis marching towards you down the hall.
“Oh, hey. I’m surprised you haven’t left already-Woah, hey!”
He had grabbed your arm and started dragging you to the nearest door, which was a small break room that was practically a closet but had a cot bed for the long shifts. His face was angry, frustrated, similar to how he had looked at that abusive father before, or that look he gave the rat in the hall earlier.
“What’s wrong-“
The door slammed behind you, your back pushed against it with Dennis’ body pressed against yours. Your words were cut off by his lips, caught in a desperate kiss with his hands clutching at your upper waist. All this and he was still trying to be polite by not passing your hips. You were surprised to say the least, immediately returning when it really clicked in your mind, moaning into it. It was frenzied, how he kissed, pulling back before his lips snapped back to yours like magnets pulled apart and finding each other again. He was desperate and you practically melted into him when hearing the little noises he made.
You pulled back though, hands on his shoulders to keep him just an inch from you as you panted for breath. He must have taken this as rejection, despite what you had been doing the past few moments.
“I-I’m so sorry, I-“
“Dennis, shut up and keep kissing me.” You said with a smirk across your redden lips. Before he could go back in, cheeks red despite initiating this little makeout session at work on his first day, you grabbed his scrubs at his shoulders and flipped the two of you around so that his back was against the door. You leaned in so your lips ghosted his, his mouth open and twitching to meet yours again, “Just so you know, I’m on top.”
You let your hands let out of his top and press your entire body into his, causing him to moan as his bulge pressed against you just more you swallow his moans once more. Your tongue played with his as he finally let his hands drop to your ass, squeezing it as you smiled into his mouth at that. You pulled away, pressing wet kisses down his lips, passed his chin, over his Adam’s apple and to the apex of his neck. You continued to nip at his skin, switching from just pulling at the pale flesh like your teeth or lips, sucking blooming hickies everywhere you felt like and straight up biting him before licking them over. The look of your face had to resemble one of a drunk persons because that’s how you felt right now off of him. His whines and soft pants filled the tiny room, only fueling you further. Your underwear was wet and hot, living off of him in this moment, wanting more but needing to push him as close to the edge as you could get him. One of your hands snuck down the front of his pants, feeling the smooth skin of his stomach before grabbing him through his boxers. He was so big, harder than you had thought from the outside of his scrubs. Dennis gasped hard like he had been punched in the middle, almost curling in on himself at your touch that you thought he had already came in his pants.
“Please- please, I need-“ His words were choked, almost as if you had had a hand around his throat instead of around his cock.
Your other hand came up to cup his chin and force him to look in your eyes. “What, baby? What do you need?”
“Lips. I want your lips, let me kiss you. More, please, please.” God, as if you thought his face couldn’t get sadder. What you had been imagining your whole shift didn’t nearly compare to the sight in front of you.
“You want a kiss? That’s all you want from me?” You pecked his lips after each sentence.
“For now.” He murmured against your cheek. You gasped before laughing into his neck in surprise when he picked you up by your hips, same as he had before, only this time carrying you over to the flimsy bed and placed you down incredibly gently. He was hovered over you, just looking down at you.
“What?” You asked, still trying to catch your breath.
He smiled a little and shrugged his shoulders, both of his hands planted next to your head to keep him propped upright, “Just looking at you.”
You rolled your eyes with a smile as you tried to contain your cuteness aggression towards him. How was he being so sweet right now? After you had been abusing his neck and jerking him off with your hand down his pants, he was still being so sweet. And not nearly as wrecked as you wanted him to be. You wanted to bite his cheeks. And now you really could, one quick movement and you bit the apple of his cheek. Using the surprise attack, you flipped the two of you over so that you were on top now. Your hands pinned his down besides his head this time, intertwining your fingers with his and squeezing once out of reassurance. You leaned down with your ass sat on his lap, making sure you grind down on him once to watch his jaw drop before you whispered with a wicked smile, “You’re mine now.”
