#“when will it come?” I don’t kn because I haven’t finished it yet and there’s still a LONG way to go. but I’ll let you know when it’s done👍

[mel-loly]

-“Get ready, your adventure has just begun, Albrecht.”

[starstuddeddsky]

Shall We?

gn reader x chan 

summary: having a crush on your best friend made everything more complicated. would you be able to tell him how you felt, or will you be stuck in this limbo forever?

 genre: fluff, tiny bit of angst, university au, sports au, non idol au

warnings: none, inaccurate soccer, both main characters are dumb?

wc: 6.3k

a/n: this is the first story I’m posting!!! it was really a gift for a friend but I enjoyed it a lot so hopefully y’all do too! thank you for reading :) i wrote it in first person bc second is kinda awk for me

title: Shall We? - CHEN 

I wasn’t the type to have crushes. I could count on one hand the number of people I’d ever admitted to having a crush on, and three of them were fictional characters. It wasn’t that I didn’t find people attractive - there were plenty of people in that category. Crushes just didn’t come easily.

That was why I couldn’t decide how to deal with the big fat crush I had on our school’s star forward, Lee Chan. I wasn’t used to having butterflies when I talked to him, losing focus in class, wondering what he was doing, dropping my phone when he posted (his second ever picture on Instagram) what could only be labeled as a thirst trap.

The worst part was that he was my best friend. I’d known him since kindergarten where I ironically swore to hate him for ruining my art project. I couldn’t escape these feelings, no matter how recently they’d come upon me. I glared at Seungkwan, who sat next to me on the sofa. It wasn’t fair that the athletes got better dorms when all they did was kick some balls around, but I stopped complaining out loud when I realized I had enough friends that lived in the athlete dorms that I could stay in their rooms (with actual bathrooms!) as much as I wanted.

“First of all, you’ve been in love with him at least since freshman year,” Seungkwan said. “That’s being generous, actually, it was probably middle school. I can’t be sure it wasn’t elementary school. Maybe it was love at first sight, actually, no, I take it back, you guys are probably soulmates.”

“Are you finished yet?”

Seungkwan laughed. “All I’m saying is that I have been saying that you have been in love with him for years.”

“But I haven’t!” I punched his arm when he scoffed. “I’m serious! These feelings are new and weird and I don’t like them, and Chan is one of my best friends- actually, he is my best friend because you’re being annoying.”

“I take offense to that.”

“Good, you were meant to,” I said. “Now shut up and let me rant. I really like him, Seungkwan, I can’t even think about him without my stomach getting butterflies. There’s no way he hasn’t noticed how weird I am around him, and just can’t imagine my life without him in it.” I buried my face into a pillow. “Why does my stupid heart ruin everything?”

Seungkwan patted me on the back. “Don’t you think you’re being a little dramatic?”

“I have been friends with Chan my entire life,” I said, raising myself from the cushion. “I think it’s worth being dramatic over.”

“What if it were me? And we were fighting and you were worried we would never be friends again?”

“Ew, gross,” I said automatically. “No offense, but I’d be glad to be rid of you.”

“First of all, you can’t say no offense and expect it to cancel out the meanest thing you’ve ever said to me. Also, I don’t believe you at all; who else have you told about your little crush?”

“No one,” I mumbled.

“That’s what I thought.” Seungkwan sounded smug. “Now, I’m going to assume confessing is out of the question?”

“Don’t even joke about it,” I hugged the pillow against my chest.

Seungkwan whipped his phone out, snapping a picture. “Sorry, I’ve literally never seen you this vulnerable, and I’m going to need blackmail at some point.”

“You are the worst, I gave you the best blackmail in the world, do you really need a picture, too?”

“Oh, yn, I can never have enough blackmail.” Not for the first time, I was scared of Seungkwan.

“Can’t you just give me advice?” I asked. “Weren’t you known for being the love doctor or whatever in high school?”

“First of all, I was not called the love doctor, that sounds weird, please never call me that again,” Seungkwan said. “And it was a lot easier to give advice to people that weren’t both my friends. I think I have to be Switzerland on this one.”

“You’re worthless,” I said, sliding onto the floor.

“Wow, I was just about to offer you food as compensation,” Seungkwan sighed.

“Did I ever tell you that you are my best friend in the entire world?”

Having a newly realized crush on your best friend apparently doesn’t excuse you from going to all of his games, no matter how strangely nervous it made you. Normally I came early to say hi during warmups (a tradition that began during the preseason because Chan forgot something every other day, but spending so much time with two teammates meant that I got to know pretty much the entire team). The thought of trying to act like everything was fine in front of the entire team, including Seungkwan, who would undoubtedly tease me, made me sick, so I texted Chan, telling him I needed to do homework but would be there in time for the game.

It technically wasn’t a lie, but all I did was I sit in my dorm, staring at the door, watching the seconds pass by one at a time. I wondered if he would even notice if I wasn’t there.

“Don’t you have to go?” My roommate asked. “The game starts in like five minutes.”

When I didn’t answer, she said, “You’re usually at every game like half an hour early. Is everything okay?”

I shrugged. “I’m that predictable?”

She smiled. “Did you and Chan fight?”

“No, nothing like that!” I paused. “Wait, why did you ask about Chan?”

“You’re going to be late,” she said, turning back to her desk.

I was torn between questioning exactly why she thought something happened between me and Chan or going to the game. I decided going to the game would at least involve less conflict.

I had to sprint to the stadium so that I wasn’t late, for once grateful Chan made me train with him every once in a while. Luckily it was one of the regulars checking tickets, and they waved me in as soon as they saw me sprinting.

I made it to the fence line just as they finished announcing the lineup for the opposing team. I didn’t need his number to pick him out, at the far end of the field, swaying back and forth a little, tapping the toe of his left cleat to the ground and sliding his foot forward until it was flat on the turf, then doing the same with his right. I couldn’t see him clearly from this far away, but I still knew his eyes were closed, and he was taking a slow deep breath, the same routine he’d performed since he first started playing soccer.

I’d seen him in his uniform since the beginning, but in the last few days, something had changed about the way he looks, as if I was only just now noticing the toned muscles in his arms, the way the uniform was loose yet still showed off shoulders that I knew from experience were firm and perfectly fit for my head. How many times had I rested my head on those shoulders without feeling a thing? Why was everything different now?

They were halfway down the lineup when he turned to the crowd. I watched him as his head turned slightly, scanning the stands, then lowering his chin and looking along the fence line. I could see the moment his eyes passed over me, fully expecting him to continue looking at the crowd. Instead, he stopped, holding my gaze despite the fact that I could barely see him. I froze when he smiled and lifted his hand in a tiny wave, forcing myself to wave back.

I was a grinning idiot, even when he forgot to pay attention to his own name and Vernon had to push him forward when his name was announced. He hastily waved towards the crowd, though I could have sworn his eyes were still on me.

The team went into a quick huddle, whispering among each other for a few seconds, then chanting the school mascot until the entire crowd took it up and the noise was deafening. I had always been curious about what they said in those huddles and finally remembered to ask a few weeks ago.

“Usually it’s just, like, ‘let’s get this done,’ or repeating something coach said about the other team,” he said. “But every once in a while it’s something dumb.”

“Like what?”

“Like jokes and bets between us,” he said, taking a sudden interest in the forks at the restaurant. We had gone out to eat after they lost their first game of the season.

“What was it today?”

He shrugged, shoving the food on his plate around. “Nothing interesting.”

As soon as the referee blew the whistle everyone was moving. It might look like chaos, but I’d seen enough soccer to know that it was an organized dance, how, much like all sports, there were patterns that were followed. My eyes followed Chan as he jogged ahead, waiting for someone to pass him the ball. Our team had taken control of the ball first, one of the seniors, Joshua, dodging around their defense before passing the ball across the field to Jun, the left forward.

Chan was in a good spot to score, the defense mostly focused on Jun, all he had to do was get the ball to him. I could feel the tension building, not just on the field, but in the crowd, as Jun dodged them again and again, then suddenly kicked the ball straight across the field. It looked like the ball wasn’t going anywhere, sliding across the fake grass without anyone from either team to stop it. And then Chan was there. Even I had lost him while watching Jun and the ball. He seemed to have come out of nowhere, kicking the ball as hard as he could before any of the defenders could react, sending it soaring up, the goalie reaching in vain, the ball soaring just over his hands and into the top corner of the goal.

The crowd erupted into cheers, myself the loudest of them all. Chan sprinted back to the home side of the field, grinning like an idiot. He ran past where I stood on the fence line and I could have sworn he winked at me. The rest of the team half tackled him as if he’d scored the game winning goal, chanting, “Dino! Dino! Dino!”

I frowned. Where had they learned that? As far as I knew, I was the only one to ever call him that. I supposed it wasn’t a big deal that other people called him by that name, but it still felt strange. I didn’t like that something that was ours was suddenly shared.

The referee blew his whistle and they finally reorganized themselves. Scoring a goal so early on could be dangerous, encouraging them to relax and let their defenses down. As they spread out on the field, I didn’t notice any of that. Chan was focused from the second the referee blew his whistle and the game play started again. I glanced at the team, and they all seemed equally intense.

I tried to think of why they were so focused. Were they playing a rival? The other team was good and a win would count toward their conference ranking, but it wasn’t anyone I thought warranted this level of focus. Maybe they were still upset that they lost the game last week, though they’d swept the tournament they played this past weekend.

The rest of the first half was uneventful, neither team able to score. Chan and Minghao, another forward, both came close but the balls were stopped by the other team’s goalie. Jihoon, our own goalie, only had to stop one ball. Everything else was stopped by what we affectionately called the Great Wall. Mingyu and Seungcheol were the main defenders, and were famous in our region for rarely letting a ball through our defense.

After the quick break, the teams returned to the field, switching sides. Now Chan would be closer to my side, running most of the offense almost in front of me. As soon as the whistle was blown he was moving, running right past me. I was probably imagining the smell of his detergent as he passed me by.

About half an hour in, I thought they might be able to score, but Chan lost the ball to one of their defenders and it was sent halfway across the field to their midfielders. Seungcheol and Mingyu did a good job, but even they weren’t quite able to stop the other team from pushing them down the field, closer to our goal. I held my breath as their forward got a good kick on the ball.

People tended to underestimate our goalie because he was pretty short. They didn’t know how quickly Jihoon could move, how good he was at anticipating where the ball would be kicked. I wondered if he was consciously aware of what he was seeing or if it was all instinct now. He made snagging the ball out of the air look easy, hanging on to it until the outfielders were back on the other side of the field.

Chan passed by me again as Jihoon threw the ball across the field, staying just in front of the defenders. They passed the ball around, not able to get past the defense, but also not giving up possession. Five minutes passed, then ten, and still neither team scored. We were still up by one, but as the time ticked down, the other team grew more desperate.

At 4 minutes and 47 seconds, they pushed through the defense. One of their forwards swung his foot back to kick the ball but turned slightly at the last second, slamming his foot into Mingyu’s shin. The taller boy dropped to the ground, but no whistle was blown, and the forward got a shot off. Jihoon couldn’t quite get to the ball and it just barely made it in.

1-1

While Seungcheol, the captain, and the coach shouted at the referee at the blatant foul that wasn’t called, the rest of the team regrouped. Mingyu had gotten up after a couple seconds, and from where I was looking he looked fine, though clearly mad. The referee gave Seungcheol a yellow card and he finally backed down, and our coach called a time out.

The crowd began the usual chants, though there was more passion after the horrible calls. When I was in the stands, I was normally screaming along with them, sometimes even leading them. I didn’t have any energy tonight to join in.

The time out wasn’t nearly long enough to cool them down. I could tell by the way they stalked back out onto the field that most of them were still mad, and I couldn’t blame them. The second the referee blew the whistle they were on the attack, sending the ball down the field recklessly fast. Chan was moving better than I’d ever seen before, anticipating where the defense would be and dodging before they even moved into position. The ball was passed to him quickly, though he immediately shot it off to one of the midfielders.

The lower the time got, the more desperate each team was. We somehow still held control of the ball for two full minutes, still unable to get a shot off.

At 2 minutes and 13 seconds, Chan had the ball again. He was moving like everyone else was stuck in quicksand, dodging the defenders and driving a path towards the goal. I could feel that he was going to get past them, going to score, and then he found and opening, swinging his foot back and-

And he got slammed to the ground by one of their defenders. This time the referee couldn’t ignore it, blowing his whistle. I was pretty sure there was about to be a fight, but I couldn’t look away from Chan, who was still on the ground. I could feel my heartbeat in my throat as I waited for him to get up, for him to move. He was only a few feet away from me. The idiotic part of me wanted to hop the fence and jump onto the field but what would I do? Yell at him until he woke up?

His back was to me and the longer he went without moving the more scared I got. Had he hit his head? Was something broken? I desperately wanted him to do something to at least show he was still alive.

Jun and Minghao, the other forwards, got to him first, kneeling next to him until the trainer finally reached him. I was vaguely aware of Mingyu and Seungkwan holding Seungcheol back as he yelled at the other team, but I couldn’t look away from Chan. From my angle, I could only see him reach his arm out, but I felt like I could finally breathe again. He was alive, at least.

The trainer spoke to him for a minute or two, then apparently decided he could be moved. Jun and Minghao helped him up and half carried him off the field, setting him on the table the trainer had set up to treat the athletes. It was foolish, but all I wanted to do was run over there, to see with my own eyes that he was okay.

After another time out, this time by the other team, the game started again. I couldn’t pay attention to anything, only watching Chan from across the field as the trainer made him go through yet more exercises, finally gesturing for him to follow her to the athletics building. I tried to decide if that was a good thing or not. It meant that he was well enough to walk on his own, but what did she need in the building? Did he need specialized treatment?

I had given up on paying attention to the match. The second half ended with the score still tied but all I could think of was Chan, suffering alone.

“Screw it,” I muttered. I pushed off the fence, walking towards the building with long strides. I’d been there more than a few times with Chan while we were hanging out before practice, sometimes wandering the building but often while he got treatment in the trainer’s office. Sometimes it felt like I was around Chan so much that I might as well be a part of the team.

I knew exactly where the office was. A week ago I wouldn’t have been nervous making this trip. I probably wouldn’t have left the stands at such an intense match, though I might have been a little worried. Everything had changed so quickly. I could feel adrenaline coursing through my veins as if I had been the one on the field playing.

I got to the trainer’s office and froze. Normally I would walk in without a thought to it, but I was suddenly not sure of anything. What if he just wanted to be alone? Or what if he didn’t want me there?

I decided I would at least rather see that he was alive. I knocked once then opened the door.

“Yn,” the trainer said with a warm smile. She’d been so happy when I told her I was interested in athletic medicine, inviting me to come with Chan whenever I wanted. The whole summer she’d been hinting at a relationship between me and Chan, despite both of our protests.

I waved, looking for Chan. He was laying on one of the tables on his stomach shirtless, wires hooked up to something on his back covered by ice packs, his eyes closed, looking like he was asleep.

“Is he okay?” I asked softly.

“Oh he’s fine,” she answered. “And he’s not sleeping, I don’t know who he thinks he’s fooling.” His eyes flicked open and he glared at her.

“Well, I need to see if anyone else decided to get hurt while you get pampered,” she said. “I’ll be back in like five minutes, so just don’t die.” Chan gave her a thumbs up and she was gone.

I pulled a chair next to his table, leaning against the side. Chan’s arm only a few inches away from mine.

“Did we win?” He asked before I had a chance to say anything.

“That’s seriously all you want to know? You’re not even going to tell me if you’re okay?”

“That’s not an answer.”

“Fine,” I said, “I have no idea, it went into overtime so I came here.” He was silent. “Are you okay?“ I asked again.

He let out a dramatic sigh. “I got the wind knocked the fuck out of me. Seriously, I’ve been hit before but that hurt. You need to check my chest for shoulder marks later.”

My cheeks flushed at the thought of being in front of him while he was shirtless, and I was happy his face was pressed into the leather cushion. I’d seen him shirtless plenty of times, but thinking about it now…

“What’s this?” I asked, brushing my fingers lightly on the wires, trying not to think about brushing them against the bare skin of his back.

“Stim,” he said. “My back was sore from getting knocked into the ground by that asshole and I just thought it would feel nice.” He turned his head at an awkward angle so that he could look at me. I could only meet his gaze for a few seconds before I looked away.

“Do you think it’s over yet?” He asked, breaking the silence that lasted for nearly a minute.

“You could have gotten seriously hurt and you’re still more worried about the game? Are you sure you didn’t hit your head?”

“Hey I am concussion free!” Chan said. “She did the test and everything. I just- I want to know if we won or not! It’s important that we don’t lose to assholes that body slam people!”

He was right, but I had known Chan for too long. He was lying.

“Besides, since when have you been worried about me?” He turned so that he could see me. “When I almost broke my wrist two years ago you said you would rather die than miss the end of the game.”

“That was playoffs!”

“We were up by four goals!”

I opened my mouth to argue back, but he was right. I was different now. I just didn’t have the guts to tell him why.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I know I’m not always the best friend to you.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Chan said immediately, brushing his hand against mine. He looked so uncomfortable trying to face me while laying flat on his stomach. I slipped out of the chair, sitting on the floor in front of the table so that he could look straight at me, trying not to think about how he almost held on to my hand.

We stayed like that for a moment, Chan staring into my eyes and me staring right back. In the end I couldn’t take his gaze, looking down at the tile floor and realizing the pattern was really fascinating, even if it was clearly from 1990.

“I’m sorry,” Chan said. “I’m not upset about something from two years ago. I just… I want to tell you something but I don’t know if it’s right and they said I should do it when it’s right but I have no idea what that means, and then they said that maybe it wouldn’t ever be right, so I just… I don’t know.”

I could feel all of my courage crumbling as I looked back at him, dark eyes filled with an emotion I couldn’t decipher. I felt like he could see right through me.

“Chan…” I said. “You’re my best friend. I’ve known you for so long I don’t think I know who I am without you, and I think that’s what really scares me. You’re like this weird carrot that’s grown next to my carrot and we’ve coiled around each other and they exist on their own as separate carrots, but if they aren’t together, it just looks lonely.”

I peeked at Chan and he was frowning. Not my best metaphor. “I’m trying to say that I don’t like who I am without you. You mean everything to me.”

“You mean a lot to me, too,” he said slowly.

I groaned. “You’re not getting it! I’m trying to tell you that I like you, Chan!”

He quiet for a moment. “Yn, did you just confess to me while I’m laying on a table after being knocked out?”

“When you put it like that…” I stared at my hands. So that’s what I felt like to ruin everything.

“Yn.”

I wondered if I could successfully vanish, maybe start a new life raising sheep in Mongolia.

“Hey,” Chan said, reaching his hand out to brush against my cheek. “You’re an idiot.”

“I feel so much better,” I said, burying my face in my hands. “Thank you for that.”

“Please look me in the eyes for this,” Chan said. As much as I wanted to dig a hole and rot away in it, I couldn’t deny him this, especially not when he was using such a gentle yet firm tone. I forced myself to meet his eyes, finding comfort in the familiarity, even if I knew everything had changed and it was my fault.

“I have been trying to tell you I like you for months and you do it in pretty much the least romantic way possible,” he said. “Seriously, there are electrical impulses being shot down my back.”

“I take it back, I feel nothing,” I said, standing up.

He laughed, that stupid, infectious laugh that never failed to make me smile, reaching out and catching my hand. “Can you give me like five seconds to at least be sitting upright?”

I nodded, still facing the door so that he couldn’t see my smile.

“I might need some help, actually,” Chan said after a moment. “This stuff is kinda stuck to my back.”

I turned to him, taking in the situation. He’d gotten the ice packs off but the pads for stim were stuck to his back. This wasn’t the first time I’d helped him with stim, in fact I’d done it for half the team (albeit usually on their knees or shoulders). Helping Chan now, my cheeks were probably bright red, fingers tingling every time they brushed against his skin. The four pads came off easily and I stuck them back onto the plastic they normally were stuck to, turning off the machine and putting everything back where it should be. When I turned around, Chan was sitting up rolling his shoulders back. If my face wasn’t already a tomato it was now. Chan laughed as I looked anywhere but at him.

“You’re not going to check for shoulder marks?” He asked. He was probably batting his eyes and pretending to be innocent.

I glanced him over, trying hard to force my eyes past his bare chest, then tossed his shirt at him. “Shoulder mark free.”

“Are you sure, because you didn’t look very hard and-”

“Oh my god, Chan, just put on the shirt!”

He laughed, pulling it over his head. “You’re so easy to tease.” He caught my hands when I tried to step away again, gently tugging on them so that I was facing him while he still sat on the table.

“Yn,” he said softly, running his thumbs over my knuckles. “I had a whole plan of how I was going to tell you how I felt. We’d go to that cafe, or sometimes I planned it for the library, and once I even planned to try to tell you on the field. None of them worked because every time I saw you I couldn't figure out a way to get the words in my heart out so that you could hear them.” He held my gaze and I knew he wasn’t lying. I hadn’t lasted a week with these feelings. How had Chan been able to stand it?

“I really, really like you,” Chan said. “And I-”

The door was slammed open and all of a sudden the room was filled with noise. I let go of one of his hands as half the team came streaming in. With the hand he still held, Chan pulled me closer to him until I was shoulder to shoulder with him, lacing his fingers with mine.

“Chan you’re alive!” Seokmin shouted.

“Yeah I was going to go to the light but I remembered you guys are hopeless without me.”

“Hopeless?” Soonyoung laughed. “Just for that I’m not telling you who won.”

“I don’t think that matters anymore,” Jeonghan said, gesturing to me and Chan.

“Hey!” Seokmin shouted. “That’s cheating!”

“What’s going on?” I whispered in Chan’s ear.

“I’ll explain later,” he whispered back, then said to everyone, “I appreciate your concern for my love life, but seriously, did we win or not?”

Seungcheol leaned against the counter with a smug smile. “You think we’d let a team like that win?”

Chan grinned, turning to me. I hoped he couldn’t hear how loud my heart was beating when he turned his gaze on me like that. “Yn, will you go on a date with me?”

I forgot about the team who were hollering around us, forgot about the game, forgot about everything except me and Chan. “Of course.”

Chan only let go of my hand once as we walked back to the apartment, and it was only to let me put on his sweatshirt. As soon as I pulled my arms through the sleeves, his hand was back in mine. It should have felt weird to be this intimate after a lifetime of friendship. It felt like we should have been like this from the beginning.

“You’re sure you feel the same way?“ Chan asked.

“If you ask me one more time I’m going to change my mind,” I said.

“I’m sorry,” he said, squeezing my hand. “I had resigned myself to being your b-f ‘best friend,’ not b-f ‘boyfriend.’”

“First of all, Seungkwan is my best friend,” I said.

“Um, wrong, I’ve known you for longer.”

“That’s not the point but I have a feeling you’re going to win this one so I’m just going to give up now.” I turned to look him in the eyes. “But seriously, how long have you liked me? And don’t you dare say from the moment I met you or some bullshit because I know that’s not true.”

“No, I’m not that dramatic. I think the moment I realized it was at graduation.” He smiled at the memory, pausing on the sidewalk.

“Do you remember how we went straight from the ceremony to the beach and that first night we stayed up all night talking about the future and we watched the sunrise over the water?” He waited for my nod. “I remember listening to you talk about your life plans and realizing how lucky I am to know you, and then realizing that I couldn’t imagine my life without you in it.

“Do you know how magical you looked watching the sunrise? I know it’s the cheesiest line ever, but you really were prettier than the sunrise and ever since then I haven’t been able to think of anyone but you.” Chan smiled and my heart felt like it was going to explode. I leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips, then suddenly felt shy, turning and continuing to walk. Chan didn’t move until I was tugging on his hand.

“Your turn,” he said after a few moments passed and the heat in my cheeks had finally died down. “When did you realize?”

“Last week,” I said. “Right before you left for the tournament you asked for a kiss goodbye, and I thought it was just a joke but then I spent all weekend thinking about your lips and about how that’s definitely not best friend thoughts, and then I started thinking about you and then I realized that for everything in my life I go to you, and you are the only person in the world who knows how to make me smile when I am having a horrible day, and you don’t complain when I’m being mean or grumpy, and you are the only person I could ever see myself spending the rest of my life with.

“I know it’s not as romantic as watching the sunrise with you and maybe you think these five days aren’t long enough to feel anything as strong as you, but, Chan, I swear I know my heart and you are the only one in it, and the only one that will ever be in it.” It was terrifying to say these things out loud, but I turned to Chan and he had the biggest smile on his face.

He stepped closer to me until there were only a few inches between us, bringing one hand to my cheek. “Can I kiss you?” He asked so softly I almost didn’t hear it.

I nodded, closing my eyes as he leaned closer, nose brushing against mine, and it was not a gentle kiss like mine had been. His hand slid to the back of my head, the other one finally letting go and slipping to hold my waist. I wrapped my own arms around his neck, pulling him as close as I could.

Chan pulled away first, though his arms stayed wrapped around me. “Feedback?”

I laughed, burying my head in his chest. ‘Feedback’ was always for class presentations, or how I thought he did in his last game. “Only if you tell me why your team calls you Dino.”

I disentangled myself from his arms, lacing our fingers back together and beginning to walk again.

“You better not be mad about that because it’s your fault,” he said, catching up to me easily. “Seokmin and Soonyoung saw you spamming me with those dinosaur stickers while we were at an away game and I had to explain to them that you made the nickname when we were six and already a cruel monster.”

“It’s not my fault you cried unless you brought your stuffie to school with you.”

“Don’t you dare tell them that part!” He said. “They’ll never let it go, it’s bad enough I have Seungkwan holding it over me.”

I laughed. “You haven’t explained what was going on in the training room either, by the way.”

“Right.” I glanced at him and he avoided my eyes.

“What is it?”

“It’s embarrassing,” he whined.

“More embarrassing than getting dumped fifteen minutes after the relationship started?”

“You wouldn’t,” Chan said and he was right, but it still worked because he let out a dramatic sigh and kept walking. “Do you remember last week after we lost and we went out to eat and you asked me about what we say in the pregame huddles?” He waited until I nodded to continue. “Well, apparently my crush was obvious to everyone other than you and Seokmin and Soonyoung specifically were determined to ‘help’ me confess so they thought it would be funny to say ‘when we win Chan has to tell yn how he feels,’ but then we lost and someone said that maybe we just weren’t meant to be and it was a joke, but I’ve been overthinking it since then.

“Then today, Seungcheol said it, and I think it was supposed to be a joke but everyone took it really seriously and I don’t know, I really felt like if we didn’t win today then maybe we really wouldn’t ever work out.

“But then you showed up and confessed to me in the least romantic way possible and I realized how dumb I was,” Chan said, grinning.

“You’re kind of an idiot,” I said.

“Yeah, but I’m your idiot,” he said, leaning into me.

“You’re ridiculous.” I tried unsuccessfully to hide my smile.

He snuck closer, pressing a kiss to my cheek, then wrapping his arm around my shoulders and pulling me closer to him. I couldn’t think of any more insults to throw at him, so I leaned into him.

“So, are you going to give me feedback on my kissing or not?”

“I’m not sure, I think I need to try again before forming an opinion.”

Chan laughed, turning to face me with a smile that could break hearts. “You better pay attention this time.” He kissed me and I was floating.

When I finally pushed back, he raised his eyebrows expectantly.

“Two out of ten, honestly, I’m disappointed, I thought you could do better than this,” I said, pushing his arms off of me before I could react and sprinting away.

“Hey!” He shouted. “I’m still handicapped! I got knocked out today!” Despite his protests, he caught up to me easily, wrapping his arms around me from behind, pressing a kiss to my cheek.

“Want to try again?”

“Hm, nope,” I said, giggling when he wrapped his arms even tighter.

“You are so lucky I love you,” he said, pressing another kiss on my cheek. I wondered if he noticed that he let the word slip. I settled my hands on his arms, holding him to me just as tightly as he was. There was a gentle breeze in the air, the streetlights warm and cozy, and I decided I would spend the rest of my life like this, me and Chan, together.

[helloalycia]

girl next door [one] // wanda maximoff

summary: somebody new moves into the flat next to yours and you feel the need to introduce yourself, only to learn she's not very talkative

warning/s: none i don’t think??

author’s note: first part to a three-parter i’ve been working on, hope you like it! (also the masterlist needs to be updated so soz about that)

part two | part three | part four | part five |masterlist | wattpad

Shopping bags in hand, I returned from the supermarket to my flat when I saw the usually-vacant flat next door to me in use. The front door was slightly ajar, with several moving boxes in front and the sound of someone moving about inside. Huh, so someone moved in. It had been vacant for half a year now – it was nice to finally have a neighbour!

I headed to my own flat, my nosey self taking a peek through the door to see if I could have an idea of who was moving in, but I couldn't see anyone, so I continued to go into my own place and unpack my groceries. After doing so, I decided to head next door and introduce myself, excited to meet someone new in the building.

