#‘they’re like pockets to me’ no joke I’ve thought about that line a lot lol

[ghosts-and-blue-sweaters]

For the wip ask game, ⛅️☔️ - cryingtulips

Share your favorite piece of dialogue from your WIP

~~~

"Alright," Wilbur begins. He keeps his hands in his pockets. "Now what you'll do is-"

"You're just making me use the bow because you like it," Tommy interjects, standing stubbornly in one spot. "You like the bow and so you want me to like the bow, but I don't. I like swords."

There's a beat. "I know you like swords, Tommy. That's why we're practicing with the bow."

Tommy's brow furrows. "That does not make any sense."

Wilbur sighs. "You like swords?"

"Yes. A whole lot. They're like pockets to me."

"And you're good at using them?"

Tommy smirks. "Wil, you are asking me a quite stupid question."

"Tommy."

"Yes, I'm good at swords. You've seen me use them."

Something in Wilbur's eyes flashes, but before Tommy can think about it Wilbur's eyes are normal again. "Right. You like using swords, and you're good at using swords. That's a good thing. But—"

Wilbur begins to move, walking with slow, long steps in a slow, long circle, around Tommy. "Are you good with a bow?"

Tommy frowns, glancing down at the weapon. "I don't know. Maybe."

"You're not."

"Hey!"

"You just shot a tree instead of the target, Tommy!" Wilbur's voice turns sharp like saltwater, and Tommy shuts his mouth. 

~~~

Is there a fic concept you have that you'd like to just explain and share because you're not sure you'll ever write it? If so, what is it?

Wellll, I started writing this a while ago but ended up getting very stuck, so I suppose I’ll go ahead and spill XD

Basically. Okay. You know the Muppets Movie, right? So. This fic. It’s like.

Fine, I call it The Muppet AU. No one is actually a muppet, but it’s super inspired by the plot and it makes for a fun title lol

Here’s the premise: Wilbur’s a young man with a dream to be a writer/director for a Big Thing in Hollywood. So, he sets out in his beat-up van to drive across the country and try to make it in Hollywood.

He sets out alone but he DOESN’T ARIVE IN HOLLYWOOD ALONE!!! BECAUSE THAT WOULD NOT BE A FUNNY FIC AND THIS FIC IS VERY HUMOROUS!!!

One of the first nights on the road, Wilbur goes to some restaurant with a stage for little performances, done while the customers eat. Two boys end up on stage, and do a whole little skit, and Wilbur pays attention because they’re good. These kids are good at this. Like, really good.

After the skit thing is over, Wilbur finds the boys and starts talking with them, complimenting their performance. One thing leads to another and Wilbur invites the boys to come with him to Hollywood!! (Wilbur could use them, probably)

Tommy and Tubbo agree, because it’s not like they have anything better to do!

AND THEN THEY’RE OFF!!!

Along the way, they pick up more and more people, including Quackity (works in a diner called Big Diner) Schlatt (owns Big Diner) Ranboo (???) Niki, Eret and maybe Fundy? I’m kinda adding everyone into this fic lol

They all somehow miraculously make it to Hollywood, and Wilbur immediately sets to work; he comes up with a whole script and uses all his new friends to take part in the performance.

This fic is weird and almost crack, and what little I have written for it is super fun :D Hopefully I can write more of it someday.

[ringmyheart]

hey, i was wondering if i could hv headcanons with how to fight characters? maybe when their crush's parents scold them for getting bad score at school, like that time at the end of the semester. pls do it with seong taehoon and jiyeon woo. thank you! 🥺

SEONG TAEHOON

The first thing he’s gonna do honestly is tell u to fight ur parents. U tell him about how u got a bad score and how it’s the end of the semester and the test/ur overall grade was important and he’s so used to living life the way HE wants he tells u to just. Fight them

And you’re first thought 2 say is idk how to fight? Bc what he said is just so sudden and kinda preposterous and ur upset and he’s like okay, I’ll teach u then and ur like I’m not fighting my parents 😭 and he goes okay then I’LL do it

And u have to rlly reiterate like” NOBODY is fighting my parents” first and foremost and after that he kind of just goes silent because he has no idea how to help you or what to do and u have knocked every idea he’s offered out of the park

Truthfully I don’t think he cares about grades too much for himself and this extends to you too. He doesn’t get why you’re so concerned, and his dad (I’m pretty sure form what we’ve seen so far) is really nice and laidback so it’s not like he’s ever being reprimanded so he’s also partfully angry at your parents bc they made u upset

Like rlly angry LMAO and as ur ranting to him ab how they yelled at u for bad grades he’s just like one day… one day he’s gna fight them 😐 he doesn’t make exceptions. He might tell u to tell them to watch out LMAO but he says it so dead seriously and u laugh but wonder if he’s even joking ?

He’s like okay well have u considered: running away

And u quickly dismiss that idea too bc u have nowhere to go and it’s literally just them scolding u ur like it’s not THAT srs... I’m just upset and he’s like u have a place to sta... nvm he’s not gonna b sweet if it’s not like absolutely necessary LOL

Bc of his lack of understanding or just overall interest in this kind of stuff, he just listens to u bc his advice clearly wasn’t cutting it for u.

He asks to see the grade and u hand him the test or the grade folder and it if ur grades weren’t even that bad, he’s gonna get frustrated w you and be like u have gotta b kidding me this is what ur stressed about 😐 what ur parents yelled at u for?? And he smacks u on the side of ur head and is like please tell me ur joking these are good. Anything above a C in his eyes is still really good

If ur grades were a D, he’s like neutral like okay yeah it was kinda bad but not the worst, don’t stress about it I’ve gotten tons of D’s.

And if it was an F he’s like oh okay yeah it was pretty bad like I get it. But this would just make things worse and ur like ur right I did so baaad and he’s like nonono oh no it’s not like that and he like stiffens and goes quiet when u get misty eyed I guess and wonders once again why this is so serious to you?? Who cares about grades?

He probably gets mad ur letting other ppl control ur life. We’ve seen that he hates other ppl living their lives for others or by others rules and he’s kinda frustrated at you and wishes he could just take over u for a day or something and tell ur parents off and ur talking about it and he’s narrowing his eyes at you but ur clearly upset so he’s not gonna yell at u rn. When u feel better ab this he probably will tell you to stop living by others standards but for now he’s kinda lost

He tries to convince u to rise up against ur parents and is like “are u gonna keep letting people in ur life control u?!” And it’s like a motivational pep talk and ur like “no!” And he’s like “are you gonna let THEM yell at you and hurt YOUR feelings?! Cause I sure as hell am not!” And ur getting more energetic and r like “me neither!” And he’s like “are you gonna let ur own PARENTS talk to YOU like that?!” And u go “no!!” Nd he’s like “we r sick of it!!” And u go “ya we r 😭” and then he thinks ur on board so he’s like good!! Let’s go beat ur parents

And ur like “what” and he realizes u weren’t on the same page the entire time so he eventually bedgrudginly will lie that idea go

And he tells you this, like he says it won’t matter in seven years, right?? So why does it matter? Pls cheer up and be doesnt outright say this but he’s like “don’t worry ur pretty little head about it” or something to cheer u up

If it works and he successfully consoles u he is rlly happy and doesn’t show it but he’ll shove his hands in his pockets and go “see?? I told you. I’m good at this advice thing.”

If it doesn’t, he’ll try to take ur mind off it and he probably just shows u his spinning back kick or something LMAO or take u to the dojo so u can either do stuff w him or just watch

But if u tell him what ur upset about isn’t grades but ur parents, he’ll listen to u tell him what they told u if it was mean or strict and if it’s rlly bad his eyes will go bloodshot and he’ll roll up his sleeves and be like okay let me at them then

Literally don’t even JOKE ab him beating up ur parents he will do it 😭😭 and worse thing is he’ll WIN. Don’t even be like “yeah I wish u would beat them up for me” bc he doesn’t draw the line between u joking and him actually doing it probably. Even if he knows ur joking, which he will bc he’s not dense he’ll use it against u and be like u have me permission and suddenly ur the instigator

He listens to u rant about them if u just want a listener and he can probably tell by ur body language… like If ur clearly wanting advice, he’ll offer u the best he can and will tell you to stick up for yourself or, if you’re really upset he’ll even consider talking to them for u. No fists to his chagrin but he’ll advocate for u and he won’t plan beforehand at all he’ll just say “I think u need 2 be nicer to ur child.” And will be like “this shit doesn’t even matter anyways” and will rip the test paper in front of them so this option is obviously not even a choice for you

If u start to cry he’ll first awkwardly do that thing that people do when they don’t know how to console someone and rub your arm and he’s like “Uhh, do u want water?” Bc he’s sad bc UR sad and doesn’t know what to do and it’s like what he’s doing isn’t that helpful but the tone in his voice is v consoling and comforting bc he’s suddenly kinda quiet 4 once

If ur sobbing he’ll hold u and u cry into his shirt and later he’ll talk about how you got it all wet but like when he goes home in the mirror and sees the tear stains it reminds him ur hurt and breaks his heart

He will study with you. And by studying it’s just him like sitting with you while you study. He doesn’t think you should study but if that’s how you want to solve this and feel better he’s down. He won’t read anything but if u have flash cards he will read them back to you and ask u questions and he doesn’t know the right answer himself (unless it’s math he’s probably rlly rlly good at math.) so u have to write them on the back. But he’s pretty good at helping u study

And if ur doing flash cards, he won’t tell u the answer until u guess it and he’s good at hinting to it and he gets annoyed VERY easily when ur not saying the answer u wrote on the back but bites it down

If ur parents make u stay home more and study as like a consequence of gettig a bad grade, he won’t have any of it

He will either confront ur parents and that either makes things somewhat better or incredibly worse

So if that’s what happens he’ll text u a lot and face time u in secret and call u a lot so even tho ur not together, every time u come home from school and open a book ur phone is hidden in the bend of it and ur fting and sometimes u don’t even talk he’s just FaceTiming u so u won’t b alone while u study and bc he misses u

Overall, he really couldn’t give a shit about grades but if need be, he’ll help u with urs, he’d be the best math tutor if ur looking, if ur parents lock u up a lot to study more bc they’re mad he will use any other option to see u, and he’ll try his best to console u despite not being that knowledgeable or understanding why you’re upset. His go to comfort option is distraction, but if it’s futile he’ll do whatever it is u wanna do. If u thank him for helping u he’ll kick something and will b like “yeah whatever I was just sick of u moping around.”

JIYEON WOO

He understands what’s going on with you all too well. When you tell him ur parents scolded u bc u didn’t do so hot in a test or ur overall grades this semester, it’s like his heart is a weight that drops into his stomach and ties his intestine into a huge knot. Like he feels the dread set in

He’s takes a muuuuchhhh more calm approach than Taehoon tbh, like while ur talking he won’t say a word and will listen. He is SUCHHH a good listener and especially now he’s just staring at you and nodding his head to let you know he’s listening to make sure u know that like he is there and present and if ur sad he’s sad too like u guys r a “team”

While ur venting, if u begin to cry he’ll let u and he’s more of a “rub-ur-back-soothingly” type of consoler so he’ll do that and if u half hug him he’ll continue do it but he’s looking at u w the saddest eyes in the world ☹️

Doesn’t rlly know what to do at first besides listen and b nice

He might even get misty eyed with u too bc he understands so much. But he won’t bring up his home situation at ALL, it’s like ur stage and he’s just a listener, he won’t make u feel like he’s comparing ur pain

His fist clenched at his side because he’s angry at your parents AND his and he’s imagining what ur parents said in his mind and even if it wasn’t that bad, he’s fuming

He might even offer to run away w u too and he “knows a place” 😭and ur like omg it’s not that bad but after reminiscing on his own home life he just assumes you’re as sick of it as him

If you’re his s/o, you obviously know about his YouTube streams, so that week at the end of every stream he’ll take a risk and unmute it and go “and don’t worry about grades too much, guys :)” and ur “guys”

Either that or he’ll do something so he will stop streaming completely for that week bc it might make u feel like he’s rubbing it in ur face how much he studies nd how studious he is and yes it gets him in trouble w his dad but when u start to feel better ab ur grades and u smile and he’s like “I thought u were upset?” And u say “oh, yeah… I’m feeling better now :)” it’s all worth it

Since he’s so consumed w streaming if u weren’t able to ever meet in person, and u had to FaceTime or text him, he probably spams u and u guys have to text at like 3am bc he’s studying all other hours of the day so he’s under his covers and reading or calling u

Like it goes

‘My parents got mad at me bc I got bad grades :(((‘ and then he sees the text he reads it and then again and is like oh no bc is it like his situation???

And then u go get a snack or something and go MIA during texting but he doesn’t know that so he spams u bc he thinks that maybe ur parents took ur phone and r locking u up like his did him so he’s like

‘Are you okay?’

‘Hello…?’

‘Where did you go? :(‘

‘Are you okay?’

‘Please be okay…’

‘(Y/n)?’

And if he suspects ur parents took ur phone and r gonna read this he sends things a very lengthy and persuasive text that explains why this is cruel and unusual and to PLS give u ur phone back and then it says seen and ur like it’s still me :)) I’m okay but thx for worrying 😭❤️

And he’s like ‘thank god…’

Since he’s a part of that newtube company (XY or something? I forgot HAHA), he has connections honestly??? So if you’re that torn over this grade he might try and pull some strings to improve your grade, make classes easier or to reach your parents even. Like he affects his parents’ boss which then butterfly effects to you

Assures you that grades aren’t that important, or tries to, but it’s so horrible coming from him because he has such good grades and it always is gonna feel like he’s just saying that no matter what

If he could he’d fail a test too to make u feel better and like ur in it together but his dad would MURDER him. So he just tries to tell u it’s okay and graders aren’t that bad

If ur mostly upset over the bad grade, he’s like it’s fine, and even if it’s a grade he genuinely considers bad he’ll look at it like “...” before going this is fine too!! :) and in his mind he’s like if I got this my dad would kill me but would NOT tell you that EVERRR. He’s gonna do anything to preserve ur feeling rn and the next few weeks he’s especially nice to u

Will study with you to make you feel better but it’s hard because he’s really far ahead tbh :(( like he explains assuming u already have some ground knowledge. BUT he’s really good at being patient so if ur like I don’t understand and get frustrated he’s like “oh I’m sorry!!! Here, I’ll go over it again.”

U guys start spending time at the library and when his dad questions him he’s like I’m studying and he really is and it’s like a study date and it actually ends up being RLLY fun

Might even print u worksheets and stuff and leaves nice notes on them when he gives them to u like every chapter has another ‘u can do it’ of ‘ur already here?! Omg! Ur far ahead keep going!’ And lots of smiley faces and hearts in the margins

He is not above helping u cheat. He will give u answers in school, risking being caught nd getting in trouble, like he’ll find a way to sit as close to u as possible in class and “drop” his pen besides u that just happens to have a paper inside with all of the answers!!!!

And when you see it you’re so happy and you look at him and wink trying it be inconspicuous and it’s so obvious and he’s like omg (y/n) pls… but he’s happy ur happy and ur grades improve so much bc he gets every answer right and so of course you are getting them right too

But u both plan on u getting a few wrong to avoid suspicion and he’s so happy when ur happy bc ur grades improve so he’ll start sending u the HW, too

Will send u just study notes if u don’t want to cheat and they r so good and he’ll also send u his flash cards and everything and lend u notes from the past

He knows ur YouTube username so if u start to study a lot more bc of ur parents’ scolding and watch his streams to “study” w him despite the million viewers it’s like it’s just u nd him and when u comment like “here bc my parents yelled @ me and now im trying to improve my grades” he is simultaneously v happy ur there but also heart broken

If it’s mainly ur parents scolding u ur upset about, he’ll listen to u talk about it for hours on end over text, FaceTime, call, etc.

Makes a joke ab sending ur parents to the nursing home he volunteers at to cheer u up 😭😭 it either makes u son harder or laugh

Overall, he cares LOTS about grades, but his not urs. And if ur worried ab getting a job he’s like dw I’ll cover u in the future :)) and he’s very understanding bc he’s in a very similar situation and hates seeing u suffer like that or go thru that even if it’s genuinely not that bad. If u cry his works just SHATTERS and he’ll listen to u rant and cry for hours on end. And if ur grades were actually considerably bad, he won’t tell u that, and he’ll help u improve them bc THATS his solution to it and he’s good at helping u study. If ur not up to it he will help u cheat despite the danger of getting caught, so he can see u happy again :(( he’s rlly so sad ur going thru the same thing as him and will do anything to make it better. Won’t offer to fight ur parents but if need be he might rough one of them up if things escalate to really like mentally abusive-like proportions. But if it wasn’t that bad, he’ll just console u and help u to feel better no matter what !!

(Unedited)

I hope this came out well!! I’m so happy I’m getting how to fight requests tysm for that, <3 also it ended up kinda long and I lost my train of thought a few times but this felt like an emergency request and when I read those I like when they’re rlly long bc it distracts and comforts me. If it was one I hope ur okay and know u r more than ur grades!!!! ❤️❤️ ty for ur request :))

[dragonsareourfuture]

Mello/GN!Reader — I Forgive You (Part Two)

⚠️Warnings: mentions and descriptions of bullying/abuse. Please do not continue if you are sensitive about that kind of thing or do not enjoy reading about it.

If the title wasn’t enough of a spoiler in the first place, here’s part two lol. Link to part one is right here!

Later that week Mello unexpectedly announced that he was taking you on a drive, instructing Matt to hold down the fort and put down his video game for at least a couple of minutes to watch the security cameras the three of you had set up overlooking the suspected Kira’s home. Once in the car, intense curiosity filled your head as blaring rock music invaded your ears. You cringed, reaching to switch off the radio so you could actually think coherent thoughts.

“Where are we going?” You questioned now that the music wasn’t in the way of your voice reaching Mello’s ears. “And shouldn’t we be helping Matt?”

“He can handle himself.” Mello kept his eyes on the road, switching the music back on and tapping his thumb on the steering wheel of Matt’s old Camaro.

“You still didn’t answer my question. And why aren’t we taking your motorcycle?”

“Jesus, you ask a lot of questions.”

“I just like to know where I’m going with the strange man who used to beat me up all the time. Is that so wrong?”

Mello let out a sigh. “No, I guess not.” He was almost inaudible over the music. He gave you no clues as to where your final destination was, and you began to wonder if he even knew, himself. But eventually, with a sigh of relief that you weren’t lost, the car pulled into a parking garage after you got a glimpse of a sign for a mall. You recoiled in surprise, but said nothing, figuring he was just using that parking garage to be discreet while your actual destination was down the street or something. However, when you exited the car, a surprisingly eager Mello took your hand and dragged you out of the parking garage and towards the front entrance of the mall.

“Wait— Mello, what are you doing?”

“Just hurry up! Let’s get this over with,” Mello huffed, fighting against your resistance by pulling at your hand harder, coaxing a whimper from your throat.

“M-Mello, stop! You’re hurting me—“

At your words he let go instantly, causing you to fall backwards into the pavement.

“Oh, god, (name)! I’m sorry!” He shouted, throwing his hand out to help you up and freezing when all you did was flinch and hide your face.

Mello carefully retracted his arm and crouched down next to your form. He could only gape wide eyed for a full minute, stunned at the effect his past self had on you. Guilt made itself known inside his chest, weighing him down like his heart had suddenly turned to stone. He wondered if his heart had always been cold if he ever thought of treating someone like he once did.

Mello went for attempt number two, gently brushing his fingers over the hands that covered your face and wrapping themselves around your wrist. He pulled you to your feet and stuffed his hands back in his pockets to show that he meant no harm.

“I...I thought that we could go shopping. Didn’t you want someone to take you to one of those little shops in your town? Well, this is the closest thing we got here.”

Your eyes flitted to the giant, glowing logo above the entrance to the mall. You nodded slowly and took your place alongside Mello as you both entered the castle-like building. Mello asked you where you wanted to go first, pointing you over to a directory and listing a few stores he thought you might like, strongly urging you to stop by Hot Topic at least once during your trip. You agreed, wanting to see why he was so fond of the store.

Once you arrived at the small section that was dedicated to “Hot Topic” you immediately saw what attracted Mello to the store so much. Even the entrance practically screamed “Mello” and the inside was even more uncanny.

The blond explored the isles, offering clothes or accessories to you occasionally and, if you felt they’d suit you, you accepted them. There was still a tinge if tension in the air — as Mello hadn’t seen you in a long time and even when he had, he never took the chance between punches to note your clothing style — the two of you quickly collected enough items to load a truck. Mello shepherded you into a dressing room and, as you tried on different outfits, gladly took back the clothes you eliminated from your mountainous pile, handing you new sizes if you needed them.

When it came to be checkout time, you had two bags worth of clothes clutched in your hands as Mello dug through his wallet, which you couldn’t imagine there being that much money in until he pulled out a credit card. Although the cashier accepted it without a problem, you whisper yelled to Mello, “Where on earth did you get that!?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

You rolled your eyes, but let him continue. The cashier handed Mello back “his” credit card and beamed at the pair of you. “Here you are. And, may I add, you two are an adorable couple.”

You and Mello both looked at each other, surprise and uneasiness swimming in your eyes, but acting as a couple would be much better than trying to explain your complicated situation to this poor person who just wanted to complement you.

“Thank you.” You and Mello droned animatedly, hurrying out of the store with your bags to allow the next person in line the check out.

This little exchange didn’t come up again until the drive back to the apartment when Mello asked, “Do you think we looked like a couple?”

“Nah,” you shrugged, rifling through your shopping bags to peer at your new items excitedly.

“So, are you at least close to forgiving me?”

“I might be on my way,” you said in a joking manner, but in truth you were quite serious. A single shopping trip wasn’t going to change much, though it did spark something in your heart when you thought about the gesture. “How did you know?”

“Hmm?”

“How did you know that I wanted someone to take me shopping? I only wrote that in...oh...”

Mello would have hung his head in shame if he didn’t have to keep his eyes on the road. You shifted uncomfortably.

The sound of the engine and the tires against asphalt being the only sound in the car became too much to bear. You reached out and turned the radio on, rock music filling the rest of your drive home.

Mello occupied his thoughts with the next entry of your journal that had embedded itself into his mind. This particular entry raved about the food in your town and how it always smelled so good from the whiffs you got from outside. You wished you could go in and try some but, given your filthy state, the employees would have thrown you out. Besides, what money would you use to purchase such food?

For the next day or so, Mello looked up the best restaurants to visit. Ones that had good yet also fairly cheap food since he blew most of his money treating you to new clothes. Matt would’ve killed him if he found out that their survival money was being spent to simply prove a point to you, but luckily he never did.

As it turned out, there was a fairly well known cupcake shop that resided in the walls of your small town that also happened to be a wide-spread chain throughout the current area.

Mello snapped his laptop shut and grabbed his coat from the back of a chair.

“When’s (name) coming back?” He hurridly asked the redhead, who was busied with his game console and a family-sized bag of chips.

“Uh, I don’t know. Soon. Why?” Matt responded lazily.

You were on a supply run for the bare necessities and it had taken Mello around forty five minutes to find the location of the cupcake shop just outside of the city already. Without any time to waste, the blond wordlessly threw open the front door and sprinted out to his motorcycle parked in the sketchy parking lot outside the apartment building. After revving up the engine the blonde went at top speed in the direction of the cupcake shop, wanting to greet you with the cakes when you returned. This was futile, however, as you arrived back at the apartment from your shopping trip early and waited for nearly an hour before a huffing and puffing Mello came bursting through the door.

Both you and Matt reached for your guns before you realized it was only Mello, startled as the door was practically knocked off its hinges. Mello shielded himself with the white box he clutched in his gloved hands, screaming that it was only him.

“Your point?” You asked, keeping your gun aimed at the panting boy half jokingly before lowering it with a sigh. You gestured to the box. “What’s that?”

Mello placed the box on the coffee table and slid it over to you, knocking headsets and game cartridges out of the way in the process. You peered through the translucent window on the top of the box and your gaze softened. “Oh, Mello...”

“I found that one cupcake shop in your town—“

“You went ALL THE WAY—“

“No, no! There’s another one right outside the city.”

“That’s still a long way.” By now you had opened the box and plucked a red velvet cupcake from the assortment. “Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. I should be lying down my life for you because of what I’ve done.”

You stayed silent, unsure of what to say and peeled back the wrapper on the fluffy red cake, taking a bite. You hummed in delight and picked up the box carefully so that none of the cupcakes tipped over, offering it to Mello.