~
Twenty five minutes later, just as Robby was packing up to leave (finally), he glanced over just in time to see you and Whitaker walk out into the Pitt. It was obvious immediately what happened and he couldn’t help but sigh and shut his eyes for a moment. Whitaker’s hair was all messy up, sticking up from sweat, his neck was so bruised it looked like someone had been battering him and from the looks of it you had, his lips were swollen to hell as well. His face showed that he was incredibly embarrassed to have to walk through his new coworkers to leave the building. You, on the other hand, looked peachy. Practically glowing, from your satisfied smile and the sweat seen covering your skin. Robby couldn’t help but scoff and shake his head, thinking to himself that at least you were a woman on your word. But he was the boss and he had to act as such so when Whitaker tried to speed walk right passed him, he clapped him on the shoulder and stopped him in his tracks.
“Whitaker…really? Your first day?”
He looked down at the ground for a moment before flicking his eyes up to meet his and saying quietly, “She caught me. It would have happened evidently anyway.”
Due to this little confrontation, both of them missed how you passed them walking backwards as you scrunched your nose at them with a wide smile while nodding at Dana and Frank at the nurses station. Dana was cackling up a storm, slapping the desk, Frank’s jaw dropped on the other hand before slapping a $20 in the nurses hand.
“Dennis!” You called, causing Robby and him to look over towards the exit doors. You nodded to them while only looking at the latter, “You coming?”
“Yeah-yeah, coming!”
Santos rolled her eyes from the clock out computer, “Fucking simp…good for him though. At least someone’s having some Grey’s Anatomy fun here.”
⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀SWEET BOY ─── ' マキ '
riki wilhelm mauss 'maki' x reader word count ⸝⸝ 3k content warning ⸝⸝ afab!reader, pet play, slight breath play, accidental kink discovery, domesticity, switch4switch, slight size difference, manhandling, p in v, unprotected sex. silke's notes ⸝⸝ this fic is written for my lovely owl hubby miel who provided me with the idea, and was also kind enough to help me bring it to life in the best way possible! pls enjoy this ouppy maki piece which i nicknamed 'wang wang'. ૮ • ﻌ - ა
The first time you noticed it, you said nothing.
You were sprawled across the couch in your living room, curled by the couch arm rather than sitting properly, the gentle sound of the television filling up the space. You were half-listening, half-dozing off, snapped out of your daze due to the jingle of the keys and the sound of your apartment door opening.
The sound of heavy steps blended with the music on the television, yet you remain planted in your place, head dropped from drowsiness as the lack of caffeine caught up to you.
“Honey, are you falling asleep already?” Maki’s voice resounded through the semi quiet place.
You didn’t say anything, just raised your hand and gently waved at him to come over. Without hesitation, he crossed the room — abandoning what he planned to do when you called him over.
Maki settled on the couch, nearly folded himself into your side, his warm weight resting against you. His hands wrapped around your belly pulling you as close as possible to him, the familiar scent of his perfume engulfing your senses.
“I got you your favorite jelly from the store,” he mumbled, his cheek rested on the top of your head, you can feel his eyes on you — staring intently waiting for a reaction.
“Thank you, honey.” You leaned up to place a chaste kiss on his lips.
He beamed at that, his entire face lit up with a smile that reached his eyes, as if you handed him a reward and it made him hug you even tighter.
“See … I remembered exactly what you like!” he said sounding a little too pleased with himself, feeling his chest puff.
“Pfft, you say it like you’re waiting a reward.”
“Maybe I am.”
You laughed softly, that’s when it dawned on you. Maki looked so happy, his expression brightened when you bought up the idea of a reward as if he was thriving off your approval.
You brushed it off with the excuse that it was Maki’s natural way show of affection, continued on with your day as you usually did.
── ⟡ ˙🦌 ̟
The next time it happened, you were out grocery shopping together.
A few essentials needed to be restocked and Maki was planning on making a new dish today. So, you started gathering the items on the list he wrote, paper adorned with his cute doodles and scribbles.
You turned away for a minute, heading towards a shelf to grab what you needed, Maki alongside the cart were abandoned for a short while. When you came back, he was standing exactly where you left him, patiently waiting for you — his attention completely fixated on you. When your eyes met, he smiled.
“You’re staring,” you mumbled, gently placing the items in the cart.
“Can’t help it, darling,” he laughed, finding his place by your side, your shoulder almost brushed, his steps matched your own as you continued walking through the store.
Later that evening, when you were back home and started putting the groceries away together, your hands instinctively reached to ruffle his hair.