The boxes from earlier were gone now, probably all inside, and the door was shut like I usually saw it. I sucked up a breath before knocking on, a friendly smile reserved on my lips for whoever would open.

It took a moment, but the door finally opened and revealed a brunette with bright hazel eyes and a mildly confused expression on her face. She seemed strangely familiar, but I couldn't quite pinpoint it.

"Hey! I just wanted to come 'round and introduce myself. I'm your new neighbour." I pointed to my door next to hers and added, "I saw you moving in earlier. I'm Y/N."

She pursed her lips, eyes glancing around subtly before looking me up and down. "Er, hi... I'm Wanda."

I detected a slight accent in her voice with the few words she spoke and became immediately intrigued since everyone in this building was usually the same old American. I didn't ask about it though, as I didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable at our first meeting.

"Nice to meet you, Wanda," I returned with a smile. "I've been living here for a year now, so if you need a hand with anything or need pointers for where to get the best Chinese, I'm your girl." I paused, expecting some sort of reaction, but she didn't move a muscle. Swallowing awkwardly, I added, "Of course, if you just need a hand with unpacking or anything, I'm also happy to help."

She still didn't reply, and in fact, she looked a bit peeved with my presence which made me realise that maybe she just wasn't a talkative person.

I cleared my throat nervously before finishing with, "I'll, er, I'll leave you to it. Sorry to disturb you..."

I chewed on my lower lip as I avoided her piercing gaze and went back to my own place. Not everybody was interested in befriending their neighbours, I got that, so I respected her decision and decided not to bother her in the future. It didn't make me feel any less embarrassed at my intrusiveness though.

I didn't think much of it until the following morning when I was watering my plants out on the fire escape. My fire escape was joined with the neighbour's – the neighbour that usually didn't exist but was now Wanda. The brunette was stood there, drinking some coffee and staring out into the distance. I debated wishing her a good morning, but decided against it as I recalled her being quite introverted. Instead, I awkwardly watered the several plant pots I had, opting to stay quiet so I could be in and out without bugging her once more.

To my surprise, she spoke up and it took me a second to realise she was talking to me.

I held my watering jug upright as I glanced in her direction. She was already staring at me, deep set eyes darkened over the rim of her coffee cup.

"What's that?" I asked, not sure what she’d said.

She cleared her throat, eyes flickering to the plants to distract from her discomfort. "I'm sorry. For being strange yesterday. You were being warm and welcoming and I just..." She paused, releasing a shaky breath. "I've had a bad past few weeks. I didn't mean to take it out on you."

I definitely wasn't expecting that, then realised how many bad days I'd had and taken out on random strangers. I didn't blame her and instead felt bad for her – moving into a new place was supposed to be exciting, so I couldn't imagine what had ruined her past few weeks.

"Well, apology accepted," I said with a small smile. "And I hope things begin to look up for you soon, Wanda."

Her lips twitched into the tiniest of smiles and I noticed how different she looked when she wasn't down in the dumps – she was quite beautiful.

I finished watering my plants before giving her a final smile. I was about to head back inside, but I hung back curiously.

"Er, Wanda, if you don't mind me saying," I started randomly, "you seem familiar. We haven't met before, have we?"

She raised her eyebrows with surprise. "Oh, really? You don't kn–?" She tilted her head to the side, as if expecting me to understand, but I wasn't sure what she wanted. "I... I guess I just have one of those faces."

I studied her curiously, trying to figure it out. But nothing was coming to mind, so I hummed in agreement. "Yeah, I guess so... anyway, enjoy the rest of your day."

She nodded. "You, too."

–

The next time I saw Wanda was probably a week later, just after I collected my mail from the mailroom. I'd received one of those random free trial boxes for a subscription I must have accidentally signed up for – a box of different flavoured trail mixes – and felt bad throwing it out since it was still food at the end of the day. There were nuts in the mixes, which I was allergic to, so I decided to knock on Wanda's door and see if she wanted them.

I hadn't spoken to her since she moved in, except for the occasional good morning on the fire escape if we saw one another, so I hoped she was a little happier compared to when we last spoke properly. Maybe whatever had bothered her was resolved now.

When she opened the door, she seemed surprised that it was me, probably not expecting me to stop by again after last time.

I offered her a smile. "Hey, Wanda. I, er, hope this isn't a bad time."

She shook her head after recovering from her surprise. "No, no, it's not. Is everything okay?" She paused, glancing around, unprepared. "Do you want to come in or...?"

"It's okay, I'm good here," I said when I saw how uncomfortable she seemed. I wasn't just about to invite myself into her flat because she felt she needed to ask. "I just stopped by because, well, do you want this?" I handed her the box, adding, "I got a free sample in the post. Didn't wanna throw it out because it's food, y'know? And I'm allergic to nuts, so my throat will probably puff up and stop me from breathing which isn't good."

I laughed awkwardly, internally cringing at how I spoke utter nonsense because of her lack of her words and my stupid need to fill the silence.

"Unless you're allergic to nuts too," I added as an afterthought, when she glanced at the packaging with no readable expression. "In which case I should probably throw them right away and this whole thing is stupid."

After what felt like an eternity of me not shutting up, she lifted her gaze, eyes softening with a hint of amusement.

"I'm not allergic to nuts," she assured me, before nodding. "Thank you, Y/N."

I relaxed, not even realising how tense my shoulders were. "That's– that's good... so, how are you settling into your new place? All good, I hope?"

Subconsciously, I chewed on the inside of my mouth, wondering why I was so eager to speak to somebody who clearly didn't want to speak to me. She was so quiet, not a woman of many words, yet I couldn't help but feel responsible for welcoming her.

"It's nice," she said, glancing around thoughtfully. "It's quiet. Private."

I nodded in agreement, eyes falling to her doorframe as I said, "Yeah, that's true. Nothing eventful ever happens here."

She hummed, acknowledging my words. I figured the conversation had ran dry and I'd stayed a little too long, so I tried to think of a way to end it without her feeling forced to. Instead, she spoke up next.

"I like your garden."

I furrowed my brows, wondering what she was talking about.

"The flowers on our fire escape," she clarified, small smile tugging at her lips. "They're beautiful."

I stifled a laugh. "I mean, thanks, but it's barely a garden. I've always wanted a proper space to grow stuff, but obviously I can't have that here."

"Well, you've done a great job with what you have," she complimented, and I was sure it was the most she'd spoken to me since moving in. I suddenly didn't feel like she disliked my presence as much as I once thought.

"Thank you," I said gratefully. "Maybe you can start your own alongside mine some day."

"Maybe," she shrugged, "but probably not. Everything I touch–" She paused, life leaving her eyes momentarily, and head looking down to her shoes. "Everything I touch dies."

I pressed my lips together, not expecting the awkward silence to follow. Wanda seemed stuck in thought and I wasn't sure how I'd managed to bring the conversation down so suddenly, especially with the talk of flowers.

"The lovely thing about flowers," I began, earning her attention and hoping to brighten the mood, "is that they only require a little love, some sunlight and some water to keep going. They tend to take care of themselves. Perfect for even the blackest of thumbs."

She let out a breath through her nose, a half chuckle and half acknowledgment of my comment. It was the closest I'd get to a response, so I ran a hand through my hair and took a step back.

"Anyway, I'm glad you're settling in okay," I concluded with a kind smile. "Again, if you need anything, I'm just next door."

"Thank you," she said, returning the smile, and her eyes sparkled as she did. "Have a good afternoon, Y/N."

"You, too, Wanda."

–

The apartment complex I lived in rarely had people entering that I didn't recognise – I'd lived here long enough to know who was who, even the postwoman and maintenance guy. So, when I was leaving for the supermarket and saw a suspicious-looking man walking down the hall, eyes checking every door, I grew curious.

"You okay there, sir?" I called out to him after locking my front door.

He looked my way, readjusting his cap lower on his head, casting a shadow over his face. "Er, yeah..." He hesitated, glancing at his phone before looking to me again. "Actually, maybe you can help me. I'm looking for Wanda Maximoff's apartment. Do you know which one that is?"

I narrowed my eyes at the tall stranger. "I'm sure you can understand my concern when I ask who's asking."

"Oh, no, I completely understand," he said with a nod, and I could swear I had seen him before. "I'm an old friend of hers."

I quirked a brow. Strange man who claimed to a woman-who-lived-alone's friend? That had trouble written all over it. And from one woman to another, I was concerned, even if I didn’t know her very well.

"That's not saying much, sir," I said, biting back the annoyance. "I think that maybe you should–"

I stopped speaking when Wanda's door opened and she popped her head out. She looked to me before spotting the tall stranger, shoulders relaxing.

"I thought I heard you out here," she mumbled to the stranger, before stepping out fully and giving me a reassuring look. "It's okay, Y/N. I know him."

I nodded, glancing at the man, before meeting Wanda's eyes knowingly. "If you're sure..."

She seemed comfortable as she crossed her arms, hugging herself. Smiling reassuringly, she nodded. I relaxed when I saw she knew the suspicious stranger.

"In that case, sorry 'bout the interrogation," I apologised to her friend. "But, you gotta understand with the whole getup you have..."

Her friend chuckled deeply, looking to his shoes with amusement. "Yeah, sorry about that, ma'am. Didn't mean to worry you. It's nice to know Wanda here has thoughtful neighbours though."

"I'm twenty-two, not a ma'am," I said with amusement, before shaking my head. "Anyway, I should get going. Sorry again."

Wanda and her friend nodded as I left them; I was just glad it wasn't some creepy perv stalking our building – that had happened once.

I headed to the supermarket to do some shopping when I saw Wanda again, this time in the milk aisle. Well, she actually saw me, her trolley stopping before mine as she got my attention.

"Oh, Wanda, hey," I greeted her with a smile. "Fancy seeing you here."

She cracked a smile. "Yeah, well, I needed to pick up a few things. Milk, actually," she grabbed some from the fridge to prove her point, "when I saw you."

I nodded, before remembering earlier and feeling a little embarrassed. "Hey, er, sorry about before with your friend. I hope I didn't offend them or anything."

"No need to apologise," she said with a shake of her head. "It's actually very nice of you to have my back like that. I mean, we don't even know each other that well, but you watched out for me. I appreciate it."

"It's the bare minimum of a neighbour," I joked, before settling into genuine smile. "Besides, I'd like to think you'd do the same."

"Of course," she agreed, nodding slightly, before her eyes drifted to the fridge.

I noticed that every conversation we shared felt unfinished, like there was more to be said but neither of us had the guts to say it. Like now, for example, I wanted to check in and see if she was okay, but I felt like I was overstepping since, as she'd put it, we didn’t know each other very well. So, I changed the subject instead.

"So, just milk then?" I asked, nodding to her trolley which had a few bits and bobs in.

She was confused for a moment, zoning back into reality, before it registered in her mind and she answered, "Along with a few other things. And you?"

"Pretty much same," I said with a shrug.

Her eyes lingered in my trolley as she stifled a smile. "That looks like a lot more than a few things, Y/N." 

I almost laughed. "Technically, yeah, I guess..." I met her curious gaze, explaining, "I'm having a meal with my sister, her boyfriend and my boyfriend at my place tonight. Cooking a lamb roast." She raised her eyebrows with mild surprise, making me shrug dismissively. "It's not that big of a deal, but there's a lot to prepare and I like things to be perfect, so yeah."

She licked her lips and nodded. "It sounds great. Good luck, I guess. I'm sure it'll turn out wonderful."

"Fingers crossed."

She chuckled, glancing at her shoes, making her dark hair fall in front of her like a curtain. When she looked back up, I couldn't help but smile at how cute she looked.

"I'll leave you to it then," she said, before redirecting her trolley around me. "See you whenever."

"See you." I nodded as she walked past me, shoulder brushing mine and leaving me startled at the weird effect she had on me whenever we spoke.

It didn't last for long though, so I brushed it off and continued to do my shop. The evening couldn't come soon enough, and I soon found myself entertaining my boyfriend, my sister and her boyfriend at my dinner table.

"So I was cooking us a nice meal, as we planned, and she ended up having a go at me because of the mess I made afterwards," my boyfriend, Teddy, was explaining to my sister and her boyfriend, Caleb. "That's why I don't try to be romantic anymore."

I paused from sipping my water, looking over at Teddy with an are you serious? look on my face. Y/S/N and Caleb laughed at Teddy's story, but I wasn't as amused as they were.

"Aw, c'mon, babe, don't be pissed off again," Teddy pleaded teasingly from beside me. "It's a joke. I'm joking."

"But that's not how it happened," I corrected him, before looking to the couple before me. "What Teddy means to say is that I had just cleaned the kitchen and told him that when he cooks, he should try to clean as he goes along so it's easier, but of course, he drops cream everywhere and I had to clean it out of the crevices of the counter. All over again."

Y/S/N and Caleb laughed at my retelling of the story, and Teddy frowned playfully as he looked my way.

"And that's definitely not the reason you're not romantic," I said to him promisingly. "When was the last time you even got me flowers?"

He tried to take lead of the conversation again, straightening up and asking, "When was the last time you got me flowers? Feminism, Y/N. It goes both ways."

He was never usually this obnoxious and it was irking me. Y/S/N and Caleb assumed it was all a joke, so were laughing it off, but I was starting to get frustrated. How could he try and make me look terrible in front of my own family?

"I bought you flowers two weeks ago when you got your promotion, remember?" I answered him with a raised brow.

"Damn, she got you there, Ted," Caleb said like it was a burn.

I subtly clenched my jaw and distracted myself with sipping water. Teddy sighed and tried to wrap an arm around me, but I pulled away slightly.

"Oh, come on, you're not mad, are you? This is all in good faith, babe," he said lightly.

I downed my water and looked between them all. "I think I'm gonna get some air. You guys enjoy your drinks."

They all chorused their disagreements, but I couldn't be bothered dealing with them when they were tipsy and annoying, so I ignored them and headed to the fire escape for a breather.

When I reached the railing, I sighed immediately, feeling like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Until I heard a creaking noise and jumped with surprise before seeing Wanda sitting on her side of the fire escape, drink in hand.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," she said apologetically.

I breathed out, turning around and leaning my back against the railing so I could see her better. "It's okay, it's not you. I just– I forgot you could be there. Used to living without a neighbour. It's taking some getting used to."

I forced a small smile to reassure her, before looking down and taking small breaths of fresh air. Teddy could get under my skin at times, tonight being one of those times, and it was happening more and more lately. Why couldn't he just be less... annoying?

"Is everything okay?" Wanda asked, and I looked up fo see her green-gold eyes glowing in the dark under the moon light.

"Yeah," I said with a nod. I glanced inside, seeing my three guests laughing it up like I was still there. I collapsed on my chair and stared into the bustling city ahead. "Why wouldn't it be?"

Wanda hesitated. "Didn't you have that dinner tonight?"

I leaned in the palm of my hand, mumbling, "Yeah. It's still going on. I just needed some air."

Wanda must have sensed there was more to my words – it didn't take a genius to see that – but to my relief, she didn't push on. All she said was, "Oh, okay," and stayed quiet.

The two of us sat there, in a comfortable silence, staring into the city and revelling in the moon's presence. It was beautiful out, though not a single star could be seen because of the city's pollution. Instead, the moon hung high above our heads and conflicted with the many street and building lights of New York City, thriving even past dusk.

I probably could have stayed there all night, preferring Wanda's silent yet comfortable presence to whatever was waiting for me back inside. But to my dismay, I was called back in and sighed quietly to myself. 

"I should head back in," I excused myself, standing up to leave. But I lingered by the door, asking Wanda, "Have you eaten dinner yet?" She seemed puzzled with my question, and I continued speaking anyway. "I made a lot of food and have loads of leftovers I can't finish myself."

She seemed to understand what I was implying and shook her head. "That's okay, Y/N, thank you."

"Wanda, I insist," I said with a small smile. "It'll just go in the bin otherwise."

She was still reluctant. "Honestly, it's fine."

i wasn't taking no for an answer though. "I'll stop by in a bit to drop it off."

"Y/N, I–"

"See you then!" I exclaimed before heading back inside and leaving her no choice to deny it.

"There she is," Y/S/N called out to me when I returned. "You feel better?"

"Perfect," I said sarcastically.

She laughed. "C'mon, we're all sorry. Besides, Caleb and I have to go now, so we want to end on a good note."

Was I being too butt hurt? Probably.

"Right, sorry," I said, looking to them all, before saying, "Do you guys want any food to bring back with you?"

"You guys enjoy it," Caleb said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "It was delicious though, Y/N. Thanks for the lovely evening."

"Anytime," I said with a tired smile, before leading them to the door and looking to my sister. "Let me know when you're home, yeah?"

She hummed in agreement, before pulling me into a tight hug. "Love you, Y/N."

"Love you, too," I returned with a playful eye roll.

After bidding them a goodbye, I was left alone with Teddy, who was surprisingly washing the dishes.

"This your way of apologising?" I joked, stopping by the sink.

He glanced at me with apologetic eyes. "Depends. Is it working?"

As I met his brown eyes, I thought back to how frustrating he was acting earlier. He must have been acting out in front of guests for some reason, but he wasn't always like that. Maybe I was overreacting. 

"I'll let you know when you're done," I retorted, making him smile with amusement.

As he did that, I worked on filling some containers with leftover dinner for Wanda, being sure to include a generous amount of everything.

"Who's that for?" Teddy asked, noticing what I was doing.

"Wanda, my new neighbour."

"Never heard of her."

I gave him a knowing look. "Hence the word 'new'."'

He returned the stare. "What I mean is, I've never seen her around."

I shrugged, finishing packing the containers and stacking them to carry. "She prefers to keep to herself."

"What, like a weirdo?"

I rolled my eyes. "No, Teddy. She's just private. Introverted, if you will."

"Sounds like a weirdo to me..."

I chose to ignore him as I left the flat and headed to Wanda's. She opened up quicker than usual, probably since she was expecting me this time.

"Bon appétit," I joked, before holding out the takeaway containers. "It's lamb roast with veg, potatoes, some gravy and bread."

"You really didn't have to," she said, though accepted the food. When she glanced down at it, she added, "This is a lot for one person."

I couldn't help the smile on my face. "Enough for second's. You'll have to let me know if you like it. It's my best recipe."

She snickered, eyes meeting mine. "I'm sure it's delicious... do you want to come in?"

Stepping to the side, she looked to me with what I think was a hopeful expression. I felt bad when I smiled sadly, shaking my head.

"I'd love to, Wanda, but I've actually still got my boyfriend over and I can't really, y'know..."

"No worries," she was quick to reassure. "It's– no, it's okay, honestly. I just thought I'd ask."

It was the first time she'd ever asked and meant it, which meant she was finally getting comfortable with me. I would have preferred to go in, but I couldn't just leave Teddy, nor kick him out.

"Maybe we can hang out tomorrow?" I asked hopefully. "If you want, that is. Because I want to. But I don't want to just invite myself over."

She seemed amused as she nodded. "Tomorrow sounds great. Maybe I can make you dinner, as a thank you for this food."

I grew a little excited at spending a bit more time with the quiet, reserved brunette. "I'd like that."

She nodded, lips pursed into a suppressed smile, and glanced at the food in her hand. "Great. Well... have a good evening, Y/N. And thank you again for the food."

"Good evening," I returned, subconsciously memorising the rare smile she gave me, before leaving her to it.

When I returned to my flat, all I could think about was the next night and getting to know Wanda.

[l4verq]

fight back | b.b

bucky barnes x enhanced!reader

in which bucky won’t lay a hand on you no matter what :(

tags : a little brawl, fluff cause icanthelpmyself, mentions of blood, john walker (idk if we're supposed to like him now ??) bucky is a cat lady okk

fic : one shot

a/n : inspired by that scene in the final ep of tfatws when karli is screaming at sam to fight back lol😳

|| gif by @unearthlydust ||

-

one world, one people.

you repeat it in your head one more time, when he comes into view, vibranium gleaming onyx with loops of gold.

you know that he knows you’re here, back to the wall a few feet away, peeking at him.

he doesn’t know that you let him know.

doesn’t know that you laid out a trap and just like the foolish mouse, he walked right into the lion’s den.

although you’re not sure who the fool actually is, when you meet his eyes, knees almost buckling at the sight just cause of how long it’s been without them.

“y/n.” he breathes out, almost in disbelief.

it’s been fourteen months since he woke up to an empty bed and a handwritten goodbye letter folded in a clean white envelope, tucked under a pillow still marked by the soft indentation of your head.

fourteen months since you took off in the dead of night, pulling your- his hood over your head, the cold wind nipping at your skin, almost like it was punishing you.

maybe, it saw what you did.

oh, but fred definitely saw what you did, that damn cat always followed you two around even though it’s owner was the blonde next door. her name wasn’t even fred, bucky came up with it after the third time it snuck into the apartment.

he swore he hated it but always seemed to have a treat lying around in case it did come.

and it did, a lot. neglected by it’s owner, it chose to seek comfort in the couple next door, and sometimes a meal or two.

“sorry, no treat today bub.”

fred scowled - honestly, you wouldn’t be surprised if an actual human was living in it - mewling as it came up to you for the usual chin rubs and cooes.

you sighed, caving into it’s antics, squatting to pet it.

cradling it’s head into your palm, she was purring, a very uncommon sight. fred doesn’t purr, she scratches and hisses at anything and everything that moves.

“you’re particularly nice today.” you commented, getting up. it mewled even louder this time but you turned on your heels and headed for the stairs.

you were already late.

your legs picked up pace quickly, easily crossing multiple blocks over in a few long strides owing to the blue serum coursing through your veins.

though your mind remained stationary, fixated on a single face, how it’d crumble at the sight of the letter, how he’d probably end up hating you.

“took you long enough.”

her auburn locks were tied into a loose braid that curved around her neck, the tip sat just below her collarbone, a piss poor job held together by a thin maroon colored band.

it was quintessentially her, the lack of utter patience to spend two minutes looping three knots of hair one over the other.

you jogged over to the other side of the black suv, noticing a stark white rectangle where a liscence plate should be.

“he’s knocked out cold,” you asked as soon as you grabbed the door handle open, “how?”

lazropthalein.

it came in the mail in a brown package, no return address. bucky wasn’t home, he had a scheduled therapy session down the block.

just a pinch is enough.

the text from the unknown number read.

it had no odour, a clean, white colour to it that blended in seamlessly with the flour.

“you baked without me?” bucky gasped, dramatically, hand covering his gaping mouth. his other hand carried two plastic bags, filled to the brim, a purple razor was poking out the top.

he even had to drop the poor bags on the floor, just to emphasize the utter shock he felt.

“i got bored.” you giggled, wiping the countertop with a wet cloth, remnants of flour on the sleek marble turning goopy under it.

“traitor.”

“it’s just cupcakes.”

“still a cake.”

you sighed, “you’re a five year old.”

he huffed, trudging towards the living room, shoulders hunched to really hone in on just how devastating this was for him.

“don’t i get a hug?” you held your arms out, making grabby hands, following him.

apparently, the devastation was to the point where he had to bring out the big guns, the sad baby blues.

the act lasted for another minute? at best. hours later, he was happily munching away.

“i know why it tastes so good.” he moaned, smacking his lips.

your smile faltered a little, did he kn- no, there’s no way he could have known. you burned that little plastic bag as soon as you dumped a pinch in.

“yea?”

he grinned, popping the last bit left in “it was made with your love.”

“how did it work?” your voice rose several octaves higher, amplified further by the cool, silent night.

drugs and sedatives don’t work on supersoldiers yet a certain blue eyed one was back home, unmoving even if you screamed right into his ears.

“dr wilfred, he invented it. the power broker wanted something to balance out our,” she flared her hands at both of you, “super-soldierness, so that we don’t have an upper hand when all’s said and done.”

would the either of you even be alive when all was said and done?

“look, i know you didn’t want to do this but james, he won’t understand. he’s not one o-..”

“yea, can we jus- let’s just get out of here.” you get in beside her, whipping the seatbelt over your torso.

the car was stuffy, felt like a choke around your neck that only seemed to tighten more and more.

“if we go now, there’s no coming back.” she glances at you, hand curled over the gearstick ready to position it in place.

she was giving you an out, one last chance. karli was a lot of things and having a heart inside that cold, bitchy exterior was one.

“i know.”

you sunk deeper into your seat, the hoodie had a faint smell of burnt toast and that cologne which was on sale, almost half off if you cut out the taxes.

it smelled like him, too much like him.

until it didn’t after a few days. but you still slept with it, just outright refusing to wash it despite karli’s snarky remarks about hygiene.

hygiene could go fuck herself, for all you know.

compared to the motels and basements you guys shifted around in, that hoodie was a doctor’s scrubs.

when the moon hung low on the black sky, you tried not to think about him too much. the silence didn’t help, you needed something to drown out your thoughts. that’s when the ‘socialising’ with the other flag smashers started. they were nice.

nice cause you were the leader’s little sister. but also a huge fucking liability because of a certain supersoldier hot on their heels in search of you, ruining every goddamn plan so their niceness was.. limited.

karli was a natural when it came to it, all of it. the talking, rallying of supporters - fuck, she just had a way with words. she could make you believe she hung up the stars in the sky.

probably how she convinced you that holding a room chock full of council members hostage right smack in the middle of nyc was a good idea.

the only idea, more precisely.

you guys had the upper hand, more than a handful supersoldiers at your disposal, capable of taking down the entire military force if you so pleased.

the only playing card they had was one supersoldier, who was better off distracted, kept off the field.

so who better to send to do the deed than the love of his life.

“fred had a baby. multiple babies, spawn of the devil if you ask me. always running around, thrashing the place up.” he takes small steps towards you, slow and calculated, as if a lion stalking around a prey.

“you shouldn’t be here.” you lie through your teeth, a tiny white compared to the ones that’ve rolled off your tongue before.

“i think the neighbours call me a cat lady now,” his eyes shift around and he leans in to whisper, “they haven’t even seen my knitting skills yet.”

“stop.” you think you said it or much rather whispered it, your voice was failing you. he’s getting close, too close for your liking so why aren’t you backing away from him?

“fred misses you, you know. she wonders where you went.” he smiles but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

the hairs on your neck shoot up, a slight twitch of your brow. the way bucky’s ear perk up, you realise it’s not just you and him here anymore.

someone else has arrived.

“i’ve got it handled, john.” bucky turns around, plants him directly infront of you, blocking john’s view of you.

sure enough, it’s john limping in, a nasty gash across his chest.

your blood runs cold because this isn’t how it’s supposed to go.

john isn’t supposed to be here, he’s supposed to be fighting.. oh god. you notice the various splatters of blood on his cowl, on his boot, on his shield.

it’s too much blood from a guy who’s barely bleeding.

“really? i was thinking you should do more than just talk.” he spits on the ground and wipes his mouth.

you notice, the spit’s all blood too.

“i’m giving you a chance to walk away, right now.”

john snorts, leaning sideways to get a view of you, neck craned out.

“and leave this prize all to yourself?” he grins, “i’d be an idiot.”

“you have a death wish then.” you lift your chin a little higher, praying your quickening heartbeat doesn’t give away your calm exterior.

john whistles, grimacing as he straightens, “so, she does talk.”

you scowl, crossing your arms.

he’s in bad shape. he has no chance, not that he ever did even in his best shape. he knows that too yet he’s still here. that sends a chill up your spine.

“go, i got this.” bucky tips his head, glancing at you.

“i don’t need you to save me.” you hiss at him, which comes out a little harsher than you intended. an apology dies in your throat as he flinches just the slightest.

“trouble in paradise?” john’s barely finished saying it before he’s reached behind his back and swinging the vibranium

you hear it before you see it stopped mid air by a gloved hand. then you charge.

it’s all a hazy mix of blue and red until your fist connects with his jaw, sound of something breaking ringing in your ear.

something pulls your waist back, a grip far too strong to be just flesh.

“go, i’ll ta-..” bucky’s barely said anything before an upward cut from john connects to his neck, violent coughs ensuing.

you grip john’s arm before he’s even retracted it back, jump up his back, settling around his neck and twist until you hear a crack and a bloodcurling scream following suit.

he whips his head back right into your stomach, seizes that moment when the wind knocks out of you to pull you by your hair off him.

“i told you to go.” bucky growls, kicking john right in the shin that makes him kneel and you almost fall off but you keep your fingers tightly looped around john’s hair, pulling as hard you can.

but he’s relentless.

your head hits something hard and you realise you’re on the ground now, legs loosely around john’s shoulders, him also on the ground.

it’s like the both of you realise at the same time but you’re quicker. your legs tighten around his neck, against the spot where a thick neck muscle throbs. he claws desperately around, straining for oxygen

soon, his hands lull down, the dull thud on the ground confirming his unconsciousness.

“are you hurt?” bucky’s hovering over you, seemingly unfazed by john’s neck in a chokehold by your legs right now.

you reject his hand he extends and push yourself off the gravelly concrete on to your feet.

