thelazybard

she/her 24| thelazybard on ao3| Multifandom

[thelazybard]

💚Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ💚 𝕸𝖆𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖙 💚Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ💚

Instead I Pour the Milk. [Alejandro Vargas x fem!Reader] 

Images of the Coffee Shop

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12 (18+)

Chapter 13

[allthingswhumpyandangsty]

nobody “writes like ai” as long as they write, then they write. period. there’s no “writing like ai”. because by saying someone “writes like ai”, you’re implying that ai actually writes and that ai is the blueprint. but what ai does is mimic human-made works.

ai writes (aka they’re mimicking) like humans. not the other way around.

saying “this writer writes like ai” is the equivalent of saying “your work looks like those other works that copied yours”

[thelazybard]

Spider beats Rock.- Chapter 2

Pairing: Ben Grimm X Fem!Spidey!Reader

Summary: You encounter familiar faces at your place of work.

Tags will be posted here on AO3

April, 14th, 1962

You've kept a low profile since your confrontation with the Four. Now that you're aware of their interest in you, you've become a bit apprehensive. Visiting Maisie's was a no-go, and you had to find elsewhere to perch other than the Daily Bugle.

It was annoying, having to look over your shoulder. You couldn't stand the feeling of being under someone's watchful eye.

Today you took your time getting out of bed after your alarm rang, stretching slowly and tossing under your duvet. It was Saturday and you didn't work until the evening. So, first order of business was sleeping in.

Around eleven you finally rolled out of bed and ran a bath while your radio buzzed with late morning news. Easter was fast approaching, only a week away, and you were expecting to spend it with your aunt May. She'd make a big dinner and invite all your local relatives . You'll show up early with a dish, help finish dinner and find a good reason as to why you aren't married yet to everyone who asks.

Honestly, it's not for lack of trying. You have a boyfriend afterall. Or at least, a boy that you let take you on dates. Harry Osborne was a decent guy, but everything about him seemed artificial. Like it was all a performance, hence why you didn't see it going beyond dating. You were hoping to find your life parter within the next few years, but it's proven difficult even before the bite.

City boys, especially college city boys, were nothing like the boys back home. They were deceptive, knowing just how terrible they are but keeping the act up long enough to slap a ring on a poor girl's finger. At least boys back home were honest if nothing else, though certainly too conservative for your taste. If Harry wasn't able to take off the mask after ten months of seeing you regularly, you didn't see it ever coming off. And that was fine, you suppose, you weren't exactly giving him your all, either. You had a mask yourself.

It's also worth mentioning that Harry is the reason you were bitten in the first place. As the heir of Oscorps Labs, he has certain company strings that he can pull on. Three months into your relationship, he got you a spot at one of their prestigious lab showcases hoping it would result in third base. But, coincidentally, you were too sick to do anything that night. But once you were finally up for it, you rocked his world, which you suspect is why he keeps you around.

Well, whatever. There was bigger fish to fry than sulking over your love life, like your mountain of homework you've saved till the weekend. Hooray, grad school!

* * *

"Parker, be honest, does the hair make me look like Jo Stafford?" The other waitress for the night, Connie, asked.

You glanced while reaching for your punch card. "Oh, absolutely." You said, babysitting the clock until it struck 8:30 precisely. Your boss has been getting on you for clocking in "early". Really that old bastard just has it out for you because you wouldn't flirt with him back when you first started. He'll find anything to fuss at you for now.

"Thanks, I really need to make good tips tonight." Connie said anxiously.

"Have something big coming up?"

"Easter is around the corner, I have to be able to buy a roast." She explained.

You nodded, understanding that issue a bit too well. If it weren't for aunt May, you'd be eating scrambled eggs and cold cereal next Sunday.

Eventually you punched in and Connie did so right after you. She went ahead and exited the kitchen while you took your time putting on your apron and tying your hair up. The diner is usually empty until 2 when all the nightclubs close and everyone scatters like roaches to restaurants in walking distance.

Just then Connie flew back into the kitchen and grabbed your shoulders. You blinked at her wide-eyed.

"The Fantastic Four are out there!" She awed. Your heart leaped into your throat.

"Who?!" You walked past her to peak through the kitchen door's window. Sure enough, they were in a corner booth. In your section.

Your face grew pale. "God help me."

"What's wrong?"

It donned on you that you weren't having a normal person's reaction to a Fantastic Four appearance. Even the linecooks stuck their head out of the kitchen to greet and wave them.

You quickly recovered. "Nothing I just... uh, seeing my idols makes me shy. Would you mind waiting their table for me tonight?"

Connie's eyes blew wide. "Are you sure?"

"I'm positive. They'll love you, but you gotta go, don't keep them waiting." You shooed her out the door.

"Thank you! You're the greatest, Parker, I owe you. Maybe Johnny will really like my hair." She giggled.

"I'm sure he will." You smiled, face dropping when she left and rounded the corner to her customers.

What the hell were they doing here? What part of "give you some space" was difficult to understand exactly?

You watched through the window as Connie introduced herself and handed them menus. They seemed to be acting normal, smiling and laughing at Connie's charisma. Johnny's eyes flickered to the kitchen and you dipped your head. There's no way they're here on coincidence.

"The fuck are you doing, girl?" A voice growled.

When you turned you nearly shrieked at the sight of your boss. Instead, you straightened up and tucked a stray lock behind your ear. "Oh! Hey, Mr. Carter..."

"Why aren't you out there?" He looked behind you and gasped. "That's the–"

"Yeah..."

"Shit, if I knew they were gonna come in I would have had you mop the floors." He thought, then looked at you. "Well, go out there and look busy!"

You shuffled out of the back awkwardly and grabbed a broom to sweep on the other side of the lobby. Connie went to the kitchen to put their order in with the cooks as the Four talked amongst themselves. Stealing glances, you eventually noticed that they were completely disinterested in you. No one ever looked your way.

Maybe they didn't know who you were after all. Or were doing a good job at hiding their intentions. Either way, Mr. Carter wasn't going to let you go back and hide in the kitchen, so you went behind the counter and started wiping down the bar and organizing.

"Any sight of her since then?" You heard Sue ask.

"I see her swinging through the city sometimes, but other than that, no." Ben answered.

You knew exactly who they were discussing, inching closer to hear better over the sound of the linecooks while folding up napkins.

"Wouldn't she have said something by now?" Johnny pointed out.

"It's not that easy, I'm sure she has a lot of different factors to consider." Sue said.

"Like...?"

"Privacy, scheduling, freedom..."

"You say it like we're gonna keep her chained up at the Baxter building until we need her to kick people around." Ben sounded defeated.

"To her, it may sound that way. And it's gonna prove challenging trying to get ahold of her and have a real conversation until she's ready to talk to us. If she ever is again." Reed explained.

You frowned to yourself, unsure whether that was how they truly felt or if this whole thing was all a ploy to get you to trust them. Truth be told you wanted to trust them, but the stakes on the off chance of betrayal were too high to not be cautious. Just as you turned your back on them, you heard Johnny whistle for your attention.

"Excuse me, miss?"

Turning around slowly, you put on your best smile and approached their table. "Anything I can help you with?"

"Yeah, the girl that took her order, do you know if she's seeing anyone?" He asked.

That question took you by surprise, blinking a few times. "Oh Connie? Not that I know of."

"Perfect." He leaned back in his seat then looked you up and down. "You remind me of someone."

The remaining three now looked at you and made assessments of their own. You shrunk, laughing nervously. "I get that a lot. Must have one of those faces."

"I'll be honest, it's pretty refreshing that you haven't made a big fuss about us." Ben said.

"I figured I'd give you guys your space like I would any customer I'm not personally serving. What uh, brings you guys here tonight? I'd assume you guys would dine in somewhere a bit more bon vivant." You chuckled. Shit, was that catty?

Sue didn't seem to mind. "We like to support local businesses when we can. Tonight we were all craving diner food." Sue explained.

"Well, you've come to the right place." You looked at Johnny who was already staring at you, like he just figured something out. Shit. That was your queue. "Well, I better get back to it." You turned to leave.

"That's her." Johnny whispered as you walked away, making you bristle.

"Her?" Reed asked.

"No doubt. No one just has a southern drawl like that around here. And her hair is identical. Do I need to point out her figure too?"

Ben raised a hand. "Do not. But, it would explain why she's been avoiding us since we got here. But what are the odds?"

While they deliberated what to do, you focused on trying to not look like you were the cat caught in the cream. A new group came in, and when they asked to be seated next to the Four you all but hissed out a no.

The Four ceased all talk when Connie returned from the kitchen with their food. They whispered when she left, like that'd do any good.

"We shouldn't have come here." Reed stated the obvious.

"Lesson learned: don't support the community." Johnny said sarcastically.

"Maybe we should go." Sue said. She sounded... wilted. Like she regret the possibility of upsetting you by being here.

Sighing, you went around the counter to grab the pot of coffee and wordlessly refilled Ben and Reed's cups.

"Thank you." They all said in their own way.

You leaned in close so only they could hear. "If you guys wanna get on my good side, Connie deserves a big tip."

"You..." Ben started.

You sighed dryly, shoulders dropped in defeat. "Yeah, you guys found me. Bravo."

"Please come talk with us. Or at least just me." Sue pleaded.