“Good job on carrying all those heavy bags,” you praised, not sparing the words you said a second thought, yet their effect on him were instantaneous.
Maki froze, his eyes widened at the gesture. Then, slowly, his lips curled into a smile, so wide that it made your brow raise in question.
“What?”
“Nothing…”
“Maki, spit it out.”
“It’s nothing,” he said, his smile only seemed to get bigger.
Maki reached out to take the things in your hand, putting them away as well as all the other stuff scattered across the kitchen — humming under his breath, occasionally glancing your way while you stood there watching him in awe.
It was like he wanted to check if your attention was on him.
You knew Maki was affectionate in his nature, but this was more than that — he was actively searching for your approval, your praise and it made him gloat with a puffed chest as he carried it around like a treasured reward.
── ⟡ ˙🦌 ̟
A few nights after, Maki came home from practice a bit later than his usual time.
As soon as he stepped into the dark apartment, something felt off. Usually, you’d greet him by either calling out for him or meeting him by the door with a sweet kiss — that, however, was not the case tonight.
He carefully placed his bag on the console table by the hallway then headed in a beeline to the living room only to find it dark, empty, and unusually messy. The quietness that loomed was unsettling, and his worries kept manifesting — his feet padded to your shared bedroom only to find it desolate, and the same case applied to the bathroom.
“Honey?” his worry laced voice echoed through the empty apartment.
You didn’t respond, which made his lips curve into a frown.
You always responded to him, even if it was a sleepy hum from the comfort of your bed or a “just a second, honey!” while you busied yourself with something.
His concern only grew, frantic eyes scanning his surrounding for any sign of you. The apartment wasn’t big enough for you to disappear completely, and you didn’t leave either — that much was evident from your shoes tucked away neatly by the entrance.
“Honey?” he called out again, his hands searching his pockets for his phone, feet pacing around — that’s when he saw it. A faint light was spilling from the kitchen.
Without any second thoughts, he headed straight towards it and the sight that greeted him made him halt in his tracks.
There you were, laying on your back on the floor with a pillow under your head, laptop by your side playing some video you were watching, an empty mug abandoned right next to it.
“Honey… what are you doing?”
You looked up, startled by his sudden presence. For a moment, you both quietly stared at each other, until Maki started laughing, yet his worries lingered in the back of his mind.
“Again, what are you doing on the floor?”
“My fever was running and I wanted to cool down…”
He raised his brow at that.
“So, you thought the floor was a good choice?”
“Well, it’s cold, exactly what I needed.”
He knelt next to you, a hand moved to rest on your forehead to check your temperature, your heat seeping into his skin, which tightened his expressions.
“Sweetheart, you’re burning up,” his tone was gruff as worry settled across his features.
At this point, he was fully settled in besides you, mug and laptop pushed aside. He draped your feverish body against his own, fingers gently brushing away hair from your face.
“You should’ve called me,” he mumbled.
"I didn’t wanna bother you—”
“You never bother me!” his reply came quick, effectively cutting you off.
You tilted your head to look at him. The sight made your chest warm despite your running fever. Maki looked downright offended by the idea of you being a burden, so much so that it disturbed him.
“How long have you been laying here?”
“I lost track of time.” You shrugged and his jaw clenched.
“Love…”
The look he gave you made you laugh weakly. He sighed in response before carefully helping you sit up — you immediately leaned into him, your body sought out the nearest source of comfort and that made Maki visibly soften.
He held you close, his arms wrapped tightly around you, almost protective in their nature. His chin rested atop your head, slowly rubbing comforting circles against your back.
“We should move to the bed.”
Your eyes were drooping, body turning slack against his as your head lolled against his shoulder.
“Okay,” he said, fingers reached to cup your warm face tenderly, “bed time.”
“The floor is nice,” you grumbled, making a small noise of protest.
“No, it’s not honey, let’s go to bed, hmm?”
Without hesitation, he slipped one arm behind your back and the other beneath your knees — lifted you with surprising ease, and you didn’t complain. Instinctively, your arms slid around his neck, his expression softened like it always did when you sought him out.
As Maki carried you down the hallway, he gently rubbed his thumb against your side, almost absentmindedly. By the time he reached your shared bedroom, you were already half-asleep against his chest.