“this was a mistake.” you trail off, saying it more to your own self.

you weren’t the lion, you were the stupid fox who thought it was.

stupid enough to believe you were over bucky and that everything wouldn’t come rushing back as soon as you laid eyes on him.

he whips you around by your hand and before you know it, he’s already caught your other fist heading for his sternum. you barely feel the grip, it’s soft, just so incredibly soft and fits so right.

you hate it.

rage bubbles inside you, mostly at yourself. partly at him because he’s not screaming at you or slamming you against the wall or jus- anything.

you wrench your hand away, land a swing which he does nothing to block. his grip on your other hand loosens and he still does nothing when another hit to the jaw leaves him staggering,

instead, he looks at you softly as if resigning himself to your anger, to let it simmer off.

“fight back!” you scream, outstretched palms pushing him back.

he stumbles a few steps back, hands reaching out to yours resting on his chest, fingers intertwining yours tightly.

“stop.” it’s a soft plead, tears spiking the corners of his eyes.

“hit me!” you’re practically begging at this point, thrashing your arms around.

his hands grapple at your shoulders, bringing you to his chest, “it’s okay.”

he smells so sweet, just so sweet that you almost believe him.

“i drugged you and i left you and i-,” you inhale sharply, “i killed so many people, bucky.”

the last fourteen months had escalated quickly from doing what’s right to doing what’s needed, lines blurred between moral ethics and survival.

“it’s okay.” he repeats, hand patting your hair, gentle and soothing. your body betrays you, sinking into his touch, his warmth.

“you should hate me.” you whimper.

you wouldn’t blame him if he did. you doubt he could hate you more than you already did yourself.

he pulls back, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear, “i couldn’t if i tried.”

god, why does he have to be so.. bucky?

frustated, you spit out, “this? this was a distraction to separate you and sam.”

you don’t say it but it’s understood, understood that you wouldn’t have met him if not for it.

the inner corners of his brows angle up slightly, a ghost of a smile on his lips, “i know.”

your breath hitches, if he knows then wh-

“then, why..?”

you finally look up at him, vision blurry because of the stupid tears pooling at your eyes.

his thumb wipes away a tear dribbling down your cheek, the coldness of the metal a clear contrast to the warm moisture, “you know why.”

-

a/n : this one’s been sitting pretty, collecting cobwebs in my drafts so thought i’d take it out lol, also haven’t been posting fics in a whileeee cause im dumb and i’ve been working on multiple things all at once lol yea this is me rambling and also i just wanna say that i. love. folklore. sm. that whole album has me crying and sad and just :((

[angelsfalling16]

Sometimes All I Think About Is You

Part of the 20 First Kisses Series

Summary: Baz loses a bet with Dev and Niall and has to wear a uniform skirt for a week, and it makes Simon act so crazy. He can’t handle that much of Baz's legs, and he's determined to prove that Baz is using it as a distraction from whatever he's plotting.

Word Count: 3068

A/N: This was based on this prompt that was sent to @carryonprompts. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it for a few days since I saw it, and I finally got the chance to sit down and write it today. (And of course, it fit perfectly as a 20fk fic :))

The title is from the song "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals

Read it on ao3

***

Simon

There’s a blast of magic, and the doors to the dining hall slam open.

This is a pretty regular occurrence, and everyone is pretty used to it by now, which means that I am one of the few people who look up to see who it is.

Baz walks in through the doors, sneering at Dev and Niall who follow him in. The two of them look like they’re about to burst into laughter at any moment while Baz has a near-murderous look on his face. (It’s an expression I know well.)

I’m not sure why the three of them look like that until my eyes fall down to Baz’s outfit for the day.

“What the hell?” I gasp.

“What did Baz do this time?” Penny asks in a bored tone, not even bothering to look up from

“Look,” I whisper.

She turns, and I use the moment to take in what Baz is wearing. He’s wearing his usual Watford blazer, but rather than his neatly pressed slacks, he has chosen to pair it with the pleated grey skirt that is usually reserved for the girls who choose to wear them.

Somehow, he manages not to look completely ridiculous. I would almost venture to say that he looks good in it. (Of course he does, the bastard. He doesn’t look bad in anything.)

His legs seem to stretch for miles beneath the too-short skirt that barely hits him mid-thigh, and I can’t seem to stop staring at them.

I’ve seen Baz’s legs before, of course. I mean he wears shorts all the time when he’s playing football, but this is different. I’m not supposed to be able to see his legs right now, so it feels wrong in a way. Yet, I can’t seem to look away.

“Hm. Interesting fashion choice,” Penny says, turning back to her breakfast. “I guess there aren’t any rules against the boys wearing skirts since they’re technically still in dress code.”

“Yeah, but it’s weird.”

“How?”

“I—. I don’t kn-know.” I shrug. I guess it’s just different than what I’m used to. But different isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It was just a shock to see him dressed like that. “I guess it’s not. It’s just surprising.”

My eyes follow Baz around the room as he grabs some food and sits down at his table, snickers following him as he walks. From Dev and Niall. No one else seems to really care how Baz decided to dress today.

I try to pretend not to care either, turning back to my own food, but I can’t stop my gaze from wandering over to Baz.

***

I can’t keep my eyes off of Baz the rest of the day either, no matter how hard I try. There’s just something about the way he looks in that skirt that has my eyes glued to him, and it takes my full attention to try to figure it out.

Finally, as I stumble through the lesson in our final class of the day, I figure it out.

Baz is plotting something, and he’s wearing the skirt to throw me off his trail. He wants me focused on what he’s wearing instead of whatever it is that he’s planning. It almost worked, too. I haven’t been able to think about much except that skirt.

I mentally shake myself, feeling foolish. I almost let Baz trick me. If he had managed to keep me distracted, he could have gotten away with whatever he wanted.

Now, I absolutely cannot take my eyes off of him. I have to follow him and figure out his nefarious plan.

***

I follow Baz around for the next several days, and he keeps wearing that skirt, trying to distract me. But I won't let him get away with it. I will figure out what he’s up to and stop him.

Currently, it’s Friday afternoon, and I haven’t stopped watching since the moment he walked into the dining hall for tea. (Without blasting the doors open this time.)

“I know he’s up to something,” I murmur, more to myself than to Penny, but she responds anyway.

“Simon, I mean this in the kindest way possible, but you’re being an idiot.”

“What?” I ask, so shocked that I tear my eyes off of Baz in order to look at her.

“Did you ever stop to consider that maybe he just likes wearing a skirt and that’s why he’s doing it?”

I consider this possibility briefly and silently acknowledge that she has a point, but, “It can’t be that simple. There has to be something more to it.”

“Why?” She asks, sounding exasperated.

“Because it’s Baz. He is always planning something. He’s just trying to distract me,” I explain to her for the third time in just as many days.

She sighs, like she’s giving up on me. “Fine. But consider this: your obsession with Baz’s skirt has nothing to do with the fact that he might be plotting something.”

“What do you mean? What else would it have to do with?”

She shakes her head. “Only you can answer that, and I think it will be better if you figure it out on your own.”

I frown, confused. I don’t have any idea what Penny is on about. The only reason I’m watching Baz so much is to stop his wicked plots.

...Right?

I look over to his table, but he’s gone. He must have left while I was talking to Penny, which means he’s on his way to football practice and is probably changing into his football shorts at this moment.

There’s a weird pang in my chest, almost like disappointment, but I know that can’t be right. Why would I be disappointed by Baz taking off the skirt?

I wouldn’t. What Penny said is just messing with my head.

I quickly finish my tea and scones and rush out the doors to follow Baz. I can’t let him out of my sight.

 Baz

I cannot wait until this dare is over. I’m not sure that I can handle another minute of Simon’s watchful gaze following me everywhere I go. It has gotten worse this week, and I swear I’m going to suffocate under the weight of all of his attention.

Everyone else in the school got over me wearing this skirt after the first day – or rather, the first hour, but Simon seems to be getting more interested in it with every second that passes. I don’t understand why he cares so much. It’s just a skirt.

Luckily, there are only a couple more hours left of this ridiculous dare.

Dev and Niall agreed to let me change out of the skirt during football practice only if I immediately put it back on and wore it all the way through dinner and until I went up to my room for the night. (I can’t even begin to imagine what Coach Mac would have said if I had shown up to practice in a skirt.)

I already got enough attention from the skirt the first time I wore it. Everyone’s eyes were on me as I walked around the school in it. No one dared say a word to me about it, though. Probably because they knew that I wouldn’t hesitate to blast them away with just a few words and flick of my wand.

Now, as I head to the library after dinner, I tug at the skirt self-consciously, glad that I only have to wear this until after dinner. I can’t believe that I actually agreed to this bet. Or that I lost. Or that Dev just had this skirt lying around in his wardrobe.

“No questions,” he said as he handed it to me. I raised my eyebrows at him but said nothing.

I had to spell the skirt to fit me, but it wasn’t too far off from my own size. The only thing I didn’t change was the length. Most girls wear their skirts longer, but if I’m going to go through with this dare, I’m keeping the skirt exactly how Dev had it. I won’t lie, I’m curious as to where Dev might have gotten it, but I respect his privacy enough not to bother him about it.

I wish I could say the same for everyone else.

I’d probably be staring at me, too, because it’s so different from what I usually wear at school, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not annoyed. There is one person’s eyes on me that is particularly getting to me.

From the moment I stepped into the dining hall on Monday, Snow’s eyes have tracked my every moment. He was so shocked by my appearance that his mouth fell open, and he stared at me for a full minute before Bunce said something to him.

Ever since then, I have felt him following me, closer than ever before, and he looks like he wants to say something. He hasn’t yet, and I’m unsure what is holding him back. Even though I’ve been doing my best to avoid him, there have been several moments when he could have corned me and said whatever he wanted.

I am relieved he hasn’t, though, because I am simply not in the mood to listen to him make fun of me. Especially since if this weren’t so against the social norm, I might feel inclined to dress like this a little more often.

Simon Snow is the last person I want to hear making fun of me for wearing something that makes me feel more like myself than anything else.

 Simon

“Would you please stop drooling over Baz’s legs and focus. You were the one who wanted to study today.”

“I’m not drooling!” I say defensively, my voice a little too loud for the library.

“You’re like two minutes away from it. You haven’t stopped staring at his legs all day.”

She gives me this look that leaves absolutely no room for argument, so I press my lips tightly together and turn my attention back to my notes. We have an important exam coming up, but I can’t focus, not with Baz sitting over there dressed like that.

I have to confront him about it. Ask him what he’s plotting.

Finally, I’ve had enough, and when Baz gets up to go in search of a book, it’s the perfect opportunity.

I stand and Penny sighs but doesn’t say anything. This is likely paired with one of her signature eye rolls, but I can’t bring myself to look her in the face right now, so I don’t know for sure.

I watch Baz disappear between the stacks and follow after him.

Maybe I’ll actually be able to get him alone this time. I’ve been trying to talk to him all day, but I didn’t want to make a big scene in front of everyone, and I could never get him alone.

I find him towards the back of the library and realize that I never actually figured out what I would say to him once I finally got the chance to talk to him, and my mind goes blank as my eyes once again fall to the skirt he’s wearing.

“What the hell are you doing?” I blurt.

Well, that probably wasn’t the best thing to say.

 Baz

Simon’s exclamation startles me, but I go very still in the hopes that he won’t notice. I didn’t even know he was in the library. I thought I would be safe from him here, but sure enough, when I turn around, he’s standing behind me with an intense expression.

“What do you mean?” I sneer, trying to play it cool.

“I know you’re plotting something.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

He takes a step closer to me, and my heart starts racing. My cheeks flush, too, and I’m not really sure why.

Simon’s eyes drop to my skirt as if that’s answer enough, and I’m pretty sure his own cheeks go a little red as stares at me.

That’s interesting, I think.

“You know, Snow, if you wanted to get me alone, all you had to do is say so.” I say it just to see how he’ll react. To test something.

He really is blushing now and stutters out a bunch of sounds that don’t make up any real words.

He doesn’t hit me, though. He doesn’t even deny it. His pale skin just keeps getting redder until it looks like all of the blood in his body might be in his face. It’s kind of cute but also confusing. Why is he reacting like this?

“That’s not—. I mean—. What are you planning?” He says, trying to sound fierce, but in reality, he just sounds nervous. It truly is interesting.

“Nothing. I just like wearing skirts.” I tell him the truth only because I know he won’t believe it.

He growls at me and takes another step forward. I try to back away from him, not trusting what I might do if he gets too close to me, but I bump into a shelf and have been effectively cornered by him.

“You’ve got me where you want me,” I say, a little too breathily. “Now, what?”

He shakes his head, and I’m not sure if it’s at me or himself. He doesn’t say anything, just takes another step forward until we’re mere inches apart.

I glance around us, but we’re all alone. He has me trapped, and I don’t even mind. Even if he were about to kill me, I don’t think I’d stop him. I might kiss him first, but I wouldn’t mind dying with Simon Snow this close to me.

A long moment stretches out between us as we stand like this, practically staring each other down. Then, his eyes move to my mouth then my skirt then back to my face, and I try not to shift under his gaze, try not to care.

But then something shifts in his expression, and he starts to lean in closer until our lips are a breath apart.

Simon

Maybe this is what Penny meant earlier.

I wasn’t obsessed about Baz wearing a skirt because I thought he was plotting something. It was because I was attracted to him in it.

Once that thought enters my mind, it’s like everything else seems to click into place.

The skirt isn’t the only thing attracting me to Baz. I’ve felt this way about him before, I just always buried it and threw myself into figuring out what he was plotting.

But it was always so much more than that.

I watch Baz a lot. The way he casts spells, using his magic so effortlessly. The way he pushes his out of his sparkling grey eyes when it comes loose from its slicked back state. The way his hair almost starts to curl when he gets out of the shower. The way he smiles when he thinks no one is watching, like he is truly happy.

The thoughts and realizations keep circling in my mind until I realize that I desperately want to kiss him.

I start to lean forward but stop, wondering if I’m making a mistake. What if Baz doesn’t want this?

 Baz

Simon hesitates briefly, meeting my eyes, like he’s waiting for me to tell him no or push him away, but I’m not going to stop him. I don’t have that kind of willpower.

I nod at him, and that’s all it takes for him to close the distance between us.

His lips press to mine softly at first then more firmly once he realizes I’m really not going to stop him. I can’t stop the sigh that escapes me as he kisses me like it’s the only thing he wants to do.

I kiss him back slowly, afraid that this is all a dream, but it’s not. It’s so utterly real. Simon Snow is kissing me.

With that thought, I put everything I have into the kiss, tilting my head to deepen it and putting my hands on his hips to deepen the kiss.

It feels weird to feel Simon against my bare leg. I mean, it feels weird to have him this close in general, but also, it feels nice.

He’s so warm, and I didn’t realize that I had been freezing all day with my legs uncovered until Simon’s natural body heat starts to warm me up.

I smile into the kiss as one of his hands finds its way into my hair, tangling there. His other hand slides down my side until he reaches the edge of my shirt and hem of the skirt. He stops there, like he’s found exactly what he was looking for.

Damn, I think, pulling back to catch my breath, if I had known that wearing a skirt would get this reaction from Simon, I might have worn one a lot sooner.

Apparently I say that last bit out loud because Simon agrees. “You should. It looks better on you than anyone else.”

I feel all of the blood in my body rise to my face in a deep blush, and I kiss Simon again in the hopes that he won’t notice how pleased I am by his words.

I have never told anyone how dressing in girl’s clothes really makes me feel, so it makes me feel elated to hear Simon say he likes it.

This isn’t the first time I’ve tried on a skirt, but it’s the first time I’ve worn one in front of other people. Which is why I accepted the bet. And why I intentionally lost. I wanted to try it out. I wanted to see how other people might react while being able to say that I didn’t have a choice if things didn’t go too well.

This week has given me hope, though. It made me feel like I could dress like this more often if I wanted to. And maybe I really will.

I don’t think I would want to dress like a girl all the time or that I want to be a girl, but occasionally dressing like this makes me feel really good. It feels right.

I kiss Simon harder, happy that I can be myself and be allowed to kiss him when I never thought I would be able to do either of those things.

[spencessmile]

Gone

Requested? Yes 

Pairing - Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader 

Summary - Hi! could I request a piece where the reader and team are solving a pretty tough case and you find out some bad news. Knowing that you have to finish the case, you don’t say anything but you just end up breaking down. Thanks. 

Warnings - None 

Word Count - 2k

And all imagines/fanfics/blurbs are written solely by me so please don't steal my work and/or post it without my consent. 

Feedback and Comments are welcome. Happy reading! 

Requests are CLOSED!

** 

“This feels weird,” You look up at Emily as she looks up from her paperwork. 

“It does feel a bit strange, doesn’t it?” You nod. 

“Are you sure it's been three weeks?” 

“Yup.” 

“Wow.” 

“I feel so fidgety sitting here and doing paperwork,” She said grabbing her empty cup and taking yours as well. 

“Me too,” You follow her to the kitchen, grabbing a granola bar. 

Spencer and Morgan walked into the kitchen as well. 

“What’s wrong with you?” Emily looks over at Morgan. “And what’s on your hands?” 

“It’s black ink,” Spencer answers before Morgan can. 

“Why do you have black ink all over your hands?” You ask. 

“We work for the FBI, we do a shit ton of paperwork for every case we ever work on, you’d think they would have a functioning printer. You would want them too, right?” He asks and you slowly nod. “Well, they don’t! Instead, they have the piece of crap in there that they call a printer. It doesn’t do shit!” 

“Morgan’s right,” Emily agrees. “That thing is garbage.” 

“Maybe try to not beating it up every time you print something and maybe it’ll start working better,” You suggest. “Then again I wouldn’t know because I have my mini printer,” You say, smirking. 

“Oh that was so well played with Hotch, I still can’t believe you got away with that bullshit and ended up getting a printer for your desk.” 

“I had a broken leg Morgs,” You reminded him. “Besides Hotch was the one who asked if I needed anything.” 

“Anything yet?” Reid asks, pouring coffee and handing a cup to Morgan. 

“Nope,” Emily sighs. 

“Are we this desperate to catch a serial killer?” You ask. 

“This is the longest we’ve ever gone without being called on a case. Hotch is probably in his office trying to figure out which case to take on," You chuckle at Morgan's response. 

Just then Garcia walks in, holding several files. 

“I’m giving this case file to Hotch but grab your go bags, the jet is running, brief on the jet.” 

“Oh,” Emily quickly grabs it. “Finally,” You all drop your cups and run to grab your bags and head towards the elevator. 

** 

It’s been almost two weeks and you all were nowhere near to solving this case. The victimology and MO of the unsub made no sense to any of you. 

Anytime you’d think you have something, you’d connected it with what you already have and it just wouldn’t make any sense. 

“It’s late,” Hotch said. “Let’s head back to the hotel, rest up and start again tomorrow morning.” 

“When I asked for a case I didn’t mean one that makes absolutely no sense,” Emily said, dropping her head down on the table. 

“No case is ever solved in a day,” Rossi says. 

“We've spent the last however many days in this boardroom and we haven’t got much Rossi,” You said pointing to the evidence board. “Our unsub killed two people before we got here in the strangest way and now has gone awol.” 

“We spent the last 336 hours going through this case,” Spencer corrects you as you chuckle. 

“They’ll strike again,” He responds. “They always do.” 

“Oh my god,” Emily groans. “What time is it?” 

“Almost 8 o’clock,” JJ says, looking down at her watch. 

“I need tequila!” 

“I’m so in,” Morgan said. 

“I’m in,” JJ said. 

“I’m buying. Aaron you in for a couple of drinks?” Rossi asked. 

“Sure,” Hotch replies. 

“What about you two love birds?” Morgan looks at you. 

“Nuh-uh, I’m so sleepy,” You said.

** 

As you and Spencer got ready for bed, you can’t help but have a strange feeling forming in your stomach. Something was nagging at you but you couldn’t tell what it was. 

It was making you feel sick, almost. 

“You okay?” Spencer asked. 

“Yeah, I miss sleeping in our bed. Hotel beds just aren’t that comfortable.” 

“Me too,” Spencer said, kissing your forehead. “Come on,” Spencer turns off the light and he pulls you closer. 

An hour passes as you twist and turn but you still couldn’t get that awful feeling in your stomach to pass. You carefully get up and pour yourself a glass of water. You pull at the blinds a little, which reveals the moon. You stare at it for a while until you hear shuffling. 

“Babe?” Spencer sits up rubbing his eyes. “What’s wrong?” 

“Nothing,” You responded. 

“Then why are you up?” 

You sigh, sitting down beside him. 

“I just can’t sleep tonight,” You tell Spencer honestly. 

Spencer could tell you were anxious about something. He turns on the lights and takes your hands in his. 

“Talk to me please,” He said softly. 

“I jus-” You take a deep breath before continuing. “I just have this bad feeling about something.” 

“Bad feeling about what?” He asks. 

“I don’t know.” 

“How long have you felt like this?” 

“Not long,” You reply. “It sort of started when we came back to the hotel and were getting ready for bed.” 

“You let me go to bed when you were feeling like this earlier?” Spencer asked, concerned. 

“I thought the feeling would go away but now it’s making me feel sick.” 

“Tell me how I can help you?” 

“I want to sleep.” 

Spencer lays back “Come here,” You lay down next to him as you place your head on his chest, you can hear his heartbeat as his hand moves to your back, softly rubbing your back. 

Before you realize it, you slip into slumber. 

** 

“How are you feeling?” Spencer asks the next morning as you're getting ready to head back to the station. 

“I’m better.” 

You lied. 

You didn’t feel good, if anything you felt worse than last tonight. The nagging feeling was eating at you even more. You were pushing the feeling aside but the more you did the more you wanted to throw something at a wall or yell into a pillow. 

“Good,” Spencer said, kissing you. “Come on, the team is waiting for us downstairs.” 

**

As this case was getting nowhere you decided to step out aside and get some fresh air, outside. 

You quietly sat on the bench, closing your eyes as you took in the light breeze and warm sun. The moment didn’t last long until you jumped at the sound of your phone piercing through your ears. 

Your heart started racing when you looked at the caller ID. 

** 

“We need to re-deliver the profile,” Hotch says. 

“Alright,” Morgan replies as he realizes that you're not in the room with them. “Pretty boy, where is y/n?”

Spencer turns to face Morgan as he realizes that you weren’t in the room. Spencer wouldn’t be concerned when he doesn’t hear from you in a while because often when the wheels in your brain were turning you tended to be quiet and focus on your thoughts. 

“I thought sh-” 

“I’m here,” You say, gripping your jacket with your hands. “So-sorry, I went out fo-for some air. Where are we?” You ask, walking past Emily to stand next to Spencer. 

“We’re about to re-deliver the profile,” Your hands were shaking, no matter how much you tried to control your breathing, you couldn’t. 

You felt like you might pass out but you quickly grabbed Spencer’s hand as he put his hand over yours. 

“You okay?” He whispered and you nod. 

“Absolutely,” You flash him your fakest smile, as you and him both know that it didn’t reach your eyes. 

** 

No matter how much you tried to drain your thoughts with the voice of Hotch speaking your mind wouldn’t let you. 

You had no control over how your body was reacting; your hands were shaking, you kept fidgeting, all your body height was on your left foot and you were swaying side to side. Your eyes were glued to looking out the window on your left-hand side. 

You don’t how long passed until you realized the room was quiet, as you peel your eyes away, all the officers and the team were looking your way. 

“Agent Y/n,” You looked down at your feet not wanting to look at Hotch but you felt someone’s hand on your back.

“What’s wrong?” 

Rossi. 

No, no, you can’t do this here. You're doing your damn job this can’t be happening right now. 

No, please. 

You felt Rossi pull you aside. “Kid, what’s going on?” You felt the tears pressing your eyes as your breathing was picking up again. 

It was happening; you were starting to feel it. 

You looked up at Rossi, as water threatened to spill out of your eyes and you shook your head. 

“I jus-” You couldn’t even finish your sentence without wanting to fall into pieces. “I don’t kn-” 

“It’s okay,” He reassures you. 

You look past Rossi’s shoulder and see Spencer standing there and that completely did it for you. 

“I’m sor-sorry, I can’t,” You push past Rossi, Spencer, and the team, heading back into the conference room. 

You shut the door, leaning against the table as you feel an overwhelming sense of emotions. You try to hold back the tears but the more you did, the worse you felt. So you let them fall and you let yourself feel weak and hurt. 

**

“Y/n,” There was knocking on the door but you didn’t flinch, or turn around to see who it was. “Can I come in?” 

Without turning around, you nod. You hear the door open and close. 

Spencer. 

“Please talk to me,” Spencer didn’t come near you but he stood by the chair. He patiently waited for you to say something. Spencer being in the room once again made your tears fall and made your insides yearn for someone you’ll never see again. 

You turn around to face him and his face softens seeing your tear-stained face. He walks up to you but stops enough to see your face. 

“What’s wrong?” Spencer’s voice made you crumble more inside. 

You all you did was look at Spencer and it was almost like he knew what you were going to say. 

You know you had to say it.

Say it. 

Say it.

Say it so you can be okay with it. 

“He’s dead.” 

As soon as Spencer’s arms wrapped around you, you completely broke down. You gripped his sweater with your hands and dug your head into his shoulder as you held onto him tightly. 

“He’s dead,” You repeated, feeling yourself falling apart. Spencer supported you by holding you close as he let you fall apart in his arms. 

“It’s okay.” He whispers coddling your head. 

** 

The next couple of hours were a blur to you. Spencer and you made it back to the hotel. Spencer helped you change into comfier clothes, ordered some food, and quietly sat with you until you were ready to talk. 

“I’ll never be able to go back to that park,” You spoke up. “It’ll remind me of him too much.” Spencer squeezes her hand. “I’ll never be able to tell him that I love him or we’ll never be able to go and get ice cream ever again. I won’t ever be able to call him and ask him for advice, and that I’ll never hear him crack one of his lame jokes. I’ll never be able to hug him again.” 

Spencer knew you were hurting and he wanted to say something to soothe your pain but nothing he would say, would ease your pain. 

“He’s gone Spencer,” You started tearing up again. “My brother is dead.” 

“Hey, look at me,” Spencer wipes your tears. “He may not psychically be here anymore but now he’s always watching down on you. He’s your guardian angel.” 

“I never told you but he’s been calling me for the past two weeks and been asking when I would introduce you to him. He was so excited to meet you. He had this huge list of things he wanted to do with you. He was so ecstatic when I told him about you,” You turn to face Spencer, laying your head in his lap. You looked up at him as his fingers ran through your hair. 

“I guess it wasn’t meant to be.” 

You hated that it wasn’t mean to be, you wanted your brother to meet the man that pulled you out of your darkness and pushed you towards the light. 

“You would have loved him, Spence,” A single tear rolls down your face. “He just had so much life to him. He has always up for a challenge and the love he had for books is just insane. He would've loved to share his books with you. He once told me that he so excited to play a game of chess with you and absolutely crush you.” 

Spencer lightly gasps. “Nobody can beat me in chess.” 

“Oh, he would have ended you in five moves.” 

There was a long pause, as Spencer just stared down at your features. “I believe you.” 

“I played so many games with him but I never found a way to beat him.” 

Spencer loved the way you talked about your brother, the way your eyes would shine, and the way your smile would light up your whole face. 

“This is exactly how your brother would want you to remember him, by all his good memories. He wouldn’t want you to be upset.” 

“I know,” You sigh, rubbing Spencer’s hand. “I love you and thank you for being so patient with me.” 

“I’ll always be here for you. I love you.” 

** 

To live in hearts 

We leave behind 

Is not to die - Thomas Campbell 

[hotchseyebrows]

thoughtfulness in little things

a derek morgan x penelope garcia fic

a/n: can you believe that is my first ever full length morcia fic? me? resident morcia nut? wow. what a world. anyway!! i hope yall like this (and if you noticed it was already on ao3 earlier today shhh this is a scheduled tumblr post im Sleeping rn) and hopefully i dont take 4 months in between posting fics again, but i make no promises!!! my brain is Evil

thank you @blkantigone for being my beta and thank you @derekmorqan for letting me barf 1k of this in our dms a while back, i love you both sm

they do kiss a fair bit in this (it is, in fact, a first kiss fic) and its a little steamy, but by no means explicit and is rated teens and up on ao3 :)

read it here on ao3!!

Penelope splutters. “Sugar, you don’t have to stay here with me, it’s really not that big of a deal.”

He shrugs. “How am I supposed to party when my best girl is stuck at work?”

-

Everything changes during a late night in Penelope's batcave. But really, nothing changes at all.

word count: 3000

Friday nights without a case are a rare treasure for SSA Hotchner’s highly sought after team of profilers. Normally, Derek and Penelope would be taking advantage of the freedom by dancing all night, but sometimes the universe has other plans. 