You mulled it over. It's true, Sue seems to be the only one out of the four to like you for the what she knows of your personality and not what lab results you may yield. Johnny is both infuriated and terrified of you and Ben, well... You aren't sure about him.

You've watched him from afar as he's stacked kids across his broad shoulders or help old ladies cross the street. A very community-based man, a lot like you which you greatly appreciated. But whenever you come around, he clams up. It couldn't be fear, right? You might make it difficult, but he could squash you if he ever put his mind to it. Does he think you're a freak, then? That'd be the kettle calling the pot black.

You sighed again. "Tomorrow, I'll meet you in central park after church, Mrs. Storm. Anyone else shows up and I bail."

Sue smiled. "Thank you for putting your trust in me."

Just then your manager called your first name. Oh great. You turned and saw his red face directed at you. "Quit bothering our guests and see to your own customers."

"I only-" You started, but Ben chimed in. "She isn't bothering us, sir."

You turned to look at the rocky man, the tiniest of smiles quirking on your lips as Mr. Carter's face began to pale. "Oh, sorry Mr. Grimm, I thought-"

Ben held up his hand and shook his head. "Don't apologize to me, apologize to her. You've been tearing into her all night. That's no way to treat a lady."

Mr. Carter turned to you and apologized profusely. "Uh, it's alright..." You winced, weirded out to see him all but grovel after months of treating you like dirt. When he finally fucked off you turned and smiled at Ben, and he offered a wink.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

You went into the kitchen and Johnny let forth the breath he didn't know he was holding in.

"That's progress, but I thought she was gonna eat you for a second there, Johnny." Reed said.

"You would like that." Johnny grumbled.

"Well that settles it then. Good job, Suze." Ben praised his friend.

"Don't celebrate yet. I still gotta get her to trust us. Seems like we make two steps forward, one step back." Sue thoughtfully cut her sausage links into bitesize pieces.

"Ben might have given us an extra step forward with his chivalry." Johnny noted, making Ben's face grow hot.

You felt a mix between relief and irritation. Irritated you couldn't shake this bunch, but relieved that with every meeting they seemed more and more trustworthy. Still, irritation was at the forefront.

"Did you talk to them?" Connie gushed as you walked past her.

You smiled faintly. "A little. I think they like you more, though."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah. I was totally bugging them."

[wordbunch]

Shards of Gold [Ben Grimm x wife!Reader]

it's the sequel to ❤ THIS ❤ (but both can be read separately)

summary: your husband returns after a space mission gone wrong, you do your best to navigate the changes together. it's bittersweet, hurt-comfort-y, talk of insecurity but happy end! no y/n. 3k words damn girl!!

a/n: my loves... it is finally complete! 🧡 once again i am giving you my entire heart written into a fic and asking for your kindness, and hesitantly looking forward to comments and reblogs! hope you enjoy! i've seen (and read and enjoyed!!!) people writing this trope, so i had to take some time to make it my own. if you ask me, it was worth the time.

Every time your eyes wandered to the half-ruined space suits displayed in Reed’s lab, the ground was pulled from beneath your feet and your heart dropped to your heels.

Yet for some reason you couldn’t stop checking them out, only to torture yourself wondering could things have turned out differently? Should things have turned out differently, and how? Nobody had an answer, fate had already dealt a cruel hand to your husband, his friends, and by proximity, kind of, you. 

Another form of torture you’d subjected yourself to was rewatching the tapes that had been recorded just before the takeoff to space. The joy and adrenaline in the air, the atmosphere was all but crackling; you and Ben holding hands under the table, you knocking your forehead against his helmet after Johnny had nudged you; you watched it until it was burned into your brain, and then you listened to the tapes of recorded communication from the spacecraft, until the ship was hit by the storm and everything just went blank. You hanged onto every word, naively hoping that maybe the ending would turn out differently just one time - that nothing would happen, that Reed would figure out how to stop it, avoid it, reverse it, anything.

He didn’t, at least not for now. And no what-if fantasy would come true. Reality was painted in different colors now, all you had to do was learn how to navigate it. Easy, right?

The worst kind of pain, however, was seeing Ben being incredibly hard on himself, closed off, confused in his new body. His usual easygoing nature and unassuming confidence seemed to be lost underneath layers of stone, but you’ve been doing your best to bring them back, or at least to alleviate the overwhelmingly negative feelings he was obviously plagued by.

The second you were allowed to see him after the four were rescued from space, you ran up to him with all your might and launched into a hug, which would’ve certainly knocked the “old” version of him over, but he was different now. You buried your face in the crook of his neck and almost scratched your skin, but that was absolutely irrelevant, you just sobbed into him as you held him with all your feeble strength. Having him back - in any way, shape or form - was by far the better option than not having him return to you, ever, and he tried damn hard to remind himself of that too every day since the start of his new life. 

“You brought me neither a star, nor a black hole for the living room, Benjamin,” you criticized playfully, through bitter tears, trying to meet his eyes despite his avoidance of doing so. “At least as far as I can see.”

“Guess you got a space rock instead, how’s that?” he muttered, trying to find some humor in it but failing miserably. You grabbed his face with both your hands, surprised at the unfamiliar texture but thankful that he was there to hold at all. In any case, it was much easier to get used to him being alive, but different, than to mourn him for the rest of your days.

“I do love a good rock,” you smiled, finally meeting his bright blue eyes if only for a brief moment before he looked away again. It was the one part of him that was still as it used to be, and you were glad to have it so, as a nice reminder that he was still your Ben, despite everything, through everything. Still yours, still loved with every fiber of your being. You yourself were going to be fine, the thing that pained you the most was knowing that he was hurting in more ways than one, but you were hell-bent on getting him through it all. In good times and bad.

“Darling…” he started, and you moved away from the hug only slightly to have a better view of him, “if you want to… to leave-”

You clasped your gentle hand over his mouth instantaneously, taking him aback. 

“As far as I can remember, we promised each other ‘until death do us part,’ and…” you fought back a new round of tears threatening to spill from your eyes, “as far as I can see, we are both still very much alive.” You whispered through gritted teeth, trying to stop your voice from shaking, but also trying to show determination that you were absolutely not going to leave the love of your life just because he was going to take up some more space in bed from now on. 

“But I’d understand-”

“That discussion is over, Ben,” you shook your head, “Nothing in the universe could make me love and want you less, not this either.” He observed your face and saw all the dedication and conviction shining through it, gosh you’d always been stubborn and now he loved you for it even more. The way his heart got bigger, his love for you did too, although he didn’t even think it possible.

Who was he to defy the woman of his dreams?

“What did I do to deserve you?” he quietly wondered, having looked away from you again. He never thought he’d have to worry about scaring you with how he looked, but there he was now, and not quite sure how to handle it.

“I’ve been wondering the same thing for years now, love” you spoke to him gently, hands finding their way to his shoulders - your anchor - and a small part within you found a glimmer of joy in the fact that they felt so broad and solid. He had his hands on the small of your back, but just barely, horrified of hurting you in any way and not still properly acquainted with his newfound strength. It was a touch you were barely even feeling, even though his hands were obviously larger now. That’s how gentle he was trying to be, but you didn’t want him to be scared of loving you. Taking matters into your own hands, you took his and pressed them closer into your skin, and it was Ben who almost winced at your action.

“I don’t wanna hurt you, baby, I can’t,” he tried moving away but you did your best not to let him. Gradually, you needed to get familiar with his new touch, warm, solid and dry, and he needed to get over the fear of crushing you while trying to express his love. He couldn’t live with himself if he accidentally harmed you in any way - he was already feeling like enough of an inconvenience in your life as it was.

“How could you ever hurt me,” you attempted to reassure him, well-aware that he was infamously difficult to reassure, and now he had an enormous excuse. “You’re the kindest man I’ve ever met, Ben. I don’t think that’s changed.”

"Y'have to tell me if I do, though."

"You have my word, B."

All he could do was trust the genuine look in your eyes, then let out a heavy breath and try not to cry as he hesitantly, gently leaned his head against yours. This little action, that might have seemed so trivial before, was now something that mended your heart just a little bit. Both of your hearts. You would chart these new waters, no matter how stormy they seemed to be, hand in rough hand.

Nobody had ever come back after being a victim of a cosmic storm, and there was no guide on how to navigate the consequences, but neither Ben nor you were quitters, as long as you had each other for support.

Except the media frenzy that followed the four’s return, things were new and fragile behind your own four walls as well. Ben was still often feeling the aftermath of everything, waking up in the middle of the night with a pounding heart and ringing in his ears, feeling nauseous or light headed, having occasional surges of panic when the traumatic memories decided to come flooding back.

In those moments of weakness in the dead of night, he accidentally let things slip out that he usually wouldn’t admit, and your heart shattered at every broken confession; that he was in pain, that he was feeling scared, that he was absolutely clueless. Achingly hesitant and lost in his own self, and the world that seemed to have turned even more unkind, the only physical touch he allowed himself towards you was a bit of hugging and hand holding, although you showed no disdain for any of it, quite the opposite. If nothing else, judging by your demeanor he was certain that you were neither disgusted nor scared of his appearance, and it was at least a small relief to start with.

Only when he was feeling lowest did he allow himself to lean into you a little bit, the pressure of his head on your stomach was starting to feel like home during those nights when he was feeling like he was being internally ripped apart.

In those moments, you hated the whole universe too. More than anything, you despised seeing the most wonderful person you’d ever known constantly beating himself down, as if he wasn’t as worthy of unconditional love as he’d always been, outer appearances be damned. You despised the fact that you’d never know exactly how he felt and therefore you’d never know for sure what to say to assuage everything, even if just a bit. You despised knowing that he felt alone, confused, that nobody in the world was able to give him pointers for how to get back to semblances of his normal life, the life that he used to love because he’d been building it with you. 

But every time you patiently helped him regain control of his breathing after a nightmare, or stayed up with him in the middle of the night and made him a snack because most food was still making him a bit squeamish, he felt a bit less lonely and a lot more grateful. Ben was almost bewildered by your treatment of him, but he was too deep in his own head to realize you were treating the same you’d always been, whether he was a human or a mountain. And he prayed that you wouldn’t change your mind, turn your back, break his heart. 

The saddest thing of all is that he wouldn’t have even blamed you if you had.

One of those first chaotic days, you walked into your shared bedroom, not in the slightest surprised that Ben was sitting on the far edge of the bed with his back turned towards the door, hunched over. Before, when he used to be upset at something, he looked small to you despite his lanky height - he had this staggering ability to make himself take up as little space as possible - and in your heart that seemed still somewhat true even now. All you wanted to do in those moments was hold him close, remind him that he was not alone, that you weren’t going anywhere, that he was brave and handsome and all you ever wanted. And that he was so loved.

“Hey, little darlin',” you smiled, even though he couldn’t yet see you. “What’s up?”

You cautiously approached him, crouching down in front of him. There was something in the palm of his hand.

“So sorry ‘bout this, angel,” he sighed remorsefully, gesturing towards what he was holding. You recognized the exact shade of gold you were wearing on your ring finger as your eyes took in the sight of a shattered wedding band, a few small shards of gold glistening against the rough skin. Biting your lip to stop it from trembling, you closed Ben’s hand with yours over the remnants of the ring, heart aching at the fact that he’d even succeeded in salvaging a few little bits of it during a whole space storm. To him, it was a piece of you that he’d had with himself in the most terrifying moments of his life. 

“How did you even-” you were stunned and overcome with feelings, “oh Ben… we will get you another one, please don’t worry about that now.” 

“But it’s not gonna be the same,” he protested.

“We can put these pieces into something and that way you can keep them too, or these can probably be melted down again and-”

“What kind of husband ruins something so important,” Ben chastised himself, leaving the ring shards aside. Before he could cover his face with his hands, you took them in your smaller ones with a reassuring squeeze. 

“You didn’t ruin anyth-”

He seemed not to even hear you as he continued his little rant. “I broke our damn wedding band, who knows what else I’m gonna break, I mean I- what even am I?!” His voice cracked and his eyes met yours as if he was searching for an answer there.

“I don’t think you need me to tell you who you are, Ben.” 

“Please.”

There was such burning earnestness in his gaze that you wouldn’t dare refuse him. Especially not in that moment. Even though you knew he'd always been a person who was quietly sure of himself and didn't really need to question it.

“You, Benjamin Jacob Grimm,” you accentuated every word with a squeeze of his hands, and you were hoping he would continue looking into your eyes, “are an amazingly talented pilot. A bright, intelligent man. The love of my life. The funniest person I’ve ever met and the most amazing husband that I couldn’t even dream up if I tried, and I can't believe that even after I wake up you’re here and you’re real. Even though you easily could’ve not been here right now. But I am beyond grateful that I still have you, and that I get to keep loving you, every pebble and every sharp edge. All of it. Forever.”

The air in the room was thick with emotions. Ben was still holding your gaze with surprising steadiness, but tears had collected in both of yours eyes. 

“I love you,” he mused, hands cradling your face with all the gentleness he could muster. You were just happy he was feeling comfortable enough to touch you a bit more. “I’ll figure out how to smooth out the edgy parts a bit, promise,” he chuckled, notoriously bad at replying to words of affection. "And I never doubted this once - but you are the greatest thing that's ever happened to me."

You found it in yourself to laugh a bit, and you seized the tender moment by carefully sitting down on his lap. His breath caught in his throat like he’d never had you that close (or much, much closer) before, but you didn’t hesitate. 

Securely wrapping your arms around his neck, you leaned slightly closer into his face, dropping your voice into a sultry whisper. “Your wife would really like a proper kiss,” you appealed with your best pout. “I’ve missed them terribly.”

“Please don’t talk about yourself in third person,” Ben groaned, but there was an undeniable smile on his face. He was debating whether he should risk hurting you and give you an attempt of a kiss on the lips to appease you, or whether he should continue keeping a safe distance. But his heart was aching to feel you against himself in that way again and, maybe, just maybe, he would feel more like himself again if he’d stop psyching himself out about all forms of physical closeness to you. 

“Can’t talk if you’re kissin’ me, flyboy” you teased, and when a little giggle slipped past your lips, most of Ben’s self-inflicted restraint was thrown to the wind. 

As much as his heart wanted to make it passionate and breathless, his brain made him opt for a gentle, careful, if not a bit rigid kiss. For both of you it was a new sensation, but hey - how many couples can say they shared a first kiss after years of being married? You felt Ben pulling away after just one short kiss, but you weren’t having it - you’d waited long enough, you’d been missing him achingly - you pulled him back in, still carefully, but lovingly nonetheless.

For the first time in a few agonizing days, his heart felt a little lighter, and his pulse sped up not in fear, but in loving excitement. You were still completely his, to love, to protect, to tease and annoy, to cherish for the rest of his days. As he held you close to his chest for the first time since he changed, both of you could finally breathe. 

You knew you were in the safest hands in the world.

Neither of you could stop smiling after the short spell of sweet kisses and the ache in your grinning cheeks felt sweeter than ever before.

“We will remake that ring for you, as soon as possible,” you poked your husband’s chest, still beaming like a lovesick idiot. 

“Oh, why’s that?” He hummed in that voice you’d fallen in love with, as he took one of your hands and brought it to his lips, making you almost squeal with joy that he was starting to feel secure enough to do those things again.  A little spark of playful confidence found its way into his eyes.

Of course he needed to have the ring remade and wear it again as soon as possible, show off that he was happily yours, but he was glad to get out of his gloomy thoughts for a little while and poke a bit of fun at his favorite person. He hoped to start feeling like that more often, and with your support he was almost certain he would.

“I am not having you walk around without any indication that you’re married! Sorry, but you’re just too handsome, and now you just happen to be famous, you bet I’m not risking anything.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, sweetheart.”

in the works: johnny storm x reader college au, ben grimm fluffy alphabet xx

[thelazybard]

Spider Beats Rock. (Ben Grimm x Fem!Spidey!Reader.) Chapter One

Pairing: Ben Grimm x Fem!Spidey! Reader

Word count: 2398

A/N: This is the first chapter to a series between Ben Grimm and Spidey!Reader. I wrote a smutty oneshot a little while ago but I'm interested in writing something more meaningful between the two because I think Ben and a Spidey lover would be sooooo cute. Tags will be posted on AO3.

Of course The Four knew of you. You'd become the city's next upcoming hero, afterall. While the Fantastic Four's backs were turned, you would stop bank robberies before money could even leave the building, rescue damsels in distress down seedy alleyways, and repair infrastructure around town with your durable webs. It almost felt sneaky, like you were trying to remain a secret. But bystanders and cctv footage managed to get pictures and clips of you jumping around, and most importantly, making spiderwebs. The city named you Spidergirl, much to your chagrin. You would have preferred something a bit less... cartoony.

Today, you were front page news in the city newspaper for your appearance in broad daylight.

Spidergirl Poses For Camera After Rescue

Johnny reduced the newspaper to carbon in the atmosphere. H.E.R.B.I.E. warbled worriedly and looked up at Ben for confirmation.

"You're still letting that vigilante get to you?" Ben asked while stirring his morning coffee delicately.

"Who does she think she is?" Johnny spat.

His friend shrugged. "I dunno, probably thinks she's a hero."

"Well she isn't. I was on my way to get that construction worker dangling off the bridge before that Spiderbroad swooped in and stole my thunder. She's just trying to ride off our coattails!"

"Shouldn't you be happy there's more help to go around? Maybe with all the extra free time you could commit to one girlfriend." Ben said.

Johnny scowled. "Don't be ridiculous."

Sue appeared from thin air between the two, causing them to shriek.

"Well I for one think she's adorable." Sue cooed.

"Are you ever going to stop that?!" Johnny shouted.

"Would you?" She challenged, causing Johnny to sit back and mull over it and eventually shake his head no. "Spidergirl is just using her strange abilities to do some good. Is that not what we do as well?"

"She couldn't have picked a different city?" Johnny asked.

"She probably relies on the skyscrapers to get around. Not to mention, majority of crime lords operate out of this city. This is probably where work is most prevalent." Ben thought.

Reed made a more polite entrance. "A good theory, though the question of where her powers developed from still stands, and I doubt it was a cosmic storm like us."

Johnny crossed his arms. "I don't like where this is going. It sounds like you want us to meet her."

Reed paused. "That's precisely what I'm proposing."

"Great, just great. Yeah invite the strange bug chick for dinner, be my guest. I think there's a dead fly on the windowsill over there, she'll be delighted." The youngest Storm plopped down at the dinner table as he grumbled.

Ben turned to the mature Storm sibling. "How do you figure you'll get in contact with her?"

Sue pulled out her own copy of the newspaper from under her arm. "That's the tricky part. She tends to take off immediately after her acts of service. The Daily Bugle got lucky today with her agreeing to take a picture."

"Lemme see?" Ben hadn't actually seen a still photo of you yet, just blurry shots of you in the air.

You certainly had a sense of fashion, it was like Nancy Sinatra meets Sharon Tate. Your hair was big and layered, styled so neatly he wondered how it ever stayed looking nice as you swing through the city. Your clothes reflected the current fads of mini skirts, colorful tights and big heeled boots.

When he focused on your face, that changed his tune entirely. The top half of your face was hidden by a mask for safety purposes, but your bright smile was on full display.

Uh oh.

The smile alone was enough to make his mouth go dry. You stood beside the man you rescued, holding up the peace sign and popping your hip.

"She's a hippie?" Ben blurted out. Sue whacked him with the paper.

"Focus. If we ever want to invite her to the Baxter Building we'll need to get in her good graces. That means no more cat and mouse chases, Johnny." Sue casted a pointed look to her brother, waving the newspaper threateningly.

Johnny raised his hand. "Question. Why the hell would we ever want to invite her to the Baxter Building." He deadpanned.

"Why else? Figure out what makes her, her." Reed answered.

"And potentially earn an ally." Sue added.

"What if she's not interested in doing either?" Ben asked.

"Then we live and let live and hope she never turns bad." Sue shrugged.

Johnny has long since tapped out of the discussion and started listening to his casette player.

Ben sat at the table, Reed and Sue following suit. "Alright. How do you propose we even get close enough to strike up a conversation?"

"Either we're going to have to be quick enough to catch her out in the open, or put an ad in the newspaper." Sue explained.

"But then a thousand "Spidergirls" would show up to meet us."

"Only one of them would be able to shoot webs." Reed pointed out.

"I think I like the other idea better."

"Then you can take the first patrol." Sue pat his shoulder.

"Patrol?"

* * *

Ben couldn't believe how stupid he felt walking the streets, occasionally glancing up at the sky for any sight of you. Searching for you somehow felt even more awkward from his regular trips around town.

It was also going to pose as difficult trying to find you when everyone was finding him. He kept having to blow people off that wanted to say hello or ask a question, explaining that he was in a rush and couldn't talk. If the crowd didn't give it away that he was coming, his heavy footsteps would. Why would Spidergirl be anywhere he was, anyway? She probably thinks he's waiting to squash her with how hostile Johnny acts towards her.

Sure he's had extremely brief interactions with you, but each time you were meddling in their hero work. Even webslung him a few times. If Ben wasn't Ben, he would have a good reason to be pissed at you. But, even if he didn't have a major crush on you, he doesn't see you as a problem. Now if he was a thug, he would have something to worry about. Ben has seen CCTV footage of you kicking a man so hard he dented the dumpster he crashed into.

Well, if he was going to be wandering around he might as well get something out of it and stopped by Maisie's.

Ben stopped in, ordered, and stood at the pickup counter patiently before commotion made him turn to the window. His jaw fell slack. You were heading inside.

You were greeted by patrons and politely waved before walking right past the rocky man. He watched you order at the register, then stand beside him to wait for your food.

Ben was stiff as a board, astonished, and very obviously blinking at you. If you knew that he was staring you didn't let him know and continued to rock on the heels of your boots.

A few moments passed and you leaned over to speak, freezing his blood.

"They got good bagels here." You whispered.

Stammering, Ben tried to respond. "Uh, I-"

"Order number 72!" The worker called out.

"Oh that's me." You chirped, taking your brown paper bag and all but skipping out of the store. Abruptly you spun on your heels. "Oh, one more thing."

"Y-yeah?"

"... You got a quarter?"

"Uh no, not on me."

You shook your head. "Ugh. You're so useless." The smile on your face let him know you were being playful. He laughed incredulously, helplessly watching you saunter out of the door and shoot a web at a light post to fling yourself through the air.

* * *

"So how'd your first patrol go?" Sue asked Ben once he returned. Her and Reed were lounging on the couch, absentmindedly playing a game of chess.

Ben scratched his head nervously. "Well I uh, I had an encounter with her."

"She attacked you?" Reed asked.

"No, we were both at Maisie's and she... she talked about bagels and then asked me for a quarter and... then she left so I left and now I'm here."

The room fell silent as a certain fact dawned on everyone but Ben.

"Ah," Sue said knowingly. "And she didn't seem hostile at all?"

"No, in fact I think she was making fun of me."

Johnny, who had been watching TV, pointed a fistful of cracker jack in Ben's direction. "Hard not to when you look like that."

"Like what?"

"Like you seen a ghost. A sexy ghost."

"What?"

Sue shook her head. "Regardless, that's progress. She's clearly not afraid of you if she stuck around long enough to crack jokes. See if you can have a real conversation with her next time?"

"Yeah, yeah I can do that." He started jumping in place as to hype himself up.

Johnny blew raspberries and Ben launched a nearby throw pillow at him.

* * *

In the evening, you were eating a dinner Aunt May prepared for you atop the Daily Bugle's building, swinging your legs freely over the edge as you bit into a sandwich and hummed happily.

What are the odds you'd see Ben Grimm while you were out today? At least he was nice, you think. A little bit of a staring problem, but nice. The biggest indicator that he wasn't a threat is that your spidey sense didn't heighten at all the entire time you were in the same building as he. Not only did he not try to confront you, you sensed no intention of him even wanting to.

So why is his best friend Johnny always chasing you around town? Are you not allowed to be a good person, you gotta have your own brand of cereal before you can start saving people? Puh-lease.

Your head cocked to the side when you felt eyes on you. Odd, usually at this height you aren't even seen by the flying cruisers.

You turned around, in the direction of the baxter building and blinked at the glint of a telescope on their balcony. There was a patch of blonde hair peaking over that ducked away when he realized you were glaring at him. Sighing, you set your lunch aside and made way for the building.

Johnny ran back into the living room. "We got a problem."

"What?"

"So I may have been looking through the telescope, just people watching, when I saw Spidergirl-"

"Johnny were you spying?" Sue hissed.

"Well I was watching her to see what was her deal and she may have uh- felt me watching her and now she's on her way."

"Here!?" Ben jumped.

"You said you wanted to find her out in the open!" Johnny threw his hands up.

"You know that's not what we meant. HERBIE, security protocol-" Reed started.

"Wait," Sue said, walking to the window. "We'll meet her halfway. She's not going to attack us."

He frowned. "You don't know what she-"

"Just trust me."

You were now perched on the balcony railing, an ominous shadow compared to the other times they've seen you. The Four walked outside to meet you, not completely on guard but expecting you to at least smack Johnny around.

"It's not polite to peep at people." You said calmly.

"I apologize, Johnny misinterpreted our instruction." Reed said.

You stood up, perfectly balanced on the railing as your hands rested on your hips. "And that was..?"

"We were trying to think of a way to get your attention. We wanna talk." He stretched a hand out for you to grab and help you down the ledge. It was more of a formality than actual help, but you accepted it anyways.

"Oh yeah, fireball here definitely wants to talk, that's why he used a telescope to stalk me." You crossed your arms over your chest protectively and shifted your weight onto the hip furthest away from the Human Torch.

"We don't want to be enemies. Quite the opposite in fact." Sue said.

"Flattering, but I'm not interested in being part of a team."

"That doesn't necessarily have to happen. How long have you been able to do all of this?" Reed asked.

You hesitated to answer. "Maybe six months."

"Would you be interested in allowing us to analyze you?"

You walked up the wall as you thought, less on edge being up high. "Gee, I dunno. That sounds creepy."

"It would be mutually beneficial. What we learn about your abilities could be used to invent things that'll make your life as Spidergirl easier."

Feet against the wall, you braced a hand against the wall so you could be upright. "And everything you learn about me could easily be used against me. What's in it for you?"

"Research." Reed stated bluntly.

"It can't be just that."

"You gained superpowers and your first instinct was to become a hero. Naturally, that would pique our interest. You don't have to join the team but you can become our ally. That would mean no more of the paper trying to paint you as a menace, no more having to hide in the shadows from the cops after you've done good." Sue explained.

"And in exchange I come and help you when you ask? How am I even supposed to trust you guys when everytime I'm out doing good, Bic over there chases me off?" You pointed an accusatory finger at Johnny.

He nervously shrugged. "In my defense, I was never trying to hurt you. Maybe yell at you a little, but that's only because-"

"Johnny meant no harm, he just can't process envy." Sue glared at him.

You conceded. "I'd have to think about it. Very extensively."

"Take all the time you need." Reed assured.

You crawled off the wall and stepped back onto the railing. "In the meantime, give a girl her damn space. Sheesh, if only Frank Sinatra would chase me like this."

The Four watched as you politely stepped off and fell through the sky, wondering how long until you shot a web. Once you finally did, you flew from building to building until you disappeared into the night.

"She's somethin' else." Ben breathed.

"Would you say she's... fantastic?" Johnny offered.

Ben shoved him by the face. "Shut your mouth."

[thelazybard]

Caught In Your Web. (Ben Grimm x Spidey!Fem!Reader)

Tags: SMUT 18+ MDNI, Unprotected P in V sex, bondage, slight sub/dom, teasing, rough sex, monster lovin', inappropriate use of a spiderweb, not proofread

Summary: You're Earth-828's Spidey and Ben is your loving boyfriend. A broken bedframe isn't going to stop you from showing him how much he means to you.

A/N: FINE ILL DO IT MYSELF.

The Baxter Building was one of your favorite climbs. Between the sheer height and the view once you got to the top, it was always a thrill. But the real delight was the man awaiting your arrival.

Ben didn't actually know whether or not you'd be showing up at all today, as he hadn't heard from you since the day before. Uncharacteristic, but he wasn't too worried. There was sightings of you webslinging around town, so he knew you were safe. Probably just busy. Still, he wanted to see you.

You shot a web once the penthouse balcony was within reach and raised yourself up to the platform, peaking over the railing at Ben patiently leaned on the bars on the furthest side. He looked so peaceful as he watched the city, blue eyes flitting from building to billboard to park. But it was evident he was wondering where you've been, no doubt searching your normal perch spots like the water tower or the city paper's headquarters.

Once your gogo boots made contact on the concrete, he stood up straight and watched you approach him, the tranquil expression never leaving his face but his eyes now lit up with affection.

You noticed he was still in his evening attire. Slacks, vest and tie. Probably waiting for you before he started his nightly routine.

"Sorry I had to miss dinner tonight," You slid your arms around his waist as his hands found your hips, fingers awfully close to cupping your entire backside. "Aunt May made her world famous meatloaf. Couldn't miss it."

His look became amused. "You hate her meatloaf."

You grimace under your mask as the flavors reappear on your tastebuds. "And she'll never know."

"We understand, you were here in spirit."

"Oh was I?"

"Yep. I pulled your seat out for you, held your hand during prayer, kissed your cheek when you offered to help with dishes."

"Oh, haha." You groaned.

He smiled and motioned to the door. "Want to head inside?"

You ushered him back towards the view. "In a minute. First, I want you to tell me what you see when you city watch from here."

The two of you pulled apart to lean over the railing. "Well, I see the bustling city of course. People always rushing somewhere no matter the time of day. Lights constantly switching on and off in apartment buildings. A sea of yellow during rush hour after everyone loads into a taxi." He explained.

"Is that all?" You wondered.

"What do you see?" He challenged.

"You want my honest thought?"

He shrugged. "Always."

You strain your superhuman eyes to study the city's current state. "I see people walk down alleys and not return. The faint flicker of light when a gun goes off, or several. Ambulance lights flashing, then not, before it can reach the hospital."

Ben doesn't say anything, and when you look at him he's frowning.

"I don't mean to bring down the mood. But if I'm honest with you, it's all I can think about sometimes. Especially when I'm in the suit." You motion to your current get-up, a Spidey suit in your favorite color and box dress to match. The gogo boots can be impractical sometimes, but you can't resist how well they put the outfit together.

Ben nodded. "I know. It's one of the things I adore most about you. How much you care. But you have to give yourself more grace. You can't be everywhere at once."

He caressed the outline of your bone structure through your mask. "No one expects you to do it all. You do what you can, which is already loads more than most."

"Thank you." You whispered, leaning into his touch.

The cool night breeze caused your recent blowout to billow behind you, and Ben had to resist the urge to run his fingers through it. He learned from the last time he tampered with your fresh hairdo.

Instead, he opted to plant his hand across the small of your back and softly run along the arch of your spine until he was palming the nape of your neck. His other hand lifted up your mask just enough to reveal your lips where he planted a kiss as fleeting as it was soft.

"I missed you." Admitted your lover in a gravelly drawl.

"At dinner?" You guessed.

He shook his head. "Before that."

"You saw me this morning." You offered.

"You webslinged past the bakery."

"And I blew you a kiss."

"A guy like me can't survive off that."

Your voice lowered an octave. "How can I make it up to you?"

He pretended to think about it. "A few ways, in a few angles, over the course of a few hours."

You flushed under your mask at his boldness. Pupils blown wide, his eyes now roamed your body unabashedly as you attempted to find words that would out-flirt him.

"Reed hasn't fixed your bed frame from the other night yet, has he?" You asked.

"I... never told him."

"Ben-"

"Oh like we need a bed."

You thought for a moment, then your mouth formed the shape of an "O" as an idea flashed across your mind.

"You're right, I have an even better idea."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, after a steamy makeout session in Ben's office chair, you stepped out of his lap to walk around him towards his bed. Still bent in an extremely suggestive way after the night you had three days prior. Red wine, a sexually tense dinner making sequence and Ben's surprise love poetry made for quite the evening. Now the V-shaped bedframe stared back at you mockingly.

"You haven't tried to bend it back?"

"Actually, the angle feels nice on my back." He admitted.

Rolling your eyes, you take a few steps back and with your thumbs and index fingers gauged angles around the room while Ben watched you from his seat, slightly confused.

He stood up. "Hey, I'm more than happy to try to fix it or even hold you the entire time if you don't want–"

Ffft!

Ffft!

Ffft!

Ben stopped in his tracks and watched as you formed your own spiderweb in his bedroom, on a slight incline to make an easy to climb up and down. You've never looked more spider-like than you did now, crawling and weaving strands of your organic silk to make the perfect platform for what was to come. You reinforced the corners and center to make for a stable web but left the edges thin enough to yeild the bounce you'd be utilizing later. It was... pretty hot.

Satisfied, you leapt down lead Ben by his hands to the newly formed bed for the night.

He looked at the web, then you. "You sure I won't-"

"Relax, this one isn't sticky. A bit of tack at most so you won't slide off."

Content with that answer, he went to push you backwards on it but you caught his palms with ease. "You misunderstand. This is my web, and you've been caught in it. Lay down."

"Bitsy..." Ben whispered, both surprised and ecstatic over this predatorial persona you've taken over. Usually, he pounds you into the mattress while you boss him from below, but right now you were completely in charge and he was ready to take orders.

He went to grab on and hoist himself up before you stopped him again. "Ditch the clothes."

Smiling big, he obliged, undressing carefully as to not tear his nice clothes but with an underlying eagerness you didn't miss.

Fully bare and hardened length on full display, he fell backwards on your web and scooted up towards the center, looking down at you expectantly.

You crawled your way up towards him, mask still resting on the bridge of your nose, the mystery adding to the excitement.

Ben remembers the first time he was caught in one of your webs. Before you were friends with the Four, you were rivals. A lot of times it felt like a race as to who would arrive to the scene of a disaster first. Your web-slinging gets you far and fast, but half the time that damn flying cruiser of theirs beats you to it. This particular night it was a pissing contest over who could stop a bank robbery first, a mission only Johnny and Ben were sent on. Ben charged towards the building first, not fearing whatever bullets might come flying his way.

But suddenly, he could no longer move, lurching forward after his movement was abruptly stopped. In a flash of silver accompanied distant squelching sounds, he found himself hip deep in a web.

You ran past him and shouted over your shoulder. "You guys don't get to have all the fun, you know!"

"Oh, that's uncool!" Ben shouted, waving his fists in protest.

Johnny arrived in a stream of flame, looking his friend up and down then over at you in the building opening a can of whoop ass on three grown men in ski masks. "What happened?!"

"She got me man, help me out of this shit!" Ben exclaimed.

Johnny gagged at the notion. "No way!"

The older man waved his arms in the direction of you. "Well make sure she doesn't get away! She's gotta undo this!"

Johnny now fidgeted nervously, "M-me?"

"Who the hell else!?"

"No, it's just... I mean if she did that to you imagine what she'll do to me."

"You scared of her!?"

"No! She's just... she's a fucking spider, Ben!"

"JUST MELT THE DAMN WEBS!"

By the time Johnny safely performed the web removal you had dangled the crooks in web from the bank's sign and web-slinged out of sight not a minute later.

"Jesus man..." Ben huffed.

"Still want her number?" Johnny grumbled.

"...Even more now, I think."

Now in present day he watched you hover over his body, glaring down at him like dinner.

"Caught in my webs again..." You tsked, shooting wads of web on each of his hands to keep him right where you wanted him.

You growled in his hearing canal, "Tell me, what should I do with you? Eat you? Drink your blood?"

Ben couldn't help the dorkish grin on his face as all his roleplaying dreams were coming true without him even needing to ask.

You looked down at the hardness between his legs. "Actually, I have something better in mind."

Collecting saliva in your dominant hand, you smeared it along the tip of his cock sloppily, keaping direct eye contact so you could watch him hiss and bite his lip at the sensation.

"Babydoll..." He sighed.

"Hmm?"

"Feels good. So fucking good."

"Tell me what you want."

"I want you to sit on this fucking cock."

"What's the magic words?"

"Please. God, please ride my cock. I'll do anything." He whimpered. "Let me see you."

"Alright," You obliged, sitting up to remove your mask, and shake out your hair.

"And the suit." He added.

Your hands found your hips. "You saying I don't look good as I am?"

"You're always a vision. But I need to see that soft skin."

"You aren't exactly in the position to really give orders right now, Major. Perhaps if you manage to get out of those webs, you can have whatever you want." You purred.

He groaned as he tried to wriggle out of your web's impossible grasp so he could rip that suit to shreds, but your silk wouldn't budge.

"Relax, let me take care of you."

"I'm trying, I just... need to see you."

"Okay, okay." You conceded, stepping off the web to undress slowly in front of him. After your costume became a colorful pile on the floor, you returned to straddling his waist, teasing his cock by clumsily grabbing at it to align it with your slick entrance.

According to Ben, he gained no extra cock length after his transformation, just a bit of width, about an extra inch of thickness. The stones that made up his cock were packed together neatly and smooth, glossy compared to the rest of him. While wearing a rubber was typically preferred by you, you could in theory take him raw with no real consequences to your health. Tonight would be one of those special nights.

To prolong the anticipation you lowered yourself on him inch by inch, sighing at the gradual stretch.

"Oh, baby." He whimpered, head falling back and toes curling so tight it rattled the web.

"I'll never get sick of that feeling." You said breathily, rocking your hips slowy and finding balance by laying your hands on his chest.

"Jesus, Bitsy. Always so tight, and so fucking wet."

"Yeah?"

"Yes. Don't stop."

Sighing, you picked up the pace and found your rhythm, Ben catching on quick and meeting you halfway through each stroke with a sharp buck of his hips.

"Ben." You squeaked, throwing your head back towards the ceiling and gripping the roots of your own hair in one hand.

"I know," He huffed, eyes switching from your face, to your tits to where the two of you gathered between his legs. "Play with yourself." He demanded.

Not wasting a second, the pads of your fingers found your clit and rubbed in tandem with you and Ben's shared friction. His eyes widened to get a better view of the absolute piece of art you were.

"God, you're so beautiful. Fucking look at you. Play with that pretty pussy." He egged you on, bending his back in a way he knew would cause you to take more of his cock.

You tightened around him at the added inch. "Shit," He growled.

"Ben, I'm-"

"Me too, baby. Cum for me, cum on this cock."

You grinded a few moments longer until that knot in your abdomen snapped and you were falling forward to brace your elbows on his chest, orgasm tearing through you right as Ben's cock twitched with every spurt of his seed.

As the tingling in your spine wore off, you fell over next to him and lazily freed him from your web before cuddling into his side. The two of you laid like that for a few minutes before Ben started a shower and you took down the web.

Round two ensued the moment the both of you made contact with the steamy water. Ben laid your back flush against his chest and hiked your legs up so he could spear you mercilessly. With your limbs suspended you had no choice but to take every harsh stroke and listen to the filthy words of affirmation he didn't have the thought process for when he was your prey.

Eventually the shower was used for its intended purpose, and Ben bent the bed frame back into its correct shape so the two of you could sleep.

"If you told me this time last year that Spidergirl was going to fuck me on one of her webs, I wouldn't believe you." He said, exhaustion creeping upon him.

You scoffed, eyes blinking slowly as you teetered on the border between sleep and reality. "Well, if someone told me this time last year that Ben Grimm would let me fuck him on one of my webs, I'd tell them to stay out of my dream journal."

Ben let forth a tired chuckle and slung an arm to pull you closer. "I thank God every day for the night you caught me in your web." He mumbled into your neck.

"How else was I gonna get your attention?" You asked.

"You always had it."

[the-real-nikki19]

a writing competition i was going to participate in again this year has announced that they now allow AI generated content to be submitted

their reasoning being that "we couldn't ban it even if we wanted to, every writer already uses it anyway"

"Every writer"?

come on

[rose-of-pollux]

Reblog if you're a writer who doesn't use AI.

[oaksgrove]

hi again! this is ale anon, i hope you are well 😚

i was thinking if you can write for him? maybe like reader who has been crushing on him for a long time but he is still stuck up on valeria so she gives up and he realises it too late. you can make this smut or however you like actually with a completely different plot! i'd still gobble it up hehe~

Too Late

pairing: Alejandro Vargas x Reader

synopsis: You loved Alejandro. You knew you did. But you were tired of waiting for a man who couldn’t see past his own ghosts. So, you decided to let him go. The problem? He realized it too late.

warnings: Angst, jealousy, pining, emotional tension, Alejandro being an oblivious idiot, make-up kiss, implied feelings of abandonment/insecurity, language.

word count: 758

a/n: This is my first time writing for Alejandro, so I’m a little nervous! Thank you for the request, nonnie—I absolutely loved this idea. Hope I did it justice!

Loving Alejandro Vargas had never been easy, and you knew that it would break you

It was a slow, quiet ache. A longing buried deep beneath laughter, beneath loyalty, beneath the careful facade you wore every time he looked at you and didn’t see you.

And you had waited. God, had you waited.

You had spent years standing at Alejandro’s side. 

It was inevitable, like the setting sun, like the tide pulling back no matter how much it wanted to stay. It wasn’t his fault—he never made you promises he couldn’t keep.

But he also never turned you away.

And that was the problem.

Because you stayed.

For years, you had stood beside him, through war and blood and the weight of everything he carried. Through every lingering touch that never became more, every look that lasted a second too long but never long enough.

Through her.

Valeria.

She haunted him, a ghost he refused to exorcise. Even after she betrayed him. Even after she became his enemy.

She was in the clench of his jaw when he thought no one was watching. She was in the way his fingers twitched over his gun whenever someone mentioned her name. She was in the weight he carried in his shoulders, in his bones, in his soul, clinging to him in ways you never could.

You had tried, though. Oh, God, had you tried.

You stayed when she left. You fought for him when she became his enemy. You held him together when her betrayal nearly shattered him.

And he—

He didn’t see you. Not really.

You were just there.

Always.

Waiting.

Hoping.

You told yourself it was enough just to be near him, to be his friend, his confidant, the one who always had his back.

Until it wasn’t.

Until one day, you realized you couldn’t keep giving pieces of yourself to someone who never even noticed.

So, you made a decision.

You weren’t going to be second place anymore.

Not to Valeria.

Not to a memory.

—

Alejandro noticed before he understood.

At first, it was subtle. You weren’t waiting for him after missions anymore, weren’t the first person handing him a beer, weren’t standing just close enough that your arms brushed, how you no longer leaned against his shoulder when you were drunk, how your smiles no longer lingered when they were meant for him.

At first, he tried to ignore it.

Maybe you were busy. Maybe it was stress.

Then it became obvious.

You stopped teasing him, stopped seeking him out, stopped looking at him with those eyes—those warm, open, waiting eyes.

The worst part?

You didn’t even seem angry.

You just… let go.

And it drove him fucking insane.

Physically, you were still there—still in Los Vaqueros, still standing beside Rudy, still fighting like hell.

But you weren’t his anymore.

“Ay, mi amor,” he called one evening, using the pet name without thinking. “Come have a drink with me.”

You barely looked at him. “Not tonight, Alejandro.”

It was a knife to the gut.

You always had time for him. Always.

He tried again. “Tomorrow, then. After the debrief.”

You gave him a tight-lipped smile. “Got plans.”

Plans.

Plans that weren’t him.

The realization hit like a bullet to the chest.

Alejandro stood there, staring after you, something twisting deep inside him.

He was losing you.

No.

He had already lost you.

—

The breaking point came at the bar.

He found you there, laughing at something Rudy said, your hand resting on his arm. Alejandro had never felt jealousy like that before. It curled in his gut like a snake, coiling tight.

He saw red.

He knew, deep down, that Rudy wasn’t making a move on you. But that wasn’t the point.

The point was that you were happy.

Without him.

So he did something reckless.

He grabbed your wrist and pulled you outside.

"Alejandro—what the hell?" you snapped, yanking your arm back once you were alone.

He barely heard you. His mind was spinning, heart pounding, jealousy and frustration clawing up his throat.

“What’s going on with you?” His voice was rough, sharp. "You’ve been avoiding me."

You let out a hollow laugh. “I’ve been moving on.”

The words hit him like a bullet.

Moving on.

From him.

His hands curled into fists. “From what?”

You just stared at him, and in that moment, he saw it—the years of longing, of waiting, of hoping.

And the pain of finally giving up.

"From you," you whispered.

Alejandro’s chest ached.

"Cariño—"

You stepped back. “Don’t do that, Alejandro.”

He frowned. “Do what?”

“Call me sweet names.” Your voice wavered. “Not when you don’t mean it.”

He did mean it.

He just hadn’t realized it until now.

“Mierda,” he swore, raking a hand through his hair. “I—fuck—I was an idiot.”

You let out a humorless laugh. “Yeah. You were.”

The air between you was thick, heavy.

And then—

“Do you still want me?”

It was a desperate question. A plea.

You inhaled sharply. “Does it even matter, Alejandro?”

He stepped closer. “It matters.”

Your back hit the wall. His body was too close, his warmth bleeding into yours.

You should have pushed him away.

You should have walked away.

But when his lips ghosted over yours, when his breath fanned across your skin, your resolve shattered.

“Still want me, mi amor?” he murmured, voice low, dark.

You hated how easy it was for him.

You hated how much you wanted him.

So, instead of answering, you kissed him.

Hard.

He groaned into your mouth, hands gripping your waist, pressing you flush against him, devouring every ounce of frustration, every second of wasted time.

You bit his lip.

He growled.

And then you were lost.

His hands were everywhere—your hips, your waist, threading into your hair as he kissed you like a dying man taking his last breath.

Your fingers curled into his shirt, pulling him closer, needing more.

When he finally pulled away, he was wrecked.

Breathless.

Desperate.

He rested his forehead against yours, his grip on you still tight, like he was afraid to let go.

“I was blind,” he admitted, voice raw. “But I see you, and I’m sorry.”

Your fingers traced the line of his jaw, your touch soft despite everything.

“Don’t look away again,” you whispered.

Alejandro exhaled sharply.

“Never.”

taglist: @honestlymassivetrash

[tattycoram]

Wrecker, texting the group chat: Come quickly, Omega's in her first bar fight! Hunter: What's she doing in a fight? Echo: What's she doing in a bar?! Crosshair: Who's winning?

[thelazybard]

Chapter 14 is up, I hope you enjoy!!!

[thelazybard]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: CC-5576-39 | Gregor/Reader Characters: CC-5576-39 | Gregor, CT-7567 | Rex, CC-2224 | Cody, CT-21-0408 | CT-1409 | Echo, CT-9904 | Crosshair, CT-9901 | Hunter, CT-9902 | Tech, CT-9903 | Wrecker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Omega (Star Wars: The Bad Batch) Additional Tags: Alien/Human Relationships, Zabrak!Reader, Alien!Reader, Alien Biology, Alien Culture, Alien Cultural Differences, Mutual Pining, Strangers to Lovers, Temporary Amnesia, Adoption, Adopted Children, Angst, Fluff and Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Found Family, Romance, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Sex, Eventual Happy Ending, Fear of Abandonment, Marriage Proposal, Marriage, Secret Marriage, Reader becomes a badass, Reader is complicated, Mandalorian Culture & Customs (Star Wars), Mandalorian Adoption (Star Wars), Female! Reader - Freeform, Clone Troopers Speak Mando'a (Star Wars), Clone Troopers Deserve Better (Star Wars), Cure Found for Clone Aging, Not Beta Read Summary:

You, a once orphaned zabrak, find your fear of abandonment to be a constant struggle. So years down the line when your husband has to regularly leave you and your children behind to fight for the free galaxy he wants for his wife and kids, you decide you won't let him fight alone any longer.

This follows you, Faye, and Clone Captain Gregor. How you meet, marry, bring up children, and fight until the very end.

While romance is the main focus, parenthood is going to be a big part of the plot. Sorry for the people who don't like that trope but I like me some Dad!Clones.

[clonesuperiority]

Finally done! Ladies and Gentlemen: My first Mini comic here! It wasn't meant to be one, but after finishing the illustrations I really wanted to add the first 3 doodles for fun ^^

I better put the next image under a cut MDNI 🕵️‍♂️

next up is as requested Dart Maul ^^

[izzyovercoffee]

So this has been a question that I’ve seen a few times, and a lot of fix-it fics and general speculation has come up to address it, but I wanted to take the time to answer this question with actual SW Legends canon.

Was a cure ever developed for the clone army’s accelerated aging?

Short answer: Yes there was !! Woo! And the best part? Its development was by a clone trooper, for other clone troopers.

Null ARC Trooper Lieutenant, N-7, Lt. Mereel, synthesized a “cure” after several years of research, work, and the assistance of an ex-separatist geneticist, war criminal, and freed POW Dr. Oovolot Qail Uthan. 

Please note: this isn’t to prevent you from writing your own fic or developing your own headcanons. I just wanted to provide a resource post for all of you who want to pull directly from Legends canon or use as a starting point. Under the cut will be literally everything you need to know about it. 

Also note: there was a nod to the virus in question on The Clone Wars show. Depending on who you ask, this indicates the potential for a cure having been canon, if they ever do decide to pursue that route. 

Back when Legends was known as the Expanded Universe, Null ARC Trooper Lieutenant, N-7, Lt. Mereel Skirata, developed a treatment via gene therapy (by viral vector) to undo the accelerated again done by the Kaminoans through genetic engineering (which was done by non-viral methods). 

How does Dr. Uthan fit in? Well, at the start of The Clone Wars she had begun design of a viral bioweapon aimed to attack clone troopers only — and the way the bioweapon knew how to only attack clone troopers was by isolating the genetic markers that accelerated aging. Using her pathogen and Lt. Mereel’s research, they took what was meant to kill all clone troopers and instead give them a chance at life. 

Listen, if that’s not poignant and poetic ??

First you have a clone trooper risking everything to save his brothers, and is eventually successful. He literally studied genetics and became a hotshot geneticist over the course of 4 years (or so) in order to do the impossible.

Second you have what was a PROMISE OF DEATH turned into a CHANCE AT A FULL LIFE !!

“Why didn’t I hear about this ?? Why wasn’t it distributed to the rest of the army??” You might be asking. Well, ask no more!  

Simple answer: Because the “cure” wasn’t successfully developed and tested until at least six months to one year after Order 66, and because it was developed in secret by an ex-Republic Black Ops group who went AWOL just before Order 66, distribution was (understandably) limited.

The long answer goes under the cut, and will detail the how / when / why / what of the “cure’s” development, machinations, Lt. Mereel’s contributions, and everything you need to know so you don’t have to read the series it’s from if you don’t want to / don’t have the time / etc. 

Keep reading

[here-comes-the-moose]

Hunter: And remember kid, sticks and stone might break my bones, but…

Omega, having no idea what she’s saying: …Chains and whips excite me?

Hunter: CROSSHAIR!

[tinywitchgoblin]

Birthday Girl

Crosshair x afab!reader (one use of she/her pronouns)

Summary: Crosshair wants to make your birthday especially memorable. 

Word count: 2.4k

Warnings: SMUT, minors dni or I will hit you with my bonk stick; squirting, spanking, overstimulation, reader has a praise kink, use of a pet name (kitten), oral (fem!receiving), piv sex (wrap it up in real life y’all), I feel like Crosshair being Crosshair also counts as a warning?

a/n: my birthday is here, so have some self-indulgent birthday smut with tbb tumblr’s favorite poor little meow meow. Also, I did my best to write this so it could be interpreted with him either having both of his hands or just the one, however you choose to read it. 

This was the first birthday you celebrated since getting with Crosshair, and he was determined to make it special. You woke up to an empty bed, which upset you at first, but once you smelled breakfast being made in the kitchen, you knew you were in for a good day. 

Sliding out of bed, you stretched, waking up your tired body. Walking into the kitchen, you looked over towards the stove and saw your boyfriend scrambling some eggs with his back facing you. You walked over to him and hugged him from behind, kissing his neck. 

“Well, someone’s getting a late start this morning,” Crosshair teased, turning his head and returning your kiss. 

“Considering what day it is, I think I have the right to sleep in as much as I want,” you asserted, smiling before kissing his neck one last time and moving towards the cupboard to get some dishes to set the table. 

“I don’t think so. Sit down and let me do the work. Like you said, it’s a special day,” he smirked, turning towards you and letting you see…

“Kiss the cook?!” you exclaimed, laughing and leaning against the counter. Crosshair had donned a bright pink apron with those words emblazoned across the front in sequins. 

“What, you don’t like it?” he asked, acting mock offended and putting his hand to his chest. 

“It’s certainly… entertaining,” you chuckled, moving over to the stove to pour yourself a cup of tea. To your surprise, he didn’t move to stop you, but he kept an eye on you to make sure you didn’t try to do anything else while he finished the cooking. He set the table before bringing the food over and placing that on the table as well. 

“Cross, in all seriousness, this looks so good! I really appreciate all of this,” you fawned. He didn’t cook that much, but when he did, you enjoyed every bit of it. 

“Today is about you, and I wanted to make sure the day started off right,” he assured. Without another word, you both tucked into the food, saying little but enjoying the time together nonetheless. Once breakfast was finished, Crosshair cleaned up, once again ensuring that you didn’t do any more work than you absolutely needed to. When that was done, you both got ready for the day, and Crosshair implemented the next step of his little plan. 

He’d planned the whole day out to a t, wanting to get in as many of your favorite activities as possible without it being overwhelming or tiresome. First, he took you for a stroll through one of your favorite markets, buying you a plant you’d had your eyes on for a while now. Next was a picnic on the beach, watching the waves join calmly with the shore before slowly receding back into the ocean. After that, he took you on a hike along one of your favorite trails. That reminded you of your first date, when he’d taken you on that very same hike. You looked back on the memory with fondness. 

As the day started to fade, he took you to your next destination: dinner with his family. When you walked in the door, Wrecker pulled you into a big bear hug, wishing you a happy birthday. As you continued into the house, Omega popped out as well. 

“Happy birthday, y/n!” she exclaimed. 

“Thanks, bud! How’re you doing?” you smiled. 

“Good! I wanted to come see you earlier, but Crosshair was very specific about how he wanted your birthday to go. He wouldn’t shut up about how he wanted everything to be perfect and he loves you so much and-”

“Okay, I think that’s enough from you,” Crosshair interrupted, ruffling his sister’s hair. 

“Well, little brother, I just wanted to let y/n know why I didn’t see her earlier today.” She turned to you before adding, “It was the most I’d ever heard him talk in one sitting.” 

“Omega, be nice,” Hunter chided from his spot in the sitting room. He stood up and walked over to you, wishing you a happy birthday and pulling you into a quick hug before getting a glare from Crosshair. “Smells like dinner is almost ready, and I’m sure none of us would want to be late for that; otherwise, Wrecker might eat it all.”

“I heard that,” Wrecker called from his place in the kitchen. “But yeah, dinner’s ready!”

You all moved into the kitchen and sat around the table. You saw he’d made one of Gregor’s recipes- one you’d mentioned in passing about wanting to have again after he’d made it for you and the others once. Everyone ate their fill; even Wrecker was full by the end of it. This was followed up by some cake, and once you blew out the candles, that was devoured, too. 

After dinner was done, everyone moved back into the sitting room and gave you their gifts. Hunter gave you a wooden carving of a plant leaf, knowing how much you liked plants. Wrecker gave you a tin of your favorite sweets to take home (“and make sure Crosshair doesn’t get into them”, queuing another glare). Omega gave you a painting she’d done of you and the boys, plus Batcher. Speaking of Batcher, she didn’t really have a gift, but she gave you lots of love all the same. 

Once everything was done, you bid everyone a good night, and you and Crosshair went back home. Opening the door, he said, “Go wait in the bedroom. I have a surprise for you.” You could see the twinkle in his eyes, and knew he had something special in store for you. He sat down on the bed and handed you a box. “Open it,” he urged, and you did. You pulled out a beautiful set of lingerie in your favorite color, and it was soft and enticing. 

“I think I got the size right, but if not, I’m sure we can figure out what fits,” he shrugged. 

“Only one way to find out,” you smiled, heading into the fresher to put it on. Crosshair had no reason to worry- it fit perfectly. You waltzed out, leaning against the wall, asking, “Well? How do I look?”

He stared at you in awe for a moment before responding, “Absolutely stunning.” You blushed before making your way over to him, plopping yourself in his lap. He pulled you into his arms, finding your lips and kissing you lovingly. Sure, he was being gentle now, but you knew that was about to change. As you’d predicted, his kisses got needier and hungrier, grasping at whatever body parts he could reach. Eventually landing on your ass, he gave you a tight squeeze, drawing a moan out of you. You knew that his favorite part of your body was your ass, and you had no objections to the love he showed it- and the rest of your body. 

“I have a challenge for you, if you think you’re up for it,” he said breathlessly, pulling away from your lips. 

“And what would that be?” you questioned, running your fingers through his short silvery hair. 

“One spanking for each year of your age,” Crosshair smirked. “And you have to count them out loud. After that… you decide. And you need to tell me exactly what you want me to do to you.”

“Why do I get the feeling that this is as much a gift for you as it is for me?” you teased. “But either way, I accept. How do you want me?”

“You know how I want you,” he murmured, a darkness coming over his eyes. He sat back so you could lay stomach down on his lap, resting your head on the comforter. Rubbing a hand against the swell of your ass, he asked, “Are you sure you want this?”

“Yes, I want this, please,” you begged, already getting desperate and grinding your hips against his lap in an attempt to get some friction against the heat pooling between your legs. His hand came down, the smack ringing throughout the room. “One,” you counted, though it came out as more of a moan than an actual word. 

“Well done, kitten,” Crosshair praised, bringing his hand down again. 

“Two,” you breathed. This is going to be more difficult than I thought it would be, you thought to yourself. He kept going, and you kept counting, but as you continued, it became harder for you to concentrate on counting. When you got to eighteen, he had to prompt you to keep counting. “Remember, kitten? I said you had to count each one out loud. You haven’t already forgotten, have you?” he teased. 

“Eighteen,” you responded, barely more than a whisper. He kept going, prompting you twice more before you finished the set. By that point, you were a whimpering mess, ass red with handprints and wetness flooding the little bit of cloth covering your pussy. He helped you off of his lap, laying you down on the bed. Crosshair climbed on top of you, kissing you and praising, “Well done, y/n. I’m so proud of you.” Your only response was a moan into his mouth as he leaned down and claimed your mouth, dominating the kiss and leaving you even more breathless. 

“Now, do you remember what comes next?” he asked. 

“Me, hopefully,” you joked. 

“Yes, but you have to tell me exactly what you want. And I mean exactly. I won’t do anything you don’t tell me to do. Use me as you see fit,” demanded. You lay there, with him laying kisses on your neck before you responded, “I want your mouth.”

“Where, kitten?” he prompted. Again, it took you a bit to respond. 

“On my pussy,” you breathed. 

“As you wish,” Crosshair smiled, traveling down your body, moving the lingerie to the side, and placing his lips right above your wetness. “Now, what should I do with my mouth on your pussy?”

“Eat me out,” you whined. He finally acquiesced, setting to work. Your hips jolted against his face, rutting against him, your body begging for more. 

“More.” He obeyed, giving more stimulation. At this point, you had a hand on the back of his head, pushing him even further into your pussy. 

“Add a finger.” Smirking, he slid a slender finger inside you, earning a drawn-out moan. However, once the finger was inside, he kept it still. Apparently, he wanted you to be more specific. 

“Finger me, please,” you begged, and once he started curling his finger against your g-spot. You were trembling, getting closer to the precipice by the second. 

“Another finger,” you gasped, “and keep fingering me.” Another finger joined the first, and that was all it took. You felt your body seize up, climbing higher and higher before it all broke. You felt as if every nerve in your body had been set on fire, your very being burning with pleasure. However, even as you descended into oversensitivity, Crosshair didn’t stop. Continuing to wring pleasure out of your body, all you could do was lay there, taking what he gave you. As he continued, you felt a new sensation bubbling inside of you, and when you came again, the dam burst. Crosshair’s face became drenched as you squirted, pulling even more pleasure out of you than you ever thought possible. Finally, you couldn’t take it anymore, and you pushed him away, begging him to stop.

After letting you take a minute for your mind to return to your body, he chuckled, “Well, I’ve never seen you do that before.”

“I didn’t know I had it in me,” you panted, still coming down from your high. Crosshair crawled up your body, littering kisses along the way. “You really did mean specific, huh?”

“Of course I did,” he laughed. “What would you like next?” 

Looking deep into his lust-blown eyes, your next two words had him burning: “Fuck me.” 

He tore his now-wet clothing off, along with gently removing the lingerie from your body. He flipped you over, pressing your body into the mattress before sliding into you. Once he made sure you weren’t in pain, he pulled out and slammed back in, hitting every single part inside of you that only he could reach. He was big, and he knew how to use it. He plowed into you, fucking you right into the mattress. You could hardly breathe, but that was the furthest thing from your mind. All you could focus on was the feeling of him ramming into you, surely leaving bruises he’d admire in the morning. Sex with Crosshair was always amazing, but tonight was something else entirely. Knowing that he took so much pleasure in pleasing you, in giving you exactly what you wanted, made it that much better. Once again, you felt the knot in your stomach begin to tighten. 

“Getting close, kitten?” Crosshair grunted in between thrusts, and all you could do was nod. Sliding a hand underneath you, he circled two dexterous fingers on your clit, and before long, you came undone again. He continued, chasing his own high as you writhed underneath him. After a few more thrusts, he buried himself inside you, finishing inside your tight, wet heat. He held you tight to him, rolling the two of you onto your sides. Running a hand up your side, you lay there for a moment, basking in the afterglow. 

Eventually, Crosshair slowly pulled out, placing a kiss to the side of your head before getting up to grab some water and a small snack. You always got the munchies after sex, especially intense sex like this. He also grabbed a damp cloth to clean your body with and a spare set of bedding so that neither of you had to sleep on a wet patch. 

Once you were cleaned up and he had changed the bedding, the two of you cuddled in the bed, with him on his back and you curled into his side. “Thank you… for all of this. It means so much to me, and I love you so much,” you murmured. 

“I love you too, y/n,” he responded, laying one more kiss on your forehead before you drifted off to sleep, him not far behind. He was certainly successful in his mission; you would remember this birthday for a long time.

-

Thanks for reading! If you want to check out some of my other stuff, check out my masterlist, and don't forget to reblog 💚

[lady-arryn]

PADME AMIDALA costume appreciation: ▶ The Phantom Menace [7/9] (costume design by Trisha Biggar)

[thelazybard]

frat boy hunter 🤭

FRAT BOY HUNTER!!! FRAT BOY HUNTER!!!

He'd literally be the textbook definition of a frat boy, but in the best ways. Life of the party and super involved in Greek life, but makes sure the house stays clean and that everyone at his house parties are safe.

You guys obvs meet at a party where he approaches you. He came off as a fuckboy at first, mostly because of the current scene, but after crossing paths a few more times on campus you begin to see he's a pretty genuine guy.

Your guard was still up the first few weeks that followed your first "date". He joined on your study sesh despite not having any study material of his own on him.

While you studied for a gen ed class he was studying you, trying to understand the hottie (who he now knows to be smart) he met at one of his parties, who seemed interested in him but with a look in their eyes that suggested they weren't expecting much good to come from it.

That eventually gets proven wrong though, when he asks you to go steady. You become close to his brothers (both biological and frat-wise) as a result and pretty much half of campus by this point would literally go to war for you.

[sh1zhu]

I NEED MORE OF THIS. let me put my two cents in since i’ve seen my fair share of greek life…

hunter takes party safety serious as fuck. like nobody else takes drink safety more seriously than he does—if anything that’s his main priority

he’ll ask you for party theme ideas and ask if you want to go matching with him. please say yes. he’ll do any costume with you.

can and will kick out (and kick ass) if someone at one of the parties makes you feel uncomfortable. it’s a given.

beat him at beer pong. he’ll thank you.

anyways frat boy hunter 4ever!!!

[thelazybard]

You are a GENIUS! I didn't know I needed beer-pong Hunter until now.

I don't have much experience with Greek life (community college ftw)