He raised his hand in protest, falling back into a chair after tossing his coat onto the armrest. “I couldn’t. They’re yours.”

You wouldn’t relent, thrusting the box into his chest. “True, but I’m willing to give up at least one.”

Mello allowed the slightest smile to tug at the corner of his lips, reaching his hand in and picking out a chocolate cupcake with rainbow sprinkles scattered over the icing. He thanked you in a hushed tone as he licked the stray bits of icing from his fingers.

“What, I don’t get one?” Matt intruded. You picked a vanilla cupcake from the collection and shoved it right onto his lips, the icing and sprinkles sticking to his face. “Gee, thanks.”

You giggled and plopped yourself down onto the couch after slapping Matt’s calf as an instruction to get it out of your way or else you’d crush it with your butt.

After happily chewing and finishing his cupcake, wiping off the chocolate residue from his face and hands, Mello directed his attention to his cellphone which had just started ringing. The blond clicked the “answer” button and he pressed the phone to his ear as you and Matt carried on your careless banter right beside him.

Mello listened for what felt like an eternity, yet the numbers on the digital clock by the couch never changed. He hung his head, determined to keep his reaction to what he was hearing secret from the two people beside him as blond strands of hair fell like a curtain over Mello’s sharpened features.

“It can be resolved by having a name written in the notebook?” The blond mumbled, his back slumped and elbow resting on his knee. His words seemed to catch your attention as you cleaned Matt’s face of vanilla icing with a spare napkin. “Well then...if I don’t do it...”

“Mello? What’s wrong? Who is that?

Mello waited for an opportunity to hang up, doing so and gazing up solemnly through his bangs which still covered the majority of his narrowed, blue eyes.

“Nothing to worry about,” Mello assured, sharing a knowing glance with Matt before shoving his phone in his pocket and out of sight, “Just a wrong number.”

You shrugged and took another bite of your cupcake, blissfully unaware of the battle ensuing inside Mello’s head.

When they told you their plan, you had all but thrown a tantrum. It was insane, reckless, and was sure to fail miserably but that didn’t seem to stop the duo as they rushed out the door to execute their foolish plan. Of course they had waited until the very last minute to actually mention to you what was going on, knowing full well that you would protest.

“It’s not gonna work! You’re both smart enough to know that so why on earth are you going!?” You hollered, stomping your foot like a child and throwing your hands about in a fit of anger and panic.

“It’s all gonna work out in the end, I promise,” Mello rambled hurriedly while throwing on his biker jacket and tossing Matt his car keys. The blond shoved his hand in his pocket and felt around for something before he tore it from its hiding place and thrust it in your hands. “Even if I’m not here to see it, you will be.”

You stood in utter shock, having heard him basically admit that the plan was a suicide mission, as the brunet and the blond slammed the door in your face. Their footsteps carried all the way down the flight of stairs until they disappeared. The silence surrounding you seemed to break you from your trance as you tore after them, only to catch up enough to see Matt pulling out of the parking lot and Mello just placing his bike helmet over his head.

Your ears seemed to ring as you clutched what he had given you to your chest — an envelope. Mello mounted his bike, ready to drive off when he saw you standing by the apartment building’s entrance. Though it was tough to see through the tinted wind guard of his helmet, you could have sworn the boy shot you a smile full of regret.

Before you knew it, he was gone in a cloud of smoke.

You hadn’t even realized you’d been crying until the splash of your tears on the envelope caught your attention. As you listened to the retreating sound of a Camaro and a motorbike, you tore open the envelope and pulled out a crudely folded piece of paper. Upon unfolding it, the writing was messy and rushed. You assumed Mello had written it in the few moments that he had before he had to leave. You were able to decipher the chicken scratch nonetheless.

 (Name)—

This isn’t how I imagined formally apologizing to you, but it’ll have to do.

All I ever got to do for you was ruin your life and then give you some lame attempts at making it up to you.

I swear if I come back from this I will take us off the grid. I’ll take you back to your old town and you can live how you’ve always wanted — you can eat in all the dumb little cutesy bakeries and shop in the most expensive stores. You’ll live the life you’ve always deserved and I’ll do everything I can to make sure that happens. I swear to you, if I make it out alive, I can be that person you’ve always wanted you hold you when times get tough and give you advice about some stupid guy you like. Because, even after this short amount of time we’ve spent together, I realize that if anyone deserves that, it’s you.

If I don’t make it out alive then, well, that sucks for me. If that happens to be the case, I’ve collected all that money that I’ve “earned” and used it to get you a plane ticket to England. You can live that amazing life you’ve always wanted without the burden of me there dragging you down and reminding you of some of the the worst times in your life. Just make sure to find me a nice burial site, alright? Or maybe cremate me. I don’t know, whatever.

I guess the whole point of me writing this letter is to say that I’m so, incredibly sorry for everything that I’ve done and have yet to do. My words will never be enough, written or otherwise, but I just want you to know how deeply I wish I could go back in time and fix my mistakes. Fuck the butterfly effect.

Just do me one favor and please live a happy life without me there to ruin it for you.

-Mihael

 You dug into the envelope once more and, sure enough, there was a plane ticket to Winchester, England. He knew he wasn’t coming back.

And, as Mello had planned, you boarded that plane on your own, nothing but a carry-on bag filled with new clothes and his letter to accompany you. The tear stained sheet of paper had worn terribly from how many times you read it. Your eyes scanned over the messily written words during the entire flight, fingertips delicately tracing the indents the pen had made. You tried to be happy for your friends who had sacrificed their lives for the good of humanity, but you couldn’t help but sob silently for the entirety of the flight. You thanked the heavens that no other passengers were in your row of seats, as they might have heard you whisper through dry and cracked lips,

“I forgive you.”

[lemonandhugs]

Chapter 6 of Stars Align!

Chapter 6

Sam and Caitriona walked outside of Edinburgh Airport and the freezing cold Autumn wind hit them in the face, causing them to both squint and grimace. Caitriona gasped and hugged her own body, after placing her luggage on the ground.

Sam still felt extremely embarrassed about what happened on the plane, despite Cait’s reassurances. He felt guilty, and just awkward around her, which he hated. He stood quietly next to her, with his head down, burying his mouth into his scarf, his hands shoved in his parka pockets. Cait picked up on how he was acting immediately and peered over at him. The wind blew Sam’s curly hair away from his left temple and she could see the large marble-size bump and light blue-purple bruise that had developed.

“How’s your h-head?” she asked him through a quivering jaw.

He shyly looked at her, “I’ve uh…I’ve got a bit of a headache, and it’s throbbing a bit, but I’ll be fine. I’ll take something for it when we get there…I deserve it though…what happened.”

Cait exhaled, turned towards him and held on to his forearm, “Sam…please, it’s alright. There was no harm done. It’s not like your hands landed in any awkward places, none of that. You haven’t offended me, or pissed me off, or given me a reason to not trust you. It was completely harmless. Please, don’t feel bad.”

Sam looked into her eyes then, seeing the pleading in her hypnotising blue-grey eyes, and it made his insides melt like warm butter, and his tension and embarrassment melted with it. He smiled crookedly.

“Well, alright. As you say,” Sam smiled wider at her and twisted slightly so the elbow she was holding on to gently nudged her.

The worry dissipated from Cait’s eyes, as her smile reached them, “good.”

She let go of his arm and shoved that hand into her pocket and began shivering again, as she was no longer distracted from the cold.

Sam looked at her with a knowing and concerning smile, “yeah, still as cold as I remember. I haven’t been back here for a few years.”

Cait’s teeth began to chatter and her body began to tremble as she hugged herself. She nodded, “well…I s-suppose I’m going to h-have to get used to th-this. No d-doubt I’ll be wearing a lot l-less on set in those early s-scenes of block one.”

Sam’s mouth went into a straight line and he nodded, “the things we do as actors,” he cheekily smiled at her.

Cait smiled back in between her teeth clicking together, “mhm.”

“At least you dressed warmer this time, and at least it’s not raining. It would be bad if we got our hair wet, yours more than mine. The car will be here s–, oh here it is,” Sam tilted his head upwards, gesturing towards the Audi coming towards them.

“Oh, thank g-god,” Cait murmured.

Then they noticed another Audi, exactly the same and directly behind. They both looked at each other confused.

“We must be taking separate cars?” Cait questioned.

Sam’s eyebrows furrowed.

The two drivers got out and hurried over to introduce themselves as Sam and Cait’s drivers for the duration of Season 1 filming.

“Are we travelling separately?” Sam asked his driver.

“Yes, we always have actors driven separately, in case of any accidents,” Sam’s driver stated.

“Oh, that makes sense,” Cait nodded.

“Okay, yeah I was wondering why two cars pulled up. If you’ve got this, man, I’ll help Caitriona’s driver with her luggage,” Sam asked his driver, pointing to his pile of luggage on the ground.

“Oh, S-Sam no. You don’t h-have to do that, it’s f-freezing, get in y-your car,” Cait shook her head, and attempting to stop him after he already had two pieces of her luggage slung over his shoulders, ignoring her.

Walking quickly to the boot of the car, with Cait’s driver, he put the luggage in and opened the door for her.

“In you get before you turn into an icicle,” Sam smirked at her.

Cait both pouted and smirked at him, and playfully hit him on the arm.

“See you when we get there, and thank you,” her smirk disappeared, and she gave him a small, sweet smile.

“No worries, Caitriona Balfe, see you soon,” Sam winked at her and brushed her back gently, up, and down.

He ran over to his car and quickly got in. Cait smiled to herself as a quiver ran over her spine, from his touch.

It was an hour drive to where their trailers would be located, and where the writer’s studio was, in which they would be going to their first read through, the next morning.

Twenty minutes into the drive, after small chit-chat with her driver, getting to know him, Cait was distracted by her phone going off. She picked it up from inside her handbag and saw a text from Sam on her screen. She couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face, and the excited feeling that formed in her stomach.

 -        Have you thawed now? :P

 -        Ha ha, very funny...! But yes, I’m quite toasty now, thanks for asking :D

  -        Good to hear. We can’t have Claire looking like those creatures in Avatar, now can we? :P

 -        :O but thank you for your concern, lol…I think Claire could rock blue skin!

  -        Mmm…you’re not wrong there. It’d make for an interesting series! Haha

 -        The stones did it :P

  -        Ah! Now THAT’S an interesting concept, Caitriona Balfe! We must tell Ron!

 Caitriona giggled quietly to herself, and she and Sam joked back and forth for ten minutes more.

‘Alright, alright. Leave her alone now. Professionalism, a respectful distance…don’t get too close off-set!’ Sam thought to himself as he typed out one last text to Cait saying that he’ll see her when they arrive.

A half hour later and they had arrived. The drivers got their luggage out of the cars and lead them towards their trailer. They came to one very large trailer that had both their names on it.

‘Sharing a trailer?!’ Cait panicked, and side-eyed Sam.

Ron walked around the corner a couple of seconds after Sam and Cait had reached the trailer. He beamed when he saw them both.

“Sam! Caitriona! How are ya?! Glad you had a safe trip. The hair looks great!” Ron exclaimed, shaking their hands.

He looked at the large trailer and back at Sam and Cait.

“So, you two will be sharing a trailer. All the trailers will be shared between two cast members. Starz could only get us a limited number of trailers, but they got us the very biggest ones. They’re so large, you will have plenty of your own space,” Ron explained.

‘Breathe, Caitriona, breathe. You’re sure to be used to him in no time now! Fuck, I hope we don’t become sick of each other…’ Cait thought, biting her bottom lip.

‘So much for a respectful distance off-set…fuck…it’s okay, it will be fine. We’ll become very comfortable with each other and it will be very good for the show and our on-screen chemistry,’ Sam calmed himself, determined to think rationally.

Sam and Cait both nodded at Ron while he was speaking. Sam was wringing his hands nervously and peered over at Cait. She caught his eye and gave him a shy smile. He smiled back but noticed the worry in her eyes. She quickly looked away and Sam’s attention was caught by Ron walking up the three steps and opening the front door of the trailer.

“Come in and have a look! Really nice inside, more modern than you would think,” Ron waved them forward, ducking his head inside as he spoke.

As Sam and Cait walked slowly towards the steps, Ron quickly climbed down.

“I’ll let you two get settled. I have to run, I have a few meetings to get to, one with Diana herself. You’ll meet her on Sunday, Caitriona. And yeah, I’ll see you two Sunday for Block One Read Through. 9am. All the cast will be arriving later, so you’ll get to meet everyone. It’ll be good. Can’t wait to see the book come to life, essentially,” Ron expressed with a lopsided smile on his bearded face.

Sam and Cait both smiled at that.

“I’m excited, this is all so new to me. It’s so beautiful here,” Cait said biting her lip and smiling, taking in her surroundings.

“Yeah, it’s going to be a hell of a journey, I think we’re all going to have a great time. It’ll be great experience for you as an actress, I’m sure you’ll learn a lot,” Ron nodded.

“Oh definitely,” Cait widened her eyes and smiled cheerfully at him.

“Alright, I’m off. See you in a couple of days,” Ron said putting his thumb up, before quickly turning and walking with large strides to his car.

Sam cleared his throat awkwardly, then stretched his arm out for Cait to walk up the stairs first. Cait smiled crookedly at him, looking up at him through her lashes, and ascending the few steps. Sam followed close behind, and upon switching the light on, they were indeed both surprised at how big and modern it really was. Colours of grey and white, a good-sized bedroom area that was split into two and identical on both sides, with two queen beds and a sliding dividing wall in the middle. That was the left side of the trailer. A doorway from the bedroom led out into the dining area, with a small bathroom running off just behind, with a surprisingly large shower. To the right of the dining area was a very impressive marble-top, large kitchenette.

“Wow. I cannot believe how huge this is,” Sam raised his eyebrows and looked around and up at the ceiling.

“Yeah! It doesn’t look like it from the outside. It’s lovely though. Definitely big enough for two,” Cait said as she ran her hand along the marble bench top, her back to him.

“So, uh…I…I guess we’re…living together. How do you feel about that? Since it was kind of just sprung on us…” Sam uttered, rubbing the back of his neck and carefully peering up at her.

“Well…I think…you know, we’re going to be on set together all day anyway. Sharing a trailer will give us a chance to get to know each other on another level. Which…I think will make us more comfortable with each other on set, especially in maybe the more…intense scenes. Obviously, we’ll give each other space when we’re in here. And…there’s an understanding between us. A trust,” Cait crossed her arms over her chest and shrugged one shoulder. She gave him a nervous smile through tight lips.

“That’s true. Yeah, you’re right. I promise I won’t intrude on your space, and I’ll wash my own dishes and won’t leave my clothes lying around. Oh, and I won’t leave my towels on the floor,” Sam grinned at her, rather cheekily.

Cait giggled freely and peered down at the floor before licking the corner of her top lip and looking back up at him.

“Well, ditto,” Cait nodded.

The sun suddenly crept out from behind the gloomy, grey clouds that were threatening rain, and it shone through one of the windows, catching both their eyes.

“So…if you’re not too tired, and because it’s rather beautiful outside now and the rest of the cast don’t arrive until later, maybe now is a good time I take you up on your offer on showing me around…?” Cait asked a little nervously but couldn’t help but smirk at him.

This took Sam by surprise. He didn’t actually expect her to take him up on that offer in which he felt stupid for suggesting.

“Oh,” Sam expressed with genuine shock, his eyebrows shooting up, “okay, yeah, of course. We can walk over to a park in Craighforth, and walk along the River Forth? It’s very beautiful, it gives a great view of the mountains.”

“Yeah, that sounds lovely,” Cait nodded, turning around to grab her phone out of her handbag.

They both descended the stairs of their trailer.

“I’ve got the key,” Sam said, holding up the key before shoving it deep into the front pocket of his jeans.

Cait looked back at him and smiled, “good, I don’t think Ron would be too impressed if we lock ourselves out already.”

Sam giggled, and the two walked side-by-side, hands deep in Parka pockets, out of the trailer lot, deeper and deeper into the countryside. They spoke mostly about little details of their life that they hadn’t yet shared; filling in holes of mystery about one another. They were showing more of each other, inch by inch, in the moments they spent together. Sam told Cait about his childhood spent scampering about the countryside on his own but having a ball. He told Cait about this place, historical anecdotes he was told by his family. Cait looked up at him, listening intently, admiring how his entire face lit up when he spoke about Scotland, how happy it made him, how his teeth and bright blue eyes shone in the sunlight. How he smiled so wide, she could see the creases on the corners of his cheeks.

After an hour of walking, they came to a completely open, wooden, rail-less bridge, and a wider part of the river, running wildly beneath them. They both stepped onto it without hesitation and continued to walk and talk, not really paying attention to the water beneath, or the bridge itself.

Sam, so focused on what Cait was saying, wasn’t aware enough of his footing. Being on the left side of the bridge, his left foot suddenly slipped slightly off the edge. He gasped sharply and grunted loudly. His body instinctively leaned over to the right side to prevent him from falling over the edge. His arms flailed outwards and he bent down quickly, clutching the planks of the bridge. Before he could register what had happened, before his adrenaline had stopped surging through his veins, all he heard was a petrified, high-pitched shriek, and all he saw was Cait’s body be flung, head first over the right side of the bridge, into the gushing river; not even a splash was heard. His heart stopped, his breathing ceased, he froze. His hands started to shake; all he could hear now was a painful ringing. Half a second later, and he was on his feet, looking into the water, breathing heavily. All he could see was a gushing pool of white and black.

“CAIT?!” he screamed at the absolute top of his lungs, over and over, until his throat and lungs started to burn.

He finally heard a gasping sound, then coughing, then screaming. He found Cait, already pulled twenty metres down the river in the matter of four seconds. The river was deep and had such force that she was unable to stand. She was struggling to swim properly and keep her head above the water.

“SAM HELP ME! PLEASE HE–,” Cait shrieked, and then she was gone, swallowed by the water.

Sam turned completely white, he felt physically sick as he sprinted, with everything he had, off the bridge and down the river, coming to where he spotted Cait in the water. He ripped off his Parka, threw his phone without looking, squatted, and slid down the grass, reaching the water. He dived underneath the water and let it take him downstream to Cait. Keeping his eyes open and his arms outstretched. Five seconds had passed, and he saw a dark shadow, trying desperately to fight against the stream and swim upwards; legs and arms striking against the water, but also being dragged further, deeper, underneath. Sam kicked his legs hard, hoping to reach her sooner. When he was close enough to reach her, his body slammed against hers by the force of the water before he could grab hold of her. She jolted sharply away from him, but then reached back for him, as he reached for her. Their hands gripped together so tightly, and without letting go, Sam attempted to touch the bottom with his feet and push himself up to the surface. He coughed and inhaled sharply, grunting, kicking, and fighting against the water with one arm. He pulled Cait up towards the surface, but their hands started to slip. He took in a large breath, submerged himself back into the water, reached out and grabbed Cait by the waist, pulling her towards him with one arm, then quickly let go of her hand and grabbed her waist with that same hand. Cait kicked and clutched his shoulders tightly. He pushed off the bottom with his feet again, with all the power and energy he had, and launched them to the surface. Cait coughed violently and wheezed loudly, before water gushed from her mouth. She inhaled and coughed again. Sam held her up high above the water, his hands underneath her arms. He was unable to move sideways against the water, so in one swift movement, he angled Cait towards the grassy side of the river and threw her towards it. She landed close enough to grip the grass and mud, clawing and trying to grip with her feet to pull herself up. Sam was again submerged underwater when Cait looked behind her. Sam had decided to try and dive deep down and swim sideways, where the force wasn’t as strong. A few seconds later, his hands shot up out of the water and gripped the grass, rocks, and mud on the side of the bank, ten metres downstream from her. He coughed, breathed heavily, and grunted loudly. He was able to get a good enough grip and pulled himself up out of the water. With shaky legs, he sprinted over to the side where Cait was still trying to pull herself up. He reached down, grabbed one of her wrists, strongly pulled her up towards him, then grabbed hold of her other wrist and pulled her completely out. He pulled her to her feet so swiftly, and without thinking, he scooped her legs up with one arm, and held her torso with the other and ran towards where he left his Parka and phone. She gripped around his shoulders and neck tightly, nails digging in, not daring to let go. When he reached his Parka, he bent down and gently sat her on the grass, ripped off her own Parka and put his dry one around her, then pulled her tightly against him, rubbing her back and arms vigorously. He shook and coughed as he did so before he could say anything. His brain couldn’t reach his mouth at this point. After a minute, Cait pushed against Sam’s chest, bent over to the side, coughed, heaved and more water gushed out of her mouth. Sam firmly pounded her back, hoping he was helping to expel the fluid from her stomach. Cait, still bent over, close to the earth, gasped and breathed heavily. She continued to cough intermittently a few more times, until she could no longer feel any fluid in her belly. She harshly exhaled. Luckily, she wasn’t under very long, and was able to hold her breath and didn’t inhale any water, but some did force its way into her mouth, giving her no choice but to swallow. She knew there wasn’t any fluid in her chest or lungs, as she was able to breath easily.

Exhausted, Cait’s breathing started to finally slow. Sam rubbed her back gently, and she carefully pushed herself back up to a sitting position.

“Caitriona…” Sam began with a shaky voice, “I’m so sorry! You could’ve drowned, and I…! If anything happened to you! I…Caitriona, I’m so so sorry. Are you alright, did you hit your head? Do you think anything is broken?” Sam’s hands were shaking very visibly as he held Cait’s shoulders.

Cait was trembling all over, both from the cold water and the shock from what just happened. She had her head down and her eyes closed. Sam searched her face desperately while he waited for a response, still white as a ghost, icy water dripping from the tip of his nose.

After a few minutes, Cait took a deep breath in through her nose and breathed out through her mouth. She slowly opened her eyes but kept them facing down. Sam let go of her shoulders, and continued to wait patiently, his hands still trembling in his lap.

“I…I’m alright. It doesn’t feel like anything is broken…I know I didn’t hit my head on the way down…the water was too…deep...too strong…it…” Cait described with a shaky voice and hugged herself with her own trembling hands, trying to stop the rest of her body from shaking.

“…it was an accident Sam. It’s alright,” Cait slowly moved her head up to look at him. Her eyes were red and bloodshot, all the colour was drained from her face, and her lips were now a blue-tinted pink.

“No, it’s not alright. I’m a…fucking idiot! I wasn’t paying attention to my feet; I knew I was too close to the edge! You could’ve broken your neck because of me. And…your hair!” Sam clenched his jaw and violently rubbed his forehead with his hand, eyes shut.

“Oh! Oh…fuck,” Cait exclaimed with widened eyes and a horrified look on her face and she grabbed two fistfuls of her hair.

“Caitriona, I’m so sorry. This is all my fault. I don’t know how you’ll ever forgive me…I don’t deserve your forgiveness. I mean I…” Sam broke off with a huff. He shifted away from her and held his head in his hands.

“Well, Sam, I didn’t break my neck. And…you saved my life, Sam. You risked your life to save mine. You got me out of that water just as quickly as I fell in…” Cait reached a trembling hand over and touched his bicep.

“Caitriona, I’m the reason you were in that river in the first place. Of course I was going to do everything in my power to save you…I mean…of course I would do everything I could to save you even if I wasn’t the reason,” Sam turned back towards her and shyly looked down at the wet grass between his legs, his arms resting on his knees.

Cait smiled lopsidedly, “I know. Thank you, Sam, for saving my life. All I know is that I could not, for the life of me, keep myself above the water. I was…stuck. Completely stuck underneath. If it wasn’t for you…you got to me so fast, like you didn’t even hesitate to jump in,” Cait raised her eyebrows in question.

“I didn’t,” Sam shrugged, “I’m just glad you’re alright. Well, I hope you are. That’s what we’re going to find out,” Sam stated as he grabbed his phone, scrolled through his texts with Ron to find the numbers of the drivers.

He typed in the number and asked his driver to immediately come to where they are. After he hung up, he screenshotted their location on Google Maps and sent it to his driver. His driver responded within a couple of minutes.

“My driver will be here in ten minutes, then we’re going straight to the ER. You’ve swallowed a lot of water. I want you to get checked out. I want to make sure you’re alright,” he said with a determined voice, looking at her with guilt in his face and concern in his eyes.

Cait nodded, “I…I don’t know what I’m going to do about my hair…” Cait hesitated, biting her lip.

“Yeah I don’t know what I’m going to do about mine either. I’m going to call Ron right now and explain everything,” Sam put the phone to his ear again, then reached over and pulled his Parka tighter around Cait.

She gave him a shy smile as she put her arms through the sleeves.

Sam spent the next eight minutes on the phone with Ron, explaining the whole situation. Cait watched Sam’s face closely. His different expressions, his hand movements as he spoke, the way he chewed his thumb nail when he was nervous.

‘He saved me…he jumped right into that fucking death trap of a river and saved my life in the space of five minutes. What if he got stuck underneath after throwing me over to the bank…what if he broke his own neck trying to save me…the way he held me above that water…the way he was able to pull me to him against that heavy stream…he just…he amazes me…is he real?’ Cait was completely lost in her thoughts as she watched him.

Sam hanging up the phone snapped her out of it.

“Ron is really concerned about both of us, but he’s happy we’re both alive and going to the hospital. He wants to be updated with all results, and how we are tomorrow. The read-through may have to be pushed back, depending. He’s also going to call the stylist in London about our hair. He’s going to call back later about it,” Sam informed Cait, still with a look of remorse and embarrassment.

“Alright…was he pissed about our hair?” Cait asked.

“Nah, he just said ‘accidents happen’. He was more concerned with our health. I just…this is a big deal for you, Cait, and if I’ve ruined it for you, I wouldn’t ever forgive myself –,” Sam started, shaking his head.

“Sam,” Cait cut him off, “you haven’t ruined anything. It’s fine, everything will be fine.”

Sam gave her a small, lopsided smile, “I really am sorry though, for all that water you had to throw up, for any cold you get because of this, for everything. I suppose you don’t want any more Sam Heughan tours,” Sam looked down sheepishly.

Caitriona reached back over and patted his hand, then squeezed it slightly before letting go.

“I do, just, maybe no more dangerous bridges,” Cait smirked at him.

Sam laughed, “deal, I promise,” he looked at her and smiled.

Her face broke into a smile back at him, and just like that, they were stuck in a moment. No one was able to move. Not until Sam’s phone rang, and they both flinched, snapping out of it.

“Hi, Ron,” Sam answered, a little nervously.

He spent another minute on the phone, which left Cait’s thoughts to drift again. She cleared her throat and turned her head away. She smiled to herself briefly, then sucked her lips into her mouth and looked down.

‘He really is a great guy. It’s going to be a lot of fun working with him. We’re going to be great working partners and friends. That’s it though Caitriona, that’s all he is and will ever be to you. Just a co-s –,’

“Okay so with the hair appointment, the stylist has told Ron that you’ll need to get it redone, but I don’t because my perm isn’t as intense, and because of the amount of hair I have. So, your appointment in London is in a few days. It would just be a fly there, fly back kind of day,” Sam explained, breaking Cait from her self-pep-talk.

“Oh, okay. It has to be done,” Cait nodded and shrugged.

“Yeah, only if you’re well enough. Otherwise that can be pushed back as well,” Sam reassured.

“I’m sure I’ll be fine,” Cait half-smiled, and checked her phone for the time.

“I hope so. Oh, car’s here,” Sam said as he jolted to his feet.

He put his phone in his pocket, then reached down and put his hands out to Cait. She took his hands and he gently, but strongly eased her up.

“Are you alright? How are your legs?” Sam asked, steadying her.

Cait peered up at him, “yeah, uh…a little shaky but…I’m okay,” she nodded, looking down shyly.

As the drive to the hospital wasn’t a short one, both cars and drivers arrived. The drivers quickly got out and ran over Sam and Cait. They frantically asked what happened and if they were hurt, with concern and shock.

“It’s alright, I’ll tell you on the way,” Cait said to her driver.

“Yes, me too. We need to get her into the warmth right now,” Sam said to his driver, then looked at Cait’s.

Sam walked Cait to her car and opened the door for her. He held her elbow as she weakly climbed in.

“Are you warm enough? Do you think you’ll be sick again? I can see if they have a bag somewhere,” Sam half turned to look at Cait’s driver.

“No, it’s okay, Sam. I’ll be alright. It’s really warm in here,” Cait reassured.

“Alright, keep the parka, and I’ll see you when we get there,” Sam brushed her knee slightly, before closing the door.

Sam handed Cait’s soaked parka to her driver, “would you mind just putting this on the front seat, in font of the heater, where it can dry a bit?”

“Sure, sir,” Cait’s driver nodded and took the parka.

“You can call me Sam,” he said politely.

Sam ran and jumped into his car.

 **

 Upon arrival, Sam jumped out of his car, ran over to open Cait’s door, then held out his hand for her. Cait exhaled out of her nose and smiled at him.

“Thank you, Sam, but really, I’m alright,” Cait tried reassuring again.

“I just didn’t want your legs to lose balance or anything,” Sam said, concern in his baby blues.

“Well, I appreciate it,” Cait said shyly.

“It’s the least I can do, Cait. Sorry, Caitriona!” Sam quickly tried to patch his slip-up.

‘Oh, fuck!’ Sam tensed.

Sam and Cait checked in and walked towards the waiting room.

Cait smiled widely, “you DID call out ‘Cait’ when I fell in! I heard you, even under the water, but thought I was going crazy.”

“Sorry, I…it was just quicker to say in the moment, I panicked,” Sam confessed, embarrassed.

“And now?” Cait asked teasingly, smirking at him.

“Now…well that was an accident,” Sam bit his lip and smiled nervously.

Cait giggled, “you can call me ‘Cait’. I like it. Believe it or not, I’m not often called that. My family doesn’t believe in shortening names, I guess. And it’s only a few of my friends who call me ‘Cait’, and you’re my friend,” Cait gently nudged his shoulder with hers, smiling a little too flirtatiously.

‘Thank Christ for that,’ Sam thought, feeling instantly relieved.

Sam laughed, then sighed, “well, I’m glad we’re still friends, even though I barged you into a dangerous, dirty river,” he gently nudged her back.

“Caitriona Balfe?” a nurse suddenly came out.

“I’ll meet you here when we’re done, okay? Good luck…Cait,” Sam gave her a shy smile.

Cait returned the smile, “you too, see you after.”

 **

Cait was checked over with a routine blood test, an X-ray, and an ultrasound of her stomach to see if there was any damage from the river water and how much she swallowed. They wanted to test for any lurking contaminants in her stomach, and intestines, that could potentially travel to her bladder and urinary tract. They also checked for any fluid on her lungs.

Sam needed less invasive checks but was also examined for any contaminants in his body, from the river.

They both received their results within the hour.

**

 Sam was already in the waiting room, scrolling on his phone, trying to distract himself from worrying about Cait.

‘Please let her be alright, please let her be alright, please let her be alright!’ He begged, with every heavy thump of his heart.

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the deep green of his parka that Cait was still snuggled into. She smiled crookedly at him and sat next him.

“Hey! Did everything go alright?” Sam quickly asked.

“Just a few tests, I’ll get the results soon,” Cait expressed.

“Me too. How are you feeling?” he asked, turning more towards her.

“A bit better, now. Not so shaky, and I’ve warmed up. I think it was just shock, more than anything,” Cait shrugged, “and, how are you?”

“Och, fine,” Sam nodded.

“Hopefully. You were in that water too,” Cait raised her eyebrows, concern spreading across her face.

“I didn’t swallow any though. I’m sure I’m all good, but we’ll find out soon enough. I…I hope you’re okay…Cait,” Sam said sheepishly, still feeling a little nervous about calling her that.

Cait gave him a look that said, ‘it’ll be okay’.

“Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe?” a doctor came out and said.

Sam and Cait stood up and followed him into his room.

The doctor information Cait that they couldn’t find any contaminants in her system, luckily, she vomited all of them out. They were both right as rain. The only recommendation the doctor gave Cait was to take a good probiotic for a week, and to have steaming hot shower, get a lot of bed rest with a lot of layers and a hot water bottle over the next 24 hours, to avoid getting a chill and then the flu.

Sam let out a sigh of such relief, knowing she was okay and that he hadn’t ruined anything for her.

‘I hope she doesn’t get sick…I’ll do everything I can to make sure she doesn��t! what if she does…what then? It would be inappropriate to kind of…take care of her…but…we share a trailer…we live together…fuck. Please don’t get sick…Cait,’ Sam struggled, then smiled, knowing he had full permission to call her by a nickname.

“That’s good news,” Sam said grinning at Cait, as they walked back towards their cars.

“Yes, see? Everything is fine. I just need to get out of these wet clothes…” Cait started, and immediately caught herself. It was too late.

‘What? What the fuck did you just say? Oh my god,’ Cait cursed herself internally.

Sam widened his eyes, then giggled quietly when he caught Cait’s face over what she just said.

“Uh…I mean…I need to put on something dry and curl up in bed…do you think there’s a hot water bottle in the trailer?” Cait asked, deliberately changing the subject.

“I’ll have a look for one while you’re in the shower. Are you hungry?” Sam asked.

“A little. Soup or broth is probably what I need the most right now,” Cait replied.

“Yeah, I saw heaps of cans of soup in the little pantry,” Sam nodded, opening the car door for Cait.

Cait smiled at him, “thank you. Alright, well, I’ll see you in a little bit,” Cait gently touched his forearm and climbed in.

Sam closed the car door and when she made eye contact with him out the window, he winked and waved, before running to his car.

Sam rang Ron and filled him in on the details.

“Alright, good news! I’m glad you’re both okay. We’ll have the read-through the day after tomorrow, if Cait is up to it, and then she’ll go to London two days following that. I’ll flick her a text now, and I’ll check in tomorrow evening. Goodnight, Sam,” Ron replied on the other end of the phone.

 **

 Caitriona wasted no time in gathering her warmest pjs and toiletries and hopping straight into the shower. The hot water took a while to heat up, and Caitriona stood just outside the shower, covered in goosebumps, arms wrapped around herself, bouncing up and down and shivering. When it was finally hot, Cait pounced underneath and lavished the steaming hot liquid covering her body. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in, inhaling the steam. Her fair skin was quickly becoming red, but it was a very welcomed contrast from turning blue from the icy water today. She relayed the experiences in her head, as she stood under the hot stream, concentrating on her breathing. Today was certainly a terrifying experience, being trapped underwater. However, she felt no trauma over it. All she could think about was how quickly those strong arms grabbed her before there was enough time to actually start to really panic. How quickly he got to her, pulled her from the jaws that wanted to swallow her whole. How he swept her up like she was weightless, held her close.

‘Yes, he’s very thoughtful and caring. I’ll forever be grateful for him. I’m lucky to have someone to work with who will have my back,’ Cait thought, as she lathered soap on her body, determined to not let her thoughts drift.

Cait put on her fresh, warm pjs and wrapped her washed hair in a towel and walked out of the bathroom. The clouds of steam broke out behind her. Her cheeks were rosy red from the heat. Then she saw Sam. He had changed his clothes and was now wearing tracksuit pants and a loose, long sleeved shirt. He was standing in the kitchenette sipping coffee. He turned around once he heard her. He couldn’t help but look at her from head to toe and then back up again. Cait was wearing black cuffed sleep pants, thick purple bed socks, and an oversized fleece top.

‘Adorable creature! Look at her looking so snug…no, stop looking!’ Sam caught himself and he cleared his throat and briefly looked away.

Sam stuttered and struggled to get his words out at first, “Uh…I…uh,” Sam pointed to the little dining table.

Caitriona looked over and there was a steaming bowl of soup, a mug of black coffee and some chicken bone broth, waiting for her. Cait’s eyes lit up. Then she looked back at Sam and smiled. Sam shyly looked down and smiled, taking another sip of his coffee.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/28043499/chapters/76290278

[anotheranimestan]

Criminal Behavior

Dabi angst + chaotic energy + a lil suggestive language

Disclaimer: I don’t condone any of y/n’s behavior here. Y/n is a bad role model lol

wc: 3.5k

Raise your hand if you want Dabi to teach you how to be a villain! 🙋‍♀️ he could teach me a lot of things 🤤

You had a date tonight. With some guy who you were honestly not that into. So you agreed to his “wanna hang out tonight” text. He probably only wanted to hook up. Boring. And you’d definitely turn him down. But you needed something to do. Some entertainment.

Despite the level of disinterest you were still going to look nice. You needed some new make-up but of course you had no fucking money. You’d just have to ‘borrow’ some from the convenience store down the road. It’s not like you haven’t done it a million times. No one gets hurt. Not really a big deal.

Plus the little bursts of adrenaline you get during that final moment of walking through the censors was somewhat addictive if you were honest. Life in your town was so unbelievably boring. There weren’t even any good villains around to watch get beat up. You needed some sort of thrill to get through the day.

When you entered the store there were a few people around. No one you recognized luckily. You’d developed a little bit of a method to this game. You’d monitored the isles and cameras. No one was anywhere in sight. You’d managed to get a bunch of the good stuff and slip it into your sleeves and waistband without any eyebrows raised.

You were deciding on which eyeliner you wanted when an abrupt voice pierced you, making you jump.

“What’re you doing?”

“Huh?” You spun to look at the inevitable. Some employee or back room security man coming to take you to convenience store prison.

But when you saw the man peering down at you, you were far more scared. You wished it was an employee.

“Did I scare you?” His voice was thick with amusement and he rested an arm against the shelves.

You’d never seen a sight like him. Mildly horrifying. Staples lining his face, holding together sections of his skin, if you could call it all that. Spiked black hair over deep hooded eyes that looked like he hadn’t slept in weeks. He looked like he could easily kill you and nobody would find the body. But at the same time, for some reason, he was undeniably hot. You didn’t know how to reconcile his ominous vibe that he has with his playful, interested tone. It was like you’d just told him a joke. Except you hadn’t said a single word yet.

“What? You don’t want to talk to me?” He pressed with a smirk as he watched you gawk at him.

Your heart was racing in mild horror. But something about his tone struck a nerve. It felt like he was toying with you. And you hated that.

“Uh, who are you?” You said suddenly remembering where you were and just what you were doing. “Do you work here or something?”

“Does it look like I work here?”

He had a point. His absurd amount of piercings and his ripped jeans said he didn’t work anywhere respectable. However, the thick dark chained jewelry that weighed down his neck and wrists and the expensive sneakers on his feet said he had no problem getting money.

“You going out tonight?” He questioned, blatantly looking you up and down.

“What?” You spewed, feeling extremely self-conscious of his traveling eyes.

“I mean shit, with all the make-up and shit shoved in your pockets I just assumed...”

Your body froze. He’d caught you? Did he actually work here, was he lying? “...Not to mention the bottle of liquor you hid under your shirt...” How did he see that? You did have a small bottle of alcohol stashed in your bra but nobody was in any of the isles with you. You hadn’t seen him in the store at all since you’d arrived here, you definitely would have noticed him. “...If you’re going on a date you should really find a guy who can get all this stuff for you instead...”

Fear really started gripping you at these realizations. Plus he was minding no attention to his volume. He was basically outing you to the whole store. Your fear melted into anger. This fucker definitely didn’t work here. Just like you thought, he was fucking with you. Your temper started flaring up in your face making it hot.

“Shoplifting is the gateway drug to villainy you know. And that’s a rough world kid. I’m not sure if you could handle it...”

Kid? He looked barely older than you. And he was starting to get really annoying. At this rate he was going to get you caught.

“Speaking from experience?” You jutted back, looking around to see if any employees were hearing this.

He chuckled again. “No, I don’t do drugs.” He stated with a grin and a poor attempt at sounding sincere.

You scoffed. “I seriously doubt that.”

“Why—”

“Did you want something? Cause if not I’ve got somewhere to be.”

He looked at you for a moment. Soaking up the irritated look on your face. Dying to get away from him. Desperate not to get caught. It was cute. He merely shrugged. It was honest. He wasn’t sure exactly what he wanted from you yet.

The irritation now bubbling over, you huffed and walked away. What a waste of time. Surely you look suspicious now. You were monitoring the isles as you headed to the door. No one seemed to be looking. You were about to make a run for it when you heard some footsteps directly behind you and felt eyes on the back of your head.

“The alarms are going to go off.”

You hissed, dipping into a snack isle as an employee’s head started turning in your direction. Why was he talking so fucking loud?

“Can you shut up?”

He put a hand over his heart dramatically. “Is that how you repay me for trying to help you?”

“Help me?! You’re going to get me caught. So can you just fuck off—”

“Oy.” He growled. Sending a wave a intimidation to wash away any bit of confidence you had mustered up. “Go ahead and walk out the door then if you want. Fucking amateur.”

You were about to run but self-doubt washed over you. He did seem like he’d know about this better than you.

Mid-thought, his movements shocked you. He was standing so closely now, with that same face of complete intimidation as before. His eyes steady on your features, not breaking away for a moment. Without even having to look, he slowly slipped his fingers under your shirt. You weren’t even breathing at this point as your heart started throwing itself around your chest. If it were anyone else you’d immediately deck him for touching you like this but for some reason he felt like a near death experience. He had you completely frozen in fear and adrenaline, victim to whatever he wanted to do to you. His fingers were warm as they grazed the skin on your stomach, sending streaks of electricity to the part of your brain that was sounding off warning alarms. He pulled the bottle of alcohol out slowly from your bra.

He smirked as you stared at him wide-eyed. Like he’d just blown some fuses in your brain.

He turned the bottle so you could see a little black tag on the bottom. You hadn’t noticed it before.

“A sensor. They’re new.” Was all he had to say and you knew you had almost completely fucked up. You were beating your head against a wall knowing you’d have to acknowledge this guy was right. Except the look on his face told you he was already enjoying every second of this.

“Okay, fuck, you got me. You were right.” You said suddenly exploding. Your mind was overloading with information. You’d expected this to be a simple thing. And this asshole just shows up out of nowhere for no reason.

“You’re supposed to say thank you.”

You scoffed. “For what? You gonna buy it for me or something?”

He considered this for a moment. “No.”

You shot him a incredulous look. “The fuck? Then what do you want?”

“Honestly it was painful watching you attempt this half-assed little petty theft.”

“Well sorry to dissapp—”

“And despite this nasty little attitude you’ve got...” He continued with a devious grin. “I’m gonna show you how it’s really done.”

“How what’s done? Taking make-up?”

“Robbery.” He deadpanned.

Your insides exploded now. You didn’t even bother mistaking that for a joke.

“Um no—”

“Don’t be a pussy.”

“What?! Are you fucking crazy?”

“Yea.”

“No! I’m not—”

“It’s either this or I’ll call over that guy.” He pointed to an unknowing employee stocking shelves. “And show him this.” He yanked up your shirt now to expose all the shit you had tucked into your waistband and bra.

You hissed again, yanking your shirt down, but words drained out of your brain. He was seriously dangerous. It was written all over that amused look on his face as he watched your face go red from him being under your shirt twice already after meeting him literally five minutes ago.

You felt like he’d sucked the air out of the room. How was nobody hearing this? How had you fallen into this psycho’s trap?

“Fuck.” Slipped out under your breath.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” He cooed in your ear as he started to walk past you. “Stay here.”

You immediately considered running as he disappeared around the corner of the isle. But now you didn’t know how much of this merchandise in your clothing had censors. And you couldn’t take it all out without that employee noticing for sure.

Fight or flight was wrestling in your brain. Red flags were gleaming in your eyes as the alarms in your head continued blaring in your ears. You should have ran before he even had the chance to speak to you. But that’s not really how you felt. Something about him was addicting already.

He was exhilarating in the worst and best kind of way. Even now his short absence had you dying to know where he went and when he’d come back.

Then, like someone stabbed you in the ears, the alarms in your head were drowned out by the sudden blaring of real alarms in the store. You nearly jumped out of your skin. Looking around, the employees were looking around in shock. People started rushing past you with concerned faces as they evacuated the store.

You just spun around in confusion. Had he done this? Did someone set of an alarm on him? Were the police coming? You should run. You should definitely fucking run. Now would be the time. They’d never catch you with all these other alarms going off.

“Ah. Good girl. Just where I left you.” His voice was in your ear in an instant.

“Did you do this?!” You whispered wildly.

“Me? How could I have done it? Those are fire alarms.”

For some reason relief rushed over you. “Oh.”

“Put this on.” He said putting a black face mask in your hand. Did he have these on hand? To protect from smoke inhalation or something? That’s fucking weird. ”Come on.” He said strolling away like nothing. Like there wasn’t fire alarms blaring in your ears, drowning out any logic or comprehension.

You hastily put on the mask and followed his large body which was dressed in black head to toe.

Luckily it seemed like his plans were foiled. Once you got outside you could dip and escape him.

But he suddenly stopped at the check-out. A guy about the same age was standing there looking around. The store was mostly empty now of regular customers. You wondered why he hadn’t evacuated yet along with everyone—

“Okay. Make this easy on me. I’m trying to make a good first impression here.” He said to the guy.

“What?”

“You know what I mean.” He replied with a grin, discreetly gesturing to you.

“Uh...look man you should evacuate with everyone else. I don’t know where the fire is but—“

“Ah yea, about that....I am the fire.” And for the first time he smiled. A wicked smile with wide eyes and complete exhilaration on his face.

The guy jerked back at the sight of it. “The fuck?”

You gasped as he put his hand up and a blast of blue flames shot out. You could feel the heat from where you were standing behind him.

“Just give us the cash and I won’t do anything crazy. Okay?”

The guy stood like a deer in headlights. Unable to process anything as fear washed over him. You could relate. The blue flame was mirroring in your eyes as you stared at it in shock. The alarms still blaring in your ears.

But he wasn’t done yet. He raised his second hand and now both hands were ablaze. It was horrifying. The attendant scrambled to take all of the money out of the cash registers and put the stack in a shopping bag. Throwing it onto the counter and stepping as far away from the flames as possible.

“Thanks man. I’ll owe you one if this goes well.” He said with humor laced in his deep voice.

He jutted his head toward the door motioning for the guy to run. Which he did. He sprinted out the door to join everyone else who was evacuated outside.

“Ready?” He was facing you now. Putting the grocery bag of cash in his hoodie pocket.

You were definitely going to jail.

“Let’s get out of here.” He said and strolled toward the back door.

He paused for a moment in front of a stand of alcohol. Picking up two bottles after grazing over the options for a moment.

He was nearly at the door when he realized you hadn’t moved a muscle.

“They don’t let you wear make up in jail.” He called over to you. “Ugh.” He sighed. “Come on amateur. I’ll leave you here if I have to.”

Suddenly your legs sprung to life as you ran to him. “Want anything else?” He poked as he examined the adorable look of trauma riddling your blood drained face.

The back alley was empty. You heard police sirens in the distance. This guy was dragging you straight to hell with him.

You both looked up as a body flew overhead in the sky above of alley. You only saw the person for a brief moment but it didn’t take a genius to know heroes were closing in.

You needed to run. Now.

“Oh shit I forgot something.” He said in realization.

You looked at him utterly dumbfounded. What could he possibly have forgotten?!

“Be right back.” He assured as he walked back inside.

“What?!”

But he was gone. Leaving you there. The sirens were getting louder. You just wanted some fucking eyeliner.

Just then you heard an explosion. You looked up and saw the glow of bright blue flames growing in the windows.

Fuck. He was dead. This is so beyond fucking bad.

And finally after all this your flight response triggered. You started running down the alley. Except your legs only managed a slow jog as you struggled to stay in reality.

Where would you run to? Would the cops know it was you? And him? Whoever the fuck he was. Did they get you on camera?

“Wow you were just gonna leave me? That’s kinda fucked up.”

You jumped three feet as the voice appeared next to you.

“What the fuck?” You spun to see electric blue eyes looking at you under hooded eyelids.

“What?” He said with a cocked head.

“I thought you died!” You spewed, feeling almost relieved somehow that this psychopath was back.

He chuckled. “Dead? How.”

“There was a fire!” You said pointing at the growing fire inside.

“You just figured that out Sherlock? Shit I told you those were fire alarms.” He started mumbling to himself a few things under his breath that sounded like ‘you don’t look like a dumbass but who knows these days I guess.’

“Why did you go back in there?” You were yelling now. He was making you seem like the crazy one. He’s the one who basically just committed armed robbery!

You heard the rustling of plastic as he held something up for you to see. “Chips. These ones are my favorite.”

“Chips!?” You were seething now.

“Hey why are you mad? I got you some too. I didn’t know which ones you like so I just took a bunch.” He said holding up a grocery bag filled with a variety of them and the bottles from before.

You stared at him dumbfounded again. He just risked both your lives over some chips?

“I’m going to lose my mind. Or I’m currently losing my mind....” you said with wide eyes.

“Well can you hold on that for like five minutes. We still have something to do.”

“Huh?” You cried desperately.

“Get the fuck out of here before those cops come looking for us.”

He led you down the creepy dark alleyways until you could barely hear the police sirens in the background.

“So amateur, learn anything?” He crunched down on a chip.

The adrenaline was draining now and you were starting to really process what just happened.

“Yea, I learned you’re a fucking criminal.”

“You’re the one who was shoplifting.” He scoffed.

“What?! You just robbed that fucking store!”

“Why are you yelling?”

“Yelling?! You’re fucking crazy!”

“Yea and?”

“And you-you—”

He stopped in his tracks. You nearly ran into his back. He turned and faced you, towering over you. Eyes intense. His chain dangling as he leaned down closer to you. Giving you another chance to notice how strangely attractive he was.

“Are you scared or something?” He said in a deep quiet hum.

You should have just said yes. And said that he was scary. And that you wanted him to leave you alone. But you didn’t. You didn’t even want to. Despite all the shit spewing out of your mouth you’d be lying to say you weren’t high off this chaos. That he wasn’t ridiculously intriguing and sexy. That this wasnt the most exciting thing that’s ever happen in your bland life.

“No.” You lied. Hoping he’d think you weren’t fucking boring.

He grinned. “You’re a bad liar.” With one finger he hooked the side of your face mask and peeled it off to expose your lips for his admiration. “Good thing you look cute when you’re scared.”

The real scary thing here was that you were already into this psychotic criminal.

“So do I get to know your name yet?” He said playing with a strand of your hair, yet again invading your personal space with no regard.

“Y/n.”

He hummed. Like he was agreeing or something.

“I’m Dabi.” He said darkly. Leaning in even closer. He was standing so close it made you lose balance and you stumbled backwards. But he easily caught you by grabbing the front of your sweatshirt. The movement caused some the make-up you stole to fall out onto the gravel.

He laughed at you and pulled you back close to him. Which made you blush intensely.

“Speaking of which. I think we have someone to cancel on.”

Your mind flashed to your boring date tonight.

“Go on. Get out your phone.” He patiently waited with his hands in his pockets for you to bring up his messages.

Just as you went to type he snatched your phone away.

“Hey!”

He shushed you, pushing your face back to keep you at arms length as he read the last few of your messages.

“Want to hang out tonight?” He mocked. “Fuck and you said sure?” He gave you a judgmental look. “This just screams missionary.”

You squeaked at his vulgarity. “Shut up!”

He chuckled again. “Relax I’m talking about him. Although you do need higher standards. This is fucking boring.”

You shrunk in horror as he pressed the call button and put your phone to his ear.

“What are you doing?!” You hissed trying to snatch the phone back.

“Stop I’m trying to make a phone call.”

“Well I don’t want you to!” You squealed in horror.

“Why not?” He feigned confusion.

You both stopped wrestling when you heard someone answer on the other line.

“Hey man.” He smiled deviously. “Glad I caught you.” He paused. Probably listening to your date stuttering in confusion as to why a smug asshole was calling him on your number.

“Well I’m just calling to let you know y/n isn’t going to make it tonight to Netflix and chill or whatever other lame way you were going to attempt to sleep with her.” He paused again, completely ignoring your aggressive gestures to give your phone back or you’ll kill him. Surely he found you very very intimidating. “She’s cancelling on you because....well because I told her to.” He chuckled. “Shes got new plans. With me.”

He grinned down at you. Absorbing the way you were timidly looking at him now. Holding onto every word with slightly parted lips that he’d be looking forward to kissing at some point soon.

“Anyways. Don’t text her anymore or I’ll probably have to come kill you.” He chuckled again. You heard someone say something on the other line but Dabi hung up on him.

He must have noticed the look on your face. “Relax I’m kidding.” He lied, handing your phone back. “Anyways, I’m tired of this alley. You ready or what?”

You didn’t know what his plans tonight were for you yet. But you were dying to find out.

~~

Lord have mercy...he could rail me.

General tags from masterlist: @midnight-mochii @waluigis-wang @lilachusworld @seokjinniemysun @xodrea @the-sass-goddess @whore4hq @reghan-darling @channieboiiii @animexholic @strawberrysalwa @expensivechimmy @gotta-get-back-to-johnlock @themajesticunicorn @dxddydrea @tee2cute @fullsundear @dumbbird89 @chargeandinlarge @wackichris @myherosilhouette @r0zyp0zy0zy @frosted-flakes @halietigges @ladybeautiful18 @waywardcowboyllamavoid @edgyb1tch

Like my masterlist to be added!

[redhoodieone]

Wrong Number

Plot: The reader accidentally texts a wrong number when trying to text her best friend. But this stranger doesn’t want to stay a stranger to her and the two of them engage in a texting relationship. But what happens when the reader wants to meet this Jason Todd? Will he be everything she wants, or should they just stay texting buddies?

This is technically the 1st part in a series I want to do. If this is well received, I will continue on. However, this could also just be a one-shot.

Warnings: Language and some Sexual Content. Bold is for Y/N. Italics is Jason.

This has to be a joke. I can feel my cheeks burn with embarrassment, even though I live alone and there’s literally no one around to see me right now. But what I’m staring at is something I never thought in a million years I would ever have to see in person:

Vibrating panties.

Of course, the packaged gift is from my so-called friends who are sick and tired of me being single and horny all the time. I suppose whenever we all go out to drink or party, I could be a loner and isolate myself from the typical discussions of hook ups and current crushes.

And to get back at me, I’m stuck with a pair lacy black panties that’ll “supposedly” make me cum.

Beyond angry and shaking from humiliation, I send a very pissed off text message to my best friend and a picture of the sexual gift I’m stuck with.

Is this some kind of evil, twisted joke to get back at me?!?! What am I supposed to do with this?!?!

I can feel my heart pounding in my chest when I grip my phone tightly in my hands. A text message alert sounds surprising fast.

Sexy panties...but you’ve got the wrong number, doll.

I immediately freeze. Oh shit! I was off by 1 number when I was texting in fury at my so-called best friend.

I’m horribly embarrassed once again.

Omg! I’m so sorry!

That’s okay.

The purpose of those vibrating panties is to make you cum, in case you didn’t know.

I gasp in shock at the bluntness from this stranger!

Excuse me????

You were asking about what to do with them. In the first text message? I was just answering your question.

And you know so much about vibrating panties, right? So, what are you? Some kind of panties expert???

LOL. You would be very surprised, sweetheart.

The stranger sends me a picture along with that text message. A picture of the same product I have that they Googled online and took a snapshot of the details.

And trust me, I’m an expert and my partners never need this when they’re with me.

I feel my cheeks heat up.

Whatever. Have a good evening.

I roll my eyes. I don’t think this stranger will even text me back. Who knew texting a wrong number would cause me all this awkwardness and red cheeks.

Same to you.

I toss my phone on the couch and force myself to go heat up some leftovers for dinner, and to push the Wrong Number Stranger out of my head for the night.

————————————————————————

There’s a chill in the air as I walk through crowds of people on the sidewalk. It’s almost winter here in Gotham, and everyone’s dressed in scarfs, jackets, and pants. Pushing my way through talking strangers, I quickly rush into the coffee shop for warmth and treats.

Being the third in line, the familiar ding from my cell phone catches my attention.

Did you figure out how to use the vibrating panties yet?

My eyes widen at the text message from the Wrong Number Stranger.

For your information, no. I don’t need them. It was a stupid, mean present from my friends.

Ah, really? Presents like that are usually fun and helpful.

Meaning what??? Are you assuming I don’t have a sexual life going on right now???

Well, considering you’re so against the gift and you’re shying away from talking about the panties, I have to assume you’re single and you have been for a very long time, and you’re very easily embarrassed by anything having to do with sex.

I instantly frown at that message, until they text me a second one.

Look, that came out very harsh. I don’t personally know you, and you don’t personally know me. I’m the kind of guy who doesn’t shy away or avoid anything sexual. I guess it’s because I’m comfortable with it and I’ve been told I’m a Sex God more than a few times.

I have to exhale hard and shove my phone in my back pocket to have both hands free to carry my coffee and blueberry scone to the table to sit and eat.

Pulling my cell phone out, I see they texted me again.

I hope I didn’t scare you or make you uncomfortable. If you want me to stop texting you, then I will.

I don’t know why but my fingers begin to type back even when I know I shouldn’t keep talking to someone I don’t even know at all.

It’s okay. I don’t mind talking to you.

I feel myself smiling a little as I send another text message. What is wrong with me???

My name’s Y/N Y/LN.

My name’s Jason Todd. And I don’t mind talking to you either.

I like the name Jason. For some reason...it fits you. And it’s good to know your name since I had you saved as “Wrong Number” on my phone lmfao.

Well, Y/N is a gorgeous name. I don’t mind changing your name on my phone even if it means “Sexy Panties” is going to be Y/N now LOL.

Jason even uses the laughing crying emojis that has me laughing hard. I can see he doesn’t text like other guys, because he tries hard to spell correctly and use correct grammar.

Maybe he’s an avid reader and an English major?

And for the first time today, I smile for real.

————————————————————————

I was in the middle of cooking spaghetti for dinner when my phone binged. Picking up my phone, I see Jason texted me.

Have you ever wanted to punch somebody in the mouth and knock out all their teeth, and make them swallow their tongue?

I raise my eyebrows in surprise.

Not necessarily. Why? Are you planning to do that???

It’s fucking stupid, really. Sometimes I wonder why I’m still around this damn family.

I’m sorry to hear that. If there’s anything you want to talk about, I’m here for you.

I can see the three bubbles on my screen indicating he’s responding to me. My heart beats fast.

It’s just...my dad, I guess.

His dad?

He’s not really my dad. He’s not blood related to me. He adopted me when I was just a kid, and ever since then we’ve been at each other’s throats.

Is he mean to you?

Sometimes. But I guess I can be mean to him, too. It’s just hard to be the kind of guy he expects me to be. He’s a lot easier on my brothers. Sometimes I wonder if I should just give up and leave.

This is the first time we’ve ever gotten deep with each other. I feel my heart beating slow and fast at the same time whenever we speak. His vulnerability and sensitive side is refreshing; the egotistical and cocky side isn’t entirely him.

I’m really sorry. I don’t exactly know what to say. But from what I know about you, I wouldn’t give up. You’re not a bad guy, Jason. If you’re trying hard to be good, then that’s just as good as being good in the first place.

The three bubbles at the bottom make me nervous. I wonder if I crossed the line. Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything to Jason.

You really believe that?

I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t believe it.

For some reason...you believing in me makes me feel better.

I smile a little at that. I even feel a little better knowing I’m helping him in some way.

That’s good. I’m happy to know you’re okay.

I turn my attention to turn off the stove when I see the spaghetti sauce is hot enough to pour onto the soft noodles. My mind quickly turns to Jason. Would we ever hear each other speak on the phone? Will we ever send each other pictures of ourselves? Will we ever meet in person?

I know I want to meet him. For some reason, that thought doesn’t scare me even if I know he could be a serial killer and want to kill me.

But wanting to see what he looks and sounds like makes the butterflies in my stomach flutter like crazy. Is it even normal to feel this way?

My phone beeps. While serving myself a plate of dinner, I glance down and see his text message that stops my heart.

Do you ever think we’ll meet each other?

[darling-i-read-it]

Drive In Dates

Billy Hargrove x reader

Word Count: 900

Warnings: talks of smut

Author’s Note: I hope you like this and I hope that it’s along the lines of what you wanted! We love Billy boy. Sorry it’s kind of short but that tends to happen when I do lots of dialogue like I did lol 

Requested: by anon, Hello, I think Billy requests are still open but if not that’s okay! 🥰 I thought about how Billy is a big flirt and has been flirting with Steve’s little sister and keeps trying to get her to makeout with him in his Camaro but she doesn’t really understand how flirting works so she’s just like “okay!” And just giggles along with what Billy says and the story is just about how Steve is trying to get his sister to stop liking Billy but Billy’s too charming. I hope that’s ok and not vague :( 🥺🥰

Summary: the request

Genre: fluff

I don’t own these characters. They belong to author/director 

(not my gif)

Steve knew that Billy was flirting with you. It was pretty obvious to everyone. The way he went off his way to see you and point out how hot he thought you looked. The constant invitations to his car for a ride home. Being your older brother, Steve was naturally attentive to this kind of thing when you were involved. 

If only you noticed.

“Hey!” 

You and Steve were walking through the halls, heading to his car for the day. Steve was a year older than you but you had skipped a grade early on so you were in the same grade as him and Billy. You turned around, looking over at Billy as he ran toward you. He came to a slow walk beside you.

“Get lost Hargrove,” Steve grumbled but you hit Steve’s side. 

“Relax Stevie. What’s up Billy?” He ignored Steve and turned to you, hands shoved in his jean jacket pocket.

“You busy tonight? I was thinking you and me could go and see a movie at the drive in or something,” he said, a mischievous look on his face. You smiled at him shrugging, your books clutched in your hand.

“Sure!-”

“No, you have to help me study for that chem test tomorrow remember? You promised,” Steve said. 

“I don’t remember-”

“You promised. You can’t back out.” You let out a sigh and turned to Billy and a sorry look on your face.

“Can I get a raincheck? I’ve been dying to go to the drive in, I love the popcorn that they have there.” Billy nodded, a smirk on his face at your innocence. 

“Just call me whenever.” He handed you a slip of paper with his number on it and you nodded as he slipped away into the crowd of people. Steve tried to take the piece of paper away but you already stuck it into your jacket pocket.

“You are not going to the drive in with Billy Hargrove,” Steve said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. You shrugged.

“I don’t see why not.”

“Because he just wants to get into your pants jerk,” he told you. You laughed.

“No he doesn’t. Didn’t you just see that? He just asked me to see a movie,” you said innocently. 

“In your car.” 

“I mean that’s what you go in when you’re going to the drive in Steve.”

“He wants to sleep with you!” 

You shook your head and sped up to the car. 

You didn’t see Billy again for a few days. He skipped school which he did pretty often. He kept his distance until he was able to catch you without your brother and to be honest you didn’t really blame him. 

Plus, Billy really liked you. He admired your innocence and while his first plan was to take advantage of it he had grown to like it enough to tell you what you were missing. You were cute and you were nice. Never the kind of girl that anyone saw with Billy Hargrove.

He was able to catch you when you were heading to your math class which was just beside his.

“Hey, Harrington!” You turned around and smiled at him.

“Hey Billy. Sorry I blew you off the other day, you know Steve.” He nodded, leaning against the row of lockers beside you.

“No worries. You still up for that movie? I hear they’re playing Risky Business.” You laughed a little.

“You didn’t seem like a Tom Cruise kind of guy,” you admitted. He shrugged.

“Well if we can agree we’re just going for the popcorn I don’t see why I can’t deal through some chick flick moments.” You nodded.

“Pick me up at 7?” He nodded, a charming smile on his face.

“Of course. Steve okay with it?” he joked. You shook your head.

“Who cares. He seems to think you just want to get into my pants.” 

“Well at the time he wasn’t exactly wrong. But who knows we could have some fun.” You raised an eyebrow but the bell had rung and you needed to get into your class.

“Alright Hargrove.” 

You slinked into your class and on either side of the wall you and Billy smiled.

[peralta-guaranteed]

last line tag meme

well dang, I was contemplating doing this with my many wips but now I got tagged by @dolston17​ so I can’t say no can I???

post a sneak peak from a WIP (favorite/last line/almost abandoned, dealer’s choice lol)

okay so yeah I got... 3 actually active WIPs that I’m working on and one that is... absolute crackfic but I’ve put 5k words into it so I have to finish it someday? so you’re getting a snippet from all of them

1 - Better Luck Next Time, Johnny (not really the title)

(can’t give you the last line of this because it’s uuuuh filth but there is some silly flirting before that I really like)

“Didn’t I tell you this isn’t a good place for you last time?”

His voice is far more teasing and playful than it is worried and reprimanding, and she understands that they’re probably being listened to. She tries to put the same amount of flirting into her answer.

“I really don’t like being told what to do, Johnny.”

There’s a twitch in his eyebrow she knows all too well, and the smallest hint of a smile as he bites his lower lip and leans over a bit more, his eyes raking over her in that dress, and maybe Kylie wasn’t quite so wrong to convince her to buy it.

“I highly doubt it, Dora.” His low voice isn’t at sultry-level yet, but it still has her squeezing her thighs together without even wanting to. “I rather think you like exactly that. Which is why you came back, hm?” He twirls a loose strand of her hair around his finger and pulls ever so slightly, and she has to bite her lip now to hide her smile.

“So you’re going to be a good girl”, he continues, and he’s definitely at sultry now, “and go get yourself out of here.”

-+-

2. - I’ll worship like a dog at the shrine of your life (yeah I’m that song-line kind of writer bitch)

(this is the start of the WIP but there’s actually a lot happening before it that I haven’t written yet)

"What are you thinking?"

"It's cheesy."

"Lemme be the judge of that."

A pause. Amy is smiling at him, softly, but with the slightest hint of mischief. It will never not take his breath away, that particular smile. He knows exactly what it means.

"I was thinking…" he begins, and his voice is raspy, far too raspy for only a few kisses. But he finds that he doesn't mind, as his hands stroke down her sides so tentatively he can see her shiver above him.

"Goddess." he finally whispers in that same raspy tone, and watches Amy's eyes grow wide and her body still. Only for a few seconds, before she catches herself and smiles again.

"Definitely cheesy." She judges, but leans forward to kiss him all the same, and the kiss tells him she's happier about it than she'll admit. "Which one?" he hears her mumbling against his lips, and he hums while thinking.

-+-

3. Five things I can’t hate about you (yes I am also that bad movie-reference kinda writer bitch)

this is a long last ‘line’ but it’s also the most active WIP I have and I really like this whole scene

They don’t speak for the maybe ten or fifteen minutes spent sitting in the darkened room. He doesn’t ask - doesn’t prod - doesn’t demand an explanation or more information or anything, really, not the way she’s used to from anyone else who’s actually figured out that she’s having some sort of attack, and she’s glad for it. She will explain it all, later, probably alongside the written thank you note he’s definitely going to get because that is the proper way to do it, even if he will make jokes about it. But right now, she’s thankful for the silence that doesn’t feel threatening at all, for the warmth of his hand and the calm of his thumb still rubbing across her skin. 

They let go when she stands up, squaring her shoulders as he rises next to her. 

“Ready?” He asks with his usual grin and she returns it with a small smile and a nod before he opens the door for her and sneaks her out unnoticed the same way he brought her in.

She mingles. She makes connections. She even gets to tell a few stories that make a group of captains laugh around her, but the laugh she hears the most is right next to her and very familiar by now.

He keeps handing her canapés from the trays of passing waiters (he’s a pro at spotting free food, obviously) and makes silly jokes next to her without ever stealing the spotlight or embarrassing her like he usually would. She notes a glass of orange juice in his hand whenever he hands her her own refill, and when Terry leaves early to see his family and asks if he needs a ride home, he declines.

And when the evening finally slows and the hall begins to empty, she walks with him to his dingy old car in the garage and gets in without another question, falling half-asleep during the ride back to her place.

She puts a coffee down on his desk with the thank you note tucked underneath it the next day, and tries not to blush when he comes in 15 minutes late with her coffee order in hand. The day is spent teasing her about the note in between his actual work, of course, but she sees it pinned between his knicknacks when she actually leaves on time in the evening.

It’s surprising that besides his actually funny jokes, he can make her smile with the strangest little things.

-+-

4. The Florida Menagerie

(a crackfic turned emotional turned back to crack and I genuinely have no plan how to end it so it’s been sitting for months now.. if you can correctly identify the ‘pets’... go you, I guess? there’s not really a prize I can offer.)

After that, the code was well-established. They met at their fences far more often while watering the lawn or, in Jake’s case, enjoying the hot tub the way it was meant to be enjoyed, without tears or burritos in sight. They would greet each other, maybe exchange pleasantries for a moment, and then Holt would inquire about his pets. And Jake was more than happy to answer.

“Oh, god, Goose and Foxglove got into such a fight last night. I almost thought I had to save Goose from it. But they made up this morning, I think.” “Big Bird isn’t really used to the new cage he got. Might be a bit too big for him, even. But I keep the door open and everyone’s been keeping him calm.” “The Nomster has found a new favourite food. He keeps trying to share it with the Pizza Pockets, but no takers. And I mean, they will eat everything.” “Foxglove and Peanuts keep bringing in so many dead mice and birds. Just, constantly on the hunt. It’s like they have a competition going.” “Stilton’s doing okay, I think. Getting used to me still. He keeps quoting my classic movie collection, so I think he’s learning from the best.”

It wasn’t much, it never was. But it was more than enough. 

And as he watched Larry muse about the wonderful feeling of Peanuts cuddling up to him when he felt bad at night, or sniff a little about how she was so smart and always knew how to make his day better, he could see Jake Peralta come back into his own again, and he felt as if Raymond Holt was right there to join him, hearing about Stilton and Goose getting along so well they often shared a cage and their meal together, or Stilton throwing his pebbles at Peanuts who was apparently happy to snack on them. 

It wasn’t much, but it was all they could get, and as such, it was wonderful.

Until it stopped.

[thedeliverygod]

Idk this is just some fluff I came up with yesterday morning and spent most of the day writing lol. Enjoy.

AO3|ff.net

“You’re kind of worrying me, acting so serious.” Hiyori let out a nervous laugh as Yato sat across from her in her room, his legs folded underneath him and giving her a very intent stare.

“Well, it is a serious topic.” He answered back, his voice quiet.

She settled into a sitting position as well, trying to ignore the unsettled feeling in her stomach as she replied, “Okay. I’m listening.”

“I want to make up for everything my dad did. And I know that’s… impossible, to say the least. But I at least want to give you the opportunity to let your feelings out, whatever they may be. Hiiro’s gotten the chance to change and work towards becoming a better person but, Dad…” He looked off to the side, “We all know there was never really going to be any sort of apologies or effort to make amends, even if given the chance. And he’s gone now, so… That’s why I’m trying to make up for it. Since I’m not completely impartial to everything he did, either. I did the same for Yukine.”

Hiyori bit her lip, “And what did he do?”

“Whacked me on the back of the head and told me I was stupid.” Yato answered with a small grin.

She tried to smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes as she hummed in acknowledgement, “Hmm.”

He scooted forward slightly, “So do your worst. Yell, scream, cry. Jungle savate me. If you have any unresolved feelings, take them out on me. I want to do what I can.”

As Hiyori started to move forward, he seemed to tense and her heart sank even more. “Unresolved feelings?” She repeated, just above a whisper.

“Yeah. Whatever you need to do.” He nodded eagerly.

She crawled on her knees and stopped just in front of him, gently grabbing on to his shoulder with one hand and cradling his face with the other.

He gave her a confused look, but remained still until she pressed her lips against his. “Hiyo..ri? Were you in love with the Fujisaki kid before you found out who he was?”

Her shoulders falling and her expression turning into a deadpan, she scooted backwards, “Yukine is right, you are stupid.”

“Huh?” He continued to stare at her, wide eyed.

“The kiss was for you.” She held on tighter to his shoulder, “What your father did is his fault alone, not yours. I’m not blaming you for any of it. They’re not your sins to carry.” Tilting her head, she joked, “Besides, I thought gods couldn’t sin, anyway.”

Yato was breathless, staring at her in awe. Finally, he reached behind her and pulled her crushingly tight to his chest, answering, “You’re right.” Leaning backward, he asked, “But also, what do you mean for me?”

Her cheeks heating up, she asked, “Do I really have to spell it out for you?” Avoiding his eyes, she repeated again, “You mentioned if I had unresolved feelings, so…”

“Oh.” He answered automatically at first and then again, with understanding, “Oh.”

“So you get it now?” Her eyes flickered back to him sheepishly.

“Y-yeah.” He nodded, his cheeks turning red as well.

She started to lean in back towards him, “Good.”

“Wait, wait, wait.” He put his hand in between them frantically, his eyes peering into hers, “Are you sure this is okay?”

“You’re asking me? I really should be asking you.” Hiyori shrank away, “I mean, I already ki-kissed you just now—but if you don’t feel that way, that’s okay.”

Yato reached out to grasp her arm, pulling her back gently, “Hiyori.” She wouldn’t look up at him, too embarrassed, so he took hold of her hand instead.

His lips barely grazed her knuckle as he pulled her hand towards him, but it was enough to make her feel like every hair on her body was standing up straight. As he continued talking, she looked up shyly.

“I don’t really have the words to explain how I feel about you.” He gripped her hand tighter, “But I also don’t want to be selfish. I know being around me tends to cause a lot of hardships, despite my best efforts. I guess I just want to make sure that you’re really sure you want to cross this line. Because I’m not sure if we can really go back once we have.”

She could feel his hands growing clammy hand his voice shook as he finished. Wrapping her free hand around his arm and pulling their hands toward her, she answered without hesitation, “I’m sure.” She nuzzled her cheek against his hand.

He was quiet for a moment before she heard him answer, “Then I guess it’s my turn.”

“What?” She let go of his hand in surprise and quickly found that he was hovering over her, only mere inches apart. “Oh.”

Yato gave a small laugh and she felt him still smiling as his lips met hers, extremely soft.

She kissed him back, slowly and unsure in her motions but she figured she had found at least somewhat of a rhythm when he started to kiss her harder, more desperately. She grabbed his scarf and the fabric of his jersey underneath as she leaned in closer against him, her other hand reaching into his now tangled hair. His hands mostly stayed at her waist and back, holding her so tightly it was if he believed that she would disappear at any moment. In a moment of braveness and eagerness to prove she wasn’t going anywhere, she gently licked at his lower lip.

His eyes immediately flew open and he pulled away, taking a large breath before explaining, “Whoa, hey. That’s enough for now. I don’t think I can handle any more excitement for tonight.”

Hiyori giggled in response, joking, “What are you, like twelve?”

“You can’t even begin to understand the effect you have on me Iki Hiyori.” Yato winked before he untangled himself from her, standing up and offering his hand downward, “And where do you get off acting like you’re more experienced anyway?”

“I was just joking, obviously.” She continued to grin, rolling her eyes.

“Hmm.” He hummed and leaned forward towards her shoulder.

She raised an eyebrow as he moved closer to her ear, wondering why he wanted to whisper something when they were already alone. Just as she was about to ask what he was doing, she felt him suckling on the skin right beneath her ear and felt a jolt shoot through her body. She immediately jumped away, but not before making a noise that had him smirking and her turning dark red.

“There, we’re even.” He rubbed his hands together in success.

Hiyori growled in response, “Don’t you have a job to do or something?”

“Phone hasn’t rang.” He took it out of his pocket and swung it back and forth a few times. “But I’m sure Yukine can find something for me to do if I’ve overstayed my welcome.”

Letting out a breath of air, she shook her head, “You’re fine. You can stay for a bit if you want, but…” She sat on her bed before collapsing backwards, “I definitely need to recover from this whirlwind.”

Yato followed after her, kneeling over the edge of the bed and looking down at her with a soft smile, “I’ll go ahead and leave, then.” He bent down to kiss her forehead and as he lifted his head, her arms reached up to pull him to her lips.

“You can go now.” She smiled widely as he looked down at her in awe once again, “I swear I was just keeping it to one kiss this time.”

He took a moment to slide off her bed, reminding himself, “Work, yeah. Gotta go to work.”

“I’ll see you soon.” Hiyori flashed another quick smile and he nodded.

“Bye for now.”

As he vanished into a bright light, she wondered if he felt as much on cloud nine as she did. If his incoherent mumbling before he left was any sign, it seemed like his brain was complete mush too. “Sorry, Yukine-kun. He’s probably not gonna be much help today…” She gave an apologetic smile as she thought out loud, reaching out to hug her pillow to her chest.

[bumblebaby]

coffee bean kiss

hi i finished this a little bit late but that is okay because i’m actually kind of proud of it lol. this is my gift for @s-onora for the secret santa hosted by @itfandomprompts! hope you enjoy it hehe

reddie / 2.6k words / good ol fluff / no warnings apply

Evidently, nothing about them has changed since old times. Not the humor, not the bickering, and… definitely not Eddie’s feelings. It shows in how they continue to bounce banter off of each other the entire way there, and it shows in how Richie holds the cafe door open for Eddie, giving him a bow and a “M'lady” that prompts the classic-Eddie response of rolling his eyes and suppressing a smile, and it shows in how the small action that was meant to be taken platonically still makes Eddie’s heart skip a couple of beats. 

read it on ao3

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 

The winter months are overall bittersweet if Eddie had to describe them in one word. Finals have been clawing at his mental state (and admittedly his physical state; the constant greasy takeout gives him the worst stomachaches) to the point where he’ll often pass out at 2 AM with a face-full of textbook. But the enjoyable parts of winter have mostly made up for it. He likes spending time with his friends, he likes the new Starbucks hot drinks, he likes giving gifts, and he likes receiving gifts – call him greedy for that, but the mini vacuum his mom got him last year that is perfectly dorm-sized has brought so much joy into his life it’s almost embarrassing.

The ’whirr’ of that vacuum makes its way around his earbuds and Freddie Mercury’s high notes as Eddie tries to clean up the mess that has begun to build up from a lack of care on both his and his roommate’s part. For how long Eddie has been cooped up in this room, he sure hasn’t been taking care of it. He never learned to juggle, and that was especially true of having to juggle his grades, his health, and his tidiness. But it’s whatever. He’s on break now. A twenty-minute break, but a break nonetheless.

He doesn’t hear the knock at the door, despite how loud and repetitive it is, and “Bohemian Rhapsody” continues to play on while Eddie stays distracted from the original vacuuming task and gently bounces on his toes and mouths the lyrics. It’s not until he notices the movement out of the corner of his eye that he turns around and flinches at the sight of Richie standing in the doorway.

Eddie plucks an earbud out and furrows his brow. “How’d you get in?”

“What?”

The vacuum is still going. Eddie turns it off and repeats his question.

“Your door isn’t locked,” Richie answers.

Dammit. Eddie props the vacuum against the wall and tosses his phone onto the desk. “I don’t have money to go grab lunch today. I’m on a crunch this week.”

“I wasn’t gonna ask to get food, actually,” Richie says, giving Eddie a tight-lipped smile and raises an eyebrow. “Am I not allowed to just want to hang out?”

“I dunno, man.” Eddie huffs and drapes himself over his desk chair. “Sometimes I wonder if you just use me for lunch money. Like a glorified high school bully.” Richie takes a seat on Eddie’s bed and the first thing Eddie notices is the mud all over Richie’s sneakers and how much he brought into the room. So much for vacuuming.

Richie chuckles at Eddie’s remark. “You say that like I didn’t try to crack Henry Bower’s kneecaps with Stan’s baseball bat senior year.”

“Keyword is ‘tried’.”

“Whatever.” Richie sighs and flops back onto the squeaky mattress. “There’s actually a new cafe a little ways downtown-”

“Did you forget the entirety of what I just said?”

Richie raises his hand. “I’ll pay, relax.” He strains his neck to look up at Eddie. “Maybe the nice, warm coffee will loosen up that stick in your ass.” Eddie scrunches his face at that. “It’s a short walk.”

“I have to study,” Eddie argues.

“Didn’t look like you were when I came in. You can spare an extra twenty minutes.”

“Okay, well, it’s freezing cold outside and I don’t feel like walking anywhere today.”

“…I’ve got to go awayyy-”

“Please don’t start singing.”

“I can be the Idina Menzel to your Michael Buble.” Richie stands up and takes Eddie’s hands, pulling him up from the chair. “I’ll hold your hands-”

“Richie-”

“They’re just like ice-”

“That should be my line,” Eddie finally laughs, letting his hands go limp in Richie’s.

Richie grins. “You sing it then.”

Eddie’s stomach flutters as he stares up at him. Glasses smudged with fingerprints, a couple of crooked teeth, light scruff spread across his jaw.

Shit.

Richie continues: “I ought to say no, no, no-”

Eddie giggles again and pushes against Richie’s shoulders, but the other pulls Eddie into his chest. “You are intolerable,” Eddie mutters against his jacket.

“We either stay here and sing a duet together or you can come grab coffee with me.”

Eddie squints at him, but there’s a faint smile stretched on his lips. “This a date, Tozier?” It’s joking, but… he wouldn’t be opposed to it-

“There’s only enough room in my heart for one Kaspbrak, and, I hate to break it to ya, it’s not you, babe.” Eddie gives a disgusted groan. “Come on,” Richie says, finally releasing Eddie and walking over to the door. “You still need a jacket?”

Eddie knows for a fact he has one of his own. “Sure,” he says.

-

It had been snowing all week up on campus. The few inches of what was leftover from last night’s storm crunch beneath both Eddie and Richie feet as they walk down the street, passing through the part of town with all of the small businesses. Eddie’s never been particularly fond of snow; it’s wet and it’s cold and his fingers go numb and having to warm back up is such an inconvenience. But he does have a lot of fond memories involving it. He remembers seeing the losers running up his porch steps after school was canceled for the day, and getting bundled up and going out to build a snowman after ignoring his mother’s protests about how he’ll get sick and to come back in as soon as his nose starts to run. His nose is running a bit now. He doesn’t give it a second thought.

Also, Richie’s sweatshirt is, unsurprisingly, too long. Like, way too long. The sleeves are a good couple of inches past his fingertips and the bottom hem is halfway down his thighs. It’s funny because Richie is ridiculously skinny, just ridiculously long. Eddie can hear the dick joke in his head. He’s glad he didn’t say anything out loud.

“Cold?” Richie asks him, his voice followed by a cloud that Eddie isn’t quite sure whether it’s from his breath or the cigarette dangling from Richie’s lips. Probably both.

“Duh,” Eddie replies, shuddering. He lifts a hand to take the cigarette and drop it into the snow, seeing Richie shaking his head out of the corner of his eye. “You told me you were quitting.”

“I said I was working on it,” Richie grumbles, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

Eddie bumps Richie with his shoulder. “Don’t get cranky with me. I’m looking out for you.”

Richie bumps him back. “The whole point of college is to be able to do whatever you want.”

“Not with me here.”

“Well, maybe I should’ve gone to California.”

“Pfft. You wouldn’t survive without me.”

Richie wraps an arm around Eddie’s shoulder and pulls him into his side. The extra warmth is graciously comforting. “You give yourself too much credit, Eds. I’m a big boy.”

“Yeah, right.”

“In more ways than one.”

There’s the long-awaited dick joke. Eddie smacks the hand dangling over his shoulder and Richie yelps in response.

Evidently, nothing about them has changed since old times. Not the humor, not the bickering, and… definitely not Eddie’s feelings. It shows in how they continue to bounce banter off of each other the entire way there, and it shows in how Richie holds the cafe door open for Eddie, giving him a bow and a “M'lady” that prompts the classic-Eddie response of rolling his eyes and suppressing a smile, and it shows in how the small action that was meant to be taken platonically still makes Eddie’s heart skip a couple of beats.

They take their seats at a small booth by the big windows at the front of the cafe. There’s a good amount of people strolling through the streets, and Eddie notices a few couples, holding hands as they walk together. He has to pry his eyes off of them.

Richie sits with his back against the window and his legs sprawled across the entirety of the booth seat, propping the menu on a raised knee. Eddie gives him a funny look for it and only gets a shrug from the other in response.

“Whatcha gonna get?” Richie asks him.

Eddie skims over the options. He’s not really the type to branch out coffee-wise. “Mmm… the cinnamon latte looks good,” he answers.

“Lame.” Richie closes his menu and slaps it down on the table. “I’m getting a strawberry milkshake.”

“…It’s 9 in the morning and the middle of winter.”

Richie gives him a blank look. “And?”

Eddie lets out a long breath and places his menu on top of the other. “By 'big boy’ you meant twelve years old and not an adult man.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say.” Richie sits up normally and leans on an elbow. “So how’s that studying you mentioned earlier going?”

Eddie shrugs, sinking into his seat. “Hard, I guess.”

“You always do just fine.” Richie reaches over the table to pat his shoulder, and the touch buzzes through Eddie’s skin. “Fuckin’… smart cookie.”

“Thanks,” Eddie says with a forced smile.

The waitress takes their orders and then sets down their drinks after a couple of minutes of waiting. Richie asks for another straw for the milkshake, and the waitress initially gives a confused look but pulls one out of the apron pocket and slides it in Eddie’s direction before walking off.

“I didn’t want any,” Eddie tells Richie, pulling his mug towards him.

“Just in case.” Richie doesn’t bother with the straws at first and instead takes a sip from the rim of the glass, leaving a stripe of bright pink across his upper lip. “Can’t have you drinking from my straw. Too many germs.”

“Well, your mouth just touched it so you’ve technically already contaminated it.”

Richie wipes his mouth with his sleeve, but there’s still a bit stuck to the pitiful excuse of a mustache he has growing there. “That’s unfortunate.” He unwraps both straws and puts them in the drink. “It’s good, you should try it.”

Eddie shakes his head. “I’ll pass. You could be sick and that is the last thing I need right now.”

“I don’t feel sick,” Richie says.

“Yeah, well,” Eddie replies as he lifts his cup from its saucer and stares down into the foam, “You can still carry bacteria or viruses, or both, even without showing symptoms.”

“Thank you, Dr. K. They teach you this in med school?”

“You would not understand a word of what I learn in med school,” Eddie giggles, sipping from his drink.

“I don’t understand a word of what you tell me already,” Richie says. Eddie looks up at him from his coffee and he’s staring at Eddie with this… look, with a faint smile and raised eyebrows.

“What?” Eddie questions.

“What?”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Cus you’re too smart for me, Eds.” Richie breaks the eye contact and stirs the whipped cream into his shake with one of the straws. “You’re gonna… go and be a doctor and do some great damn things. I mean, who knows what I’ll end up doing.”

“Rich,” Eddie murmurs, setting his mug down and giving Richie a gentle look. “You know you’re smart too, right?”

Richie shrugs. “Yeah, but… not in, like, a useful way.”

“Define a 'useful way’.”

The other lets out a strong exhale. “I’m not gonna be a doctor, or a lawyer, or any of that shit. I’ll probably end up a fuckin’ starving artist while the rest of you are out making six figures.” When there’s a pause of silence, Richie just shrugs again and leans back into the seat. “Whatever. Sorry to kill the mood.”

“You don’t have to have it all figured out right now,” Eddie tells him. “And I’ll be here every step of the way while you do figure it out.”

Richie looks up and warmly smiles. “See? You’re too smart and too wise for me. You got a coffee in winter and I got a god damn strawberry milkshake.”

Eddie laughs, reaching for shake’s glass. “You know what, maybe I will try it just to make you feel better.”

“That’s the spirit.”

-

They finish their drinks and begin the walk back to Eddie’s dorm. Eddie got a cheesecake slice to take with, since he thoroughly believes he deserves it after how hard he’s been working.

As they’re making their way up the sidewalk that leads to to the building, Eddie secretly prays that Richie doesn’t ask about the sweatshirt, as he’s realized through the thirty minutes of wearing it how comfy it is. It smells a little bit like weed if Eddie buries his nose far enough into the collar, but the faint scent of the cheap body wash and deodorant Richie uses is pleasant, Eddie guiltily admits to himself.

Eddie leads them up the steps and turns to Richie with a smile. “That was actually fun. Thank you for taking me,” he says.

Richie shrugs and returns a smile of his own. “Would’ve brought the others with, but they were either busy or asleep.”

Eddie chuckles, but he knows deep down how much he appreciated getting to hang out with Richie outside of a group setting.

There are a few seconds of silence alongside eye contact that Eddie knows holds something with meaning from how heavy it is. He can feel himself subconsciously start to lean towards the other.

“Richie-”

“Are you gonna kiss me?”

Eddie immediately recoils and he can feel his stomach lurch. “What?”

Richie’s shoulders visually stiffen. “Are you- are you gonna kiss me?”

“Why would I try to-”

“B-because like if you’re gonna kiss me I just-”

“-kiss you?”

“-wanted to warn you that I, um, I probably have cigarette breath and-”

“Richie-”

“-I have mints on me, if you… if you want to kiss me. If you want to.”

They’re staring at each other again. Eddie has a deeply knitted brow and the panic in Richie’s fair is clear as day.

Richie clears his throat after a few moments and begins to turn away. “I should, uh, probably… go.”

No, no, no, don’t leave right now!

The adrenaline spike is almost painful.

“Do you want me to kiss you?” Eddie chokes out.

Richie turns his body back towards Eddie, giving him a worried expression. “…More than anything,” he says.

There’s another pause. Richie blinks at him. Eddie takes a shaky step forward and places his hand on Richie’s cheek, the skin warm underneath his numbingly cold fingertips.

“More than anything?” Eddie echoes, looking up into Richie’s deep brown eyes.

Richie nods, and Eddie connects their lips.

The air is fucking freezing, and Eddie is dying to get inside. Regardless, he wraps his other arm around Richie’s shoulders. There’s a hand on his waist and another on the back of his neck, and when Richie pulls back a mere inch, his breath is hot against Eddie’s face.

“Your mouth really does taste like cigarettes,” Eddie quietly tells him. Richie tilts his head back and lets out a loud bout of laughter. Eddie giggles himself before peppering kisses along Richie’s jaw while Richie reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a little box of Tic Tacs, opening the lid and pouring way too many into his mouth.  

“Can we go inside?” Eddie asks, snaking his arms around Richie’s waist. Richie waggles his brows in a suggestive manner, and Eddie punches his arm. “Not like that, stupid. I’m cold.”

“Can we kiss inside?”

Eddie rolls his eyes with a grin. “Yes, we can kiss inside.”

And so they do.

[onepdumpsterfire]

Summary: Usopp moves to the city after a year since his mom died in a way to feel closer to her. There he looks for a roommate and finds none other than Zoro himself. what fate has in store for them is left for a later date lol

Roommates

Usopp . Zoro

It’s been almost a year since my mom died. She’s been sick for a long time, so I knew this was coming for some time now.

Even so, knowing didn’t stop it from hurting just as much.

Since her funeral, all I’ve done is coop myself up in our house. I’d probably turn into a hermit if it weren’t for my neighbor, Kaya. She came around whenever she had the chance.

That was nice of her considering what she has been going through…

But the more she worried about me, the guiltier I felt.

I know that she can't help but take care of people. Hell, It's why she’s been studying pharmaceutics, but I also know she can do so much more with her life. She could be some big-city doctor or researching to cure cancer!

Wouldn’t that be so much cooler than being stuck in a no-name city, too small to even afford more than the one clinic it has?

In any event, that’s only one of the reasons why I’ve decided to move away for a while. I think some time out of this house would do me some good.

The city that I’m moving to isn’t all that big and a bit further than I’d like it to be, but that’s the point of moving, right?

One way or another, I chose this city because my mom fell in love with it. She used to tell me about how, when she was young, she used to travel all over! She’d seen it all. Every tourist attraction and big-name city, but there was something about this city that just took her breath away. She told me that this place managed to calm her need to be constantly moving. This is also where she got pregnant with me then later she moved back to where she was raised and had me.

As much as she loved it there, she wanted me to go out on my own and find a place that would ‘sate my most wild urges and fuel my deepest desires,’ as cheese-ly as she put it.

At first, I thought she was joking.

I thought that she only liked that place because it’s where she met dad… It’s also why I hated this city.

My father was a coward that ran away as soon as my mom got sick. Though, she never blamed him for it. I never got to as her why, though. Years later, I did ask her if I was right. That she only romanticized this place because she fell in love there. However, she told me that he was only part of the reason why she loved this city so much, and that if I didn’t believe her then I should go find the depth of this city for myself.

I debated with myself for the longest time. Whether this was the right choice, or if I was ready to set foot in the place I used to loath so much. But being here now, I feel so much smaller than I thought I was. I’m nowhere near the heart of the city, but the sheer enormity for this place makes it feel like it’s trying to swallow me whole.

Sure, back home we had a lot of open fields and the horizon was always noticeable, but here the buildings towered over everything. It felt like a tsunami that threatened impact but never collided. The horizon was replaced by millions of stars that fell from the sky and sat just out of reach so that if you got too close thy’d turn into someone else’s day. Someone’s life.

There are so many people here that It almost made it feel lonely. Being surrounded by so many lives yet being so far from them. A mirage in a desert, one could call it. It promises life, but the closer you get the more you realize you could never get close enough.

I guess I was too much of a coward to be as alone as I felt when I first stepped foot here, though, I’ll keep telling myself it’s because the apartments here are too pricey and I only managed to land a job as a gas station attendant. Nevertheless now I’m sitting on the first floor of a fully furnished two-bedroom apartment checking a roommate wanted ad I posted earlier this week.

So far there have been only two people who wanted to move around this area, but one ghosted me after a few messages and the other ended up creeping me out so much that I had to report his account! I just hope the last person that answered my ad isn’t as much of a weirdo as the previous two.

They seem to be a bit curt, but I shouldn’t get too picky. Rent for next month is gonna be due soon, and there is barely anyone who wants to live near this area as is!

I’m sure that they’re nicer in person! I shouldn’t worry. It’s just two days.

Two days.

-2 days later. Thursday 2:30 pm -

When I arrive at the coffee shop, I walk straight to the back of the line. It isn’t that long and I’ve got here thirty minutes early, so I should have time for a drink before they get here.

Should I get something for them too? No, that’d be weird, and it would probably get cold by the time they get here.

The person in front of the line leaves and we all step forward.

Shit.

Someone arrives and lines up behind me.

I didn’t ask for their name! I don’t even know if they’re a boy or a girl!

The next person leaves and we take another step forward.

Is it too late to ask? Would it be weird if I did?

Another step forward

What if they’re a girl? Would they feel uncomfortable living with a guy?

“-ir?”

I did put on the ad I was a dude though…

“-cuse me, sir?”

“Huh?” The barista’s voice brings me back to earth. “Oh, sorry!”

“It’s okay!” her chipper voice rung out, “could you repeat your order? I didn’t quite catch it.”

“O-oh, sorry. Sorry. I didn’t mean to talk out loud. I was lost in thought, I guess... haha ...” I looked up to their hanging menu, more so to look away from her than to figure out what I wanted.

After putting in my order I take a seat at the very back.

Ten minutes later my drink was ready and my anxiety was rising again.

What if they don’t come?

Five minutes later and I sent them a message to let them know I’m here.

Maybe I could’ve phrased it better?

That sounded weird…?

God, is that a typo?

five minutes later

They haven’t answered, but that’s okay! It’s only been five minutes. Can’t expect them to be by their phone 24/7 right?

I’ll play some games on my phone to distract myself. Yeah, that’ll be fine. It’s fine.

I take a big gulp from my drink

I downloaded that new game. My hopes aren’t high for it, though. I found it via a random Facebook ad. Hopefully, it’s not one of those scams that say 90% of people can’t pass level five, but it’s only ‘cus no one lasts long enough to get to level five.

Hmmm… it seems plays well. A bit of a lag but the graphics are awesome! The old-style, pixelated art and bright, neon, solid colors give it a very retro vibe. The ads between levels kind of ruin the experience, though.

Guess they gotta make money somehow, right?

I wonder if they’ll go away if I turn off my data and Wi-Fi.

I shouldn’t just in case the person I’m meeting tries to reach me.

Could be fine for a round or two, though, I’d anxiously suffer through all of it.

I shouldn’t just in-

A sudden scraping sound from the chair opposite of me jolts me from my hypnotic state. “Hey,” a green-haired man in front of me mutteres before taking the seat he pulled out.

Taking in his form as he makes himself comfortable, my mind begins to race. Green dyed hair with roots of black hair showing. Fitted, sleeveless Nike shirt and black basketball shorts paired with a white pair of sneakers.

Oh, god. What’s with the green hair? He looks super buffed. Am I about to be mugged? No, that’s stupid. He wouldn’t have sat- in a cafe, really?

I quickly glance down at my phone for the time.

Exactly 3. Is he super punctual? More than likely a fluke, but impressive nonetheless. What if he’s a perfectionist?

My thoughts continue to swarm around my head, buzzing in an insatiable mob until a humming silence washes over me. Like one of those box televisions from back in the day. Not broadcasting anything in particular, stuck on a blue screen, droning on in silence.

The sudden stillness in my thoughts came so abruptly that it almost gave me whiplash. That aside, I need to focus now and answer him.

“Hey, sorry I didn’t ask for your name-” I left my statement open so that he could fill in the blank“-Zoro”

“R-right, Zoro. My name’s Usopp,” I waved my hands like the gesticulation would somehow help my words form into a coherent sentence, “but you probably already knew that from my ad... Hah..” I gave a quick huff before pushing through my awkward inexperience with ‘interviews’. “I was thinking we could talk and get to know each other before I take you to see the apartment.”

“That’s fine by me,” Zoro relaxed further in his seat. “What do you wanna know?”

Right at home, ain’t he.

~Do you smoke? “No”

~Are you a messy person? “I don't have a lot of things other than clothes.”

Doesn't quite answer the question but ill take it.

~Do you have friends over often? “No”

~What do you do for a living? “I’m a bouncer at a bar near here.”

Explains the muscle.

~Can you pay rent on time? “Yes, actually I brought the first month’s with me. Your ad said that split cost between the both of us plus the utilities would be $487 right?” Zoro dug around his pocket before pulling out a folded wad of cash and handing it to me.

“U-uh yeah,” tentatively I reach over to take the money. “Yeah...” I doubt I can find someone else by the end of the month. Zoro’s my safest bet at getting a roommate before next rent's due. He doesn’t seem so bad, I’m sure we’ll get along just fine.

...I guess this means there’s only one more question to ask.

“Do you wanna see the apartment?”

[rocketmanmadden]

Thanks Sheriff

Requested by @l0ve-0f-my-life

Hey me again lol, could u plssss do a Jim hopper x younger!fem!reader smut? She’s of legal age (obvs) She’s hanging out with the party (cause she’s Dustin’s sister) and Billy’s there and tries to flirt with her, but she ends up with hopper somehow?

A/N- woah. This is my first time writing for Hopper and I thought I was gonna be awful at writing him but I honestly think this may be one of the best/ better ones I’ve ever written. (I hope you guys like it now since I hyped myself up lmao) Anyways, enjoy!

Warnings- Smut, filth, mostly all dirty shit, swearing, age gap, cop kink/rp? I don’t know if that’s what it’s described as, it's the middle of the night when I finished this so my brain is shut down

You’re standing outside a store at the mall waiting for your brother Dustin and his friends to come out when Billy Hargrove walks up to you and begins harassing you with his shitty pick up lines.

“Hey tie your shoes, I wouldn’t want you falling for someone else” he says running a hand through his hair with his ‘I’m the coolest guy in the world’ smile.

“Nice try Billy, I hate to break it to you though, I’m wearing sandals, and in order to fall for someone else I think I’d have to of fallen for you first.” You try to shut him up but he keeps going. “Let me try again then, I must be a snowflake because I’ve fallen for you” but all you do is say “still not any better” and you can see the look of frustration begin to grow on his face.

He huffs, “fine, I’ll step it up a notch then. Is that mirror in your pocket?” He looks at your ass. “Cause I can see myself in your pants” he says getting closer and slaps your ass before you push him off. “Get the fuck off of me Hargrove, I’m not interested!” You yell before hearing the voice of the sheriff.

“What’s going on here?” He sternly says walking up to the two of you. “Causing more trouble Hargrove aren’t you?” To which Billy shakes his head, not trying to be in trouble with the police again. “No sir I’m not, I was actually just leaving” he says before quickly walking away from the two of you

“Thanks Hopper, um what's the backpack for?” You look at the pink bag he’s holding. “Oh, uh yeah, it’s for El. She’s spending the night a Max’s and forgot it at home, she told me she thought you were taking them to the mall so I figured I’d check here.” He explains

“Well you checked the right place” you giggle. “I can take that off your hands, they’re just inside the store so I’ll give it to her when she comes out” you say, taking the backpack out of his hands and swing it on to your back.

“Thanks a lot Y/N. So I saw Billy was getting a little handsy, what a prick” he scoffs. “Do you want me to catch up and uh do something to him, about what just happened? Hopper whispered to you.

You don’t know what it is about him, he’s El’s dad for Christ sake, but just the way he wanted to protect you from Billy made you feel so safe- and turned on. You’ve always liked an older man, not in a weird way but the way of they’re mature, and have more experience with life, and other things… You’ve never been one to shoot your shot like you’re about to do, but you’re 18 which is legal age and the worst he could say is no.

“I think there’s someone else I rather have you do things to” you whisper as you subtly bite your lip. “W-who?” He asks as his face blushes, but he already knows what the answer is. “Me. I’ll meet you at your house, 7 tonight” you say as you go to turn to walk in the store. “But El” You turn back to look at him, “but El is sleeping at Max’s, we’ll have the house all to ourselves. See you then” you smirk and wink at him before entering the store.

And that’s exactly what you did, you met him at his house at 7 that night, in a short skirt and a tank top, underneath it being a matching lacy bra and panty set.

You knock on the door and wait for him to answer, a look of shock on his face as he opened it. “Wow… you actually came, uh come in, please come in” he welcomes you into his house. “Did you take me for a liar?” You ask

“I- uh- no, I didn’t, I just wasn’t fully sure if you were joking or not, but I’m really glad you’re not” he reassures you. “Why don’t you show me how glad you are?” You smirk

He leads the way into the bedroom, the two of you exchanging kisses on any place you could get to. Necks, lips, jaws, wherever you could find.

“Take you clothes off” he orders you, but you decide to be a brat, “Hm, why should I?”, to which he rolls his eyes and strictly says “because I’m an officer, and you listen when a cop tells you to do something, understand?”

“Yes sheriff” you smirk and stand up, pulling your shirt over your head and your skirt down your legs, leaving you in just your bra and panties, not for long though because those were quickly removed too.

You climb on the bed sitting up after removing your clothing, Hopper still in his uniform.

“Put your hands above your head” he instructs as he unbuttons his top and throws it to the floor. “Don’t know if I can do that sheriff” you innocently say to him before he starts walking towards you. “Well I can” he says pushing you back into the bed and pinning your hands about your head before roughly kissing you

“You know people who don’t follow rules and listen to the officer tend to get in more trouble” he says after breaking the kiss. “Maybe that’s something I’m willing to risk” you whisper as he quickly flips you over placing you so you’re lying on your stomach. “Get on your knees, face down, ass in the air” he directs and you do so, deciding to follow his rules this time

“Maybe some handcuffs will teach you a lesson ay?” He says before quickly grabbing you arms and placing them behind your back, locking your hands in the metal cuffs. “That’s better” he speaks, letting go of your cuffed hands and slapping your bare ass. “I think it’s time someone puts you in your place”

You can’t physically see what he’s doing, but you can hear the metal on his belt coming undone and dropping to the floor, his pants following.

He walks up behind you and pushes his clothed erection against your ass. “You feel what you do to me? What should I do about this?” He asks. “I think you should fuck me” you answer getting wetter at the touch of his hard erection. “I think that’s the smartest thing you said all night” he says before pulling down his underwear and teasing your entrance with his tip.

“God you’re so fucking wet for me, makes it so easy for me to just slide right in” and not even a second later, he roughly slams into you, causing a roaring moan to escape your mouth.

He grabs onto the cuffs on your hands placed behind your back for support as he begins to pound into you- not going easy, heavy breathing and whispering “fuck” under his breath.

You on the other hand, could barely get the word fuck out of you mouth. You just took it and moaned like you never have before, he didn’t give you anytime to build your moans up, he started fast and it felt fucking incredible, something you never felt before.

He continues slamming you, but this time slapping your ass and gripping it to keep balance, before he begins to move and reposition himself slightly, almost as he was looking for something.

“W-what are you -oh fuck- doing?” You moan out. “You’ll see” he slaps your ass hard, causing you to yelp.

He repositions himself one last time before thrusting into your g spot hard, causing you to scream out a moan, with the sound of you and slapping skin filling the air. “Found it” he smirks.

He repeatedly pounds into your g spot as you repeatedly scream out many different phrases, “Fuck officer you feel so good” “I love having you inside me, you fill me up so well” and many- many- moans, until you feel yourself getting close.

“F-fuck” you moan out. “S-so close” you whimper. “You wanna cum babygirl? You want to cum all over a police officers cock like a dirty girl?”

“Y- yes please!” You moan out in pleasure. “Then do it, cum all over my dick like a little slut”

And as soon as he said that, that’s what you did, you let the knot in your stomach go and you moaned as loud as you can as your whole body was shaking along to the pretty noises coming out of your mouth. He kept thrusting as you came down from your messy moaning high, but not for long though, quickly pulling out of you.

He grabs you by the handcuffs and pulls you up to a sitting position on your knees, your hands still tight behind your back being unable to use them before placing himself in front of you.

“That mouth sure likes to speak like a brat so show me what else it can do” he shoves his cock in your mouth and begins to thrust in and out as you suck and lick his cock. “That’s it princess, god you take me so fucking good, all mine, not that fucking Hargrove kid, mind” he says before placing a hand on the back of your head, pushing it down to take him further as he face fucks you.

“I’m getting really fucking close- really close. I’m gonna-“, that’s all he could say before you ran your tongue up on the vein along his length, making his cock twitch in your mouth, causing him to explode and shoot his hot cum down your throat, you swallowing it all.

He takes a few seconds to cool off and get his breathing back under control before standing up and walking to the back of you to unhook your handcuffs.

He finally sets your arms free as you get up and run a hand down his chest, “wow sheriff, I think I might have to be a bad girl more often” you smirk

“Watch it, you might get yourself locked up here for a night with that mouth” he slaps your ass one last time

“If what we just did will always be my punishment, I don’t think I’d mind being locked up here for a night” you shrug your shoulders. “Tonight was amazing, thanks sheriff” you wink

[xoruffitup]

Adam Driver on SNL: 1/25 Dress Rehearsal Recap

I’m having dejavu of the best kind. I’m sitting here on the bus on my way back from NYC in hungover euphoria and overjoyed disbelief at everything I just experienced, texting new friends and old, recounting everything in my head and smiling so hard. The September 2018 weekend of Adam’s last SNL show lives in my memory in unmatched infamy, so my excitement was off the charts to do it all again. And because this show was absolutely fucking INCREDIBLE, this weekend delivered in every way all over again!! Seriously, my face aches from how I can’t stop smiling aksnksj HELP :’)

My friends and I were in the Dress Rehearsal, so below the cut are retellings of ALLLL the skits including those cut from the Live show - and no small amount of helpless emotional flailing.

I had an idea of what to expect after attending Adam’s 2018 show, but I nevertheless felt sky-high levels of anxiety when Sarah and we arrived at the NBC shop at 6:30. I knew rationally that our chances of getting into Dress were good with numbers #12 - 14, but every now and then there’s the occasional oddity of only a handful of Standby people getting in. Though even without any uncertainty in the equation, my entire being goes on Hyped/Anxious Overdrive anyway whenever I’m about to be in the same space as Adam sO really there’s nothing for it. :’)

They lined us up by numbers, I did a lot of emotional wobbling like “I can’t believe we’re here again together guys waaaah” (have I mentioned I met these girls at Adam’s last show? Full circle moment of the highest and most beautiful caliber and it had me hella verklempt), and thennnn - drumroll and hushed silence please - the main security guy comes up to the giant line and asks the first 20 people to come with him.

As they constantly remind you throughout this thoroughly nerve-wracking process, there is no guarantee you’ll actually get into the show until you’re physically in the seat. It’s a long, harrowing trip from the NBC store where the line gathers, up stairs, elevators, and through hallways to reach the studio, and you can still be cut even as far as the very last checkpoint if all seats fill up with the people ahead of you. So as you get closer, the excitement spikes higher and higher but so does the worry! We went through security, and then I clung to our new Standby line friend Catherine’s arm as they lined us up two-by-two on the first staircase, with Sarah and @reylonly right behind. I was likely extremely annoying as I couldn’t help being rambly and weird in my nerves and compulsively hugging my girls’ arms. @reylonly did her very best to calm my hot mess down, bless her.

About 45 minutes later (Maybe? I had no idea what time was, lbr) we reached the final point of the elevator and last hallway, and were held just outside the studio. THEN - the woman there instructed the next 4 to follow her in (thank GOD because we were terrified of being split up), WE WENT INTO THE STUDIO WHEW YAYAY OMFG WE WERE THERE!!! - but then oh no it happened so fast that she pointed @reylonly down to a single seat in the center and then the other 3 of us to seats towards the left side of the stage. They were all single seats, but thank GOSH they were all end seats of rows right next to each other. So Sarah was right in front of me and I could grab her shoulder (which I would do a lot in increasingly desperate excitement over the next 2 hours), and Catherine and I could reach across the aisle to cling to each other’s hands! @reylonly was on her own but in an incredible seat, and during commercial breaks we would lean forward to wave and blow kisses to each other and mime flailing or crying as one incredible sketch after another played out in front of us. I made sure to be friendly and talk to the people sitting next to me so they wouldn’t be too annoyed with me and Sarah always grabbing at each other, but LOL they probably thought I was at least a little insane. I mean, maybe for the moment alone when I saw a girl I’d made friends with in line but then lost track of in a seat not too far from me, and we started waving and dabbing at each other. Once we were seated there in the studio, all the anxiety gave way to surging excitement and I was practically bouncing in my seat, so overjoyed to be there and see my dear fandom friends there with me!

Michael Che warmed up the audience with some standup, the House band jammed, and Sarah and I momentarily got Extremely Excited when we saw them setting up the hell backdrop set for the cold open and thought at the time it was supposed to be Tattooine for a Star Wars skit, lolol. But then the actual show started, and with our Adam-eagle eyes Catherine reached out to whisper “there he is! In the blonde wig!” And, heart in my throat no matter how many times I see this man in person, I frantically squinted at all the people waiting just off to the side of the set until I saw that unmistakably Tol Broad back, and then he stepped onto the set and into the lighted camera’s view and I was cheering and clapping so hard for his first appearance that I couldn’t hear who he was supposed to be playing. xD I was just tapping Sarah’s shoulder in front of me, bouncing in my seat a little, and trying not to start levitating with the sheer force of my excitement and joy to be there.

OKAY from here I’ll break this up by skit! Anything that was different or missing from the Live show I put in bold font if you want to skip to that! Starting with...

Intro Monologue

WHAT A GOOD MONOLOGUE, ITS LIKE THEY JUST LET ADAM RUN WITH IT AND WRITE IT HIMSELF IT WAS SO HIM AND HILARIOUS AND WEIRD AND YET CHARMING IDEK I WILL NEVER COMPREHEND THE WONDER OF THIS MAN??

So when he dropped the bomb of “I’m a husband and a FATHER” I clapped Sarah’s shoulder SO HARD, then he made he joke “I’ve made it very clear to my son that he’s second in everything” and I could not bELIEVE the wonder of what I was hearing omfg. I heard the words “my son” come out of his mouth with my own ears WHO COULD HAVE PREDICTED, SURE AS HELL NOT ME????

Then he went into the audience to demonstrate how “approachable” he is and was so awk/weird/hilarious I was just losing it, then took his time meandering around the stage and making weird faces into the camera and I was just LOSING IT. And AKSKSJA after that he wandered over to another camera that was lower and kind of hummed as he lifted his shirt and put it over the camera so we got a full on belly button view for 2 unbelievable glorious seconds!! He looked up at the monitors as he was doing it and went “oh you can’t see anything” so that’s probably why he sadly didn’t flash his belly in the Live show.

“Cheer” with Adam as one of the team coaches

I’m going by the skit order in Dress, and this one was first after the monologue. Best part for me was the accent reminiscent of Clyde Logan. :3 But tbh, of the 6 skits they did for the Live show, I kind of wish this one had been swapped for the one performed last in Dress that was sO Wild and would have made fandom absolutely lose its shit aksnksal more to come on that.

UNDERCOVER BOSS AKA RANDY THE INTERN

THE BEST GIFT WE COULD HAVE RECEIVED!! BLESS YOU SNL AND ADAM FOR GIVING US KYLO CONTENT TO BE HAPPY OVER AND LOVE WHOLE HEARTEDLY. T___T

Honestly, I cannot even properly describe my reaction when the Undercover Boss intro logo appeared on all the monitors oHMYLoRDDD. I nearly leapt out of my seat, like my heart nearly jumped clear out of my chest oh my fuck and I was legit holding onto Sarah so much I almost slid out of my seat - I just couldn’t believe it and I cheered SO LOUD. The entire audience erupted with this “HOLY SHIT” vibe outburst and I was SO happy to be there in that moment - knowing that our entire fandom was only hours away from this!! I honestly didn’t expect it at all - after they didn’t do one of these the second time Adam was on, I thought there was no chance. But IT HAPPENED AND IT WAS SO QUALITY HILARIOUS WE ARE SO BLESSED - THANK YOU TO RANDY’S LIL BEANIE AND VEST AND HIPSTER PANTS.

Pretty sure I like half curled up on myself laughing so hard my feet left the floor at OK BOOMER. And at the part with “will Rey take his hand?” I swear MY SOUL NEAR LEFT MY BODY I MEAN IS THIS THE REAL LIFE IS THIS JUST FANTASYYYY

..... Can someone come promise me we really didn’t just collectively hallucinate that??

SAG Awards Fashion Red Carpet

I’m not too disappointed this one was cut. Of all the amazing skits performed, I would have ranked this one lower. Adam and Kenan Thompson were fashion critics talking about celebs’ looks on the SAG red carpet. A minute in Adam says, “We should be paying more attention to the kids!” Kenan: *nervous laugh* “uh, should we??” Adam starts talking about/admiring the outfits for like Finn Wolfhard etc, with hilarious but bordering creepy descriptions like “masculine but not quite fully grown,” until Kenan is like “umm maybe we shouldn’t be talking about kids this much?”

They interview a girl who’s supposed to be Jojo Siwa and Adam’s like “you should know I think you’re beautiful. Kids need to hear more often that they’re beautiful.” Kenan panics, going “alRIGHT we’re gonna cut back to the studio now!” The skit ended with Adam: “I got a ticket to the Nickelodeon afterparty and I’m gonna swipe one of those kids in my pocket!”

“Slow” Digital Short

HONESTLY, this competes with Undercover Boss for my favorite skit of the night. I can’t even tell you - I had literal tears running down my face I was laughing SO fucking hard during this entire thing. From the first moment we heard Adam’s deep-ass voice I absolutely and entirely lost my shit oh my GOD. We’d been so pumped for Adam in some kind of rap sketch when we saw the photos of him and Kenan filming the day before, but it was SO FUCKING GOOD. I will never ever in all my days not bust out laughing at “Bring that ass here” and “In a 65 hour lane going 2” aksnskns I’m on the bus struggling to fight back laughter just thinking about it SEND HELP!!!

It’s just brilliant. The turtle next to his expensive loafers. His cheesy sunglasses. That shot of his glorious bare arms. His deep voice “Baby” when they’re at the door and “But I brought ice cream” oh my god I love it so much BLESS YOU SNL BLESS YOU. I never in all my days thought I’d get Adam rapping but it’s every single thing I never knew I needed.

Del Taco Commercial / “Aw Man I’m All Outta Cash!”

ADAM’S SLEAZY LOOKING LONG WIG LMAO. This one was a wild and funny time once you got into it and just let it go. Once Kyle, Beck, and Adam were all yelling the line and Adam went “You don’t want to kill yourself, you just want a taco, Jesus” everyone was ROLLING. I think the only difference (is this even worth color coding lol) was that after Kyle took his pants off Adam kept slapping his thigh during Dress bahaha.

“Hot Dad” Adam dealing with a clogged toilet at a teenaged girls’ sleepover

Adam and Kate McKinnon comedy together YES PLEASE. This one was all the same as far as I can remember, but I will say that a woop/cheer rose from the people sitting near the set for this one at the line about Adam being a “hot Dad.” Yep sounds about right.

(Halsey’s first song, Weekend Update)

Medieval Renaissance Fair

You can’t have Adam host SNL without giving him some ridiculous character skit ala Oil Baron Parnassus. I absolutely loved how intense and deep he was for this kind of nonsense xD We can thank this skit for giving us footage of Adam yelling “Whore!” and spitting, lmao. Also.... I’ll just say in that outfit and wig he looked even Extra Big in comparison to everyone around him.

Courtroom Trial / Sinbad on Cameo

I’m also okay with this one being cut, but I was biased to enjoy the hell out of it live because the set was right in front of where I was sitting and I had such a perfect view of him. <3

Adam was supposed to be the defendant in a case where a female coworker claims he harassed her by sending “threatening” videos. Adam goes up on the stand and the prosecutor asks “are you familiar with these videos?” Cut over to Kenan Thompson, who’s pretending to be Sinbad on the app Cameo, making videos for the woman that are like “Hey you better give Mark a chance! Otherwise he might come after you!” Adam responds with disbelief: “I have no idea who this Sinbad person is and frankly, your honor, this is pissing me off.” Kenan acts a few more videos which keep getting funnier because he keeps eating things or being in crowded public places while filming them. But in the final video he references Adam’s character’s name so it’s clear he was the one requesting the videos. Adam gets all sad on the stand: “It doesn’t matter. No one likes me anyway!” It ends with Kenan as Sinbad crashing into the courtroom in person.

This was more Kenan’s skit as he really was hilarious, but someone had to explain to me afterwards who Sinbad is and how the Cameo app works so I didn’t quite ~get it while watching. BUT more importantly - Adam looked great despite the weird brown wig he had on. During the second of Kenan’s videos when the cameras were on Kenan instead, Adam’s face definitely started quivering with suppressed laughter until he visibly locked it down like NO FOCUS ADAM. Most of my attention stayed fixed on the buttons of his shirt because hOOo boy were they straining! Without me even saying anything, Catherine reached across the aisle for me immediately afterwards and whispered, “That shirt did /not/ fit well.” OH YES I NOTICED >:33

PBS Science Show

Another one which was performed right directly in front of us!! I already knew this was going to be a good one because Adam went right over to the skeleton mannequin when he came on set and started playing with it, like making the arm and wrist wiggle around. The biggest dork cutie you’ll ever see.

He was standing right under me, which meant once he started handling the balloon I got mighty distracted watching his MASSIVE hands around that tiny-looking balloon. >:)) Then I cracked up so hard when he got exasperated and threw something back against the window. WE GOT TO SEE HIM SMASH SOMETHING IN PERSON YESSSS

Ketchup bottles

Oh my GOD EVERYTHING WAS AMAZING ABOUT THIS ONE FROM START TO FINISH. The best part though might have been the prep beforehand. Someone carried the giant Ketchup and hot sauce bottles onto the set before the actors came on and we were like wtf? (For a minute I was triggered remembering Kanye coming on in his Perrier bottle during the 2018 show) But THEN Adam and Cecily Strong came on in big red shirts and people started lifting the giant plastic bottles over them and LOL we realized where this was going. They definitely struggled for a minute getting Adam’s bottle up over his head because of his height xD People in the audience were already laughing just watching this costume set up, and once Adam got the bottle on a WOOT cheer rose which I later learned was none other than @reylonly aka my hero. It was followed by someone yelling “THATS HOT”, which akndosjan made Adam laugh and raise his arms with a hilarious little shimmy in the bottle. He really seemed to be enjoying himself during the whole show, but during this ridiculous and incredibly hilarious skit especially so.

Game Night / Movie Quote Competition

OKAY this is the skit it’s a real tragedy didn’t make it on air! There were lines in this I couldn’t beLiEvE my ears were hearing, and if we ever get a recording I’m pretty sure the fandom would basically implode. 

Three couples are sitting around a living room having a game night. Adam is sitting with Kate McKinnon with his arm around her. After they finish playing Settlers of Catan, Heidi Gardner suggests they play a movie quote game where one of them says a line from a movie and the rest have to guess the movie. She is clearly very into it, and the others reluctantly agree. It quickly becomes clear that Adam is just as good at the game as she is, and they immediately start becoming competitive. They reach the point where they quote three lines from Captain Phillips in a row, trying to trick each other. As the game gets more heated, they exchange aggressive flirty banter such as:

Heidi: You really know your movie quotes, huh? Adam: Yeah I do. Heidi: And with some BDE over there. Adam: Yeah, I got that too.

AND !!!!!!!!!!

Heidi: You’re quite the movie flick daddy. Adam: I’m the world’s biggest flick daddy.

!!!!!!!!! HE CALLED HIMSELF A DADDY HELP CALL 911 EMERGENCY !!!!!!!!!!

The game keeps escalating until Kate tries to calm Adam down and he brushes her off. Everyone else tries to tell Heidi to relax, and she responds “What?! I’m supposed to lie back and let (Kate’s character’s name)’s hot husband rail me??”

I WAS FLOATING ON THE CEILING BY THIS POINT, I literally couldn’t believe what my ears were hearing alsdfjsldafjlsdkfj!

It gets to the point where they’re both standing, shouting completely vague snippets of lines at each other while the other continues to guess correctly. Until finally Adam exclaims, “I got a good one!” He grabs her and fULL ON kisses her. 

(Pictures from The Adam Driver Files twitter.)

Immediately afterwards she goes, “I know! That was the kiss from (Movie X - I can’t remember the exact title).” Adam: “HOW DID YOU KNOW?!” Heidi: “From how you moved your tongue!”

I’m still reeling from this one. Adam calling himself a daddy, talk of “getting railed” by him, and intense kissing?! Oh my lORDDDD. I’m still trying to keep it playing on a loop in my ears. I’m not sure if we as a fandom could collectively survive a full video of this, but GOD I hope we get the chance to test ourselves. RELEASE THE UNAIRED VIDEO, YOU NBC COWARDS!!!

FLICK DADDY INDEED

...Aaaaaaand that was a wrap! After 10 skits and nearly 2.5 hours, it literally felt like I had run a marathon at a full sprint. I was just trying to process everything I’d just witnessed, while trying to focus on committing every single thing to memory. I just couldn’t believe the range of amazing and hilarious things I’d just seen Adam doing: Play a talking ketchup bottle, call himself a daddy, awkwardly talk about feminine products clogging his toilet, yell “WHORE” then spit and swing a medieval mace around, rap hilariously, and yell about umami?? It was all almost TOO MUCH. 

For full-circle and emotional fulfillment reasons, I wore my Save Ben Solo shirt to the show just like I did at the 2018 show. I had debated beforehand whether it would be too bittersweet to wear it after TROS, but now I’m so glad I did. All these hilarious and zany skits were just what we all needed to continue the cycle of fandom excitement and positivity despite the last month. I’m so incredibly grateful to SNL for such great material for Adam to work with and us to laugh at, and for giving us the perfect reminder that there’s still so much to whole-heartedly appreciate and love. Most of all, Adam himself. <3

THANK YOU SNL AND ADAM FOR ANOTHER LIFE-HIGHLIGHT WEEKEND! <3

[lemonandhugs]

Stars Align: Chapter 6

Sam and Caitriona walked outside of Edinburgh Airport and the freezing cold wind hit them in the face, causing them to both squint and grimace. Caitriona gasped and hugged her own body, after placing her luggage on the ground.

Sam still felt extremely embarrassed about what happened on the plane, despite Cait’s reassurances. He felt guilty, and just awkward around her, which he hated. He stood quietly next to her, with his head down, burying his mouth into his scarf, his hands shoved in his parka pockets. Cait picked up on how he was acting immediately and peered over at him. The wind blew Sam’s curly hair away from his left temple and she could see the large marble-size bump and light blue-purple bruise that had developed.

“How’s your h-head?” she asked him through a quivering jaw.

He shyly looked at her, “I’ve uh…I’ve got a bit of a headache, and it’s throbbing a bit, but I’ll be fine. I’ll take something for it when we get there…I deserve it though…what happened.”

Cait exhaled, turned towards him and held on to his forearm, “Sam…please, it’s alright. There was no harm done. It’s not like your hands landed in any awkward places, none of that. You haven’t offended me, or pissed me off, or given me a reason to not trust you. It was completely harmless. Please, don’t feel bad.”

Sam looked into her eyes then, seeing the pleading in her hypnotising blue-grey eyes, and it made his insides melt like warm butter, and his tension and embarrassment melted with it. He smiled crookedly.

“Well, alright. As you say,” Sam smiled wider at her and twisted slightly so the elbow she was holding onto gently nudged her.

The worry dissipated from Cait’s eyes, as her smile reached them, “good.”

She let go of his arm and shoved that hand into her pocket and began shivering again, as she was no longer distracted from the cold.

Sam looked at her with a knowing and concerning smile, “yeah, still as cold as I remember. I haven’t been back here for a few years.”

Cait’s teeth began to chatter, and her body began to tremble as she hugged herself. She nodded, “well…I s-suppose I’m going to h-have to get used to th-this. No d-doubt I’ll be wearing a lot l-less on set in those early s-scenes of block one.”

Sam’s mouth went into a straight line, and he nodded, “the things we do as actors,” he cheekily smiled at her.

Cait smiled back in between her teeth clicking together, “mhm.”

“At least you dressed warmer this time, and at least it’s not raining. It would be bad if we got our hair wet, yours more than mine. The car will be here s–, oh here it is,” Sam tilted his head upwards, gesturing towards the Audi coming towards them.

“Oh, thank g-god,” Cait murmured.

Then they noticed another Audi, exactly the same and directly behind. They both looked at each other confused.

“We must be taking separate cars?” Cait questioned.

Sam’s eyebrows furrowed.

The two drivers got out and hurried over to introduce themselves as Sam and Cait’s drivers for the duration of Season 1 filming.

“Are we travelling separately?” Sam asked his driver.

“Yes, we always have actors driven separately, in case of any accidents,” Sam’s driver stated.

“Oh, that makes sense,” Cait nodded.

“Okay, yeah I was wondering why two cars pulled up. If you’ve got this, man, I’ll help Caitriona’s driver with her luggage,” Sam asked his driver, pointing to his pile of luggage on the ground.

“Oh, S-Sam no. You don’t h-have to do that, it’s f-freezing, get in y-your car,” Cait shook her head, and attempting to stop him after he already had two pieces of her luggage slung over his shoulders, ignoring her.

Walking quickly to the boot of the car, with Cait’s driver, he put the luggage in and opened the door for her.

“In you get before you turn into an icicle,” Sam smirked at her.

Cait both pouted and smirked at him, and playfully hit him on the arm.

“See you when we get there, and thank you,” her smirk disappeared, and she gave him a small, sweet smile.

“No worries, Caitriona Balfe, see you soon,” Sam winked at her and brushed her back gently, up, and down.

He ran over to his car and quickly got in. Cait smiled to herself as a quiver ran over her spine, from his touch.

It was an hour drive to where their trailers would be located, and where the writer’s studio was, in which they would be going to their first read through, the next morning.

Twenty minutes into the drive, after small chit-chat with her driver, getting to know him, Cait was distracted by her phone going off. She picked it up from inside her handbag and saw a text from Sam on her screen. She couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face, and the excited feeling that formed in her stomach.

 -          Have you thawed now? :P

 -          Ha ha, very funny...! But yes, I’m quite toasty now, thanks for asking :D

  -          Good to hear. We can’t have Claire looking like those creatures in Avatar, now can we? :P

 -          :O but thank you for your concern, lol…I think Claire could rock blue skin!

  -          Mmm…you’re not wrong there. It’d make for an interesting series! Haha

 -          The stones did it :P

  -          Ah! Now THAT’S an interesting concept, Caitriona Balfe! We must tell Ron!

 Caitriona giggled quietly to herself, and she and Sam joked back and forth for ten minutes more.

‘Alright, alright. Leave her alone now. Professionalism, a respectful distance…don’t get too close off-set!’ Sam thought to himself as he typed out one last text to Cait saying that he’ll see her when they arrive.

A half hour later and they had arrived. The drivers got their luggage out of the cars and lead them towards their trailer. They came to one very large trailer that had both their names on it.

‘Sharing a trailer?!’ Cait panicked, and side-eyed Sam.

Ron walked around the corner a couple of seconds after Sam and Cait had reached the trailer. He beamed when he saw them both.

“Sam! Caitriona! How are ya?! Glad you had a safe trip. The hair looks great!” Ron exclaimed, shaking their hands.

He looked at the large trailer and back at Sam and Cait.

“So, you two will be sharing a trailer. All the trailers will be shared between two cast members. Starz could only get us a limited number of trailers, but they got us the very biggest ones. They’re so large, you will have plenty of your own space,” Ron explained.

‘Breathe, Caitriona, breathe. You’re sure to be used to him in no time now! Fuck, I hope we don’t become sick of each other…’ Cait thought, biting her bottom lip.

‘So much for a respectful distance off-set…fuck…it’s okay, it will be fine. We’ll become very comfortable with each other and it will be very good for the show and our on-screen chemistry,’ Sam calmed himself, determined to think rationally.

Sam and Cait both nodded at Ron while he was speaking. Sam was wringing his hands nervously and peered over at Cait. She caught his eye and gave him a shy smile. He smiled back but noticed the worry in her eyes. She quickly looked away and Sam’s attention was caught by Ron walking up the three steps and opening the front door of the trailer.

“Come in and have a look! Really nice inside, more modern than you would think,” Ron waved them forward, ducking his head inside as he spoke.

As Sam and Cait walked slowly towards the steps, Ron quickly climbed down.

“I’ll let you two get settled. I have to run, I have a few meetings to get to, one with Diana herself. You’ll meet her on Wednesday, Caitriona…All the cast will be arriving later, so you’ll get to meet everyone. It’ll be good. Can’t wait to see the book come to life, essentially,” Ron expressed with a lopsided smile on his bearded face.

Sam and Cait both smiled at that.

“I’m excited, this is all so new to me. It’s so beautiful here,” Cait said biting her lip and smiling, taking in her surroundings.

“Yeah, it’s going to be a hell of a journey, I think we’re all going to have a great time. It’ll be great experience for you as an actress, I’m sure you’ll learn a lot,” Ron nodded.

“Oh definitely,” Cait widened her eyes and smiled cheerfully at him.

“Alright, I’m off. See you in a couple of days,” Ron said putting his thumb up, before quickly turning and walking with large strides to his car.

Sam cleared his throat awkwardly, then stretched his arm out for Cait to walk up the stairs first. Cait smiled crookedly at him, looking up at him through her lashes, and ascending the few steps. Sam followed close behind, and upon switching the light on, they were indeed both surprised at how big and modern it really was. Colours of grey and white, a good-sized bedroom area that was split into two and identical on both sides, with two queen beds and a sliding dividing wall in the middle. That was the left side of the trailer. A doorway from the bedroom led out into the dining area, with a small bathroom running off just behind, with a surprisingly large shower. To the right of the dining area was a very impressive marble-top, large kitchenette.

“Wow. I cannot believe how huge this is,” Sam raised his eyebrows and looked around and up at the ceiling.

“Yeah! It doesn’t look like it from the outside. It’s lovely though. Definitely big enough for two,” Cait said as she ran her hand along the marble bench top, her back to him.

“So, uh…I…I guess we’re…living together. How do you feel about that? Since it was kind of just sprung on us…” Sam uttered, rubbing the back of his neck and carefully peering up at her.

“Well…I think…you know, we’re going to be on set together all day anyway. Sharing a trailer will give us a chance to get to know each other on another level. Which…I think will make us more comfortable with each other on set, especially in maybe the more…intense scenes. Obviously, we’ll give each other space when we’re in here. And…there’s an understanding between us. A trust,” Cait crossed her arms over her chest and shrugged one shoulder. She gave him a nervous smile through tight lips.

“That’s true. Yeah, you’re right. I promise I won’t intrude on your space, and I’ll wash my own dishes and won’t leave my clothes lying around. Oh, and I won’t leave my towels on the floor,” Sam grinned at her, rather cheekily.

Cait giggled freely and peered down at the floor before licking the corner of her top lip and looking back up at him.

“Well, ditto,” Cait nodded.

The sun suddenly crept out from behind the gloomy, grey clouds that were threatening rain, and it shone through one of the windows, catching both their eyes.

“So…if you’re not too tired, and because it’s rather beautiful outside now and the rest of the cast don’t arrive until later, maybe now is a good time I take you up on your offer on showing me around…?” Cait asked a little nervously but couldn’t help but smirk at him.

This took Sam by surprise. He didn’t actually expect her to take him up on that offer in which he felt stupid for suggesting.

“Oh,” Sam expressed with genuine shock, his eyebrows shooting up, “okay, yeah, of course. We can walk over to a park in Craighforth, and walk along the River Forth? It’s very beautiful, it gives a great view of the mountains.”

“Yeah, that sounds lovely,” Cait nodded, turning around to grab her phone out of her handbag.

They both descended the stairs of their trailer.

“I’ve got the key,” Sam said, holding up the key before shoving it deep into the front pocket of his jeans.

Cait looked back at him and smiled, “good, I don’t think Ron would be too impressed if we lock ourselves out already.”

Sam giggled, and the two walked side-by-side, hands deep in Parka pockets, out of the trailer lot, deeper and deeper into the countryside. They spoke mostly about little details of their life that they hadn’t yet shared; filling in holes of mystery about one another. They were showing more of each other, inch by inch, in the moments they spent together. Sam told Cait about his childhood spent scampering about the countryside on his own but having a ball. He told Cait about this place, historical anecdotes he was told by his family. Cait looked up at him, listening intently, admiring how his entire face lit up when he spoke about Scotland, how happy it made him, how his teeth and bright blue eyes shone in the sunlight. How he smiled so wide, she could see the creases on the corners of his cheeks.

After an hour of walking, they came to a completely open, wooden, rail-less bridge, and a wider part of the river, running wildly beneath them. They both stepped onto it without hesitation and continued to walk and talk, not really paying attention to the water beneath, or the bridge itself.

Sam, so focused on what Cait was saying, wasn’t aware enough of his footing. Being on the left side of the bridge, his left foot suddenly slipped slightly off the edge. He gasped sharply and grunted loudly. His body instinctively leaned over to the right side to prevent him from falling over the edge. His arms flailed outwards, and he bent down quickly, clutching the planks of the bridge. Before he could register what had happened, before his adrenaline had stopped surging through his veins, all he heard was a petrified, high-pitched shriek, and all he saw was Cait’s body be flung, head first over the right side of the bridge, into the gushing river; not even a splash was heard. His heart stopped, his breathing ceased, he froze. His hands started to shake; all he could hear now was a painful ringing. Half a second later, and he was on his feet, looking into the water, breathing heavily. All he could see was a gushing pool of white and black.

“CAIT?! CAITRIONA?!” he screamed at the absolute top of his lungs, over and over, until his throat and lungs started to burn.

He finally heard a gasping sound, then coughing, then screaming. He found Cait, already pulled twenty metres down the river in the matter of four seconds. The river was deep and had such force that she was unable to stand. She was struggling to swim properly and keep her head above the water.

“SAM HELP ME! PLEASE HE–,” Cait shrieked, and then she was gone, swallowed by the water.

Sam turned completely white, he felt physically sick as he sprinted, with everything he had, off the bridge and down the river, coming to where he spotted Cait in the water. He ripped off his Parka, threw his phone without looking, squatted, and slid down the grass, reaching the water. He dived underneath the water and let it take him downstream to Cait. Keeping his eyes open and his arms outstretched. Five seconds had passed, and he saw a dark shadow, trying desperately to fight against the stream and swim upwards; legs and arms striking against the water, but also being dragged further, deeper, underneath. Sam kicked his legs hard, hoping to reach her sooner. When he was close enough to reach her, his body slammed against hers by the force of the water before he could grab hold of her. She jolted sharply away from him, but then reached back for him, as he reached for her. Their hands gripped together so tightly, and without letting go, Sam attempted to touch the bottom with his feet and push himself up to the surface. He coughed and inhaled sharply, grunting, kicking, and fighting against the water with one arm. He pulled Cait up towards the surface, but their hands started to slip. He took in a large breath, submerged himself back into the water, reached out and grabbed Cait by the waist, pulling her towards him with one arm, then quickly let go of her hand and grabbed her waist with that same hand. Cait kicked and clutched his shoulders tightly. He pushed off the bottom with his feet again, with all the power and energy he had, and launched them to the surface. Cait coughed violently and wheezed loudly, before water gushed from her mouth. She inhaled and coughed again. Sam held her up high above the water, his hands underneath her arms. He was unable to move sideways against the water, so in one swift movement, he angled Cait towards the grassy side of the river and threw her towards it. She landed close enough to grip the grass and mud, clawing and trying to grip with her feet to pull herself up. Sam was again submerged underwater when Cait looked behind her. Sam had decided to try and dive deep down and swim sideways, where the force wasn’t as strong. A few seconds later, his hands shot up out of the water and gripped the grass, rocks, and mud on the side of the bank, ten metres downstream from her. He coughed, breathed heavily, and grunted loudly. He was able to get a good enough grip and pulled himself up out of the water. With shaky legs, he sprinted over to the side where Cait was still trying to pull herself up. He reached down, grabbed one of her wrists, strongly pulled her up towards him, then grabbed hold of her other wrist and pulled her completely out. He pulled her to her feet so swiftly, and without thinking, he scooped her legs up with one arm, and held her torso with the other and ran towards where he left his Parka and phone. She gripped around his shoulders and neck tightly, nails digging in, not daring to let go. When he reached his Parka, he bent down and gently sat her on the grass, ripped off her own Parka and put his dry one around her, then pulled her tightly against him, rubbing her back and arms vigorously. He shook and coughed as he did so before he could say anything. His brain couldn’t reach his mouth at this point. After a minute, Cait pushed against Sam’s chest, bent over to the side, coughed, heaved and more water gushed out of her mouth. Sam firmly pounded her back, hoping he was helping to expel the fluid from her stomach. Cait, still bent over, close to the earth, gasped and breathed heavily. She continued to cough intermittently a few more times, until she could no longer feel any fluid in her belly. She harshly exhaled. Luckily, she wasn’t under very long, and was able to hold her breath and didn’t inhale any water, but some did force its way into her mouth, giving her no choice but to swallow. She knew there wasn’t any fluid in her chest or lungs, as she was able to breath easily.

Exhausted, Cait’s breathing started to finally slow. Sam rubbed her back gently, and she carefully pushed herself back up to a sitting position.

“Caitriona…” Sam began with a shaky voice, “I’m so sorry! You could’ve drowned, and I…! If anything happened to you! I…Caitriona, I’m so so sorry. Are you alright, did you hit your head? Do you think anything is broken?” Sam’s hands were shaking very visibly as he held Cait’s shoulders.

Cait was trembling all over, both from the cold water and the shock from what just happened. She had her head down and her eyes closed. Sam searched her face desperately while he waited for a response, still white as a ghost, icy water dripping from the tip of his nose.

After a few minutes, Cait took a deep breath in through her nose and breathed out through her mouth. She slowly opened her eyes but kept them facing down. Sam let go of her shoulders, and continued to wait patiently, his hands still trembling in his lap.

“I…I’m alright. It doesn’t feel like anything is broken…I know I didn’t hit my head on the way down…the water was too…deep...too strong…it…” Cait described with a shaky voice and hugged herself with her own trembling hands, trying to stop the rest of her body from shaking.

“…it was an accident Sam. It’s alright,” Cait slowly moved her head up to look at him. Her eyes were red and bloodshot, all the colour was drained from her face, and her lips were now a blue-tinted pink.

“No, it’s not alright. I’m a…fucking idiot! I wasn’t paying attention to my feet; I knew I was too close to the edge! You could’ve broken your neck because of me. And…your hair!” Sam clenched his jaw and violently rubbed his forehead with his hand, eyes shut.

“Oh! Oh…fuck,” Cait exclaimed with widened eyes and a horrified look on her face and she grabbed two fistfuls of her hair.

“Caitriona, I’m so sorry. This is all my fault. I don’t know how you’ll ever forgive me…I don’t deserve your forgiveness. I mean I…” Sam broke off with a huff. He shifted away from her and held his head in his hands.

“Well, Sam, I didn’t break my neck. And…you saved my life, Sam. You risked your life to save mine. You got me out of that water just as quickly as I fell in…” Cait reached a trembling hand over and touched his bicep.

“Caitriona, I’m the reason you were in that river in the first place. Of course I was going to do everything in my power to save you…I mean…of course I would do everything I could to save you even if I wasn’t the reason,” Sam turned back towards her and shyly looked down at the wet grass between his legs, his arms resting on his knees.

Cait smiled lopsidedly, “I know. Thank you, Sam, for saving my life. All I know is that I could not, for the life of me, keep myself above the water. I was…stuck. Completely stuck underneath. If it wasn’t for you…you got to me so fast, like you didn’t even hesitate to jump in,” Cait raised her eyebrows in question.

“I didn’t,” Sam shrugged, “I’m just glad you’re alright. Well, I hope you are. That’s what we’re going to find out,” Sam stated as he grabbed his phone, scrolled through his texts with Ron to find the numbers of the drivers.

He typed in the number and asked his driver to immediately come to where they are. After he hung up, he screenshotted their location on Google Maps and sent it to his driver. His driver responded within a couple of minutes.

“My driver will be here in ten minutes, then we’re going straight to the ER. You’ve swallowed a lot of water. I want you to get checked out. I want to make sure you’re alright,” he said with a determined voice, looking at her with guilt in his face and concern in his eyes.

Cait nodded, “I…I don’t know what I’m going to do about my hair…” Cait hesitated, biting her lip.

“Yeah, I don’t know what I’m going to do about mine either. I’m going to call Ron right now and explain everything,” Sam put the phone to his ear again, then reached over and pulled his Parka tighter around Cait.

She gave him a shy smile as she put her arms through the sleeves.

Sam spent the next eight minutes on the phone with Ron, explaining the whole situation. Cait watched Sam’s face closely. His different expressions, his hand movements as he spoke, the way he chewed his thumb nail when he was nervous.

‘He saved me…he jumped right into that fucking death trap of a river and saved my life in the space of five minutes. What if he got stuck underneath after throwing me over to the bank…what if he broke his own neck trying to save me…the way he held me above that water…the way he was able to pull me to him against that heavy stream…he just…he amazes me…is he real?’ Cait was completely lost in her thoughts as she watched him.

Sam hanging up the phone snapped her out of it.

“Ron is really concerned about both of us, but he’s happy we’re both alive and going to the hospital. He wants to be updated with all results, and how we are tomorrow. The read-through may have to be pushed back, depending. He’s also going to call the stylist in London about our hair. He’s going to call back later about it,” Sam informed Cait, still with a look of remorse and embarrassment.

“Alright…was he pissed about our hair?” Cait asked.

“Nah, he just said ‘accidents happen’. He was more concerned with our health. I just…this is a big deal for you, Cait, and if I’ve ruined it for you, I wouldn’t ever forgive myself –,” Sam started, shaking his head.

“Sam,” Cait cut him off, “you haven’t ruined anything. It’s fine, everything will be fine.”

Sam gave her a small, lopsided smile, “I really am sorry though, for all that water you had to throw up, for any cold you get because of this, for everything. I suppose you don’t want any more Sam Heughan tours,” Sam looked down sheepishly.

Caitriona reached back over and patted his hand, then squeezed it slightly before letting go.

“I do, just, maybe no more dangerous bridges,” Cait smirked at him.

Sam laughed, “deal, I promise,” he looked at her and smiled.

Her face broke into a smile back at him, and just like that, they were stuck in a moment. No one was able to move. Not until Sam’s phone rang, and they both flinched, snapping out of it.

“Hi, Ron,” Sam answered, a little nervously.

He spent another minute on the phone, which left Cait’s thoughts to drift again. She cleared her throat and turned her head away. She smiled to herself briefly, then sucked her lips into her mouth and looked down.

‘He really is a great guy. It’s going to be a lot of fun working with him. We’re going to be great working partners and friends. That’s it though Caitriona, that’s all he is and will ever be to you. Just a co-s –,’

“Okay so with the hair appointment, the stylist has told Ron that you’ll need to get it redone, but I don’t because my perm isn’t as intense, and because of the amount of hair I have. So, your appointment in London is in a few days. It would just be a fly there, fly back kind of day,” Sam explained, breaking Cait from her self-pep-talk.

“Oh, okay. It has to be done,” Cait nodded and shrugged.

“Yeah, only if you’re well enough. Otherwise, that can be pushed back as well,” Sam reassured.

“I’m sure I’ll be fine,” Cait half-smiled, and checked her phone for the time.

“I hope so. Oh, car’s here,” Sam said as he jolted to his feet.

He put his phone in his pocket, then reached down and put his hands out to Cait. She took his hands and he gently, but strongly eased her up.

“Are you alright? How are your legs?” Sam asked, steadying her.

Cait peered up at him, “yeah, uh…a little shaky but…I’m okay,” she nodded, looking down shyly.

As the drive to the hospital wasn’t a short one, both cars and drivers arrived. The drivers quickly got out and ran over Sam and Cait. They frantically asked what happened and if they were hurt, with concern and shock.

“It’s alright, I’ll tell you on the way,” Cait said to her driver.

“Yes, me too. We need to get her into the warmth right now,” Sam said to his driver, then looked at Cait’s.

Sam walked Cait to her car and opened the door for her. He held her elbow as she weakly climbed in.

“Are you warm enough? Do you think you’ll be sick again? I can see if they have a bag somewhere,” Sam half turned to look at Cait’s driver.

“No, it’s okay, Sam. I’ll be alright. It’s really warm in here,” Cait reassured.

“Alright, keep the parka, and I’ll see you when we get there,” Sam brushed her knee slightly, before closing the door.

Sam handed Cait’s soaked parka to her driver, “would you mind just putting this on the front seat, in front of the heater, where it can dry a bit?”

“Sure, sir,” Cait’s driver nodded and took the parka.

“You can call me Sam,” he said politely.

Sam ran and jumped into his car.

 **

 Upon arrival, Sam jumped out of his car, ran over to open Cait’s door, then held out his hand for her. Cait exhaled out of her nose and smiled at him.

“Thank you, Sam, but really, I’m alright,” Cait tried reassuring again.

“I just didn’t want your legs to lose balance or anything,” Sam said, concern in his baby blues.

“Well, I appreciate it,” Cait said shyly.

“It’s the least I can do, Cait. Sorry, I mean Caitriona!” Sam quickly tried to patch his slip-up.

‘Oh, fuck!’ Sam tensed.

Sam and Cait checked in and walked towards the waiting room.

Cait smiled widely, “you DID call out ‘Cait’ when I fell in! I heard you, even under the water, but thought I was going crazy.”

“Sorry, I…it was just quicker to say in the moment, I panicked,” Sam confessed, embarrassed.

“And now?” Cait asked teasingly, smirking at him.

“Now…well that was an accident,” Sam bit his lip and smiled nervously.

Cait giggled, “you can call me ‘Cait’. I like it. Believe it or not, I’m not often called that. My family doesn’t believe in shortening names, I guess. And it’s only a few of my friends who call me ‘Cait’, and you’re my friend,” Cait gently nudged his shoulder with hers, smiling a little too flirtatiously.

‘Thank Christ for that,’ Sam thought, feeling instantly relieved.

Sam laughed, then sighed, “well, I’m glad we’re still friends, even though I barged you into a dangerous, dirty river,” he gently nudged her back.

“Caitriona Balfe?” a nurse suddenly came out.

“I’ll meet you here when we’re done, okay? Good luck…Cait,” Sam gave her a shy smile.

Cait returned the smile, “you too, see you after.”

 **

Cait was checked over with a routine blood test, an X-ray, and an ultrasound of her stomach to see if there was any damage from the river water and how much she swallowed. They wanted to test for any lurking contaminants in her stomach, and intestines, that could potentially travel to her bladder and urinary tract. They also checked for any fluid on her lungs.

Sam needed less invasive checks but was also examined for any contaminants in his body, from the river.

They both received their results within the hour.

**

 Sam was already in the waiting room, scrolling on his phone, trying to distract himself from worrying about Cait.

‘Please let her be alright, please let her be alright, please let her be alright!’ He begged, with every heavy thump of his heart.

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the deep green of his parka that Cait was still snuggled into. She smiled crookedly at him and sat next him.

“Hey! Did everything go alright?” Sam quickly asked.

“Just a few tests, I’ll get the results soon,” Cait expressed.

“Me too. How are you feeling?” he asked, turning more towards her.

“A bit better, now. Not so shaky, and I’ve warmed up. I think it was just shock, more than anything,” Cait shrugged, “and, how are you?”

“Och, fine,” Sam nodded.

“Hopefully. You were in that water too,” Cait raised her eyebrows, concern spreading across her face.

“I didn’t swallow any though. I’m sure I’m all good, but we’ll find out soon enough. I…I hope you’re okay…Cait,” Sam said sheepishly, still feeling a little nervous about calling her that.

Cait gave him a look that said, ‘it’ll be okay’.

“Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe?” a doctor came out and said.

Sam and Cait stood up and followed him into his room.

The doctor informed Cait that they couldn’t find any contaminants in her system, luckily, she vomited all of them out. They were both right as rain. The only recommendation the doctor gave Cait was to take a good probiotic for a week, and to have steaming hot shower, get a lot of bed rest with a lot of layers and a hot water bottle over the next 24 hours, to avoid getting a chill and then the flu.

Sam let out a sigh of such relief, knowing she was okay and that he hadn’t ruined everything for her.

‘I hope she doesn’t get sick…I’ll do everything I can to make sure she doesn’t! What if she does…what then? It would be inappropriate to kind of…take care of her…but…we share a trailer…we live together…fuck. Please don’t get sick…Cait,’ Sam struggled, then smiled, knowing he had full permission to call her by a nickname.

“That’s good news,” Sam said grinning at Cait, as they walked back towards their cars.

“Yes, see? Everything is fine. I just need to get out of these wet clothes…” Cait started, and immediately caught herself. It was too late.

‘What? What the fuck did you just say? Oh my god,’ Cait cursed herself internally.

Sam widened his eyes, then giggled quietly when he caught Cait’s face over what she just said.

“Uh…I mean…I need to put on something dry and curl up in bed…do you think there’s a hot water bottle in the trailer?” Cait asked, deliberately changing the subject.

“I’ll have a look for one while you’re in the shower. Are you hungry?” Sam asked.

“A little. Soup or broth is probably what I need the most right now,” Cait replied.

“Yeah, I saw heaps of cans of soup in the little pantry,” Sam nodded, opening the car door for Cait.

Cait smiled at him, “thank you. Alright, well, I’ll see you in a little bit,” Cait gently touched his forearm and climbed in.

Sam closed the car door and when she made eye contact with him out the window, he winked and waved, before running to his car.

Sam rang Ron and filled him in on the details.

“Alright, good news! I’m glad you’re both okay. We’ll have the read-through in three days, if Caitriona is up to it, and then she’ll go to London two days following that. I’ll flick her a text now, and I’ll check in tomorrow evening. Goodnight, Sam,” Ron replied on the other end of the phone.

 **

 Caitriona wasted no time in gathering her warmest pjs and toiletries and hopping straight into the shower. The hot water took a while to heat up, and Caitriona stood just outside the shower, covered in goosebumps, arms wrapped around herself, bouncing up and down and shivering. When it was finally hot, Cait pounced underneath and lavished the steaming hot liquid covering her body. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in, inhaling the steam. Her fair skin was quickly becoming red, but it was a very welcomed contrast from turning blue from the icy water today. She relayed the experiences in her head, as she stood under the hot stream, concentrating on her breathing. Today was certainly a terrifying experience, being trapped underwater. However, she felt no trauma over it. All she could think about was how quickly those strong arms grabbed her before there was enough time to actually start to really panic. How quickly he got to her, pulled her from the jaws that wanted to swallow her whole. How he swept her up like she was weightless, held her close.

‘Yes, he’s very thoughtful and caring. I’ll forever be grateful for him. I’m lucky to have someone to work with who will have my back,’ Cait thought, as she lathered soap on her body, determined to not let her thoughts drift.

Cait put on her fresh, warm pjs and wrapped her washed hair in a towel and walked out of the bathroom. The clouds of steam broke out behind her. Her cheeks were rosy, red from the heat. Then she saw Sam. He had changed his clothes and was now wearing tracksuit pants and a loose, long-sleeved shirt. He was standing in the kitchenette sipping coffee. He turned around once he heard her. He couldn’t help but look at her from head to toe and then back up again. Cait was wearing black cuffed sleep pants, thick purple bed socks, and an oversized fleece top.

‘Adorable creature! Look at her, so snug…no, stop looking!’ Sam caught himself and he cleared his throat and briefly looked away.

Sam stuttered and struggled to get his words out at first, “Uh…I…uh,” Sam pointed to the little dining table.

Caitriona looked over and there was a steaming bowl of soup, a mug of black coffee and some chicken bone broth, waiting for her. Cait’s eyes lit up. Then she looked back at Sam and smiled. Sam shyly looked down and smiled, taking another sip of his coffee.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/33179176/chapters/82373872#workskin

[bigskydreaming]

You like Riordanverse? Have you ever considered Batkids demigod au? Or just headcanons? Like each of them having one godly parent? I think Athena could probably claim all of them if she wanted to..

Ironically, my fondness for the Riordanverse is precisely why I’ve never been that tempted to write fic for it and likely never will be. Whether with original fic or fanfic, I pretty much just write the things I want to read….but that don’t exist outside me writing them. 

With fanfic, the end result of that is I basically am just inspired to write content where I see like….wasted potential, IMO. Books or comics or shows where there’s enough in the source material to capture my imagination and draw me to particular characters…..but beyond that, the source material is leaving a ton of stuff untouched or making a bunch of narrative choices that I’m just not engaged by.

So the thing about the Riordan books, is I like what’s actually on the page and don’t have any real specific…’gaps’ in the narrative that I feel a need to fill in or change or alter with different takes. They give me what I’m looking for from them so I just enjoy them as a reader rather than being inspired as a content creator.  And similarly, like, if I want to read or follow in my head a story using the Riordanverse or its premise…there’s more books to come in the already existing series, so I just don’t really feel that itch with that particular universe. I love mythology stuff in general, so I’d be more likely to write or imagine a fanfic that comes up with my own spin on mixing mythological elements with the Batfam, that I haven’t seen yet (something I actually did a lot of with Teen Wolf content I wrote)….rather than apply an existing mythological premise like Riordan’s to them.

So I just haven’t put much thought into even headcanons along those lines, and am not super likely to, because one other thing is one of the little angles about the Riordan books that I really really liked, was that like…..Percy isn’t the son of who you’d expect the main character of a series of Greek mythology books to be, y’know? Like, if you had to guess at the start who Percy’s dad would turn out to be, having no clues as to which specific god it might be…..most people would be likely to assume Zeus, or maybe Apollo. Poseidon seems like a fairly random choice….and that’s what made it work so well for me. Because it made Percy feel just that much more like a real character who just happened to be the main character of these books, rather than a character who’d been basically engineered to be the ideal protagonist of these books.

My point there being for me personally, it just wouldn’t work to try and make headcanons about which godly parent matches each Batkid most ideally, based on their divine attributes and the Batkid’s characterization. Its counter-intuitive to one of the things that really sucked me in most……so I could totally headcanon that Dick makes sense as a son of Zeus or Apollo or Helios or Hermes, because of his love of all things flying….but that wouldn’t really feel like a Riordan premise to me, y’know? 

So if I were to do that ever, it would be more likely that I’d just pick totally random gods to be each Batkid’s divine parent, and then from there headcanon how that affects the Batkid in question and how that ends up working into their existing characterization. Make the character and how this affected them grow out of the choice, rather than make the choice grow out of the character and who would be best/most affected by which god.

*Shrugs* But of course, once I do that, I’m kinda likely to just end up growing a whole story anyway, only it wouldn’t be one I’d ever feel a ton of motivation towards because like….its not really a story I NEED to see play out. Even just thinking about it, I end up diverted by stray thoughts like……okay, just as an example, totally spitballing here, but like, I just randomly tried picking a god to be Dick’s divine parent that would be somewhat different and not the most obvious or preferred choice, and thought okay what if Hephaestus were Dick’s biological father. 

Except then my brain does this thing where before I can even START thinking about how that would weave into Dick’s existing characterization or lead to new stories, I’m like okay, but Riordan already did ‘character finds out they’re the son of a god’, what ELSE could I do with a story about Dick and also Hephaestus. 

And then I’m off and running with like, okay, so because the Greek gods exist in the DC universe and the Titans because of Donna have even interacted with them a fair amount, what if Hephaestus is murdered and nobody knows by whom, so the Greek gods call upon Donna to recruit her friend, a detective even they respect, to solve the mystery. And so Dick is brought to Olympus to investigate, but in the process of searching through Hephaestus’ forge for clues, he ends up finding this mysterious trinket he feels drawn to and pockets, and in doing so, ends up with Hephaestus’ like, essence kinda imprinting on him….because the Divine Artificer had been the one to craft weapons that could kill even gods like him, so he of all the gods would most certainly be aware of the fact that there are things that could kill even them….making him the most likely to also craft a solution to even that particular problem, and thus design something that could help him cheat death, even if killed by a god-killing weapon. Hence the seemingly innocuous trinket that actually acted as kinda a godly flash drive to download his divinity and memories and self into a new vessel should his old one end up destroyed.

WHICH THEN, instead of exploring how Dick might be affected by having Hephaestus for a biological father or how having some of his divine attributes might explain certain traits or skills of Dick’s or complement them……which is still a story I’ve seen versions of already with Percy and Jason and the other main characters of the Riordan books….this premise lets me explore what if those divine attributes or whatever are instead kinda imposed upon Dick as he already is? What kind of internal struggle would result from that, given Dick’s fierce independence, and what kind of balance could be struck from Hephaestus’ divine nature as a craftsman and artificer like….possibly finding an outlet through Dick’s natural problem-solving instincts and existing detective/investigative talents….and so rather than ending up changing Dick, Dick’s own nature acts as a kind of filter that changes how Hephaestus’ vast array of attributes are focused, and in what ways.

And then plus you also get to have the whole “Dick drawing upon Hephaestus’ memories to try and solve what’s now weirdly in a way his own murder” thing, and that’s always just fun, y’know? LOL.

But yeah, that’s how my brain works and so even though its not what you were looking for, hopefully it was still of interest to you.

Also, just as a throwaway, another reason I’d probably always have trouble headcanoning any of the Batkids as having a godly parent based just on archetypes, is that like….they kinda already do. LOL. Given that Bruce has at many times over the decades been paralleled with Hades, and occupying the same place in the JLA pantheon as Hades occupies within the Olympian pantheon. Much like Clark is kind of Zeus, king of the heavens, and Arthur of course is Poseidon, and the Flashes have always been modeled after Hermes, and the Green Lanterns are Hephaestus and so on. So my mind kinda already flashes to ‘well, Dick’s dad is already like, the dark, brooding god of the Underworld, Judge of Souls and ultimate arbiter of justice, god of wealth and riches, with a helm that lets him vanish into shadows and pass unseen, and also not as dour as the hype would have you believe because he’s all of those things while also still being the kind of dork who would have a dog named Spot Ace the Bathound.

(The joke there is because Cerberus is just the Latinized form of the Greek word Kerberos, one translation of which is believed to possibly be ‘spotted.’ Aka Hades had a monstrous three-headed dog of legend, that actually the giant dork named Spot. Remind you of anyone?)

[pftones3482]

The Smell of Juniberries

(A Klance Commission for @aquacanis). 

Under a cut for length, set about two years post season 8. Yeeeee. 

~~

Juniberries smelled like how cranberries tasted – tart, pungent, with hints of sweetness that paired well with almost any other smell they came into contact with. They were wonderful for bouquets, if one knew what they were doing, and after nearly two years of working with them, Lance was very confident in his ability to make floral arrangements.

“You just about done here? I need help with the sound equipment,” Pidge piped from his shoulder.

Lance let his hands fall from the flowers, studying them with a critical gaze for one last moment before twisting to the gremlin at his side. She’d shot up nearly four inches since the end of the war, perfect arm rest height, and Lance used this to his advantage now, leaning on her shoulder. “Can’t get Hunk to do it?”

Pidge rolled her eyes, glasses reflecting the early afternoon light of the open-aired pavilion as she nodded over to Hunk and Shay. “They’re working on lighting and the dessert table. Ask me, they’re just flirting incessantly.”

Lance smothered his grin and nodded, letting a chuckle slip loose. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll be over in a minute, Pidgeon. I’ve got two pieces left.”

She gave him a two fingered salute and then walked back to the DJ booth, adjusting her suit as she moved. Lance took the second of reprieve to straighten out his own suit, a dark jacket over a soft, baby blue button down with a pink bowtie. His eyes perused the pavilion, lips quirking at the sight of Hunk and Shay laughing, at Coran and Iverson (THAT had been a surprise, but was admittedly adorable) bickering on how to hang the black and white streamers across the room.

“Need some help?”

“Quiznak!” Lance hissed, nearly elbowing Keith in the throat as he whipped around. “Don’t do that to a guy, Kogane!”

Keith’s smile was genuine, a hint of mirth in his eyes. “Sorry,” he said, though he didn’t sound it.

Lance huffed a breath and attempted to compose himself while simultaneously giving Keith a once over. He was the best man, dark suit jacket and maroon colored button down. The bow tie at his neck was pink, like Lance’s, though a different shade, more suited to match the color of his shirt. His pants were form fitting, flaring just slightly at the shoes, and Lance caught himself staring just a little too long at his thighs. He shot his eyes back up, but Keith hadn’t seemed to notice. “You good?”

Keith pulled his gaze back from where he’d been studying the room. “Yeah. Yeah, just can’t…can’t quite wrap my head around it.”

Lance nudged into him gently, smiling in the hopes of easing his nerves. “Hey. He’s basically your brother. It makes sense you’re nervous.”

Keith snorted, a small sound, but one that sent Lance back years. “I shouldn’t be. Obviously he can handle himself, and Curtis is amazing. It’s just…I spent so long worrying about him and trying to…I don’t know.”

His brows were furrowed now, and Lance let him sit for a moment in silence. Took the time to collect his own thoughts.

For two years, he’d been working on the family farm. Integrating juniberries into Earth’s atmosphere had been shockingly easy, though it wasn’t that much of a surprise, given how similar the atmosphere of Altea was to Earth. Since the war, they had been the most coveted type of flower, worth hundreds, and Lance was determined to make sure people knew about them, their history, about the woman who had made their existence once again possible.

Lance pressed his lips together and glanced around.

She was here, in subtle ways. The pink of the bow ties, at Shiro’s insistence. The juniberries in everyone’s lapels. The scattered pictures on the tables, dozens featuring goofy selfies and group photos that mostly Lance and Pidge had forced everyone into. He was glad they had done it, now.

She was there in the way Coran’s gaze lingered too long on the juniberries, in the way Iverson’s hand slipped over his shoulder and squeezed, reassuring. In the way Pidge paused at the DJ booth, eyes shut, fingers clamped around the headphones over her ears, murmuring words in Altean rather than English. The way Hunk’s fingers shook over the pastries on the table, juniberry shaped and infused cookies and cupcakes, Shay’s hands quelling the trembling.

She was there when Lance turned, to reassure Keith, the halo of light that circled his body as he looked back to Lance, a crooked, anxious smile on his face.

He knew that she would tell him to go for it. That she’d want him to be happy. It scared him to the depths of the oceans, but he knew she’d encourage it. This feeling he’d had, for far too long.

“Lance?”

He shook his head, shoving his hands in his pockets to keep him from doing something stupid. “Yeah, sorry?”

Keith’s head tilted. His hair was pulled back in a ponytail, wisps of escaped pieces dusting his forehead. “Are you okay?”

Lance countered it. “Are you?”

Keith’s lips pressed into a line, thin, looked away. “I…”

Curtis’ mother came flying into the room from the adjacent church, clapping her hands. “Chop chop everyone, let’s go! Five minutes until we need to be in places!”

Before he could lose his nerve, Lance settled his hand on Keith’s shoulder and squeezed. “Later. Help me with these arrangements.”

They ended up a little sloppier than the rest, but Lance couldn’t bring himself to care.

~~

The summer after the war, a year after the end of the Galra empire, found Lance kneeling in the dirt outside his house, hands muddy from fixing the fallen juniberries. There had been a storm the night before. It had taken out trees, bushes, roses, the like. Juniberries had never been exposed to rain until they were planted on Earth. They did well in it, as one could expect, but they were delicate. Couldn’t take a lot.

They had fallen, wilted, were on the verge of dying.

Lance couldn’t see. His vision was blurred, hands shaking too hard to move any of the flowers properly. His family was asleep - it was early. The sun was barely on the horizon.

It felt cruel. Like the universe was playing a horrible, nasty joke on him. “Here’s this plant that reminds you of your dead girlfriend! Lol time to kill it.” What kind of sick sense of humor did the universe have?

Hands closed over his. Slow. Meticulous. Uncaring of the mud and the dirt and the tears. Lance looked up to find Keith kneeling before him, still dressed in his Blade uniform. His knife was on his hip, a weird detail that set in Lance’s mind and never left. Behind him stood the others, in various forms of dress, all of them looking tired and sad.

He looked back to Keith, drowned in the depths of his gaze. When he opened his mouth, Lance found himself focusing on the way his lips moved, caught himself, very briefly, wondering what they felt like.

“How can we help?”

They spent the day cleaning, restoring, throwing mud and just laughing. It was the first time since her death that Lance had felt truly at peace. At the end of the day, they’d joined Veronica and the kids for lemonade on the porch and surveyed the saved fields.

Keith’s arm had draped around Lance’s shoulders, Blade Uniform replaced with one of Marco’s old college t-shirts. A friendly hug. The weight still registered in Lance’s head. He still didn’t know how they had known to come. “I’m sorry we couldn’t save all of them.”

A glance to the left, at the wheelbarrow of unsalvageable juniberries, and then back to the right, at Keith. The others, behind him. He knew, then. Felt his cheeks burn, but he couldn’t tell if it was a blush or those damned marks. “We never could.”

The hug grew tighter.

~~

“I do.”

“You may now kiss the groom,” Coran announced, eyes twinkling and mustache quirked.

Lance whooped louder than almost anyone as Shiro and Curtis closed together, grinning through their kiss. Hunk grabbed him and Pidge up in a tight hug and Lance sank into it, smiling so widely that he knew his cheeks would ache in the morning.

A look to his left, Keith clapping politely but smiling like he’d just seen the sunrise for the first time. Lance nudged Hunk, jutted his head, and in seconds the man was being swept up along with them, yelping in surprise but laughing as soon as he knew what was happening.

The after party went long. Speeches read, by Keith, one of Curtis’ old friends from before the war that Lance didn’t know very well. One by Coran, that Shiro had requested, one that made the old man cry even as he read.

And then dancing.

Too many partners to count. He danced with Pidge, goofily, twice. Took it more seriously the second time before nudging her off to the woman she kept eyeing in the corner. Lance thought she might be related to Curtis, but wasn’t sure how. Danced with Hunk, mock slow-dancing, and then with Shay, sticking his tongue out at Hunk over her shoulder as she giggled. With Coran, a dramatic waltz that made them both crack up and laugh like children. Coran’s face was soft when he left, his eyes settled on Lance’s cheeks. Lance knew it hurt him to look, sometimes. He didn’t hold it against him.

Somewhere into the night, Shiro approached. “Dance with me.”

Lance took his human hand in surprise but let Shiro lead him out onto the floor. Curtis was dancing with his little sister’s niece, swinging her around the dance floor as she squealed in delight. “How do you feel?” Lance asked, glancing back at Shiro. He realized, with a start, that he was just a little taller than him now.

Shiro’s smile was soft, barely there, but so genuine it ached. “The same? But different. If that makes sense.”

Lance hummed. “It does.”

“I’m sorry.”

Lance lifted his eyebrows, looking at Shiro in confusion. “What for?”

Shiro shrugged, spinning a little until Lance could see Keith over his shoulder. “For putting so many elements of her into this. I just…wanted her to be here, you know?”

Lance locked eyes with the man and softened, squeezing Shiro’s shoulder tightly where his hand rested. “Hey. I do. It’s your day. Of course you wanted her here. We all did. And she was. Here, I mean.”

Shiro’s lips pressed into a thin line. “I know it must have been harder though. For you.”

Lance spluttered out a laugh, shaking his head. When he looked back up, Shiro was watching him. Not in surprise, or irritation, but just…watching. Gentle. “It’s okay,” Lance promised. “I miss her. Of course I do. We all do. But I…”

His eyes drifted again, falling on him, on the way Hunk was trying to teach him the wobble, of all fucking things. His hair was disheveled, suit jacket gone, top of his shirt unbuttoned. He was grinning, eyes sparkling.

Shiro spun so fast Lance barely registered the change in direction until he was watching Veronica and Nadia dancing on the opposite side of the room. Shiro’s lips curled into the most mischievous grin Lance had ever seen on the man. “Oh. OH. Lance.”

His cheeks were burning again, and he lowered his gaze. “I’m…”

“Do it.”

Lance looked up, somewhat embarrassed. “What?”

Shiro’s smile was softer, now, as he took in Lance’s anxiety. “Do it. He’ll say yes. I promise you that.”

He stepped back, pushed him gently in Keith and Hunk’s direction, hand lingering in Lance’s. Shiro squeezed, once. “I promise,” he whispered.

He walked away, then, stepping in and taking Curtis’ niece from him. Lance turned back to Keith and Hunk. Hunk was gone, helping Pidge with a technical issue. Keith was sitting alone, punch in hand.

He glanced up at the night sky, crystal clear and glittering with stars. “Allura, give me courage,” he muttered.

His marks burned as he walked.

Keith looked up when he approached, eyebrows raising, and Lance held out a hand, trying for a genuine, careful smile. “Would you like to dance?”

Keith studied him for a long moment, lips parting and eyes softening into something that Lance found magical. His hand settled in Lance’s with a tension that Lance could feel in his whole body. “I’d love to.”