Penelope used this week’s case-free time to put the finishing touches on an antivirus and security software of her own creation. The personal information of her beloved BAU babies was a hot commodity well worth the additional protection, and she’s always looking for a reason to fiddle with Quantico’s servers. It ended up being a whole production, taking the entire afternoon and then some. Apparently, she still doesn’t have all of the permissions required to make certain adjustments which means that she’s fiddling and bending her way into all of the things she needs to do. If that wasn’t bad enough, the whole damn thing crashed around 4:00. She managed not to pull her hair out, but it was a close thing and it set her back at least an extra hour.

Derek stops by a little after 5, his jacket slung over his shoulder. “Baby girl, I can hear the bottles of DC’s finest vodka and Hennessy calling our names, are you almost ready to leave for the day?” He pauses in the door, taking in her furious typing and furrowed brow. “Whoa, Mama, what’s the matter? You’ve got Hotch’s eyebrows.”

She throws her arms up. “The entirety of the FBI and also the world is getting on my nerves!” He walks over to her, leaning on the side of her chair and turning her away from her monitor. His hands gently grab both of hers and he rubs a soothing circle with one of his thumbs. 

“Explain, baby girl.” 

She does, eventually just ranting and raving about how annoying it is to still be put in metaphorical handcuffs by the FBI as if she can’t just do what she wants anyway. “I’m not even breaking any rules, technically, they’re just making things annoying and long winded.” She sighs, moving her hands to interlock their fingers. “But now that it’s started, it would be doubly annoying to stop it and come back later. So I’m stuck here until it’s done, which might take a while.”

He nods, thinking. Then he straightens up, grabs the extra rolling chair, and sits down. 

Penelope splutters. “Sugar, you don’t have to stay here with me, it’s really not that big of a deal.”

He shrugs. “How am I supposed to party when my best girl is stuck at work?” She blushes, turning away to hide it on instinct. 

“You cheeseball.” She spins around to lightly push on his arm. He just smiles. 

They sit together for 20 minutes in relative silence as she continues her work. It’s a comfortable silence; his occasional humming soothes her rising annoyance at how needlessly long this is taking. She can hear him playing with one of the fidget toys she keeps on her desk behind him. When she gets to another point of sitting and waiting, she turns towards him and asks him about his day. He tells her about how Prentiss helped him get Reid back for a prank by distracting him in the break room while he switched out the keyboard of Reid’s computer with an identical one with a grass garden planted inside. “It’s a long con for sure, but I’m hoping it sprouts this weekend.”

She laughs. “How long did it take you to set this up, dumpling?” She already knows the answer, but it’s nice to see his slightly sheepish but proud look about his dedication to his prank war. Her computer beeps at her, and she spins back around to begin working again.

He rolls closer, avoiding her question and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “You getting hungry yet?”

She relaxes, leaning against him. As if on cue, her stomach grumbles. “Yes, I’d say so.”

He leans over and moves a strand of hair out of her face. “Okay baby girl, I’ll go grab us food and be right back.” She nods, lifting her cheek on instinct to meet the kiss she knows is coming. He stands and sure enough, leans down to kiss her cheek. “I’ll be quick. Be good.”

“How can I do anything else if you’re not here?” She bats her eyes up at him. 

He grins. “Oh, I’m sure you’d think of something.” He brushes his knuckles against her cheek. It makes her shiver.

She watches him leave, catching the kiss he blows at her from the door. Turning back to focus on her work, it feels like she blinks and he’s back. A glance at the clock tells her it’s been over a half hour. He puts the bag of food onto the table before coming to pull her away from the computer. 

“One minute, I promise, I’m so close to just letting this thing run for a little.” He twirls her hair around his fingers before dropping his hands onto her shoulders, rubbing away the tension. A minute and a half later, she leans back in her chair with a sigh. She tilts her head back and sticks her tongue out at him. He smiles at her. 

"Come eat, baby girl. Don't think you're getting out of eating my hard won dinner." He moves to the table and pulls out her chair. She follows and sits.

"Hard won — mon cher, you didn't tackle a wild animal and lug it home to our log cabin in the woods, you drove your car 20 minutes."

He kisses her temple, handing her a pair of chopsticks. "Yeah, but I would lug home whatever you needed anytime, so the sentiment is the same."

She smiles and knocks their feet together under the table lightly. He moves his chair, so they are sitting right next to each other on the same side of the table. The heat from his arm is palpable.

Derek grabs a box from the bag and splits the vegan pad thai within onto two paper plates. He opens the box of spring rolls and places it in between them while she places napkins in front of them both. He pops the cap off of her bottle of lemonade without her asking, and sets that in front of her too. “Thank you, handsome.” He smiles in response. They start eating and the comfortable silence returns. 

She talks him through what she still needs to do to fix everything in between bites, even though she knows he doesn't really understand her technobabble. But Penelope can feel his eyes on her, and without looking, she somehow knows that something has shifted in the air around them.

"What?" she asks, turning her attention away from gesturing at her computer with the chopsticks. "Do I have something on my face?"

He chuckles. "Actually, yes, c'mere." He brushes away a stray spot of sauce on the corner of her lips with a gentle swipe of his thumb. The rest of his hand stills on her cheek. She shivers. She can see him notice it, his attention focusing in on her. Penelope's blood is thundering in her ears as he glances in between her lips and her eyes.

She leans purposefully into his hand. His thumb brushes over her lips again and her mouth falls open a little. 

"Penelope, I-" he cuts himself off with a hard swallow. "Penelope." His eyes flicker down to her lips and back up to her eyes quickly again.

She can only blink at him for a moment. "Yes, Derek?"

"I don't kn- um. Can I-" She's never seen him flustered and unsure like this. But they've never been out of sync before and they aren't about to start now, so she nods, bringing up a hand to rest on his. A smile grows on his face before he starts to lean in. His hand slides along her cheek to more firmly grip her face- it makes her gasp.

He pauses, thinking something is wrong. "Penelope, are y-" Her heart swells at how careful he is to take care of her always, and she meets him in the middle, pressing their lips together in a soft, purposeful kiss.

For a moment, all is still. The world boils down to just the place where their lips are touching. Their lips barely brush against one another, but already Penelope feels light headed. Derek separates their lips for a moment before kissing her again, a firmer touch this time. She sucks in a breath through her nose. His lips are incredibly kind- that’s the only word for it. He doesn’t seem to know the word “take” right now because all she can feel from him is “give.” As he presses into the kiss and gently cups the side of her face, her brain wildly spins through thoughts about how of course he’s like this even when kissing her and how good he smells and how she can’t believe they haven’t done this sooner.

He draws her closer against him, pressing into the kiss more insistently before bringing his other hand up to her face and holding her. His fingers move to cup the sides of her neck and she tilts her head to the left a touch, letting her mouth fall open in a sigh. He makes a soft noise before tentatively sliding their tongues together. A full body shiver runs down her spine and through her limbs. Another small noise falls from the back of his throat. Her stomach swoops like they've just dropped down the side of a huge arch in a roller coaster. She places both hands on his chest, pressing forward. He moves with her, chair squeaking underneath him as he presses closer, one arm snaking around her back. Penelope’s heart pounds even louder. His tongue is gentle even in its insistence as their kiss turns slightly desperate. 

It feels like someone has lit a fire underneath Penelope’s chair, warmth washing over her whole body and radiating out from everywhere they touch. One of his hands tangles into her hair as he gently tilts her head back. If she wasn’t sitting her knees would have buckled so long ago, but now she would absolutely be on the floor. It’s no surprise that Derek Morgan is an incredible kisser, but knowing something and knowing something is so different. 

He pulls back, letting their foreheads rest together. Her eyes stay closed, tingles radiating from everywhere his fingers are tenderly holding her face. She tightens her grip on his shirt. He kisses the tip of her nose. "You still with me, baby girl?"

She nods, breathless. She slowly opens her eyes and smiles at him. "Hi." It's the first thing she thinks to say. 

He laughs. "Hey you."

She has so many questions- how long have you wanted to do that, can we do that again right now, can we do so much more right now, right here- but before she can ask any of them, her computer beeps loudly. "Oh!" She jumps at the sudden noise. He drops his hands and leans back, looking far too much like the cat who got the cream. "I should- right, I should deal with that," she says, standing on shaky legs. Heels were never so precarious. Of course, there is no hiding from a profiler.

He grins up at her. "Need some assistance?" His eyes are shining like he's hiding a joke. She scrunches her nose at him, biting back a smile.

"Oh, hush you. I’m perfectly capable of walking 3 feet, thank you very much." Her tenacity is a little undercut from the way her hands are trembling a little as she smooths her skirt, but still. The point remains.

He raises his hands in surrender. "Alright baby girl, go on then."

She walks over to her computer and stays standing to fiddle with the wires behind it before bending over at the keyboard and reading the report on the screen. "It shouldn't be much longer now, it just needs to run the last new anti-virus- what?" He's leaning back in his seat and staring at her, a small smile dancing on his lips.

"What, Mama?" But he knows what, clearly evident from the way he is trying to school his expression into something innocent.

She blushes. "Derek Morgan, I don't know what I'm going to do if you keep looking at me like that."

"Oh, I don't know. I might have some ideas."

She sucks in a sharp inhale through her nose. Playing nonchalant, she turns back to her computer. "Well, I might have to hear your ideas out."

"Yeah?" 

She glances at him out of the corner of her eye and he's grinning.

"Yeah." she says, not trusting what will come out of her mouth if she elaborates (probably something along the lines of “I’d listen to all your ideas, do your ideas include any semblance of forever, if you keep grinning like that I'm gonna lock the door and do something reckless”).

They sit in relative silence, just the sounds of her typing filling the room. When she finishes, she spins her chair around. "Hi," she says again.

"Hi baby," he responds.

Her fingers twist and curl the hem of her skirt. "So, uh, well, that's gonna take at least another 30 minutes to finish running."

He raises one eyebrow. "30 minutes, huh?" 

She nods. "Might be a good time for some of those ideas." 

He stands and walks across the room to her. She takes his offered hand and stands as well. They stay there, inches apart and holding hands as the charged atmosphere around them seems to crackle. In the same breath, they lean in to kiss again. Both of her arms wrap around his neck as he tucks his around her waist. He pulls her against him, fully pressed together as the soft kiss deepens into something heated and desperate.

He bites her bottom lip gently before the kiss turns open mouthed and slick. She arches against him as they slide into a slow rhythm. She feels fluttery, like his arms are the only anchor point in the whole world and if he let her go, she’d simply float away. He tastes like lemonade, sweet and alive. She hums as he tracks his hands in a slow circle at the base of her spine. Her knees really do buckle a little as he attempts to tug her closer, but he holds her steady. She rests a hand on his cheek and grounds herself by using the other to grip the back of his neck. She’s utterly swallowed up by him, his arms and his mouth and just him surrounding her in their own little cocoon. He separates their mouths to kiss across her jaw and down her neck, hands flattening on her back. He places a line of long kisses down to the crook of her neck. She lets out a sigh, letting her head fall to the side to give him more room. He sinks his teeth into the same spot lightly, and she shudders. 

"Derek," she whispers. She can feel his smile against his skin as he kisses the same place again.

They slow to a stop, tucked against each other. He rests his face against her neck and mumbles something against her skin. "Hmm honey?" she says, hand rubbing a circle on the nape of his neck.

"I got us that Talenti ice cream you like," he says, only moving enough to be heard. “Chocolate peanut butter cup, and the color changing spoons are still in the break room.”

"Oh Der, that's so sweet, you didn't have to do all of that." Her heart skips a beat. 

He shrugs, kissing the side of her neck. "I wanted to."

She is half tempted to haul him in for another kiss, but as if on cue, her stomach grumbles. He picks his head up and smiles at her. "Come eat now," he says before giving her another quick peck. 

She lets him pull her to the table, but before they sit, she pulls him in again. He chuckles into the kiss.  "Eat, you menace." He mumbles against her lips. Pulling back, he plants a kiss on the apple of her cheek as he guides her into her seat.

She bites a retort about how she was trying to but he sees it on her face anyway. 

"Later, baby girl. Dinner first."

“Then dessert?” She tilts her head and gives him a flirty smile. 

He runs his thumb along her bottom lip. “All the dessert you want, Penelope.”

Much the same as before, they eat in comfortable silence. Except this time he rests a hand on her thigh, and traces a slow lazy circle with his thumb. The conversation picks back up and turns to unrelated things. Derek muses about possible retaliations from Spencer once he notices his new desk plants as he casually offers her a bite from his plate. She takes it, humming.

Something Penelope did not realize had lost its footing resettles in her chest. Nothing is different, not in any way that would scare her or be a loss. They are just the same as they've always been, but also more. (Though she'd be hard pressed to think of a time when this wasn't the way they were. Maybe things are just being unveiled, not changed.) 

When they finish eating, he goes to get the ice cream and two of the fun spoons from the break room. They split the pint and laugh far too loudly for how late it is. The computer beeps for a final time, software finally fully uploaded and settled. She still has to run tests and double check that everything is working, but that can wait. Derek offers her a bite of ice cream, and if he kisses her again to remove the ice cream from her bottom lip, she can't say she minds.

[twink-appreciation-posts]

Too Forward - Spencer Reid x Reader

chapter three of “all bets are off”

So, uh, this is probably going to complicate your work relationship. 

warnings: smut, spencer reid is a dom in this universe, daddy is said like 3 times lol idk if that’s gonna be a theme in this series or a one time thing, kind of public sex (not rlly though it’s car sex), probably out of character but oh well

“Well, it’s an hour's drive back to the office. Y/n, Reid, you can go home for the night. Nice job, agents.”

Those were Hotch’s final words to you for the evening. You, glad to have an excuse to leave the awkward presence of your co-workers, happily obliged, scurried to your car. As you opened the driver’s side door you heard someone call your name.

“Uh, y/n!” It was Reid. Of course.

“You were kind of my ride here. Would you mind dropping me back at the office so I can get my car?” He smiled sheepishly.

Oh. Right. Duh. You had come here together, of course you’d be his ride back. “Yeah! Of course.” You grinned, the awkwardness you had so quickly tried to escape returning. “Hop in.” Once you were both situated in the car and you had begun to drive, you moved to turn on the radio.

“Hey, actually, I was wondering if we could talk.” Spencer reached out his hand to stop you. He was either way more comfortable with touching you now, or you were just starting to notice it more.

“Sure. What about?” You tapped your finger on the steering wheel nervously.

“Listen. I don’t wanna seem too forward but…” his voice trailed off a bit. Oh god. Where was this statement going? “You liked it.” He finished.

You cocked your head to the side, glancing at him. “Excuse me?” You held back a nervous laugh.

“You liked it when I kissed you.” He said it more confidently now, as if your response had validated his observations. You couldn’t respond. He wasn’t wrong, of course, but what was the purpose of him bringing it up in conversation? “When I um,” you felt a new warmth on your thigh. He was running his fingers up and down your exposed skin. What the fuck? “When I touched you.”

Just the way he said it made your breathing become labored. “I did?” You questioned, trying to use comedy to mask the increasing desire overtaking you.

“Oh come on y/n, don’t play dumb. You know as well as I do that you would’ve let me fuck you right there against the wall if we had had the time.”

You nearly slammed the breaks. Did he just say that? Were you dead? That had to be it. The mission had gone wrong. The unsub had drugged you and you were dead. That was the only explanation. “If I’m wrong, you can tell me,” Spencer continued, his hand ceasing its movements momentarily. A choice. He was giving you a choice.

“I-I’m not the only one who enjoyed myself. I could feel you through your pants.” You stared straight ahead, eyes on the road. Anywhere but on him. He must’ve taken your response as a decision, because his hand crept just a bit higher.

“I can’t deny that. Seeing you all dressed up like this? I mean, I’ve always known you were gorgeous, but… I guess you could say this,” he smoothed his fingers over the velvet of your dress. “Well, this sent me over the edge.”

Well. This was certainly out of character from the Spencer you had known all these years. You hadn’t even realized he was having these types of thoughts about you.

“So. What are you gonna do about it?” You questioned, gaining confidence.

“Pull over.” He said simply.

“What? Spence, we’re on the highway.”

“Pull over." He repeated.

You were a bit worried what would happen if you didn’t oblige. So you did. You pulled onto the shoulder of the abandoned highway, it was past midnight now after all, and stared at him.“Okay. Now what, genius?”

You barely registered the click of his seatbelt becoming undone before his lips were on yours. Forceful. Demanding. He wasn’t wasting any time. Apart from the initial shock, you began to respond to his touch quickly, fumbling to undo your own seatbelt as well. His lips moved down from your lips, to your jaw, to your neck. His tongue swirled on the sensitive skin and your eyes fluttered shut. “Fuck.” You mumbled, your head leaned back and rested on the glass of the driver’s sear door, allowing him easier access. He pulled away and you whimpered at the loss of contact. He only chuckled in response, his hand moving to pull down one of the straps of your dress. He tugged it down and then he was right back at it, his lips working at your collar bones, your newly exposed cleavage. “Are you gonna be a good girl?” He asked in a moment of pause, looking up at you with those hazel eyes. You nodded weakly. Embarrassed. “No, sweetheart, I want to hear you say it. Tell me that you’re going to be a good girl.” You bit your lip, considering your current situation. “Come on. Say it and I can give you what you want.” You glanced down to see his hand moving under your dress, his fingertips just barely brushing your inner thighs.

“I-I’ll be a good girl.” Your voice shook, but he seemed content with your words as his fingers began to press against your panties.

“So wet for me, too.” He husked, running fast circles around your clothed clit.

You couldn’t hold back your moans, a string of curses leaving your mouth. “Shh, baby, that’s not the type of language I wanna hear from you. You said you’d be good.”

What? He didn’t want you to curse? A power thing. Of course it was. He wanted to control not only your body, but everything else about you too.

“Aren’t you gonna apologize?” He questioned, his pace slowing down.

“I-I’m sorry Spencer.” You rasped out. “I won’t do it again.”

He licked his lips, eyes scanning you. “You’re so pretty like this. So weak, so powerless. Do you want my fingers inside of you?”

You were shaking now, craving stimulation, craving more of his touch. “Yes. Please. Please, I need it.” You were barely concerned with how pathetic you sounded at this point. He didn’t even reply, only pushed your panties to the side and pressed a finger against your entrance. You legs instinctively spread a bit wider, inviting him in.

“I knew at the bar that you were needy, but I didn’t realize just how much.”

Before you could retort, he was sliding a finger inside of you, curling it to find your g-spot. It felt even better than you were expecting. Maybe because you had been thinking about this moment for hours, ever since he had first placed his lips on yours. It was disgusting, you knew, pulled over on the side of the road, letting your colleague finger you after work like some kind of shitty porno. He eased a second finger inside of you, not too difficult considering how wet you were, and began to pump them in and out of you. He leaned back over, pulling down your bra strap this time, and taking your nipple into his mouth, his tongue teasing you ever so slightly.

“Fuck,” you exclaimed again without thinking. You immediately clamped your mouth shut. “Oh f- no wait, I’m s-sorry.” You began, but he was already pulling his hand and mouth away. You cried out, feeling empty.

“You’re making me think that we should put that dirty little mouth to use, hm?” He questioned, holding up his two fingers, still slick with your own wetness, to your mouth. You met his eyes, opening your mouth, and he pushed them in, pressing down on your tongue. “Mm, good girl.” He mused, his free hand was fumbling with the zipper of his pants, and you finally took the opportunity to get a good look at him. Sweat beaded on his forehead, his hair messy, and of course, his noticeably hard dick pressing against the fabric of his pants. “You like what you see?” He teased. You couldn’t respond, his fingers still placed aptly in your mouth. He struggled for a moment to free his dick from its cloth confinements, but your eyes widened when he did. You didn’t know what you had expected. When you had felt it at the bar it felt.. big.. but you hadn’t nearly prepared yourself to see it. He wrapped a fist around his cock, and you watched, unable to tear you eyes away. “That’s right," his voice was sweet. "You’re gonna be a good girl and watch daddy touch himself. because you haven’t earned the chance to do it yourself, have you?"

Did Spencer just call himself daddy? This was a moment where you were sure that you should be laughing. It made no sense. It wasn’t… Spencer. And yet, you could only react with a gargled moan. Why was this turning you on? Why was this hot? You decided your original idea had been right. You were dead or drugged. No way this was real. But you didn’t have too much time to think about it before his next command came. He pressed his fingers further into your opened mouth. “Suck.”

You obliged, closing your lips around them and running your tongue up and down their length, imagining it was his cock in your mouth instead. He groaned in pleasure, the speed at which he jerked himself off at increasing steadily. “You don’t know how difficult tonight was for me y/n,” he gasped out. “Seeing your pretty little body in such a tight dress, you grinding your ass into my cock like you didn’t have a care in the world. So difficult for me to not bend you over that bar and fuck you there right where everyone could see.” He closed his own eyes for a moment. Your hand creeped in between your legs, craving stimulation. He huffed, noticing, and removed his fingers from your mouth. “I know how badly you want me, baby. It must have been hard for you too, huh?” You nodded, playing to his sympathy. “It’s okay sweetheart. I’ll be nice.” He made good on his word, immediately pushing both fingers into your entrance, your body clenching around him. You were already so blissed out, you couldn’t decide whether to close your eyes from all the pleasure or to force them open so you could watch as he fucked his fist. You were moaning, writhing against his fingers. You wanted nothing more than for Spencer Reid to fuck the ever-loving shit out of you. But you supposed this would suffice for now.

“You’re gonna cum for me, aren’t you baby? Gonna cum all over my fingers? I know you’re gonna look so fucking pretty. So fucked out and weak. All for me.”

Well, if you weren’t about to cum before, you definitely were after he said that. You whimpered, nodding, and his fingers moved in and out of you even faster. “Good. Good girl. Cum for me. If you do you might even have time to help daddy out before he’s done.”

Well, that was an offer too enticing to refuse. So you did as he said. You came, shaking, around his fingers, your moans of pleasure echoing in the small space of the car. He watched you, eyes unwavering, as he made you come undone. His fingers didn’t still until you were panting, squeezing your thighs together to slow him down. “Even prettier than I imagined,” Spencer commented, placing his fingers back into your mouth for you to clean. You did, happily, and when you had taken a moment to regain your sanity, you looked at him eagerly. “Aw, look at you. So cute. You really wanna help daddy cum?”

You nodded, eyes still trained on his hand pumping his cock. “Come here baby.” He said. His voice was so hot when he was like this, you noticed. It was breathy. Strained. Filled with desire. He gently placed a hand on the back of your head, rooting his fingers in the hair on your scalp, guiding you down towards the tip of his dick. Your tongue flicked out, testing him, and he moaned your name loudly. You took him into your mouth, his hand applying just a bit of pressure. You started slowly, trying to get used to the length of it, and his head lulled back against the passenger seat, hair falling into his face. You were slow, but he didn’t push your head down farther, despite the fact that he could’ve. No, instead his hips began to buck up ever so slightly. He looked down at you, checking to make sure it was alright, and when he saw no sign of distress he began to thrust shallowly into your mouth, his hand still keeping you in place. “You feel so good, y/n.” His eyes rolled back. You moaned around him. Fuck. Why was it so hot letting him use you for pleasure like this? “I’m gonna cum.” He stuttered through gritted teeth. “And you’re gonna take all of it, right? Because daddy was so- f-fuck- so good to you.” You couldn’t reply, but you knew that he knew the answer was yes anyway. After a few more thrusts of his hips he came,  the taste and warmth flooding your senses.  You did your best to take it in full, wanting to fully follow his directions. When you were content with your work his hand eased off of you and you sat up straight, wiping your mouth on the back of your hand as you swallowed.

There was silence. You pulled the straps of your bra and dress up, regaining your breath.

“So I was right about you liking it when I kissed you.” Spencer breathed out eventually, zipping his pants back up.

You shook your head, chuckling at the absurdity of the situation, and started the car.

“Well, Doctor, you’re rarely wrong.”

[cheri-translates]

[CN] ASMR Transcripts (Victor)

🍒 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers for ASMRs which have not been released in English servers! 🍒

> reliance - 依赖

> warm embrace - 温暖怀抱

> seep into the heart - 沁入心扉

> entwined breaths - 交错呼吸

> pillows and stars - 枕星

> evening affection - 暮夜缱绻

reliance - 依赖

You aren’t sleeping yet?

Didn’t you say you were tired beyond compare?

But what?

If you’re tired, sleep early.

[ footsteps ]

I’ve closed the curtains. Go to sleep.

…what are you muttering about this time.

Hm?

Removing your make-up?

You know that you can’t sleep without removing your make-up, yet you aren’t getting up quickly.

You can’t get up?

….do you think you’re a three-year-old child?

[ Victor carries MC to the bathroom ]

I’m not carrying you? What’s the difference? The result is the same, so the method isn’t important.

…stop fidgeting. If you move again, I’ll put you down.

Your hand… hold on tight.

Mm, this is better.

Okay, get off.

Why aren’t you moving?

Why are you looking at me?

…you want me to help you?

…you’re insatiable.

Tell me, how am I supposed to help you?

Eye and lip makeup remover…

[ sound of bottles ]

On the right side? Oh, found it.

After that? Cotton pad… how much do I pour?

Why are you closing your eyes? You need to close your eyes to apply it?

…of course I know that.

You still have the energy to laugh? Looks like you’re not that tired. Do it yourself then.

All right, close your eyes.

Do I just leave it here and not move?

Thirty seconds? Okay…

You want to me say something? Okay. What do you want to hear?

Dummy… you took too long to think. Thirty seconds is already over.

–

I’m going to start wiping.

Is the strength okay?

Didn’t you say you’d get wrinkles if you wipe too hard?

“Who did you hear that from?” Who else could it be but you?

I wasn’t eavesdropping. You were muttering too loudly as usual.

…Spending your whole day on such meaningless things.

You’ll get them one day anyway.

What’s wrong?

Does it still hurt?

Don’t rub it. Come a little closer…

I’ll wipe it a little.

Does it feel better? …Why did you suddenly widen your eyes?

I call you a dummy, and you really start becoming clumsy.

–

Mm? You’re blaming me?

I’m just telling you the truth.

Everyone will grow old and get wrinkles.

But there’s no need to worry. I’ll grow old together with you.

What’s next…? Makeup remover…

Eh, remember not to open your eyes.

If it gets into your eyes, or if you feel pain, let me know immediately.

Is this all?

Why are you so nervous? Relax.

Sit still…

I’m not a dummy. Even if I don’t know how to use it, I know how to read the instructions.

Does it feel comfortable?

I’m going to wash it off now.

Come a little closer…

Okay, it’d be done soon.

You can sleep soon.

It’d be done in 20 seconds. Mm… if 20 seconds is too long, then 10 seconds.

It’s done.

Go back to sleep.

You don’t want to walk back on your own?

[ Victor lifts her up ]

Next time you want me to carry you, just tell me directly.

We’ve reached. Go to sleep.

You really do what you say, sleeping in a second.

[ Victor kisses MC ]

Rest well. Goodnight.

warm embrace - 温暖怀抱

What’s wrong?

You’re crying?

What happened?

You’re unwilling to tell me? That’s fine.

Remember to tidy up the tissues once you’re done.

The rubbish that you threw, throw it away yourself. Do you have an issue with that?

What’s wrong? No longer crying? Are you done?

If you want to cry, go on.

I will sit here and wait for you to finish crying. I won’t disturb you.

Sure you’re not longer crying?

No longer crying? Then go wash your face.

How long have you been crying alone? What made you cry until like this?

Give me the towel.

What exactly happened? Tell me.

Why are you crying again? You’re not allowed to cry. Your eyes are so swollen, and you’re still crying. Don’t they hurt?

All right, it’s late. Go to sleep. I’ll be with you.

Do your eyes still hurt?

Okay, I’ll massage them.

What shall we eat for breakfast tomorrow?

A few days ago, didn’t you keep bugging me about making you a lemon tart? Do you still want it?

I knew that you’d perk up once I mention food. Crying and then smiling - are you a three-year-old child?

Turn around. Let me look at your eyes. How did you cry yourself into a civet cat?

If your eyes can’t open, go to sleep. I’m turning off the lights.

Why are you hugging me so tightly?

You felt wronged?

I’m not making fun of you. Don’t you love to cry? It’s not like it’s the first time.

Tsk, you bit me? Looks like you haven’t cried enough.

All right, stop playing around. Keep your small sharp teeth away. Be quiet and listen to me.

When you feel wronged, it’s normal to cry. But you can’t just know how to cry. When it comes to trivial problems, and the initial emotions have passed, you need to let it go. Don’t keep turning it over and over in your head. Only when you’ve calmed down can you find a solution to the problem.

Not making a sound – You don’t like hearing these things?

All right, I won’t talk about these principles.

Looking at how silly you are, of course you’d be knocked down by a small problem.

What’s wrong? Not acknowledging that you’re foolish?

I know what you’re crying about. But you must know that there are a lot of circumstances in the world that are out of our control. The causes and reasons behind every circumstance is complicated.

In a world where it’s impossible to know everything, it’s normal that we experience things we cannot understand and find difficult to accept. Even so, we have to accept it.

There are many ways to accept it. Crying is also one of them. However, only for one night.

The dummy I know will not be defeated by this small problem.

Don’t rub your eyes. When you wake up, your eyes wouldn’t be painful anymore.

[ Victor kisses MC ]

Sleep. Everything will be okay.

seep into the heart - 沁入心扉

Why did you only turn the night light on?

What?

[ sound of footsteps ]

Have you been waiting on the carpet until now?

You specially waited for me.

All right, I’ll sit nearer.

It’s only fun if I open the present in the dark?

Can’t you have a change of pattern?

Hm? I can only open half of it first?

Tell me. You gave me a gift, so why do I have guess first?

You’re insatiable.

Fine.

It seems heavy.

Is it a pillow?

I’m wrong?

Hm. Let me feel it a little more.

Why does it feel cooling?

I haven’t guessed it yet.

Give me a hint.

I can open another quarter? You’re really…

So what’s this saying?

Come closer.

Help me press it.

[ sound of the gift being opened ]

This is… a cooling pillow? Or a cushion?

I’m still wrong?

It’s too dark. I can’t see.

When do you plan to disclose the answer?

[ rustling and footsteps ]

I already guessed it and you still said I was wrong.

I think you’re getting bolder.

Why did you think of giving me a cooling cushion?

Because the weather is hot?

Mm. I have been sitting in front of the computer for long durations recently.

I need it.

It’s good to be tired.

I will be sure to take rest.

Unlike some dummy, who, in order to give me a present, has already yawned twice

And you still say you’re not tired?

Changing the topic again.

Mm. It is very comfortable. I like it a lot.

However, why were you being mischievous just now?

I’ll give you half a minute to explain.

[ awkward silence ]

What? You can’t craft a reason?

You’re really…

[ rustling sounds. MC starts massaging him? ]

This tactic doesn’t work.

What are you thinking about?

I moved over so you can experience the cushion with me.

[ footsteps ]

Mm.

How is it? Comfortable?

Come up a little.

Come up a little more.

You’re really…

How about now?

[ Victor’s delectable breathing sounds ]

I also find it very comfortable.

You can touch it.

[ TOUCHING SOUNDS ]

Doesn’t your back feel much cooler?

What did you say?

Water bed?

It’d indeed be more comfortable.

The shopping mall nearby has it.

No need to trouble yourself.

If you like it, I’ll buy one for you.

What’s wrong? You’re getting tired?

Then sleep.

Hm? Why are you holding onto my clothes?

You don’t want to sleep?

Then, do you want to have supper?

I brought some small bites back.

You don’t want to eat?

You don’t want to eat or have supper.

Tell me. What exactly are you thinking?

Dummy.

[ Victor kisses MC ]

Were you thinking about this?

Mm.

[ Victor kisses MC ]

Dummy.

Close your eyes.

entwined breaths - 交错呼吸

You can fall asleep while reading a book…

[ Victor flips through the book ]

Hm?

You’re always mumbling in your sleep.

[ Victor flips through the book ]

[ MC wakes up. Rustling of sheets ]

You’re awake?

“Basic Massage Techniques.”

Why are you looking at such a book?

You want to give me a massage?

You’re really putting what you learnt into practice.

Tell me. What do I have to do?

Lie here? Okay.

[ Victor moaning ]

The technique isn’t bad.

But… did I not feed you enough at night?

Use more strength.

Continue.

I won’t interrupt your performance.

[ Victor moaning ]

Over here.

[ Victor moaning ]

It’s fine. It doesn’t hurt.

I’ve been on planes recently, so it’s a little stiff here.

[ Victor moaning ]

All right, that’s enough.

Your hands aren’t tired?

You’ve clearly got enough sleep.

You’re very energetic.

The sofa is so narrow.

You don’t feel uncomfortable?

Come here.

Sit on my lap.

It’s more comfortable than the sofa.

You can continue.

[ Victor moaning ]

Hm? What’s wrong? You’re feeling shy now?

Fine, I won’t stare at you.

What are your hands touching?

My face needs a massage too?

Such strange logic.

When it comes to these things, you’ve really done your research.

[ Victor moaning ]

That’s a good analogy.

If 10 is the full mark, it’d be a 8.5.

You’re unsatisfied with this evaluation?

[ Victor kisses MC ]

Are you satisfied now?

[ Victor moaning ]

No need…

I don’t need a massage there.

[ Victor moaning ]

You’re still not being honest.

[ Victor moaning ]

You’re getting bolder.

What’s wrong? You want to lean against me?

What’s wrong? You’ve sprained your wrist?

You’re really a dummy.

Be good and sit here.

I’ll bring an ice pack over.

Why are you pulling me?

If it isn’t serious, I’ll just press it for you.

Give me your hand.

Wasn’t someone very happy when pinching my face just now?

Now you know what pain is.

How’s this?

Does it hurt?

All right. I’ll be more gentle.

How does it feel now? Does it still hurt?

If it doesn’t hurt, relax a little more.

How about now?

I’ll have to exert some pressure now.

If it hurts, let me know.

Don’t be too nervous.

I know how far to go and when to stop.

Relax.

I wouldn’t do anything to you.

What did you just say?

What do you mean by “9 marks”?

Only higher than you by 0.5?

I think you’re becoming more and more insatiable

Hm?

You know what pain is now?

You said you wanted to help me relax, and yet caused trouble for me again.

You don’t plan to compensate me with something?

I remember what I promised you. I wouldn’t go back on my word.

These are two different things.

Your memory is very good when it comes to these things.

Put the blanket over yourself properly. Wait for a while.

What’s wrong? Have you thought of how you’re going to compensate me?

Let’s hear it.

You’re too soft.

Lean closer.

[ Rustling sounds ]

Even closer. [laughs]

pillows and stars - 枕星

[ Sounds of waves on the shore. MC splashes her feet in the water ]

Do you want to look at the stars or stand around looking silly?

Aren’t you tired from lifting your head?

Come over and lie down.

Are you going to say that before today, you never would have thought Victor would be accompanying you to lie on the beach and watch the stars?

I said it before.

There’s nothing you can’t think about, and there’s nothing I can’t guess.

You’re here to look at the stars. Not to look at me.

Your eyes should be lifted upwards.

[ Victor laughs ]

Are the stars here what you expected?

Me?

I saw the stars frequently when I was small.

On a roof in Èze.

It felt the same as right now.

Not requiring much thought, nor needing to care about how much time has gone by. It’s just that I became too busy later on. Moreover, I can also see the stars from LFG’s roof. Or rather, I need to face even more important things than looking at the stars. [ Victor sighs ] There was indeed a time. When I forgot to lift my head up to have a look. [ Victor sighs ]

Translated by @cheri-translates on Tumblr ( ́・ᴗ・ ` ) When LFG was first established, there were some problems with the way the management was

run.

Every day, there would be a continuous stream of issues.

None of them could be held off to the next day.

I had no choice but to busy myself till late.

And the employees who were waiting for my official replies would also have to wait till late.

It took a long time before LFG could slowly get on the right path.

Saying all this is meant to tell you that I’ve taken the crooked path before.

So you don’t have to feel dejected every time you make a mistake.

Moreover, many things don’t have a right or wrong in the first place.

It’s just that every person has a different way of thinking.

I remember telling you that if you ever feel too fatigued, you can quieten your heart and think - which area did the problem surface from?

After finding it, think of a solution, and arrange a work tempo that belongs to you. Don’t keep getting led by the tempo outside.

Don’t be so quick to retort.

Think first. Give it some thought before doing it.

Even if the final conclusion is that there isn’t space for improvement, at least it’s a conclusion that has gone through contemplation.

When you face the troublesome problem again, you’ll have a more calm attitude. True, this isn’t an ingenious method. It’s just experience.

But you wouldn’t lose out from giving it a try.

At least LFG has been operating quite well till now.

It shows that this method has its merits.

[ Victor takes a deep breath ]

And after that...

You wanted to watch the sunset, then the sea, then the cherry blossoms, then the snow mountain.

You want to do whatever you think of. There isn’t a single moment of tranquilly. For example, right now.

[ Victor takes a deep breath ]

But I agree with your view.

Finding time to relax and take a break is a very important thing.

You’re right.

There’s a need to look upwards sometimes.

[ Victor takes a deep breath ]

I also think the starry sky is beautiful.

Looking at the stars like this makes me feel as though the surrounding clamour doesn’t have anything to do with us.

No matter how important work is, or how tedious life is, they can’t be compared to living this moment seriously.

Mm. Even your silly smile right now - I’ll remember it too.

[ Victor takes a deep breath ]

Are you cold?

Come closer.

[ Rustling sounds as MC shifts closer ]

I asked you to come closer.

I’ll block the wind for you.

I didn’t let you lean your whole body on me. [ Victor grunts ]

Why are you burying your face in my arms?

Are you still looking at the stars?

If you aren’t, I can bring you back.

If there’s something you want to do, say it directly.

I can’t understand the hemming and hawing used specially by dummies. But it’s not that I can’t make a guess.

[ Victor laughs, kisses MC, breathes heavily, and kisses her again ]

What’s so difficult about guessing the thoughts of a dummy?

Turn your face over.

Do you really want to bury your face in the sand and become a turtle?

Close your eyes.

Be obedient.

Close your eyes.

[ Victor takes deep breaths ]

When we left home, didn’t you want me to give you a night you’ll never forget for the rest of your life?

Whatever I promise you, I will always fulfil it. Tonight - I’ll remember it.

[ Victor takes deep breaths ]

You aren’t allowed to forget either.

evening affection - 暮夜缱绻

[ washing sounds + hair dryer blowing ]

Your face is so red.

Are you too warm after the bath?

If you lean over, just lean over.

Where are you putting your hand?

Why is it so fragrant?

Just how many types of body lotions did you apply?

Guess the smell?

Is this a little game before bed?

You were dillydallying in the bathroom for such a long time just to fiddle with this?

Since you don’t feel like sleeping yet,

I’ll satisfy you.

You said it yourself.

If I guess correctly, I’ll naturally claim a prize.

[ ruffling sounds ]

Tell me.

Where do you want me to start?

Okay.

Turn your head over a little.

Ticklish?

I’m not even touching you.

What’s so ticklish?

[ ruffling sounds + sniffing ]

The smell on your neck -

It’s lemon.

I haven’t moved.

Why are you hiding?

Aren’t you tired like this?

If you aren’t comfortable, come over a little.

Lean on me.

[ sniffing ]

There’s a scent of tangerine on your wrist.

Looks like I’ve guessed correctly.

Where’s the next location?

[ sniffing ]

What posture are you going for?

Sit still.

Don’t move.

If the location is wrong, I’m not taking responsibility.

[ sniffing ]

The scent on your waist -

It’s rose.

I can tell that you’re taking the trouble to increase the difficulty level.

But the scent of the rose’s fragrance is very obvious.

It can be identified in a short while.

[ sniffing ]

What?

You feel unaccomplished?

Even lower.

[ sniffing ]

It’s lavender.

[ sniffing ]

The ankles -

It’s grapefruit.

The game is over.

However,

Don’t you think this game was far too easy for me?

You haven’t thought about it yet?

Since the beginning of last week, you’ve been placing different types of body lotion in the bathroom.

Of course I noticed them at a glance.

Dummy.

What are you doing now?

Applying body lotion for me?

I can cooperate with you.

Just treat it as

Me gaining slight interest in this little game before bed.

What’s wrong?

This position isn’t convenient?

Which position do you want me to change to?

Anything is fine,

As long as you find it comfortable.

[ MC applies lotion ]

You’ve got it all over your hands.

Is that much really necessary?

It’s too fragrant.

As expected, it’s a scent only a dummy would like.

Continue.

Are you sure this is the way to apply body lotion?

Doesn’t your hand feel sore like this?

All right.

It’s time for this little game to end.

My favorite scent?

Aren’t you clearest about that?

Hm? Your face is red.

What are you thinking about?

I’m referring to when I hug you.

[kiss] Close your eyes.

Right now,

I should claim my prize.

[quickspinner]

Month of Miracles - Dressing Up 1

Okay, well, obviously this month didn't go anything like I planned, but I'm at least gonna finish the Hallmark AU! It's mostly written, I'm just finalizing it and taking care of all the boring stuff I always skip when I write the first draft! So never fear, we'll finish it before February. I think we have...three, maybe four pieces left to go (famous last words).

This is actually part 1 of 2--partly because I realized that what I had planned for this prompt worked better as two separate scenes and partly because I haven't quite finished part 2 yet anyway, so might as well split it so I can publish this part!

This was partly inspired by The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

Find the prompt list here!

Hallmark Movie AU Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 (end) | Read Month of Miracles on AO3

Marinette was sure she would never get used to this small town thing where people popped by without warning. She gave a slightly mournful glance at the pot of coffee that had just finished brewing, and went to get the door with a sigh.

Luka Couffaine stood on the other side, one hand in his pocket and the other holding a bouquet of multicolored flowers. He had that same look of longsuffering he’d worn when he’d come with his mother, but it softened into a smile as he saw her. 

“Um, hi,” Marinette said, suddenly breathless. Why was she nervous? It was just Luka. She just...hadn’t expected to see him again so soon, after she’d cried all over him. She felt both embarrassed and oddly shy. 

“Hi.” Luka gave her a lopsided smile and offered her the flowers. “Rose made me buy them and told me not to come home until you’d forgiven me for upsetting you last night.” 

Marinette’s mouth dropped open as she took the flowers automatically. “But you didn’t do anything wrong,” she protested weakly, looking up at him. 

Luka shrugged. “It was easier not to argue.” 

Marinette giggled a little at that, and Luka’s smile widened for an instant before he looked down. “To be honest,” he began, shoulders curling inward slightly, “I wanted to see you anyway. Make sure you were okay, after all that. It got pretty intense and...I didn’t mean to put that on you.” He straightened and met her eyes again. “I am genuinely sorry about that. I wasn’t intending to upset you so badly.” 

“You didn’t,” Marinette told him, laying a hand on his arm. “Really, Luka. It wasn’t you. And I appreciate that you showed me something so…” she hesitated. 

“Raw?” Luka supplied, with a half smile, and Marinette hunched her shoulders a little in embarrassed acknowledgement. “Sorry if it was too much.”

Marinette shook her head, looking down to play with the stems of the bouquet. “I understand why you did it, and I feel...maybe flattered isn’t the right word, but it’s as close as I can get. I appreciate that you showed me that even though it was hard for you. I do feel like I understand you better now, and…” she shrugged. ”It was worth it.”

Luka glanced away, but he was smiling. “It wasn’t as hard as you might think. Not when it was you.”

Marinette blushed, not at all sure how to respond to that, and there was a moment of awkward silence before Luka cleared his throat. 

“So, um…” he winced. “Rose kind of needs a favor, and so after I groveled at your feet,” he grinned, and Marinette huffed a quick giggle, “I was supposed to ask if you’d be willing to come over to the library and take a look at what she needs. I can take you now, or you can swing by later, whatever works for you.” 

“Oh,” Marinette blinked. “Uh...sure, now’s good I guess. Just—let me put these in some water and get my coffee in a travel mug?” 

“Yeah, sure, no rush,” Luka said, backing up a step. “I’ll get the truck warmed up.” 

He retreated with quick steps, and then climbed into his truck and started it up, holding a hand over the air vent. It had gotten most of the way warmed up on the trip over, but the air blowing from the vents was still a bit chilly. 

What am I doing? he asked himself, and then sighed. He really didn’t know. He just...he felt his expression soften as he glanced up, watching Marinette come out of Gina’s door. He hopped out to open the other door for her. It was a big step up for her into the truck, and when he took her coffee and held her arm to steady her, she turned a warm smile on him that he felt all the way down to his toes.

Okay, he definitely didn’t know what he was doing, but he knew he had to do something. These feelings weren’t going anywhere, and he was starting to feel like a liar, hanging out with her as friends without telling her he was beginning to have deeper feelings for her. 

Way past beginning, if he was honest. 

Well, he thought as he handed back her coffee and closed her door, I was always good at winging it.  

“So what is it that Rose needs?” Marinette asked, as he got up into the driver’s seat and closed the door. 

“Well,” Luka said, flashing Marinette a quick grin, “it seems that there was a mishap in the storage of last year’s pageant costumes, and Rose is hoping you can bail her out.” 

Mishap, he called it. Marinette stared in horror at the costumes Rose had laid out. They were moldy, and stained, and moth-eaten—no, that couldn’t have been moths, did they have rats? Ugh. Marinette’s skin crawled just looking at them.

“Do you think you can save them?” Rose asked, hands folded together in a pleading pose, huge blue eyes staring at Marinette over them. 

Marinette winced. “Rose...I don’t think there’s any salvaging these. I don’t know what got to them but…” She looked back at the tattered cloth and shuddered. “I think you’d better burn them.”  

Rose’s eyes widened and filled with tears. “Oh no!” she whispered, both hands covering her mouth. 

“But I can try to make you some new ones,” Marinette blurted, and then winced. Oh no, why did I say that??  

“Really?” Rose squealed, bouncing several feet in the air. “Oh, Marinette, you’re the best!”

“Hold on,” Marinette cautioned, even as Rose threw herself into Marinette’s arms. “Rose,” she tried again, patting Rose’s back reflexively. “I said I’d try, but…”

Rose ignored her, seizing her hand and dragging her over to a small crowd of children and teenagers sprawled in, on, and even under some of the library tables.

“This is our cast,” Rose said, throwing out her hands with a proud grin. “So you can get whatever measurements you need right now!”

“I don’t—” Marinette began, but fell silent as Rose kept talking, making one-sided introductions that Marinette was absolutely not going to remember. Still, it made her look at the children and... 

Marinette had to admit, she could see both why these children had not been picked for the traditional pageant and why Rose was offended about it. The two tallest wore black and slouched their shoulders, hands shoved in the pockets of long coats as they peeked at her through the hair falling in their faces. A shorter girl had pads on her knees and elbows and a sideshave with pink tips on the long side, and was listening with a slightly bored expression to a bubbly redhead who had piercings all up the shell of one ear. A boy sitting next to them, reading a book with his feet propped up on another chair, had pierced ears, killer eyeliner, and a multicolored ombre manicure that made Marinette envious.

The whole crowd was like that, and some of them looked more...mainstream, than others, but they all had something that stood out about them that didn’t exactly say ‘host of angels greeting the holy family’ in the strictly traditional sense. 

“Normally nobody really cares about appearances, but they get stubborn about Christmas and the Christmas pageant,” Rose said with a shrug. “Nobody says it outright, but it’s no coincidence that the traditional kids get picked every year, you know?” 

Looking at the little crowd of kids, Marinette saw a disparate set of personalities, both clinging to stereotypes in an effort to find an identity that worked for them, and breaking out of those stereotypes in new and interesting ways, and she would have loved to follow them each around for a day just for the ideas they sparked in her. 

This wasn’t the time for that, though. 

“I’ll need some materials,” Marinette said doubtfully. She’d already been to the only fabric store in town and it was closed, the owner having gone on vacation somewhere warm and sunny for the month. 

Rose frowned as well, and opened her mouth, but was interrupted. 

“I can help with that.”

Marinette jumped and turned, looking up as Luka gave her a smile. “Hi,” he said, amused, and Marinette blushed. She’d forgotten he was there. 

“I have racks of clothes from my shows in the attic.” Luka shrugged, as if he didn’t notice her discomfort. “Jagged always has a clause in his contract about getting to keep his tour clothes, so it ended up in mine too. You’re welcome to scavenge it for anything you can find.” 

“O-oh,” Marinette blinked. “Well...it’s a start, right? If you’re sure.” She frowned. “That’s probably some really expensive clothes though.” 

Luka shrugged, indicating the hoodie and jeans he wore. “I’m not exactly using it. Might as well go to a good cause.” His gaze softened a little as he looked over her head at the kids. 

Marinette smiled, and looked back as well. “Okay, Rose. Let’s go over what you need and who’s going to be using what, and I’ll get whatever measurements I need.”

“Great!” Rose chirped, bouncing as she clapped her hands. 

The next little while was a bit of a blur, as Marinette tried to take notes on Rose’s chatter while meeting the kids a few at a time. They all looked a little hesitant at first, so Marinette put on her best, most reassuring smile, the one she used with inexperienced models who were nervous about their first big fashion show, and asked them cheerful questions as she took their measurements. She kept the topics light, asking them about their pins or patches or hair color, and most of them had mostly relaxed by the time she was finished. She surprised one or two with her knowledge of video games and laughed when one of them challenged her to a mech strike duel. She wrote her handle on a slip of paper and gave it to him with a wink, and managed not to laugh in the poor boy’s face when he blushed. 

“I think that’s everybody,” Marinette said, waving to the last one, and turned around, blinking. “Where’d Rose go?”

“Hmm?” Luka had been sitting nearby at a table, chin in hand. He blinked like he was coming back to earth, and Marinette felt a twinge of guilt. No surprise he was zoned out, he must have been so bored just watching all of this. She should have let him know he could leave. Surely he had work to do and she could have walked back or gotten a ride with Rose. 

“Oh, I bet I know where they are,” Luka said, rolling his eyes as he got up.

“They?” Marinette echoed, following him. 

“Juleka showed up a little while ago,” he told her. “You were busy at the time.” 

He led her around a bookshelf into a little reading alcove, and Marinette stopped dead, hands flying to suddenly red cheeks. Luka knocked on the bookshelf next to him with an amused, slightly exasperated smile. “Hand check, ladies.” 

Juleka was standing there curled over Rose, her long hair partially hiding the shorter girl from view, but it was plenty clear what they were doing. The sprig of mistletoe in the middle of the decoration hanging over them removed any doubt. 

“What?” Juleka said, annoyed, as she raised her head from a very kiss-bruised and blushing blonde. 

“I’m, um, finished,” Marinette said, embarrassed, waving vaguely back the way they’d come. “You can get on with rehearsal now.” 

“Oh, yay!” Rose perked up. “Thanks Marinette, you’re the best.”

“You have lipstick on your face,” Luka said helpfully, holding back a laugh. Juleka flipped him off, but Rose just linked her arm through Juleka’s and sniffed. 

“Hmph. You’re just jealous because you wish you could kiss Marinette under the mistletoe. Come on, Juleka.” She dragged her smirking girlfriend off and around the shelves (though she did wipe most of the lavender lipstick off her mouth as she did so).

“Sisters,” Luka muttered. “Just my luck I’m gonna get stuck with another one.” He looked at Marinette’s blushing face and grinned. “You okay?” 

She began to splutter, and Luka couldn’t help laughing. “I’m gonna take that as a no,” he teased.

“How can she say something like that!” Marinette groaned, ducking her head and covering her red cheeks with her hands. 

“Well.” Luka licked his lips, and debated for maybe half a second before he went on. “It’s not like she’s wrong.” 

Marinette’s insides froze. Her head snapped up to look at him. Luka gazed back at her, looking calm though there was a tint of pink in his cheeks that hadn’t been there before. He glanced up, and with a crooked smile, took her hands, pulling them gently from her face. 

“I really would like to kiss you,” he admitted. He stepped back, tugging her lightly along with him until he paused and looked up. Still stunned, Marinette followed his gaze, up to the mistletoe decoration hanging from the ceiling. Oh. 

Butterflies took sudden flight in her stomach. She dropped her wide-eyed gaze back to Luka, only to find he was watching her.

“Only if you want to kiss me, though,” he said, with a slight shrug. He threaded his fingers through hers and tugged her a little closer. 

He held her gaze as he bent purposefully towards her. Luka bent until his nose was just brushing hers, head tilted just so, waiting, still watching her through half-lidded eyes. Heart hammering, senses suddenly full of him, of his rough hands in her and the evergreen scent that hung about him, his face filling her vision with those eyes so soft and yet so intense— 

Impulsively Marinette raised her face just enough to let their lips brush together. He didn’t move away, and Marinette did it again, pressing in a little more this time, and then Luka leaned into her and they were really kissing...lightly, but fully. 

It was...electrifying. Their hands untangled as they moved closer together, and he was so solid and strong and warm where she leaned on him. Her hands found his shoulders as his slid up her back, and it felt so good to be held, to feel wanted by anyone, let alone someone who was sweet and kind and down to earth while also being so... exceptional. But...even as his lips moved over hers she couldn’t push aside the fact that she was leaving. She had barely a week left, and then her whole family would descend on the town for Christmas dinner at Gina’s house and then...then she would be gone, and what...what would she do then? What was he expecting her to do? She had commitments and a career and he didn’t want that kind of life anymore, and— 

Luka pulled back with a soft click, his eyes staying closed just a moment longer than hers, before he opened them and smiled softly at her. “You’re thinking awfully hard for someone who’s being kissed,” he murmured. 

“It’s a terrible habit,” she said shakily. “I wish I didn’t.” 

“Then don’t,” he said, his hand coming up to cup her cheek. His thumb caressed her gently. “It doesn’t have to be about anything but the here and now, Marinette. Just let the moment be what it is.”

“That’s all well and good,” Marinette sighed, “until the future is the now and you have to deal with the consequences. Luka, I’m leaving.” Unconsciously her fingers played nervously with the fine hairs at the nape of his neck. 

“I know,” he said thickly, and cleared his throat. “Maybe I’m just not as efficient as you,” Luka grinned. “But personally, if the outcome is the same either way, I’ll take being deliriously happy for a week over moping around crying in my cheerios until you leave.” 

Marinette burst out laughing at that, and Luka chuckled along. “I’m not trying to pressure you,” he told her, leaning back and lifting a hand to cradle her face, rubbing his thumb over her cheek. “I’m just saying...I’ve come to care about you a lot, Marinette. More than just friendship. I hear you. I know where you stand. I’m okay with whatever you’re willing to give me, whether that’s just this and nothing more, or a couple of dates, or...whatever. You don’t have to worry about leading me on or giving me false expectations. I just want to be with you while I can.”

Marinette sighed. “How can that be enough for you, though? If you really—I mean—”

“I do,” Luka told her softly, tilting her face up to look at him. “I really do, Marinette. Please don’t doubt that. And it’s really not enough,” he admitted, with a sigh to match hers. “If more than that were on offer, I’d gladly take it, but…” He shrugged. “What do we have to lose?”  

Marinette looked at him, caught between conflicting realities. She liked him—she hadn’t even realized until now how much she liked him, but—what was he even asking her for? A week long fling? She...she didn’t do that kind of thing, she wasn’t sure she could, and...she didn’t know if she wanted to take on the pain of losing him, and wasn’t it better to just...just be friends for the time they had left? Could they even be friends after this?

Luka, watching her again, stepped back and dropped his hands back down to hers. He squeezed her hands gently, bringing her focus back to him. “Listen, we’re still friends. If you decide you’re okay with being more than that for the time you have left, you let me know.” He sighed, but cut it off and smiled. “Come on, if you’re done here, I’ll take you home.” 

He dropped one hand, but kept a gentle hold on the other, squeezing it lightly before he dropped it so she could pack up her things. Marinette packed her kit mechanically, glancing at him. Luka appeared perfectly at ease, chatting with one of the kids, and he didn’t so much as look at her. Trying to make things easy, she supposed, as he always did. Giving her some space, maybe, to absorb the sudden shift in her reality.

The reality where Luka—who was also Luke Stone the rock star and that was definitely too much for her to think about right now—liked her, as more than a friend, and told her so, and kissed her, and oh my I kissed Luke Stone, Alya would freak —

She knocked a coiled up tape measure off the table and it bounced and exploded into a tangle on the floor. One of the kids scrambled over to pick it up for her, and she managed to thank her with a smile, and just stuffed the whole jumbled thing into her usually-immaculate kit.

Her hands were shaking as she snapped it closed and looked for Luka. He smiled at her, and made his farewells to the boy he’d been talking to. He walked beside Marinette to the door with his hands in his pockets, and opened it for her. It was a stupid thing to blush about but Marinette did anyway. 

She still accepted his steadying hand to get up into the truck, and the smile he sent her was reassuring. She relaxed a little. He didn’t seem angry or hurt, and her nerves eased a little bit as he climbed up in his seat and started up the truck. 

Neither of them said much on the way home, and Marinette was grateful, because she was sure she would start to babble if she opened her mouth at all. Luka turned on some music, and Marinette smiled slightly as she realized it was Jagged’s latest album. She ventured to ask a question about one song in particular that she had always wondered about, and Luka answered her easily with a tale about the night on tour when Jagged had been inspired to write the thing. Marinette felt a little better by the time Luka dropped her off at home. Maybe this was okay after all. Maybe he was right and they could still be friends from here. 

“You can come look at the clothes whenever you’re ready,” Luka told her as he held her kit while she jumped down from the seat. “The farm’s effectively closed for the season since pretty much everybody has their tree now. Just come on over once you’ve got an idea what you need.” 

“Okay,” Marinette tried to smile. “Thank you, Luka.” 

Luka chucked her gently under the chin. “Don’t make me something else you’re worrying about, okay? You don’t have to tell me what’s going on but I can see you’ve got some things weighing you down, and I don’t want to be one of them. I’m just...I’m here for you. However you want me to be.”

Marinette’s smile was maybe still a little wobbly, but much more sincere. “Thanks, Luka.” 

“Sure.” He let her take her kit back, and watched her until she was inside. Then he turned and climbed back up in the truck.

Luka was very, very good at keeping it all together. He didn’t freak out, he didn’t panic, and he didn’t get upset—on the outside. His hands shook a little bit right before he gripped the steering wheel, but otherwise he was completely normal, right up until he shut the door in his own room at home.

Even then, all he did was bury his hands in his hair, slide down the door to sit on the floor, and sigh heavily. It was done, after all. He’d made his move and now he had to live with it. Luka didn’t regret it, exactly, but...he wished things were different. He really did. Maybe he should have talked to her instead of going straight to kissing, but...

He let go of his hair and thumped his head back against the door. He needed something to do. 

Well, the attic was probably a disaster. Might as well go up there and see if he couldn’t make it less of one before Marinette came over.

Fiction Master Post | Month of Miracles

[upamongthestarss]

Perfect Timing//Bill Denbrough x fem reader

Please be kind! This is only my second time publishing on tumblr, so I’m not really sure what I’m doing, but here we are!

Warnings: smut, brief mention of fem oral receiving, swearing, mild angst, underage drinking

Spring break came way too slowly, especially for Y/n. Freshman year of college is said to be one of the best years of your life, but it’s definitely the worst. Her high school was entirely too easy for her, probably because her teachers were just idiots. Then college hit, and the workload was unbearable. Not to mention, she grew homesick for her parents and her best friends and even a tiny bit for Bill. 

Oh, how she hated Bill back home. 

Well, okay, she didn’t hate him, it was more of just a mutual tension that sometimes led to the Losers separating them at all costs. 

They went on a few dates freshman year, and even kissed once, but it all ended when popular Autumn asked Bill to “help her with English” at lunch one day. He completely forgot to tell Y/n, but didn’t think much of the whole affair anyway. When Y/n walked out of the lunch line, she smiled at her newly official boyfriend. He was hunched over a piece of paper, diligently writing with ginger hair falling into his eyes. When Autumn saw her coming over, she tapped Bill on the shoulder, and kissed him full on the mouth when he turned to her.

Y/n’s hands went slack, causing her tray to clatter to the ground. Tomato soup splattered all over her new white Keds. She obviously looked down to see the damage, and missed Bill pushing Autumn off of him. He went over to check on her and help her clean up, but she stormed off to the bathrooms. 

From then on out, there’s been so much tension between them. Even though Bill explained what happened countless times, she’s absolutely refused to listen. She’s had trust issues after her biological father cheated on her mother when she was little, and this, well, this basically made them inflate like the economy. She wasn’t on speaking terms with him until the end of the school year, and even then their friendship was rocky.

But there was also a sexual tension. Bill and Y/n still had blatantly obvious feelings for each other, whether they wanted to admit or not. In fact, they even went to senior prom together, but it ended in disaster. There was a dramatic exit from Y/n when he mentioned how he was on good terms with Autumn now, and she was really sorry for what happened. 

“Why the hell would you bring that up now?” Y/n rose from her seat.

“B-b-because she t-told me she w-wanted us to-”

“Can’t we just completely forget what happened back then? It was so long ago.”

Bill flushed. “Well, it r-r-really seems l-like you’ve n-n-never forgotten ab-about it these past th-three years.”

She threw her napkin on the table and left after saying, “You’re a dick.”

That night she vented to Eddie and ultimately admitted to having feelings for him, but he knew that all along anyway.

That night was the last time they talked until it was time for Bill to leave for NYU.

“Good luck,” she told him, bouncing on the balls of her feet nervously. 

“Th-thank you, Y/n, y-you too!” he was so excited that day that he even pulled her into a hug, much to her surprise (and delight). 

And now, here she is, on the plane to Palm Springs. It’s a long flight from Marywood, so Y/n uses her time to finish her homework. She’s majorly jetlagged by the time she lands at Palm Springs International. Luckily, the cab ride isn’t ridiculously long. When she gets to Richie’s beach house, he’s on the porch with his feet up and a daiquiri in hand.

“Y/N!!!!” he shouts, putting his drink to the side and running down the stairs.

“RICHIE!!!!” she yells back, dropping her bags to run and hug him. 

“Oh, it’s been so long!”

“I know!! And holy shit, your house is gorgeous!”

“I’m telling you, Y/n, I lucked out so much by scoring that audition. Can you believe it? Rich Records Tozier, the nation’s youngest beloved DJ.”

“Hardly,” she chuckles. “So how is the life of fame treating you?”

“Oh, brilliant. Come on in, I’ll give you a tour,” he scoops up her bag and leads her to the door. It’s an incredible house, with a beautiful kitchen and even a movie theater. 

“And here’s your room,” he gestures to the first door upstairs. 

“May I?” she asks, hand on the doorknob. 

“Be my guest.”

She swings it open to a redheaded girl on one of the two beds. She looks up from her magazine, smirking. “Hey, roomie!”

“Bev!” Y/n shrieks as her best friend runs to her and practically knocks her over. 

“When did you get here?!” 

“About an hour ago. Stan’s here too, but he’s taking a nap.”

“Well, we’ll have to fix that, won’t we?” Y/n grins mischievously. 

“Everyone else is supposed to get here tomorrow morning, except for Mike. He’s coming tonight.”

“Oh, thank God. No Bill for a half day more.”

“Oh, Y/n, don’t be so close-minded,” Bev giggles and they sit down on the same bed, bursting with so much to catch up on. Richie doesn’t know if he should sit down with them or just go back to his daiquiri, but the doorbell rings.

“Saved by the bell,” he says, getting the side eye in response. 

The girls talk for hours until they decide to say hello to Mike. Y/n stops at the bathroom first, and it takes her a while to find the kitchen after that. She has to follow the voices and Richie’s booming laugh.

“Sorry, I got lost,” she says, turning in the kitchen. “Hi, Mi-”

The third person talking to Richie and Beverly is not Mike.

It’s Bill. And she looks like a total bum in her old sundress and messy ponytail. She isn’t wearing a drop of makeup, either.

“Y/n.”

“Bill. Good to see you,” she holds out her hand professionally. He shakes it.

Is it good to see him? Looking at his cerulean eyes certainly sends butterflies through her stomach and through… other parts of her body.

“Y-you too.”

That immaculate stutter. She sits down at a barstool and crosses her legs together tightly. Richie and Beverly are quick to notice it, but restrain from commenting.

“I thought you were coming in tomorrow morning?” 

She doesn’t sound rude or accusatory, just curious.

“M-my flight got c-c-cancelled.”

“Okay, gotcha.” 

She drums her fingertips on the counter restlessly, not really knowing what else to say.

Luckily, Richie has a plan in case things get awkward between these two- and he’s already having to use it.

“Anyone want a drink?”

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

“Nursing school is so insane. In anatomy, our teacher dissected a literal human body, and we had to examine it.”

“Eddie, please. We’re eating,” Y/n coughs. 

“It was disgusting, but it was also fascinating,” he defends himself.

“Whatever floats your boat,” Ben shrugs. 

“Y/n, tell us more about Marywood,” Eddie says, but she’s way too busy watching Bill talk to Richie’s cute next door neighbor while holding her little sister.

“You’re so good with her!” she simpers, tossing her shiny brown hair.

“Y/n? Earth to Y/n?”

“What?” 

“How’s Marywood?” 

“Oh, it’s… fine.”

“Just fine? Did you pick a major yet?”

She shakes her head.

“What about that guy? Are you still with him?”

“David? No, we were together for a while, but I guess the spark just kinda died. I mean, he initiated the breakup, but it was all mutual.”

Eddie squirts a dollop of sunscreen the size of a clementine in his hand. “That sucks. I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Don’t be,” Y/n shrugs, averting her gaze back to Bill. She’s very glad that she's wearing sunglasses, to hide her stares.

The cute girl was right, he is good with that little girl. Her heart would be melted, but Bill keeps flirting with the older sister. It’s disgusting.

And then, that girl has the audacity to drop the rattle she shook in the baby’s face. Y/n is close enough to hear the conversation, or at least read lips.

“Oh, l-l-l-let m-me get that.”

“Don’t worry, I got it,” she smiles, bending over so stealthily so that her breasts are all but out of that bikini.

“Ugh,” Y/n rolls her eyes.

“What’s up?” Ben asks.

“Nothing. I’m just going to go to the bathroom,” she stands up and walks almost catatonically to the door.

Instead of going to the bathroom, she finds a glass and slams it on the table. 

“D-damn, Y/n. That’s n-n-not a napkin, you kn-know.”

She jumps at Bill’s voice. He obviously followed her in, and she’s not too thrilled about it.

“Funny,” she replies, searching the cabinets. “Do you want anything?”

“I-I was ac-actually getting d-drinks.”

“Oh, for you and your new girlfriend? Hey, let me know when the wedding is. That is, if I even get on the guest list.”

“What’s your p-p-problem?”

“I don’t have a problem.”

Y/n finds a bottle of straight vodka and pours it right in the glass.

“Hey, its eh-eh-eleven AM,” Bill warns her, reaching for the glass. Unfortunately, their hands grab for it at the same time and it goes crashing to the ground. 

“Great, thanks,” she says.

“I didn’t w-want you to be w-w-wasted all d-day.”

“Listen, Bill,” she takes a deep breath. “I really appreciate your concern. I do. But it’s my life, and if I want to get wasted this early, then no one should stop me.” 

He doesn’t answer. They both grab rags and start to clean up around their feet.

“Th-this kind of r-r-reminds me of a certain sit-situation involving t-tomato soup,” Bill risks saying.

It was a terrible idea.

“Are you kidding me? I thought we moved on from that!”

“Yeah, so w-w-we can j-joke about it now!”

She’s silent for a minute, a blend of wrath and sadness.

“Just,” Y/n says, “Just go back out with your girlfriend.”

“I-I-I h-hardly know- o-okay, what the hell is y-y-your problem? We’re n-not together an-anymore!!! You sh-sh-shouldn’t c-care about my l-l-love life.”

“You don’t get it, do you?” she stands up, vodka dripping from the rag to her toes. “I don’t care that I shouldn’t care. I do care! I’ve always cared!” 

Bill is speechless, and she honestly doesn’t blame him. Y/n assumes he doesn’t feel the same about her. After all, they haven’t dated since freshman year. Sighing, she puts the rag in the sink and walks back outside.

She’s opening up her book and lying on her stomach to get a tan when Y/n hears an obnoxious “Excuse me?”

She looks up to the girl, who could literally be a bikini model.She looks at Y/n like she’s a piece of dirt, and Y/n just wants to smack her. She could never hurt anyone, though.

“Um, do you know when Bill will be back with the drinks?”

“Not a clue.”

******

Bill absolutely could not stop thinking of Y/n all day. He never really can, ever, but his thoughts have been out of control all damn day. They range from wild fantasies to regrets from way back when to just simply: She still likes me, she still likes me, she still likes me!!!!

He wants more than anything to talk to her and confess he’s been in love with her since high school, maybe even before that. But some small voice in Bill’s head tells him that even if she does have feelings, she won’t want to act on them. After all, he’s been nothing but an asshole to her.

Then again, so has she.

It’s really ironic that they’re so abrasive towards each other. Y/n is so kind and friendly to everyone she meets; that’s why Bill fell for her. And everyone tells him that he’s nothing but a sweetheart. And he’s always treated his every girlfriend like a princess. 

But it’s Y/n he wants as a girlfriend, and it always has been. 

Y/n comes running down the stairs, using the bansiters to prop herself up and skip the last couple steps. She’s been strangely lighthearted after she made that confession to Bill. It had been a weight on shoulders for the longest time, after all. And now that it’s out of the bag, she feels as if she can finally move on.

Holy shit, she’s so cute, Bill says to himself. She has this youthful energy, but the looks of a gorgeous young woman. Not to mention her outfit- a pastel yellow halter top, short jean shorts, and a sky blue scrunchie- looks magnificent.

“Okay, I’m ready to go!” she grins widely. “Sorry for the holdup!”

“You’re good,” Richie replies. “We were just figuring out transportation, considering I can only take five of us in my car.”

“I don’t mind taking the trunk,” Y/n shrugs. “Anyone else?” 

“I will,” Beverly volunteers. 

“Okay, great, and five of you can squish in the backseat. Mike claimed shotgun earlier.”

Everyone else groans while he flashes a smile and gives them finger guns.

“So charming,” Bev laughs and grabs Y/n’s hand. They run out to the car and squish in the trunk.

“Bev, I have to tell you something,” Y/n whispers.

“What?”

“I’m still not over Bill.”

“Thank you, Y/n,” she responds sarcastically.

“How did you know that? I only told Eddie!”

“It was just a little obvious,” she laughs. “And the good news is that we all think he feels the same way!”

“I don’t think he does, Bev,” Y/n shakes her head.

“What makes you say that?”

“Well, I told him today-”

“You what?”

“Shush!” she scolds as the boys get in the car. Luckily they’re all talking and can’t hear the girls if they whisper. “It just sort of... slipped out. But he didn’t even say anything. He just kind of… froze? It was so awkward.”

“You know he’s a little awkward around girls that he likes.”

“Is he, though?”

“Sure he is!”

“I don’t know, Bev. He stood there for a full thirty seconds without saying anything, and he just let me leave,” Y/n explains. “I think if he really liked me, he would have told me by now.”

Beverly gets quiet. “I’m so sorry, Y/n.”

“Hey, it’s okay! The timing was never right, and that- that happens. And it’s better I know now so I’m not hung up on him for the rest of my life.”

The rest of the drive is mostly just Beverly telling Y/n that there’s someone out there for her, and to keep her eyes open at the restaurant. 

It’s a bright restaurant, very tropical and very flamboyant. A lush plant, obviously made of silicon, is the centerpiece of every table. 

Good, it can hide me from Bill and spare my embarrassment, Y/n thinks as she sits opposite him. Unfortunately, Ben asks the hostess to take it away so he can see everyone. Y/n is mortified. Being directly across from her, he can watch and judge the girl the entire dinner.

She tries her hardest the whole meal not to pay Bill any mind, but it gets difficult when he starts getting tipsy. And drunk Bill can be wild. Singing and dancing on the tables wild. Luckily he isn’t at that point yet.

She doesn’t even know how he was able to buy drinks here; he’s only nineteen. The waitress must have a crush on him or something. Maybe she and Richie’s neighbor could start a Bill fanclub.

Y/n has a feeling the waitress would ask for her ID, though, so she sticks to soda. And three Shirley Temples is never good on anyone’s bladder.

“I’m going to the bathroom,” she announces. “Anyone else?”

Everyone shakes their heads. Everyone except…

“Me! M-m-me!” Bill waves his hand around like a hyper child.

“Great, I’m a babysitter now,” Y/n murmurs.

She starts walking to the bathroom, Bill hot on her heels. Surprisingly enough, when she finishes peeing, he’s actually waiting for her. 

“F-f-finally. G-g-girls take so long in the buh-buh-bathroom.”

She ignores him.

“Y/nnnnn,” he slurs. “I’ve been m-m-meaning to t-t-tell you, your a-a-ass looks fantastic in th-those shorts.”

“Because that’s not a rude thing to say at all,” she replies, feeling her face burn up.

“I’m n-n-not trying to be r-rudeeee,” Bill grabs her waist and pulls her in. Y/n can smell all the alcohol on his breath, and it’s disgusting. He kisses her full on the mouth.

She shoves him off, embarrassed by his behavior. “You’re drunk.”

“If b-b-being drunk makes me w-w-want to m-make out with you, I-I-I never want t-to be so-sober.”

That hits Y/n hard. Bill Denbrough wants her. But only when he’s drunk. 

He doesn’t love her in his right mind. This is all she has, and she can’t even fathom just taking advantage of him when he’s drunk. Using someone would hurt her in such an inexplicable way, and not to mention it would tear whatever small bond she had with Bill into shreds.

She plops back down in her seat, barely touching the rest of her food or speaking for the rest of the night.

When she gets to her shared room with Bev, Y/n takes a shower. She’s always loved showers because they’re a place where you can cry without risk of anyone hearing over the water running.

And that’s exactly what Y/n does. She lets the tears stream down her face, washed away by the showerhead’s water.

*******

Bill knows he got plastered last night, so it’s no surprise when he wakes up with a pounding headache. But he isn’t sure why Y/n is so quiet, especially around him. Usually she has a remark or at least a glare for him, but she seems almost meek today.

He pulls Beverly aside at one point, and asks if he did anything to her last night.

“I don’t know, Bill. You guys went to the bathroom at the same time, and when you came back, Y/n seemed really upset.”

“L-l-like angry, or s-sad?”

“Sad. But she didn’t tell me anything that happened. I’m sorry, Bill.”

“It’s o-o-okay. Th-Thanks, Bev.”

He spends the rest of the day trying to remember something- anything- from last night. Bathrooms. Bathrooms.

There are some vignettes. Y/n across from him, in that pretty top. Watching her ass as she walked to the bathrooms. 

Oh, shit. Bill made some sort of comments about those shorts. What happened after that? He kissed her, didn’t he? But why would that make her sad?

When evening rolls around, Bill still doesn’t remember anything new. He’s the only one in the living room, not even paying attention to the TV. His friends come bounding down the stairs, all wearing sneakers and athletic outfits.

“A-a-are you g-guys going somewhere?”

“Yeah, to the new rope climbing place,” Stan replies. 

“Where’s Y/n?”

“She has vertigo, and wanted to stay here. We thought you could stay here so she’s not alone all night.”

“You d-d-didn’t th-think about asking me f-first?”

“We drew names out of a hat,” Beverly steps in. “You just weren’t around when we did it.”

“Isn’t that a l-l-little ruh-rude to Y-Y/n? One of us is g-g-going to st-stay with her instead of h-having fun?”

“No, Bill, it was the opposite!” Richie tries to save the group, much to their chagrin. “We were voting on who didn’t get to stay home with Y/n. And you won! You get to!”

“Wh-what i-if I want to donate m-my win?”

“Doesn’t work like that. Wins are final.”

It’s all BS, and Bill knows it. There never was a hat draw, everyone knows that Bill and Y/n have a lot to work out, and they don’t want the two to go back from spring break with even more animosity for each other. 

Also, they know that the two have feelings that have been expressed so wrongly over the years. Maybe now it’s time to work them out.

“So we’re going to head out now; have fun with Y/n!” Eddie waves, and they run out excitedly.

 Bill sighs, not knowing what he’s going to do with Y/n all night. Maybe she’ll just be antisocial and hide in her room all night, but he personally hopes she won’t. He decides to hang out by the pool for a while, and changes into his swim trunks.

By the time he gets outside, though, Y/n is already there. She’s hugging her knees to her chest and watching the little waterfall intently.

“Hey,” Bill says, making her jump.

“Hey.”

“C-c-can I join you?”

She nods. 

“Why aren’t you with the others?”

“B-because I w-w-won their ‘contest,’”

“Contest?” she shakes her head, not understanding.

“To b-b-babysit you, ap-apparently.”

“Ah. Sounds legitimate.”

He doesn’t know how to respond to that, so he just lets the sounds of the waterfall and the faint grasshoppers fill the silence. He’s sure Y/n doesn’t mind, though. When everyone else complained about the summer grasshoppers as kids, she would always dote on how they’re melodious and comforting.

Bill can’t hold himself back any longer.

“Y/n, what d-d-did I do l-last night?”

She turns to him. “You really don’t remember?”

“I re-remember making a com-comment, which I-I’m sorry about b-by the way, th-that was an a-asshole move. And I-I remember kissing y-you. But then what?”

Taking a deep breath, Y/n continues. “Well, then I pushed you off and told you that you were drunk.”

She pauses.

“And th-then?”

“Then you said, ‘If I want to make out with you when I’m drunk, then I don’t ever want to be sober.’”

That’s it? Bill thinks. He’s not stupid enough to voice his thoughts, luckily.

“Oh, Y-Y-Y/n, I w-w-was drunk. I d-didn’t know what I w-w-was saying.”

“Listen, Bill. I know you remember what I told you yesterday in the kitchen. And what you told me at the restaurant really hurt, okay?”

“Why? I-I wanted to k-k-kiss you,” he asks, genuinely confused.

“You’re such an idiot sometimes!” Y/n laughs incredulously. “You wanted to kiss me when you were drunk, not in your right mind!”

“I al-always want to k-k-kiss you in my right mind!”

“What?!” 

“I-I think I love you, Y/n.”

She’s frozen. Could he actually mean that? Has he been drinking again? Hearing that from Bill Denbrough has been her dream since… forever.

“I think I love you too, Bill.”

He jumps up from his lounge chair, and leans over Y/n. He tucks a piece of hair behind her ear and kisses her tenderly, gently. Her lips are just as soft as he remembers them to be all those years ago, softer than any other girl he’s kissed.

“Wow,” she beams as they pull apart. “I guess I knew this, but you’re a much better kisser than my ex.”

He laughs. “W-why, thank you. You’re n-n-not so bad y-yourself.”

“Thanks,” she giggles. “I just… I can’t believe this is happening. I feel like doing something crazy now, something outrageous.”

“L-like what?”

“Hm…” she thinks for a minute. “Do you want to go skinny dipping?”

“Okay, sure,” Bill chuckles. 

Grinning, she begins to peel off her one piece. She slips the straps off, and the rest slowly slides off her body. Her breasts are exposed first, then her stomach, then everything. Her skin is smooth and glorious.

Bill pulls off his swim trunks and throws them behind him. Y/n wants to tease him about his erection, but she’s way too shocked at his size.

They bask in the beauty of each other for a moment before they dive into the water, crisp and cool on their bare bodies. Y/n splashes Bill right in his face.

He pushes wet strands of hair from his ocean eyes. “H-how dare you?” 

“What are you going to do about it?” she taunts.

“This,” Bill says, throwing Y/n over his shoulder and taking her outside the water. She’s both screaming and laughing her head off at this point. He carries her all the way to the deep end and tosses her in. 

When she surfaces, Y/n makes sure to flip him off. 

“So r-r-rude.”

He cannonballs in, and they swim around, and eventually go under the waterfall. They end up making out and gasping for air.

“D-d-do you want to tuh-take this inside?” Bill whispers.

She nods, and they get out. As Y/n shivers, Bill gets them fluffy towels from a bin by the chairs.

Grabbing his hand, she pulls him through the sliding glass doors. They run around the house in nothing but towels, giggling and kissing and dripping pool water everywhere. The two finally make it to Bill’s room and go directly to the bed (after locking the door).

“Spruh-spread your legs,” Bill breathes in her ear, sending goosebumps up and down her body. 

She obeys and lets him kiss her knees, her thighs, and eventually her core. He pleases Y/n in a way her old boyfriend never did.

When she finishes, Bill holds her for a minute so she can catch her breath. Then, when he turns around to put on a condom, she moves against the wall.

“Oh, s-s-so you w-want wall sex n-now?” Bill raises his eyebrows.

“Maybe,” she shrugs. “If you’re comfortable with it.”

Instead of using words, Bill throws Y/n up against the wall and kisses her roughly. Their tongues clash, and she loves every second of it. Then he goes in. He starts slow at first, but begins to pick up the pace with her approval.

“D-damn, you’re so t-t-tight,” he whispers while she keeps muttering his name.

“Probably because I wasn’t with someone as big as you before.”

Hearing that makes him turn redder than his hair. “Really?”

“Really,” she sighs. “Can you go a little slower?”

He listens to her, and almost screams in pleasure when she starts to suck on his neck.

They both finish in a couple minutes, and are pretty burned out- Y/n especially because she’s never made such rough love before.

She lies in his arms, back on the bed, and traces the love mark forming on his neck.

“I think I love you,” Y/n says for the second time tonight. 

“I-I th-think I love you t-too.”

They can’t help smiling for the umpteenth time in the past hour. Their stars had never aligned until now, and it couldn’t be a more perfect exchange of love. The wait was unbearable, but incredibly worth it. 

Y/n and Bill make each other feel whole, like there was a sort of void within each other, unfilled until now. 

“Hey,” Y/n’s voice is soft and gentle. “I’m so sorry about these past years. You know I have trust issues, but I took them too far and didn’t treat you right. And I’m so sorry.”

“I’m s-sorry, too. I’ve been an ass-asshole to y-y-you, a-and it’s m-m-my fault we broke uh-up in the f-first place.”

“Don’t say that,” Y/n frowns. “It was Evil Autumn’s fault.”

They chuckle. 

Resting her head on Bill’s chest, Y/n asks the dreaded question. 

“So what’s going to become of us? After spring break.”

Bill thinks for a minute, stroking her hair, and admits, “I don’t w-w-want us to c-c-cut each other off again.”

“Neither do I.”

“I think our sc-sc-schools are like t-t-two hours ap-apart; that’s n-not terrible.”

“It’s not,” Y/n agrees. “Maybe we could take turns driving every weekend, and find a halfway point or something.”

“A-an ex-exact halfway point,” Bill adds.

“An exact halfway point.”

They can make it work, they’ve got to. Both Bill and Y/n are extremely optimistic about the future ahead, now that every feeling has been sorted out between them. And even in the unfavorable event where things don’t work out, there will always be Palm Springs. 

Bill presses a kiss to her forehead. There’s not a chance that they won’t make it. The timing is finally, after all these years, perfect. 

[erin-bo-berin]

Second Chances

MASTERLIST

This was an anon request based on the series finale. If you’ve yet to see it and don’t want any spoilers, feel free to bookmark this to read later. This isn’t really spoilery if you already know what happens, but I won’t take offense if you wait to read this after watching the episode. This is just my take on a different way it could’ve gone with the reader involved, also with a bit of inspiration from the Derek episode, a thing that happened to him and Savannah. Anyway, you’ll see. Prepare yourself for some Spencer angst and mystique. Happy reading!

Spencer Reid/Reader

Rating: G (angst and fluff)

Word Count: 2,810

Chaos surrounded you.

You had the oddest sensation that everything around you wasn’t really happening even though it actually was. Everything and everyone seemed to be moving in slow motion.

You were standing in the middle of the hallway when the stretcher passed by you.

In reality, it probably whizzed by, the doctors and nurses running and darting around, energized by the adrenaline rush of helping an incoming patient. In your mind though, time slowed even further, your heart beating rapidly in your chest as you fought the dread in your stomach from seeing your boyfriend on said stretcher. He was unresponsive, pale and in bad condition.

He was being rushed into emergency surgery. The doctors suspected a possible cerebral hemorrhage or even an edema; bleeding in the brain or swelling of the brain in non-medical speak.

You were suspended in time, frozen in place. Your world was crumbling around you.

You felt hands on your arms as you were led to a chair in the waiting room. The person pushed you gently down to sit before sitting down next to you and taking your hands in theirs.

It was only then did you feel the ache in your head and behind your eyes, the side effect of your hysterical crying. You’d been crying this entire time and hadn’t even realized it.

Penelope Garcia squeezed your hands and you looked up at her, her face a little blurry from your tears.

“He is strong. He will get through this,” she said.

With that, she pulled you into her arms and hugged you tight.

•

Spencer was in a cemetery, on a bench. It was warm, with a slight breeze in the air to ruffle the loose curls that fell over his forehead.

He stood, walking to the nearest headstone to get a better look.

“Where am I?” he mumbled.

He stopped in front of the headstone and he gasped at the sight. It was his own. It read:

Spencer Reid

1981-2020

Beloved son and friend

Devoted agent of the FBI’s BAU

“What happened?” he wondered out loud, more confused than alarmed.

“You were injured, Spencer.”

The voice caught his attention. It sounded familiar, but it couldn’t be who he thought it was.

“You’re on a journey.”

He turned around, surprised to see the familiar brunette sitting on the bench he’d been sitting on just moments before.

“Maeve?” he whispered.

“Hi, Spencer,” she smiled.

He crossed to her quickly, falling on the bench at her side.

“Maeve, is it really you? But, how?” his hands reached to touch her face, “I’m so, so sorry.”

She smiled, putting a hand over one of his on her face and then pulled his hands into her lap, holding them both with hers.

“There’s nothing to be sorry about. It’s not your fault what happened. No matter what you think.”

“How are you here? What happened?”

“You remember Everett Lynch, don’t you?” she asked.

Spencer thought for a moment, the name sounded extremely familiar.

“Oh yeah. We’ve been hunting him for a year.”

“You thought you had him captured and were going to move in when he ignited a bomb. You were injured badly in the blast.”

“Am I- Am I dead?” he whispered.

“No,” she shook her head emphatically, “But I’m here to help you.”

“How?”

“Well first, I need to tell you something okay?”

He nodded, waiting.

“I know firsthand just how hard of a job you have, Spencer. But the world is such a better place with you in it.”

He smiled through the tears that had been forming in his eyes.

“Come on,” she stood, holding out her hand, “We don’t have much time.”

•

Spencer had been put in a medical coma after his surgery. It was good for his brain to slowly start healing the doctor had said.

You were sitting one one side of his bed, Penelope on the other. The rest of the team were out in the field busting their asses to find Lynch.

“At least he made it through surgery okay,” Garcia said, trying to be upbeat.

“Yeah, that’s true,” you nodded.

Your hand rested in his and you didn’t want to let go. It hurt so much seeing him lay in a hospital bed, his condition so up in the air.

The doctor still wasn’t sure just how much damage was done to his brain; that would be something that would be answered once he woke up.

“I’m scared,” you whispered to her.

You’d had plenty of scares with Spencer before due to his job, but never something this severe. This was horrifying, the thought that you could possibly lose him and everything you shared with him.

“I am too,” she answered honestly.

Your eyes watched his calm, sleeping face.

“I wonder where he is right now.”

•

“I’m still confused. You’re here to help me?” 

Spencer was walking next to Maeve, her arm looped through his. For a cemetery, it was surprisingly beautiful. The grass was bright green, flowers covered every grave in a multitude of colors and the sky was a bright blue. 

“In a way, yes,” she answered, “You’re at a crossroads aren’t you? Something has been weighing on you hasn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Spencer sighed, “Sometimes I’ve wondered if this job is worth it.”

“You’ve seen a lot of bad things. You’ve been through a lot of bad things. It can change you.”

“Yeah, it does.”

He looked out across the landscape, thinking. This was something that had been weighing on him for a long time.

“You also save lives. You stop monsters too. Isn’t that what you enjoy doing?”

“I thought I did.”

She held onto his arm more tightly, pulling him to a stop in front of her.

“No one deserves to go through everything you’ve been through in the years you’ve worked at the FBI. Being kidnapped, a drug addiction, multiple hostage situations, multiple gunshot wounds, losing people you love and you’re close to, prison-”

“Losing you,” he finished, quietly.

“Yes, that too,” she nodded at him somberly.

“It’s not always been the easiest job to have,” Spencer sighed.

“You, of all people Spencer, don’t deserve what happened to you. But it did and you’re strong. I know you aren’t going to let your trauma win,” Maeve said.

She started walking again, Spencer matching her pace.

“I’ve missed so much too.”

“How do you mean?” she questioned, looking up at him.

The sun was shining bright on her face, casting a soft glow on her skin. She looked like an angel. Maybe in a way, she was his angel.

“I’m almost 40 and I don’t have kids. I barely have a serious relationship. My life has revolved around the FBI for 15 years. I’ve lost so much because of it.”

“You’ve gained a lot as well though. Close friends that are just like family, the knowledge that you’re making the world a better place even in the smallest way and of course, Y/N.”

He was surprised.

“You know about Y/N?”

“You would be surprised at the amount of gossip on this side,” she chuckled.

“Come on, I want to show you something.”

•

Monitors beeping was the only sound to cut through the quiet of Spencer’s hospital room.

You had hardly left his side since he came out of surgery. Garcia almost had to physically pull you out of the chair just to get you to take a breather and use the bathroom.

She had been floating in and out of the room as she took calls and kept working, simultaneously researching for the case and keeping the team up to date on Spencer’s condition.

She’d stepped out earlier, leaving you alone with Spencer.

The doctor had told you earlier than talking to Spencer might be beneficial, that he could possibly hear you. You felt a bit silly attempting to, especially in front of Penelope, but you decided to give it another shot.

“Hi baby,” you whispered, squeezing his hand, “It’s me, Y/N. I haven’t left your side. I would’ve probably sat by your side in surgery if they would’ve let me.”

You chuckled brokenly, holding back tears. Your hand touched his cheek. It still felt warm and soft like it always did. The only difference was he wasn’t awake to react to your gesture.

Your fingers pushed back a stray strand of hair that was curling against his forehead and falling in his eyes. You pressed your lips to his forehead.

“Everyone is so worried. Especially me. I know they put you in a coma for your brain to heal, but I’m still worried about you. I just want to know that you’re okay, that that big, amazing brain of yours is okay.”

The steady beeping of his heart monitor was the only answer to your emotional outpouring.

“I don’t think I could be the same without you Spencer,” you whispered, “You’ve changed my life so much, for the better. I don’t think- no I know I can’t live without you.”

Your hand, still resting on his cheek, stroked it softly.

“Please come back to us. Come back to us with all your knowledge and statistics. I miss hearing you talk like a genius already,” you smiled, wiping your tears with your other hand.

“I miss your beautiful hazel eyes, that beautiful smile, your beautiful soul. They make my day better, you make me better.”

You’re silent a little while, trying to control the overflowing feeling of emotions whirling inside you like a tornado.

“I think I can speak for all of us that we’re ready for you to open those hazel eyes already. We believe in you Spence. You can get through this.”

Your hand returned to his and you thought you felt a slight squeeze in return but you couldn’t be sure.

You squeezed his hand gently in return, regardless if it had been just a reflex or not.

“I love you, Spencer.”

•

“What is this? My grave?”

Spencer was once again worried and confused.

“Am I dying?” he asked, turning to look at Maeve.

“Technically, no. But this is where you have to make your decision on what you’re going to do Spencer.”

“I don’t know, Maeve. I can’t think clearly. I just feel...lost.”

“I know,” she smiled kindly, “That’s why I’m here to help you.”

She paused, studying him.

“You’re scared.”

“I am,” he admitted, “Can’t I just stay here with you? Where everything is so peaceful and easy.”

She laughed gently.

“I’m afraid you can’t. The world needs you to do what you love. Have you done that?”

“I don’t know,” he answered hesitantly.

“Sure you do. What do you love?”

He looked at her, watching her as she waited for him to respond. 

“Well, I love magic. And ghost stories.”

“What else?”

“Jell-O,” he paused, thinking, “Kumquats. Uh...teaching, learning. Books. Hope. Making connections.”

She nodded encouragingly.

“Making- Making a difference. And...Y/N.”

A part of him felt guilty admitting it to Maeve though, like somehow he was letting her down.

“I would expect so,” she grinned, touching his arm, “What do you love about her?”

He bit his lip, feeling conflicted. He did love his girlfriend very much, but he had loved Maeve too.

“Don’t feel bad,” she urged, as if she could read his thoughts, “I know you loved me and I’m more than grateful to have been a part of your life, but Y/N is your future. You have every right to be happy and to love her. Now, tell me.”

“Well, for one she’s amazing when it comes to my job. It’s hard to find someone when you have this job, that you can trust, someone that understands.”

“I imagine so.”

“She’s...she’s beautiful. I didn’t expect to meet her when I did,” he chuckled, “I didn’t really expect to have the ability to love anyone after what happened to you.”

“But you did.”

Maeve looked at him like a proud mother. She looked at him with ease and pure happiness. It helped lessen the guilt he felt earlier.

“I did,” he smiled.

“How did you meet her?”

“Well I met her at a bookstore for starters,” he laughed and Maeve chuckled as well.

“That’s definitely on brand for Spencer Reid.”

“She was having trouble reaching a book, so I got it for her. It turned out she was just exploring classics and was having trouble figuring where to start and I suggested a few that might be easy on her.”

“What did you suggest?”

“Great Expectations, some Mark Twain. You know, typical reading for me.”

“And that was the beginning of the blossoming romance huh?”

“You sound like a cheesy romance movie,” he grinned, “But yes, it was.”

“Tell me more.” 

“She’s smart, maybe not at a genius level, but that’s not a bad thing at all. I like it. It’s refreshing,” he smiled a bit.

“I may not be able to talk to her about things like I did with you, but I’m also able to tell her and teach her things that she never knew. It makes me feel good to be able to do that.”

“Anything else?”

“She has a big heart. She’s always there for me. She’d give up anything to help me or the ones she loves. She has a great laugh. I love when she laughs so hard she’s practically laughing without sound coming out. It especially makes me happy when I’m the one to make her laugh that hard. I love that she loves books like I do. We may not have the same tastes, but it’s always so nice to spend time in each other’s presence just reading. Those are some of my favorite moments with her.”

Maeve was smiling at him, watching him intently. He could tell she was happy hearing him talk about Y/N.

“I’m afraid of hurting her though. I’m afraid my job will somehow hurt her. I’m afraid of dying, that I am dying and leaving her.”

“That’s why you can’t stay Spencer.”

Maeve took his hand, one last time, giving it a squeeze.

“The team needs you, your friends need you, Y/N needs you. Your girls will need you too.”

“My girls?” 

His brow furrowed in confusion, not understanding what she meant.

“I don’t understand.”

“You will.”

She wrapped her arms around him, her hands on his back as she hugged him. He held on to her tightly, a small part of him afraid to let go.

“Spencer.”

The voice came like a whisper in the wind. It sounded like someone was calling him from the other side of the cemetery.

He pulled away from Maeve, looking behind him, as if he expected someone else to show up. No one was there. When he turned back to face Maeve, he realized she was gone.

His heart ached. He knew she wanted him to let her go. In a way, she was right, in so many ways. 

It was time to go.

He looked at the gaping hole that had suddenly appeared in the ground next to his headstone. 

Sometimes, all it took was just one step forward.

With a deep breath, he put one foot forward and fell deep into the darkness.

•

You had fallen asleep next to Spencer’s bed, your hand still in his. 

“Y/N?”

You stirred, thinking you’d heard your name. You sat up in the chair and saw Spencer looking at you groggily. He must have just woken a few moments earlier.

“Spence!” 

You threw your arms around him as carefully as you could, tears of happiness blurring your vision.

You pulled back, your hands resting on either side of his face. 

“We were so worried. I was so worried,” you half laughed, pulling away to brush your tears away.

“Don’t cry. I’m okay.”

He smiled, kissing your hand, holding on to it tightly.

“I have to be here for the team, for you and for my girls.”

“Your gir-“

Your question was cut short by the nurse coming in. A flurry of activity had followed as they checked his vitals, his doctors checking on him and the team immediately coming to see him. You didn’t have time to question further what he meant and soon forgot it.

A month and a half later, Spencer was fully recovered and back on his feet. You were so happy that he’d been given a second chance at living.

It came as a surprise when you discovered you were pregnant. Both you and Spencer were floored and overjoyed at the same time.

It was an even bigger surprise when you found out you were having twins. Somehow, it surprised Spencer the most when you found out. 

You and Spencer were expecting twins, yet the surprises didn’t stop there.

They were twin girls.

Tag List: @dreatine​ @reid-187​ @groovyreid​ @reidslibra​ @suvikamahes98blr​ @fuckthealarm​ @whatspunispun​ @iamburdened​ @cindywayne​ @thomasfoockinshelby​ @tinyminy88​ @theitcaramelchick​ @missprettyboy​ @hushlilbabydoll​ @sammy-jo1977​ @theonlyone-meeeee​ @haileymorelikestupid​ @lemonypink​ @multifandommandy​ @teamkiall​ @redbullchick​ @ifeelloved​ @one-sweet-gubler​ @nanocoool​ @delightfullyspeedyearthquake​ @unsteadyimagines​ @ughitsbaby​ @inkwiet​ @pennythetechgoddess​ @capt-engr-ssa​ @sixx-sic-sixx​ @mipetronella​ (sorry for some reason it won’t let me tag your spencer account?) @reidsstudies​ @disney-dreams-world​ @chocolatecalzoneherringbonk @mggwhore​ @andiebeaword​ @cupcake525​ @be-the-bravest​ @gretaamyk​

[amwritesitall]

In Another Lifetime

Masterlist

Summary: Teen AU with Cordelia x Reader where your time at Miss Robichaux’s is coming to an end.

Words: 1419

I’ve had this idea going in my head for a couple of days now and I thought I might as well write it, so this is going to be loosely working with the teenage Cordelia AU, but straying a bit from my Dating Cordelia as a Teenager post. I’m sorry if this isn’t great… I’m trying to work on not relying as much on dialog like I usually do. This project does have a special place in my heart though.

-

Some things are not meant to be even if they seem like they should be.

You glance over at your blonde friend who’s studying her notes for the final exam the two of you have tomorrow. It is one of the last things the two of you have to finish at Miss Robichaux’s before you were finally done with your studies there. After five years of being by Cordelia’s side day and night, your time together was finally coming to an end, your paths finally straying from each other’s and you hadn’t even told the other girl how you feel about her. How could you? There wasn’t enough time.

You’re taken from your thoughts when Cordelia calls your name.

“Hm?” you hum looking over at the other girl who’s looking at you expectantly.

She giggles, “I was wondering if you wanted to go take a break?”

You smile at her, “That sounds great.”

The two of you gather your notes from where they were spread all around you and her before leaving your shared room hand in hand to go downstairs where all the other girls were waiting for dinner. Cordelia and you go to your normal seats beside each other at the huge, wooden table filled with girls of all ages. It was an unspoken rule that everyone knew, you and Cordelia sat beside each other and no one dared to question it.

Dinner goes as it usually does. All the girls talking amongst each other with a few of these conversations breaking out into an argument that a teacher has to shoot the girls a look to quiet down. In your section of the table, Cordelia and you sit close to each other, your knees brushing against each other’s under the table as the two of you talk to your other friends about each other’s plans for what they were going to do after the Academy. You already knew Cordelia was planning on studying in New Orleans to become a teacher and would eventually come back to Miss Robichaux’s to get a job here. One of your other friends talked about their plans to go to the east coast. Once they get to you and your plans, you change the subject to avoid talking about your own plans for studying out of state.

That night as you lay in your bed listening to the sound of the cicadas drifting through the cracked open window. Cordelia had gone to sleep hours ago, but you couldn’t get your mind to stop racing with your thoughts that plagued you from before no matter how hard you tried. You even listened to Cordelia’s slow inhale and exhales and attempted to sync your breathing in hopes of it helping you fall asleep, but it was useless, your thoughts were too strong.

You wanted to tell the other girl how you feel about her, but what was the point when the two of you are about to go separate ways? If she didn’t feel the same it would be easier, but what if she did? On the off chance that she did feel the same way, it would hurt even more to leave her. 

You and Cordelia had always been close since her mother, Fiona, had dropped her off years ago, but what if this closeness was nothing more than really good friends? 

You rolled over and looked at the sleeping blonde in the bed across from you. Of course, the blonde was even beautiful in her sleep. 

To tell Cordelia about the feelings you had developed for her now, would be a huge risk, but was it one you were willing to take to finally get the weight of all of your feelings for her off of your chest?

Before you knew it, it was your last day of school. After years of studying in the halls of Miss Robichaux’s you were finally done. Cordelia and you had spent the night before packing all of your belongings up so now there was nothing left to do, but tell everyone your goodbyes. 

So far, you managed to get through your last day without shedding any tears, however, that was going most likely going to change because you saved the hardest goodbyes for last: Myrtle Snow and Cordelia Goode. Both of the women had such an impact on your time at the Academy.

Myrtle was one of the first people you met when you arrived at the school. Her presence was so much different than the other staff members and you couldn’t help, but love that about the woman. She took you under her wing, making sure to check up on you, and eventually trusting you with taking care of Cordelia when the blonde arrived at the school. Through your conversations with the women, you knew how important Cordelia was to her, so you understood that this was a big deal that she would trust you with her “little bird.”

You search the halls looking for the red-headed woman and find her downstairs studying one of the portraits of the previous supremes. 

“Ms. Snow,” you say, getting the woman’s attention.

She turns around and smiles at you as she opens her arms to you.

“Come here, dear girl.”

Without a second of hesitation, you walk into Myrtle’s open arms and hug her back.

“I’m going to miss you walking around these halls.”

“I’m going to miss being here too.”

You do your best to fight the tears threatening to fall, but a few manage to slip. You pull away from the embrace so you can look her in the eyes.

“Thank you for all that you’ve done for me.”

“Oh, it’s no problem at all, dear, but you have one last task here before you leave.”

Your eyebrows furrow in confusion at the woman’s words, “What do you mean?”

Myrtle reaches up with her gloved hand and strokes your cheek, “Tell our dear Delia how you feel.”

“How did you kn-”

“We’re witches, dear,” she chuckles, “also, you aren’t as subtle as you think.”

You feel your cheeks heating up.

“So, you must tell her how you feel before you leave our gates.”

You nod and Myrtle smiles at you, pulling you in for another hug.

“And please don’t forget to call.”

“I won’t,” you say and the tears fall even faster as you hug the woman back.

“(Y/N),” one of the girls says entering the room and breaking your attention from Myrtle, “your mother is here to pick you up.”

Your eyes snap over to Myrtle, “But I haven’t said goodbye to Cordelia yet!”

Myrtle smiles at you reassuringly, “I’ll talk to your mother and you go say goodbye to her. She’s in the greenhouse.”

You thank the woman before rushing to the greenhouse to find Cordelia watering some of the plants. She looks up at you as you enter and smiles.

“I was wondering if you’d come by and say goodbye,” she says with a giggle.

“You know I couldn’t leave without saying goodbye to you, Dee,” you walk over so you’re closer to the blonde, “I need to tell you something.”

Cordelia sets the watering can she was using down then focuses her full attention on you. It takes all of your will power to not drown in Cordelia’s warm brown eyes. Why did you have to leave her?

“I uh,” you stumble with your words, but Cordelia waits patiently for you, even placing a comforting hand on your arm.

“Well, you see, I uh, I like you, Cordelia.”

The girl smiles at and squeezes your arm lightly, “I like you too, (Y/N).”

“Not like that though,” you look down, to avoid her gaze, “I like you as more than just a friend.”

The silence that follows your confession has you almost ready to bolt out the door, but instead of rejecting you, Cordelia uses her free hand to tilt your chin up and kiss you softly.

Your heart practically leaps out of your chest. As you kiss her back, you almost feel as though you are dreaming.

Once the two of you break apart, you rest your forehead against Cordelia’s.

“I still have to leave.”

Cordelia bites her lip to keep it from trembling as tears fall from her eyes, “I know.”

You feel tears slip from your eyes once again as you kiss Cordelia one last time.

It’s true, some things are not meant to be, or at least not for now, but maybe in another lifetime.

-

You might like:  Dating Cordelia as a Teen Would Include or  Cordelia Goode Dating a Younger Woman Would Include

[bittybattybunny]

Felt like writing how Ru confessed to Eclipse he was both an Imposter and that he liked her

Also just a quick thing I noticed; y’all know its “jelly belly” not “jelly bean” like i still get what you mean but the tag is jelly belly murder au lol

This one’s a lil longer but enjoy

He paced down the hall with a small sigh. He looked at his gloved hands and then at his reflection in the window. He squinted and fixed his eyes with another sigh. He flexed his fingers and bit on his tongue.

Love.

He had read up on it with the computers at the station but it was a foreign concept to him. To him, companionship was only for mating and making a new hive but… he put a hand to his chest with another sigh. All of his hearts pounded as he thought of the biomechanical engineer.

How when she got excited she spoke with her hands, when she smiled so wide her cheeks indented ever so slightly. He felt his cheeks shift as he gave a wide grin, a warm sensation over his face. He shook his head and groaned. 

He headed to the barracks and locked the door. Throwing a towel over the camera he pulled his helmet off with a sigh. He looked at the mirror and touched his mouth with a scowl.

He pulled his cheek inspecting the double row of sharp yellow fangs and the faint yellow glow his saliva emitted. He frowned and shut his mouth. He rubbed his cheek and gave a smile. It was nothing like the smile she and Harriet gave.

He sat on his bed and looked at his hands. Removing his gloves he let the fingers sharpen and merged the middle two. How could he tell Eclipse? Harriet knew… She found him out early but… her mother…

He fell backwards with a sigh. He chittered in his back throat in his anxiety.

There was a knock on the door. He jolted upright, fixing his hands and pulled his gloves back on and reaching for his helmet. 

He opened the door, “H-hey?” he was out of breath from his panic.

Eclipse looked up with a smile. That soft smile she seemed to give only him. He felt his hearts racing.

“I was heading to the cafeteria…” she had her hands behind her back, “Hat’s with my dad and brother… I was wondering if you’ve eaten yet?” she played with a curl in front of her ear.

He chewed his lip and held his hands out, “C-Can you come in here a second?” he asked softly.

“Ah?” she stared confused but took his hands as he pulled her into his room and locked the door.

“Ru, what’s wrong?” she reached and touched his helmet worried, “Are you okay?”

“I’m… I think… I love you???” 

She turned bright red in shock, “Y-You think?? I mean I… I… l--”

“Hold that thought… you.. May change your mind…” he sighed and rearranged his face before reaching to pull his helmet off. His glowing eyes and sad smile pulling his violet skin. He looked at her waiting for her to scream.

Her eyes grew wide and she backed against the door, “Y-You’re a-a-an--”

“I’m… what you call an imposter…. Yeah…” he chewed his lip, yellow blood spilling as he tried to keep his eyes from leaking fluids. “I-I’m sorry I just! I kn--” he flinched when her soft hands reached to brush his tears. He looked down in shock, second eyes opening.

“E-eclipse…” he whispered as she smiled. He could feel her shaking and moved to hold her hand and kissed it lightly, “I-I wanted to tell you… because I… I love you.. I can’t stop thinking about you… Harriet… Earth… I’m… I’m sorry…”

She took a deep breath and shifted hugging him. He tensed up and stared down confused at the motion before he copied her and held on tightly, crying fully, “I’m so sorry.. I’m sorry… I’m a monster to you… I’m a killer… I just…”

“Shh… shhh….” she cooed, “yeah… but…” she pulled away and poked between his eyes, “You’re the one who’s kept things quiet haven’t you?” she smiled.

“I… Vanessa wants me to handle the killing but… after the first I couldn’t… and then… Harriet saw me about to kill Conrad and I just…” he chewed his lip. He tensed as she grabbed his face and stood up and kissed it gently making him blush.

“Are you still planning to kill us?” she asked softly, her eyes a bit cold as she shook.

He shook his head, mouth open in a gasp, “No! I love you and Harriet! I even like Sena and Conrad and Captain!” he frowned, “I… i want to go back with you guys… Earth seems fun and… I…” he brushed her cheek, “T-That human form of contact… with you I want to…do it more...”

“A… a kiss?” she asked curiously. She frowned and looked at his mouth, “are you going to bite me?”

“No!” he scowled, “I-I can’t fix my mouth. I’ve tried but… I’ll be careful…” he bent down to her level, “Curse this host being so tall…”

She giggled making him flush more. She brushed his hair back and leaned in, kissing his mouth gently. He held her close to him as she kissed and broke apart panting with a soft smile. He rested his forehead against hers, “Please.. Please don’t let me go… I promise… You’ll make it back to Earth…”

“Mmhm….” she smiled as she looked at him, “You know.. This explains a lot… but… I guess we’ll figure it out.” she laughed.

“Mmhm..” he agreed and nuzzled her neck with a small trilling purr. He pulled away embarrassed when he caught himself, “S-Sorry I know t-that’s not a human thing!”

She stared confused and smiled, “It’s Ru. So I don’t mind. It’s cute!”

He felt his face shift and his smile ripped up his cheeks.

“Oh!” She gasped watching, “I-is that comfortable?”

“Ah!” he frowned trying to fix it, “It’s… my default?”

“I see…” she covered her mouth with her hand in thought, “Can I see? What’s comfortable?”

He chewed his lip, “Y-You aren’t going to be afraid are you?”

“I kissed an alien imposter. I think I’ll be fine…” she smirked.

“You’re shaking…” he sighed as he held her hands.

“I am. I can’t help it. But. I’m sure. You can help it.” she gave that dimple smile making him smile with a sigh.

“Alright…” he removed his gloves as he let his middle fingers merge, fingers sharpening slightly as his nose seemed to sink and vanish while the the same shade of purple from his hair spread over his features more so encompassing them until it was hard to see where which ended. His eyes covered in a solid bright yellow glow mouth shifting to reveal fangs peeking and glowing. He rubbed his neck sheepishly.

She stared in awe as he shifted and reached up to pull the corners of his mouth, reaching around his head and squinted, “no ears?”

“I don’t really need them?? Not human ones anyway.” he spoke with a reverberating tone.

“Oh! Your voice…”

“I have three throats.” he explained, a mouth appearing in his skin between his eyes and other mouth, “I have a third mouth on my chest.”

“Oh..” she stared at his chest with a red tone on her cheeks, “Will you show me that someday?”

He felt his face grow hot, “S-Sure.” he grinned embarrassed.

She smiled and reached up, “Lean down.”

He listened as she kissed him again. He held onto her and picked her up with ease making her laugh.

 She folded her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder, “Can I finish my thought now?”

“What?”

“I love you too.”

[tvdiaries-imagines]

Old Flame: Pt. 9

Warnings: Some cursing

Word Count: 3487

OLD FLAME MASTERLIST: CLICK HERE

Your eyes lift open. You’re unaware how long you have slept but seeing that the sun’s rays are still visible through the French doors, it’s still daylight. Last you remembered was making up with Klaus and falling asleep to his heavenly fingers brushing through your locks. 

You threw the covers off and set your feet to the floor, finishing whatever blood is remaining in your glass before setting it back on the bedside table. Your bladder was full so you raced to the en suite bathroom to relieve it and wash your hands. 

Walking out of the en suite, Klaus opens the door of the bedroom and seems relieved to see you. “Perfect timing, love. Now get proper because you’re going to run a little errand with me.” 

“Where are we going?” 

“To retrieve an item I need from Marcel.” 

After driving quite a distance away from the compound, Klaus parks his SUV in front of a fairly large building surrounded by brick. “This is where he lives?” You asked, hopping out of the vehicle and shutting the door, following beside Nik to the entrance. 

“Yes.” He replied. 

Entering the eerily quiet and vacant looking building, you had to climb a great amount of stairs before you finally reached Marcel’s living quarters. It was not too shabby compared to the rest of the building. Who you’re assuming is Marcel, he is all alone here. He has nicely tanned skin and is made of muscle. 

“Marcellus!” Klaus greeted with a grin. 

“Well look what the cat dragged in.” Marcel’s eyes flickered at Klaus before setting on you. “And you must be Y/N. Heard a lot about you and your history with this guy.” Marcel gestured an arm at Klaus, who is gazing out the large window. 

“Is that so?” You muttered, taking a seat on the couch. 

“Word gets around fast in this city.” Marcel walked over to his makeshift bar, starting on pouring his glass with dark liquor. “So let me guess, Klaus. You need a favor.” 

“A painless one. I promise.” Klaus turned to face Marcel. “There was a necklace I gave you a long time ago. It has a leather strap with a metal bird on the end.” 

“Yeah, you gave it to me when I turned 11.” Marcel made his way to the nearest shelf and reached inside a box, pulling out the exact necklace that Klaus described. 

“You remembered.” Klaus responded. Your heart warmed at the thought of Klaus once seeing Marcel as a son. Oh how times have changed. 

“Mikael’s back, Elijah’s babbling on about family drama, and you’re here looking for antique jewelry.” Marcel made known, handing the ancient necklace to Klaus. 

“It seems so, Marcellus.” Klaus said. You rose to your feet and walked towards the duo, brows furrowing in curiosity at the piece of jewelry. 

“What is that necklace for, Nik?” You asked. 

“Yeah, do I even wanna know why you’re asking for a necklace that your mother gave you?” Marcel added. 

“Believe me, Marcel.” Klaus ignored your question, but you didn’t take it personally. “You want no part in the latest chapter of our sprawling family saga.” Marcel cast a glance at the necklace Klaus was holding up to his chest. “Thank you for holding onto this.” Klaus placed the necklace in his front pocket, grazing his palm on your lower back as a gesture to leave. “Let’s go, sweetheart.” 

“Bye Marcel. It was nice meeting you.” You waved and smiled at Marcel as you followed Klaus’s lead to exit. Marcel nodded his head at you, the corner of his lip quirking up.  

Once you were both in the car, you proceeded to ask Klaus again what he needed the necklace for. He answered willingly and explained that him, Elijah and Hayley need it for a spell. 

When you returned to the compound, the sun was beginning to set and the French quarter was even busier with tourists. Inside the compound, Klaus met with Elijah and Hayley in regards to the necklace. He sent you to your room, informing you to dress formal for the reunion dinner later. You were slightly anxious to reunite with Esther again because the last memory you have of her is trying to kill your beloved. 

After washing your face, you sifted through your luggage to look for the most formal thing you own and you had no luck. Plopping yourself on the foot of the bed, you pouted, nearly wanting to tell Klaus you won’t be joining. But instead, you had an idea and decided to call Rebekah even though it was a long shot. 

After a few rings, she surprisingly answered. “So she answers.” You said matter of factly. 

“Apologies, sister. I had my reasons. Now why are you calling. Has Nik drove you mad yet?” 

“No but I need help.” You sighed. “I need a nice dress and I know we’re about the same size so-”

“Go to the basement and when you’re inside, open the first door to your left and you’ll find racks of dresses.” 

“Great. Thank you so much, Rebekah.” You said as you headed towards the basement. 

“Of course, Y/N. Take care of yourself.”

“You too.” The call ended. 

(1 hour later…)

Wearing Rebekah’s stunning all black gown, it featured off the shoulder straps and a sweetheart bust. You also showed off a little leg with the high slit and you felt absolutely glamorous in this gown. Klaus told you to dress formal and you did exactly that. You also wanted to look good in front of the enemy. 

As you were applying the last of your red lipstick, a gentle knock sounded on your door. “Come in!” You said. 

“Are you ready, my love?” Klaus uttered from behind you. 

You put the lid back on the lipstick and left it on the vanity, giving one last look in the mirror. “Now I am.” You stood, giving Klaus a well deserved elevator look. “Wow. This is the first time I’ve seen you in a suit in awhile. You look handsome.” 

You implied. Klaus didn’t look too happy though. 

“I look ridiculous.” You rolled your eyes playfully at his response. “You, however, look ravishing. Shall we?” He smirked, holding his arm folded out for you and you hooked onto it. 

Klaus led you to the dining room. The last time you were here was when you gave Elijah a piece of your mind. Klaus stood, resting his forearms over the chair’s backrest at the head of the table. You took a seat next to him and Elijah came striding in with 3 wine glasses and a bell. 

“Are these outfits really necessary?” Klaus asked his older brother, expression hardened. 

“Sister, you look lovely tonight.” Elijah flashed you a soft smile, careless whether you’re still upset with him or not. 

“Thanks.” You said flatly. You’re still a little upset with Elijah, but not enough for you to not be cordial with him. 

“Appearance is a way of showing respect, Niklaus.” Elijah said to Klaus, setting the wine glasses to the appropriate spots. “Mother will be more likely to surrender her true intentions.”

“I doubt her guard will drop because I’m dressed like a bloody lawyer.” Klaus’s expression did not soften. 

“Nik, stop.” You chuckled. 

“We need every advantage we can get.” Elijah implied.

“You always did excel at diplomacy. Just know that if she tries anything, especially to Y/N, I’ll tear her new body to pieces.” 

“I fucking dare her.” You spat. 

A man with a slim face and chocolate skin wearing a black suit struts in, laughing sadistically. “You two haven’t changed a bit. Linens and silk can’t disguise your pathetic self loathing.” He glanced numerously at Klaus and Elijah before directing his entire focus onto Klaus. “And you...despite the arrogant facade and your love for this woman before me, you’re still the same paranoid little boy. Full of hate and fear.” 

Your hands balled into fists and your jaw clenched at this man’s unnecessary remarks. Klaus began to notice, so he gently wrapped his fingers around your wrist in an effort to calm you. 

Your eyes flickered from the stranger to Klaus. The original hybrid didn’t seem phased at all. Instead, he seems humored by it. Elijah glared at the stranger, appalled by his insults.

“Forgive me.” Elijah started, sauntering towards the annoying man. “I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure.” 

“You mean, you don’t recognize me?” 

“Who the hell are you?” You said aloud. 

“So much for the unbreakable bonds of family, huh? Always and forever indeed.” The stranger stated, eyes widened. 

“It’s been a long time…” Klaus dragged, Elijah snapped his neck to Klaus, as if trying to piece together Klaus’s response before he brought his focus back to the stranger. “...Finn.” 

Your lips parted and chills ran down your spine. “It can’t be.” You whispered. 

“Now that the introductions are out of the way, let’s eat.” Finn said. 

While the room was filled with thick tension, Elijah began pouring yours and Klaus’s glasses before finishing off pouring his own and then Finn’s. You and Klaus clinked your glasses together before sipping, not bothering to include anyone else. 

Finn inhaled just above the rim, savoring. “What an aromatic Bordeaux.” 

“Well, it was a challenge to find a good pairing.” Klaus snickered. “What wine goes well with treachery?” 

“Don’t pout brother. Tonight is meant to be a happy occasion.” Finn responded. He and Elijah took a seat. Like clockwork, the servant walked in and began setting the table. 

“What exactly are we celebrating?” Elijah questioned, muddled. 

“Why, my return, of course.” Finn exclaimed. 

“Oh please.” You whispered in annoyance, rolling your eyes as you shake your head in disagreement. Klaus must have noticed because he flashed a grin at you and winked when you caught his eye.  

You excuse yourself from the table and ventured off to the grand kitchen to fetch yourself a decanter of blood from the counter, filling a brand new glass cup a quarter of the way. 

After doing so, you welcomed yourself back to the most disturbing dining experience. The table was already served with food and out of the blue, Klaus throws a butter knife at Finn’s direction, aiming for his hand that’s in the air, but he misses and it sticks to the other chair at the head of the table. 

“Jesus, Nik.” You exclaimed. 

Finn pulls the knife free. “I suppose the honor of carving should go to the oldest. We have much to discuss. Let’s start with you, dear Y/N.” He waves the knife in the air. 

“What about me, Finn.” You glared, arms folded over your chest as you leaned back in your chair. 

“I see you are still blind as ever.” He raised a brow. “Still acquainting yourself with my siblings.” 

“Yes. And?” You remarked exasperatedly. 

“Your dear friend, Malachai doesn’t seem too pleased. So much that he has joined forces with mother.”

“Okay, what is your point here because when I hear words come out of your mouth, all I want to do is rip out your vocal chords.” You unfolded your arms and leaned forward, eyes firing into Finn. Finn has always been your least favorite sibling of the Mikaelson’s and you weren’t afraid to voice it. Elijah’s a walk in the park compared to him and your anger towards Elijah started to deplete thanks to Finn. 

“Easy, love.” Klaus put his arm out towards you as a barricade and you leaned back in your chair again. “I have other ideas to torture my brother.” 

“Well he started it.”

Finn snickered, pleased that he got under your skin. “I’m rather enjoying my evening.” 

“And I’d enjoy you getting to the point instead of bothering Y/N with your incessant chatter.” Klaus mentioned. 

“I had 900 years to learn to be patient. Although, I am curious why you kept me daggered in a box for so long.” Finn focused on Klaus. 

“You were daggered for being an ever simpering sycophant. Did you mother bring you back from the dead so you could wash her knickers?” Klaus said snidely. Elijah glanced at you when you nearly choked on your wine. 

The next few excruciating minutes resulted in Finn ranting about being abandoned in a coffin for 900 years. All of which started to make you feel like you didn’t belong at this dinner table anymore since you are completely irrelevant about this topic. But the food smelled utterly delicious that you wanted to stay for it. So, where the hell is Esther?

“Like father, you’ve always despised our supernatural existence.” Elijah exclaimed. “Father, of course, slaughtered and consumed his own. Whereas you became pretentious and dull, much like this meal. I will not ask again. Where is mother?” 

“Oh my darling son.” Esther AKA Cassie strolled in with swagger. “I’ve missed you too.”

“Why don’t you say what you came here to say so this wretched night can end.” Klaus chimed in, evidently vexed from her presence. 

“It pains me that you and Elijah—and also you, Y/N—look at me with such disdain.” Esther made known. Your body stiffened hearing your name from her mouth. “I wish you could see that my every action has been to protect my darling sons.” 

“You actually believe that, don’t you? I knew you were a liar, but now I see you’re utterly delusional.” The hybrid spat. 

“If you can, forget the hatred that you cling to and remember all the times I’ve mended and healed you.” Klaus chuckled at his mother’s poor excuse for her actions. 

Esther began bringing up the time that Klaus challenged his father to a duel and he failed because he was weak. The reason Klaus was weak was because she spelled the necklace to weaken him so that he wouldn’t trigger his curse by killing any man who challenged him. 

You flinched and nearly gasped when Klaus hit the table, quivering with anger. “You ruined me. You left me to suffer at the hands of a father who valued only strength.” 

“I kept you from becoming a beast for as long as I possibly could.” Esther pleaded. 

“Oh, you lied to me to hide your own transgressions because of your own fear!” Klaus roared, quickly jumping to his feet, not caring what falls off the table. “My whole life, I sought the approval I was denied by the man who I thought was my father!”

“Oh Nik.” You muttered, frowning as you stood, trying to take his hand but he was too caught up in his hatred for his mother that he shook your hand away. Elijah also couldn’t take it anymore that he slowly paced, wishing that his mother didn’t bring this side out of Klaus. 

“You turned me into the weakling he hated!” Klaus shouted, Esther’s eyes fell. “Look at me! You rant and you rage about the monster I’ve become. But you, mother, you are the author of everything I am.” 

Instead of responding, Esther began to look pale and her face contorts as if she was going to be sick. But instead, she passes out and Elijah is quick to grab her before she falls to the ground. 

“What the hell just happened?” Was all you could muster. Both Klaus and Elijah were just as puzzled as you are. 

“She’s gone.” Elijah replied, dumbstruck. 

In a split second, Elijah vamp speeds to attack Finn, but Finn’s reflexes are too quick that he knocks Elijah to the ground with a flick of the wrist. Klaus also vamp speeds towards his eldest brother and you followed suit, but before you knew it, all you saw was black and you fell to the ground.  

(Later…)

“Wake up, my love.” You heard whispers of those four words from far away, yet you couldn’t reach the source. “Wake up.” After fighting and fighting, your eyes finally freed open. The first thing you see is Klaus dressed in his casual wear, sitting beside you at the edge of the bed, legs hanging. 

“Nik, what happened? What happened to Esther?” Your voice croaked, leisurely blinking your eyelids. 

“Are you feeling alright?” 

“Yes. Yeah I’m fine but I’m going to kick Finn’s ass.” You sat up, pupils flared and feeling completely awake and well. 

Klaus let out a faint chuckle. “I don’t doubt it, love.” 

“So what happened with Esther? The last thing I remember is you yelling at the top of your lungs and then she passed out.” 

As much as you wanted to ask Klaus how he was feeling after the outburst he had in regards to Mikael, you knew you shouldn’t. There’s no need for you to reopen that wound and you know that talking about it is the last thing Klaus wants to do. 

He sighed heavily. “It seems she’s left Cassie’s body and Elijah’s informed me that she’s taken on another one.”

“Well that’s great.” You blurted with sarcasm. “And Finn?”

“He’s run off like a coward, of course.” 

Your brows snapped together, realization hitting you. “Wait, how is it that you woke before me and even had the time to change your clothes and also bring me up here?” 

“Did you forget, I have a thousand years on you.” The blonde made known, smirking. 

“Right right. So don’t we need to go after Esther and Finn? I feel perfectly fine.” 

“Elijah has it handled. But for the moment, let’s focus on you and I.” Klaus gently placed a strand of hair behind your ear. 

“Okay sure. So what about us?” Your eyes unsystematically glimpsed at his soft lips. His touch seems to have an affect on you. 

“I have been meaning to ask you something.” He uttered, anxious.

“Sure. Ask away, Nik.” You responded lightly as you shifted to sit up even straighter, ready and willing to hear the original’s question.

“When do you plan to return to Mystic Falls?” He asked carefully, awaiting your reply. Your lips parted, blinking.

“Um. I honestly don’t know. I actually haven’t had the chance to think about it. Why?”

“Let’s just say, I am in no rush for you to leave my city just yet.” Klaus admitted. His face lights up, as if relieved that you didn’t say soon. But it’s true, you didn’t give yourself any time to plan your leave. All you know is that you don’t want to leave tomorrow or the next day.

“Is that right?” You fluttered your lashes and your bottom lip finds its place in between your teeth. Those exact words are what you needed to hear from him.

“I admit, your company is quite the enjoyment.” Klaus placed a hand over your thigh closest to your knee in reassurance. 

“Enjoyment? That’s all I am to you, huh? So calling me ‘my love’ and ‘sweetheart’ is just for kicks and giggles?” You replied lightheartedly and he caught on. “And Finn calling me ‘the woman you love’ was just a lie. Hmm?” 

“Oh don’t act mindless with me, my love. You know how important you are to me.” 

“Mmm hmm. Sure Nik.” You said in a playful tone. 

Klaus surprised you when he suddenly rubbed his thumb across your thigh. “I swear that I mean it with every bone in my body.” He muttered, your heart skipped a beat. 

“I believe you.” You responded in a low tone. 

He rubbed your thigh again and just like magic, a familiar feeling tingles in between your legs and you couldn’t help but slightly squirm from the feeling, battling to push it aside while Klaus searched your face. 

You gingerly removed Klaus’s hand from your thigh and he frowned. But Instead of bolting out of the room, you hopped off of the bed and shut the door before whooshing yourself across Klaus’s lap with a smirk, tangling your arms around his neck. The sudden change of motion caught him by surprise and he abruptly lit up. You looked him dead in the eye and he didn’t say a word while his hands captured your small waist underneath your blouse.

Without thinking it through, you leaned down and crashed your lips onto his. The feeling was electrifying and his plump lips tasted like delicious nostalgia. The way his lips melted perfectly together with yours made it blatantly clear that he’s been dying to relish in your sweet lips again.

As you lose yourself in this gratifying escape, flashbacks of love making in Klaus’s old mansion flooded your memories. It caused you to deepen the kiss with a tongue war and you lowered Klaus onto the mattress so that you were hovering over him. 

You leaned back for air and Klaus flashed his signature smirk before rapidly hovering over you in the blink of an eye. 

“Allow me to makeup for lost time.” Klaus murmured seductively.

Neither of you planned for this night filled with ecstasy. 

-

A/N: Part 9 finally arrived! So sorry for the really long wait. I ended up rewriting it because I wasn’t happy with it, but I’m extremely happy with the rewritten one. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter :) your sweet comments are very appreciated! Love you all!

TAGS: @ynm1505 @ravenmoore14@xdontxcare @seasiren96@anyasthoughts @woodworthti666 @agentmarvel13@miss-lumiere@elizabeth-ann1090 @physically-a-cheesecake@azhar1422 @morsmornte @retrocontessa @kollover24 @thewolf-and-thesheep @xoxoaudreymarie @dezzym17@siphonersalvatore @yolobloggers @akshi8278​ @simonsaysyasss​ @eggingamazinglove​ @brooklymw

[daylight-imagines]

Miss Me? Part 6

Pairing: Kol Mikaelson x Reader

Warning(s): Swearing. Slight violence (very brief).

Word Count: 3033

A/n: I hope you all like this part. I love hearing what you think so let me know! 

Part 7 

You were sitting on the couch, focusing on taking deep breaths. It wasn’t helping you calm down, nothing was. Your brain was running in a thousand different directions. Thinking clearly to come up with a plan wasn’t happening. You took one last deep breath before you forced yourself to think. Finally, you forced yourself to pick up your phone. But after unlocking it you were stuck. No one you called would be able to explain this. Calling Kol was out of the question until you had more answers. You thought about calling Bonnie, but she was all the way in Mystic Falls. So she wouldn’t be able to help you. After a few more minutes of back and forth, you realized who might have some answers for you. You dialed her number and waited for an answer.

“Hello?”

“I need your help Freya.”

“Y/n? Are you alright?”

“Can you come to my apartment?” You asked. “Please.”

“Yeah, I’m on my way.”

“Will you...just don’t tell anyone.”

Waiting for Freya to arrive just allowed your nerves to grow. The panic made your chest feel so tight it was hard to breathe. You had started pacing the floors because sitting made it worse; while, your thoughts ran rampant, trying to rationalize what was happening. After what felt like hours, there was a knock on the door, and you ran to answer it. When Freya stepped into the apartment, you could tell she was worried. 

“What’s going on, Y/n?”

Not sure you'd be able to speak, you grabbed her arm and pulled her over to the counter. Her eyes widened when she saw the small stick, and when she saw what it said she turned back to you. 

“You’re pregnant?”

“Freya, it’s not possible, right? It can't be. It has to be wrong.”

She stared at you for a moment before moving into action. She made her way to the couch and motioned for you to lay down. You did what she said. Once you were laid down, Freya kneeled beside you. She placed a hand on your stomach and closed her eyes, whispering a spell. It went on for a minute while you watched, your heart racing. Her eyes snapped open, making you jump. She was silent for a moment before she spoke.  

“It’s true,” she said. “You’re pregnant.”

Another wave of panic shot through your body, and you grabbed her hand. 

“I haven’t been with anyone but Kol.”

She smiled and squeezed your hand. “I know. I can tell that the baby is a Mikaelson.”

You sat up and ran your hands through your hair. “How is this even possible, Freya?”

“I don’t kn-” Her eyes widened, and she let out a sigh. “Daliah.”

“Your aunt?”

Freya nodded. “She was angry about only getting one firstborn from Ester’s children.”

“You think she made so they all could have children?”

“Dahlia was obsessed with power. It would make sense for her to do something like this.”

There were footsteps outside your apartment, and you froze when you realized it was Kol. You turned to Freya with wide eyes.

“I can’t...please...I.”

“Calm down. I’ll take care of it.”

While she went to the door, you went to your bedroom, so you were out of sight. You sat on the bed and listened as she made some kind of story about a girl’s day. A smile came to your face when he joked that Freya was stealing his girlfriend. But it quickly fell when you thought of the real reason she was sending him away. The door closed and you let out a breath and looked up when Freya came into the room. 

“You’re going to have to tell him.”

“I know.” You nodded. Tears fell down your face, but you didn’t bother wiping them away. She sat next to you and grabbed your hand.

“Kol loves you, and he will love your child.”

“I know. But will he believe it? They’ve spent a thousand years not able to have children.”

“And then Hope came along.”

“Klaus is a hybrid,” you cried. “As soon as he unlocked the curse, he could have children.”

Freya sighed, wrapping her arms around you.

“My brother is not a fool. He will realize I’m right about Dahlia.”

You pulled away from her and wiped your eyes. 

“Thank you, Freya. You didn’t have to come when I called, and you definitely didn’t have to lie to Kol for me.” 

“Of course, I did. We’re family now whether you like it or not.” She stood and held out a hand. “Come on I can hear your stomach growling.”

You laughed and let her pull you up. Freya made her way to the door, but you paused.

“Can I drink blood? Is that going to be ok?”

“You don’t have a choice, but I think it’s fine. Your baby will be a tribrid. I would start eating more human food though.”

"Well, that’s exactly what I want,” you said and left the bedroom. Freya followed you laughing. 

A while later, you had various take out containers sitting across the coffee table. Some show played while Freya explained more to you about what Dahlia had done.

“You know if this is true for all your siblings, Rebekah is going to be happy.”

“She’s always wanted a family. Now she might be able to.”

There was a knock on your door, and Freya stood up with a sigh.

“Kol, I told you not to-” She stopped when she opened the door. 

“Wrong brother.” Klaus pushed past Freya to get inside. You stood up, fear running through you. He would be able to tell you were pregnant. Knowing Klaus, he’d act first and ask questions later.

You knew the moment he heard it. The smirk dropped off his face, and his head tilted to the side, listening. A second later, he was holding you against the wall by your throat.

“I wonder how my brother will feel knowing you’ve laid with another?”

“I haven’t,” you choked out.

“Let her go, Klaus.” Freya stood beside you, making Klaus look over. “She’s not lying.”

After a moment, Klaus released his hold, and you fell to the ground, gasping for air. Freya kneeled next to you. Klaus threw his hands up and looked to the two of you.

“Tell me how she is with child if she has remained loyal to our brother.”

“Dahlia,” Freya said. “Calm down, and I’ll explain.”

“For her sake, it better be a good explanation.”

“Dahlia was angry when Ester turned you into vampires. She felt she’d been cheated out of what she was owed.”

“Our firstborns,” Klaus said.

“Yes, and she obsessed over finding a solution. She worked on a spell for centuries that would allow you all to have children. I didn’t realize she finished it.”

Klaus was silent for a moment. “So you’re telling me that Dahlia cast a spell on our siblings, allowing them to have children.”

“It’s the only thing that makes sense, Klaus.”

“Unless she’s lying.”

“I love Kol,” you said. “Klaus, I promise you I haven’t been with anyone else.” 

He stared at you for a moment, trying to find any sign that you were lying. He sighed and looked away.

“Does Kol know?”

“Not yet,” you said. “Was there a reason you’re here?”

“I needed to speak with Freya, but it can wait.” 

He went to leave but stopped when you called his name. “Please let me be the one to tell him.”

He nodded. “Would you like me to send him this way?”

You nodded, and he was gone. Closing your eyes didn’t help the headache that was currently forming. 

“Come on, get up. Kol will be here soon.”

The fear that had settled in your gut when you saw the pregnancy test had lessened significantly. Freya’s reassurance that Kol wouldn’t be angry had calmed you. But that didn’t stop your heart from leaping when the front door opened. 

“Darling, are you alright? Nik said you needed-” he trailed off when he saw you sitting with Freya. 

She glanced at you, silently asking if you wanted her to stay. You shook your head, so she stood and said goodbye to Kol before leaving.

“Y/n, what’s wrong?”

“Please sit down. I have to tell you something.”

He sat next to you and took one of your hands into his. Worry was clear on his face, but his eyes still had the look that was saved for you. When you looked into his eyes, you never had to guess how much he loved. It was there for anyone to see. 

You smiled. “I love you.”

“And I love you. What’s wrong?”

“Um, I-”

He moved closer when you looked down. The hand that wasn’t holding yours moved to tilt your head up. 

“Whatever it is, you can tell me. It doesn’t matter what. I’ll be by your side for as long as you keep me there.”

Tears filled your eyes, and your chest tightened. But that’s all you needed to hear for your fear to fade away. 

“Promise me you’ll stay calm while I explain everything.”

You took a deep breath after he answered and tightened your hold on his hand.

“I’m pregnant.” He stiffened immediately, so you kept talking. “I haven’t been with anyone but you. I called Freya because I thought she might have answers.” 

“And did she?” His eyes hadn’t left your face. You nodded.

“Dahlia made a spell that would let you all have children, so she could get more firstborns. Freya didn’t realize she finished it, but now she thinks she did.”

You watched him after you finished talking. He was tense, not moving a muscle as he worked through everything you told him. The fear that ran through you was unavoidable. There was always the chance he wouldn’t believe you. It would be easy for him to think you’d been with someone else like Klaus had. But you weren’t sure you could handle losing him if that was the case. 

After sitting in silence for what felt like hours, his gaze from your face down to your stomach. There was a smile on his face when he looked back up at you. He pulled you into his lap, pressing a kiss to your lips. His arms held you tight against him, and you let out a sigh. He pulled back enough to kiss your lips and forehead and everywhere else he could reach.

Kol’s hand rested on your stomach while you laid in bed. The small smile on his face while listening to your child’s heart spent warmth through your entire body. 

“We never really talked about the future,” you said.

“You’re stuck with me now, darling.”

You laughed, rolling your eyes. 

“That’s not what I meant. Have you ever thought about wanting kids?”

He was silent for a moment and pulled you closer. 

“When I was human, I always thought I’d have a family one day.” He kissed your forehead. “Then we became vampires, and it was no longer an option. So I never thought of it again.”

“Not even when Hope was born?”

“Maybe when I saw you holding her.”

You smiled moving so you could press a kiss to his lips. He pulled you closer, deepening the kiss. You pulled back and settled against his chest. When his arms wrapped around you, you were sure you’d never felt so content. 

“So, you’re not disappointed it was me this happened with?”

“Why would you think that?”

“Like I said, we never discussed the future,” you said. 

Kol moved so he could look at you. You kept your eyes focused on the wall, and he sighed. 

“Y/n, please look at me.” 

Reluctantly, you turned your gaze to his. 

“You’re all I want. All I’ll ever want,” he said. “If you feel different then-”

You cut him off, shaking your head. “I love you. Only you.”

He pressed another kiss to your lips. “What about you? Did you want children?”

“I was never really sure. I knew if I did, I didn’t want it to be like my parents.” You sighed. “I mean, they were amazing parents, but the situation wasn’t. Until a few years ago, I barely knew my mom. I never wanted it to be like that for my kids.”

“And now?”

You smiled. “Now I’m with you, and I’m happy.”

Since you found out you were pregnant, things had been calm. No new enemies were popping up, and no one was fighting. The threat of the prophecy was still looming over everyone’s heads, but nothing could be done about it until the time was right. Most people would enjoy the calm they’d been awarded. But after growing up in Mystic Falls, it made you uneasy. It usually meant something bad was coming. Kol convinced you not to stress over it too much and enjoy it.

As the weeks passed, you grew closer with the Mikaelsons. They were all excited about another new addition to their family. Even your relationship with Klaus was slowly mending. 

The stairs that lead to your apartment seemed like a mountain after spending the day with Rebekah. She had taken you shopping to get things for the baby even though you were only two months along. But she insisted. You were out the entire day and now you were ready to relax. Caroline was talking through your phone, but you could barely concentrate on what she was saying.

“Yes, Caroline. I’m fine.” You rolled your eyes as you made your way up the steps. “I’m home and exhausted. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. I love you.” 

You hung up the phone and pulled out your keys. The moment you stepped inside, Kol’s arms were around you. A small squeal left our mouth when he lifted you off the ground slightly. 

“Not that I don’t love being in your arms, but you seem a bit too happy to see me.”

“My sister stole you from me all day.”

You groaned. “Trust me, I know. My feet feel like they might break off.”

He laughed as he lifted you into his arms and carried you to the bedroom. He sat you down on the edge of the bed before kneeling and pulling off your shoes. 

“I’m not a child Kol.”

“But you’re carrying my child darling.” He pressed a kiss to your lip when he stood. “Let me take care of you.” 

He moved across the room and pulled out one of his shirts you liked to sleep in. You changed and settled under the covers. He climbed in after you, pulling you close. His hand settled on your stomach, running over the small bump that was barely noticeable if you weren’t looking for it. You let out a sigh before laying your head against his chest. Silence settled over you, slowly coaxing you to sleep. 

“We should get married.”

Your eyes snapped open, and you tilted your head to look at him.

“What?”

“Marry me.”

A smile slowly made its way into your face. 

“You’re being serious?”

He rolled over, opening up one of the drawers. He sat a small box in front of you. Your eyes widened when you saw the ring inside. 

“Before you ask, I got this before you told me about the baby,” he said. “I love you. I will love you for the rest of eternity. Will you marry me?”

Tears fell from your eyes, and Kol wiped them away.

“Yes. Of course, I’ll marry you.”

A few days after Kol asked you to marry him, you decided it was time to tell your sister about the baby. You waited, tapping your foot until Caroline answered the phone. 

“Are you busy?”

“Not at all,” she said. “What’s up?”

“Well, I have two things to tell you.” 

You made your way over to sit on the couch.

“Good news and bad news?”

“Actually, both are good news.”

“Thank god." She sighed. "Alright, I’m ready.”

“Kol proposed.”

You heard her squeal through the phone and laughed.

"What's the second thing?"

"I'm pregnant."

She started rambling about how your kids would be the same age and weddings. You just listened, adding something whenever she would ask.

“Darling, who are you talking to?” Kol asked as he walked into the room. 

“It’s Caroline.”

She said your name, pulling your attention back to her. “Is that Kol? Give him the phone.”

“I’m not doing that.”

“Put him on the phone. I just want to talk to him.”

“Caroline, no.”

“I just need a second.”

You sighed but walked over and handed him the phone.

“Hello?”

“Listen here you little shit.”

“Oh god.” You groaned covering your face. Kol smiled and wrapped an arm around your waist to pull you close. 

“My sister might love you, but if you ever do anything to hurt her, I won’t stop until I find a way to kill you. Permanently this time. Got it?”

“I understand. I would never hurt her.”

“Good, you can give her phone back now.”

You smiled as you took back your phone. “I love you, Caroline.”

“I love you too. I’ll talk to you later. Stay safe.”

“I’m always safe.”

“Obviously, that’s not true, or you wouldn’t be pregnant.”

Kol started laughing, but you just rolled your eyes.

“You better take care of her Mikaelson,” Caroline called before hanging up the phone. 

There was a knock on the door, so you hurried over to answer it. Rebekah marched into the room arms full of bags.

"What is this?" You asked.

"For the baby."

“Rebekah, this is getting out of hand.”

“Wouldn’t you rather have too much than not enough. Besides only the best for my niece or nephew.” 

She handed you one of the bags but was quick to grab your hand. Her eyes widened and moved to meet yours.

“Is that what I think it is?” 

You nodded, and she wrapped her arms around you. 

“We have to start planning. My brother is getting married. I never thought it’d happen.”

“Rebekah, we don’t want to rush it.”

“I never said anything about rushing it.”

You grinned when she pulled you onto the couch, rambling about different colors and flowers. 

For the first time since you could remember, things seemed like they were falling into place. You had Kol back and found a love you couldn’t have ever imagined. The Mikaelsons were quickly becoming as much of your family as Caroline. And you had your child on the way.

Things were perfect, but they never stayed like that for long. 

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Masterlist | Series Masterlist | Part 7