Carefully, he lowered you onto the bed, the mattress dipped beneath your weight. Before you could say anything else, Maki was already pulling blankets over you, tucking them around your sides and shoulders.
Then, suddenly, he was gone.
You blinked slowly, voice hoarse as you called out for him.
“Maki..?”
“I’m here, honey.”
He returned a few moments later with a tray in hand, carrying a glass of water, medicine and cool towels for your forehead. You couldn’t help the fond smile tugging at the corner of your lips.
“Heh, you came prepared.”
His chest puffed, lips curved upwards displaying his pride. Once you had taken your medicine, Maki was finally content. He moved everything to the side and slipped under the covers to join you, his chin finding its rightful place atop your head as he pulled you flush against his chest.
“You’re so good to me, babe,” you sleepily mumbled into his chest.
“So silly… I’d do anything for you, honey.”
You felt him relax in your hold as a long, content sigh escaped his lips. Sleep started to sink into your bones, coupled with Maki’s warmth, it was getting harder for you to stay awake. The last thing you felt before you fell asleep was Maki’s hand slowly rubbing up and down your back.
── ⟡ ˙🦌 ̟
When you woke up in the morning, your body nearly recovered, leaving you feeling much better, the throbbing ache and high fever has subsided. Your body was still tightly squished against Maki’s, his grip hadn’t wavered much exuding warmth that felt comfortable.
You looked up, eyes scanning every single detail that has graced his face; from the way his lashes rested against his cheek, to the slight pout that his lips formed — admiration bloomed in your chest.
You weren’t sure how long you’ve been staring at Maki sleep but you hadn’t looked away once, not when his eyes fluttered, nor when his body twitched as he woke up. For a few seconds, he simply blinked at you, his gaze held by your own.
“Good morning, honey,” he sleepily muttered.
“Morning, puppy.” Your fingers reached out to brush a few strands of his hair away from his face.
Faint, beautiful hues of pink bloomed across his cheeks as he hummed in response and pulled you even closer against him. You buried your face in his neck, planting mellow kisses against it, feeling him squirm against you.
“You like that, puppy?” you pulled away to look at him.
“Yeah,” he slurred, his head tilted to the side, “keep going …”
Your hand reached up to cup his chin, forcing him to look at you.
“Ask nicely, puppy.”
He leaned his face closer to yours.
“Keep going, honey.” his eyes watched you, scanning your features in search of a reaction — his lips curved to a smug, knowing smirk.
Your tongue poked into your cheek instinctively, vexed with his disobedience, your grip on him undifferentiated however.
“Let’s try this again, puppy, hmm?” you coaxed him with a saccharine tone, “can you ask nicely for me?”
“Please keep going, please.” the smugness he wore was wiped away, replaced with a need to satisfy instead.
“Good boy.”
You leaned to place a chaste kiss on his lips, a reward for his obedience, then your kisses and nipping trailed all the way down to his neck, covering the smooth skin with blooming hues of red and purple.
Maki moved his hand to rest on the back of your head while the other gripped your midriff tightly, his presence overwhelming your senses. His hips started moving on their own, desperately grinding on you through layers of clothing while his cheeks nuzzled into your hair.
Your fingers let go of his chin to settle between his soft locks, gently running your hands through them before tugging — exposing more of his throat to your mouth. Once you were satisfied, you lightly traced the marks you left all over him.
“Such a good puppy, aren’t you?”
He beamed at your praise, his pace picked up just as the tent in his pants grew.
“‘m your good puppy, only for you,” he panted, his hands searched for yours, guiding them to the place he needed them the most — his hard bulge.
“What do you want, puppy? Use your words, not hands.”
“Please touch me, hun’.” he whined, his hips bucked eagerly against your touch.
Your fingers hooked into the band of his sweatpants, pulling them down slowly. You left his embrace in favor of pushing him down the mattress and straddling him. Leaning down, your slid his boxers tantalizingly, his length finally breathed — throbbing and glistening as it wept with arousal.
You, on the other hand, were still fully clothed, but that didn’t stop you from lowering your clothed core against him, rutting feverishly against his cock, sending Maki into a fit of desperate groans and moans as his hands found purchase around your waist.
“F-fuck, …. please pleas please ’.” He threw his head back, the pleasure tingling in his spine, the silver chain around his neck caught your eyes — your fingers curved around it, tugging on it like a leash.
You picked up the pace, grinding your hips roughly across his cock’s weeping tip, his necklace still in hand.
“You’re doing so well for me, puppy.” A broken hiccup has burst from him as his shaky hands grabbed at your hips. Maki was twitching, shaking, on the verge of vibrating — he wasn’t able to stay still if he tried.
He was trying to keep a hold of his sanity as he suffered under you, the fabric of your clothes amplifying the pleasure he felt, submitting himself to the torture that you offered him to the best of his abilities.
“Ahh— Master, please!”
“Be patient, puppy.” Still tugging on his necklace, overstimulating him with your thrusts as his cock leaked even more glistening pearly beads of precum.
Maki, however, wasn’t having any of it. Out of desperation, the hands on your hips lifted you up, flipping you over so that he was on top — keeping you slotted between his softly heaving chest and the bed.
“Can’t wait any more … Let puppy make you feel good. Please, master.”
You gulped, the words dying at your throat, his leaking shaft prodded at your clothed cunt — your garments hurriedly hiked just far enough for him rub against you, your fingers finding their way to his necklace again and tugging harshly.
Maki wasted no time. His hands pinned your hips against the mattress, slowly pushing in —inch by inch, your walls gripped him so tightly until he was fully sheathed inside you.
You threw your head back as moans fell from your lips like prayer.
"Ahh M-Maki—“ You tried to speak, but it came out as a pathetic whine as you clenched around his thick length.
"Mine, all mine,” he growled.
Any last inch of self control left his body when he looked down at you, laying so pretty and exposed for him. He pulled back out for a moment, looking at you intently before slamming into you with a hunger you haven’t seen before, the sounds of your desperate moans and whimpers echo through the walls combined with the sound of skin slapping together.
“P-puppy— nngh!" You cried out, pulling him closer to you by his necklace.
“No, mmh — wanna claim what’s mine,” he snarled, thrusting sharply as he fucked into you deeper, lifting your hips with each snap of his own. Your cunt clenched around his cock in arousal.
“I-I’m being so good, master!” He panted, his hand found its way to your throat, squeezing lightly just enough to make your cunt ache with desire. “Tell me, ah— Tell puppy how good he’s making you feel!” He slowly slid his fingers away, their mark adorning your skin.
One large hand moved to rest by your head, his head leaned to place chaste kisses against your ears, tongue poked out to lick at the flush skin before his teeth grazed it — biting into the supple skin.
“F-fuck, s-such a good boy for me.” Your fingernails digging into the welcoming flesh of his bicep beneath you as he ravaged your body, sinking deeply into the feeling of his cock.
He held your hips with both hands, slamming into your sopping cunt with each sharp thrust, his pace brutal and bordering animalistic. You moaned, keening as you threw your head back, your walls fluttered and squeezed around his cock like a vice.
“Look at me, master. Keep your eyes on me.” He let out a deep hum. Maki talked you through it, his thrusts became vicious, his cock pounded deeper into you.
“Puppy! ahh— I’m s-so close!" Your eyes fluttered shut, toes curled as you felt the pressure in your body snap while he plowed into you.
“Fuck — cum for me please, master. I’ve been a good puppy, mmh — I deserve it, don’t I?”
Your climax crashed over you, gushing like waves, your clit throbbed with the raw pleasure he gave you — you panted heavily, holding onto his necklace for support as Maki could feel his own release drawing in near.
Maki kept going, rutting like a pup in heat ‘til his climax approached. His seed spilled into you, warmth filled your insides as he moaned into your ears needily. He rolled his hips a few more times, fucking his load deeper into you before slowly pulling out with a satisfied hum.
“Thank you, master, aah — thank you, thank you,” he whined huskily, his body collapsed onto yours.
His heart was still racing, muscles tense, needy whimpers occasionally leaving his lips. Realization dawns on you gradually, shooting Maki a knowing look while he looked away sheepishly, cheeks colored in the prettiest shades of pink.
𝒻𝑖𝑛.
𝓞𝒅𝒆𝒕𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒏𝒆 © all rights reserved — do not copy, translate, plagiarize, or feed my work into AI. ( 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝. ♡ )