#((staring at a wall sounds like great fun atm))

[calamitysshatteredson]

Charity chocobo complete(!), for anyone who wants to see what I've been up to. I'm sure a desire to rest/barely exist for a weekend is understandable, then I'll see about... Doing Things. Enormous thanks for your patience, all especially since I'm still going to be slow because I am always Doing Things.

[2996-sana]

Lucky - Jisoo

request: Please can you write some fluff/angst where Jisoo finds out her girlfriend used to have a bp stan account and had Chaeyoung as her bias so Jisoo gets jealous/insecure and starts acting differently? Thank you!!!

i kinda went another way but it still has the same gist, really ! only that the reader didn’t have a stan account hehe 

p.s. i have received the requests for rosé and jennie but i will be doing a lisa request first since i haven’t put one out for her yet but i am still accepting requests atm

You would like to consider yourself lucky. You were currently in a very happy and healthy relationship with someone who you share an effortlessly rock-solid bond with. Someone who appreciated you for you and prioritized you over everything else. Your friends would always point out how smitten you both were but you never did pay it no mind – they could only wish to have a love as resilient and fun.

Oh yeah, and the person in question? Kim Jisoo. One of Korea’s most sought-after idols.

No big deal. Adding the fact that you were a fan before getting into a relationship with her, you would say lucky is an understatement.

If it wasn’t for your close friendship with Soojoo (who is one of Jisoo’s best friends in the industry) and your persistence to be introduced to the girls of Blackpink, you wouldn’t be where you are today. It took the right timing and the decision to come over at Soojoo’s apartment, only to find out she already had a certain guest over, for fate to lay a hand. Though your constant flirting also definitely helped create a permanent spot for you on Jisoo’s mind.

It wasn’t everyday someone had the guts to flirt with her and usually when someone did, she never had any trouble turning them down. She had bigger and better things to focus on: her career and her Blinks. She had no time for silly relationships at her young age, especially since they were at their peak, but there was something about you that kept her coming back.

That was over a year ago and the relationship that you both have built still leaves everybody in awe. You give majority of the credit to Jisoo who knew exactly how to handle you. She dealt with everything with a maturity you could only wish to have. Although you’d like to think it was already rubbing off on you. Something that your parents will forever be grateful to Jisoo for.

Your girlfriend carried with her a very laid back and goofy disposition. You’ve always admired how calm she was during times when you’d expect the exact opposite and loved her ability to bring comfort to those who weren’t, especially to her own members. Even her fans noticed how caring and protective she became when needed. You always chalked it up to her being the eldest in the group and feeling the need to be the one stable thread that kept everyone together. She was always the strong one when everything seemed to be falling apart.

But this also meant not a lot of people get to see Jisoo the way you do. Because with you, she allows herself to completely break down the walls she surrounds herself with when she’s at work. Gone is the Kim Jisoo of the biggest girl group in the world. All you were left with was Jisoo – your girlfriend.

The first time you saw Jisoo cry was a turning point in your relationship.

You and Jisoo were lounging on your couch on one of her few days off. Both of you were directing your attention to the documentary playing on the TV when you all of a sudden hear sniffles coming from your right. You immediately face the girl you have been seeing for a few months and see her fixing her gaze on her lap whilst she played with her fingers. Her eyes glazed with a glassy layer of tears. As she blinked, they dripped from her eyelids and slid down her cheeks. She bit her lip tightly in attempt to hide any sound that wanted to escape from her mouth

“Jisoo?” you hesitated. At this point, your mind was going wild with the probable reasons why she was suddenly upset. Your brain cogs turning trying to remember if you did anything wrong or maybe she was going to break things off. Of course, she was too busy and didn’t have time for a relationship. Why did you even think this would work out?

“Y/N…” Jisoo’s eyes moved slower and always more down-cast, skimming the floor, rarely raising to eye level as more tears started to fall. It was in her voice too, quieter, with a meekness that wasn't usually part of her speech patter. This was very unlike the Jisoo you were used to. She was sad in a way you hadn't seen before. She brought her hand to intertwine yours together, taking a deep breathe to calm herself.

“Talk to me,” you whispered. “You never have to be afraid to open up to me.”

It was this that made Jisoo’s tears burst forth like water from a dam, spilling down her face. The muscles of her chin trembled like a small child and it took everything in you not to start crying too. It was not the time.

“I’m just tired,” she mumbled. “There’s been a lot of stress about the album process being delayed again and everyone is just so drained.” she leaned backwards, letting her head fall on the back of the couch and closing her eyes. “I’m so tired.” she emphasized, wiping her tears. You let her cry for a few more minutes waiting until she calms down as you put your arms around her shoulder.

“I will never understand firsthand what that feels like as an artist to go through that but I want you and the girls to know that so many people believe in you,” you consoled. “This is what you guys have been waiting for and you deserve it and more. The process was never gonna be easy but I know that you all love what you do and it will all be worth it because of that and your fans.”

She let out a shaky sigh before turning to face you. She studied your face silently for a second before giving you a small smile. “Thank you. I honestly went to see you tonight because I didn’t wanna be upset in front of the girls. Not right now when they’re all feeling really down too.”

She leaned forward to wrap her arms around you in a hug. “You’re my safe place.”

Before you, Jisoo didn’t think she could ever find a soul, aside from her members, that would ever understand the things that brought her pain.

To be the one Jisoo was able to turn to during her toughest moments was a badge of honor you would gladly wear everyday for the rest of your life.

Right now, you joined the Blackpink girls in their dorm chatting over some chicken and soju. You were all on your fourth bottle and you could sense how tipsy Rosé was becoming, but you knew Jennie and Lisa weren’t too far off either.

“I think its so funny how Y/N was annoying Soojoo to introduce her to us and now she’s practically married to Jisoo unnie,” Jennie giggled, raising the shot glass to her mouth.

Both Rosé and Lisa apparently thought this was the funniest thing ever because they laughed their little hearts silly.

“Oh my god!” Rosé squealed. “I was your bias remember?”

You hid your face on your hands as you shook your head, “Jesus, you’re super drunk.”

“Still doesn’t change the fact I was your bias!” Rosé laughed, putting her head on your shoulder.

“Yah, unnie, look!” Lisa slapped Jisoo’s shoulders, staring at her wildly. “Rosé is trying to steal your girl.” she pointed towards the both of you.

Jisoo only raised an eyebrow towards you before giving Lisa a smile but you knew Jisoo well enough now to differentiate a real smile from a fake one and that did not look genuine at all. Before you could scoot over to your girlfriend, Jennie decided to dig your hole a little deeper.

“I never knew that before Y/N. Why Rosie?” Jennie glared. “Why not me?”

“Yeah! Tell us!” Rosé exclaimed clapping her hands.

And that started a round of chants asking you to tell them the reason.

“Just tell them, babe.” you hear your girlfriend say. You look at her searching for signs not to but she only nodded in encouragement. You knew she was only doing so to appease her wasted members.

“I…I don’t know,” you stammered, looking at everyone. “She just caught my attention, I guess. That was way before I knew you guys though and what you were like. Everything is different now.”

“Well duh, you’re like in love with Jisoo unnie now,” Rosé drunkenly whispered.

You smiled at her words pulling Jisoo closer to you, “That I am.”

•

It was around 3AM when you and Jisoo arrived at your apartment after putting the drunk girls to bed. You and Jisoo decided to spend the night together since it had been weeks since you saw each other. You’ve noticed how quiet Jisoo had been after the whole Rosé being your bias thing and you couldn’t help but worry and wonder why. You’ve caught her in moments of reflection for the rest of the night before remembering where she was and trying to act normal.

You were in bed when you find her uncharacteristically quiet and staring up at the ceiling.

“I know you’re not okay,” you deadpanned, laying on your side to face her. “What’s on your mind?”

“It’s stupid,” she sighed as the words slowly made its way out of her mouth.

“You know I would never invalidate your feelings, right?” you questioned, reaching up to caress her cheek.

“Why me?” she said quietly. “I always asked myself that when we first started dating. Whenever Soojoo mentioned you, she would always talk about your obsession with Chaeyoung and we’d both laugh about it. When I first met you and you started showing interest, I thought you were only using me to get closer to Chaeyoung.” she laughed but you could sense no humor behind it.

You wanted to interject and tell her how wrong she was but you sensed she had more to say.

“So, I put you in arm’s length because of that. I didn’t think you had the best intentions towards me. It was okay at first until I really started to get attached to you too and I thought ‘great, I like someone who is probably into Chaeyoung’. Chaeyoung was your type and I couldn’t be more different from her. I was so confused and didn’t know what your deal was. I started to get really scared when I realized you had to meet the girls.” she recounted. “I was scared that you’d start to like her for real and that she was what you were after all along. I felt lost and confused, but at the same time happy and certain that I really wanted things with you to work out.”

She turned to face you for the first time since she started talking, “I was wrong. You had the most genuine intentions towards me and you proved that time and time again. I guess that tonight, that irrational fear just crawled back to me like a shadow of what I used to feel and that freaked me out.”

After that, you slipped off the blankets and got on top of her, grabbing her face and bringing it closer to yours. “You are the best thing to ever happen to me, Kim Jisoo. I fucking mean that, you know that, right? The moment we met, we clicked, you know that. You were all I could think about the moment I step foot out of Soojoo’s apartment. The only reason Rosie was my bias was because I didn’t know any better. I literally knew jack shit about you guys but the more I got to know you, the more I knew I wanted to be with you. It was never about Blackpink, it was about me getting to know another human being that I adored and respected.”

You were looking down at her probably looking at her like the sun came out of her ass but Jisoo wasn’t complaining. “You curse a lot, you know?” she giggled.

You rolled your eyes, “I come up with that great speech and you choose to talk about a couple curses.”

She leaned up and pressed your lips together.

“You’ve never failed to make me feel that, Y/N. Thank you for putting up with me when I get bouts of insecurity and doubt.” she smiled. “You know I’ll do the same for you too.”

“Yeah, you’re gonna be doing that a lot more for me because you guys are only going up from here,” you pouted. “I’ll have more people to compete with especially with your new drama coming. Your male lead better watch out, whoever he is.” you scoffed.

“There’s no competition in the first place,” she flicked your forehead. “And if there was, it would be a no brainer to know who would win.”

You smirked from above her, “Sure win?”

She crinkled her nose at how corny you were but gave you the biggest smile nonetheless, “You know it, babe.”

[bloodpacks-archive]

mango

word count: 3.6k!! I love!!

summary: peter fell in love. here’s the story.

warnings: hi okay so there’s like. one bit where someone gets a few cuts from glass on accident and it’s not a huge deal and it’s not described in detail. Also! There’s a bit where there’s a tiny fight but it’s super quick.

note: hi!!! I love this fic!!! It’s so soft and pretty and i love the whole thing with my entire heart because!! It’s just so soft!! And Peter is in love!! This is a feel-good fic and i like it lots and i just really want you guys to like it too!! thank you for reading!!

When Peter first saw her—really saw her—it was an autumn morning. The air was just cold enough that he’d been forced to start wearing sweatshirts or light jackets, and the city seemed to have this new kind of life to it with the approach of winter.

But she had this new kind of life, a new kind of brightness that Peter couldn’t quite place. And he recognized her, he thought she was in a few of his classes, or maybe he’d just seen her in the halls, but there was something about today that just caught his eye. She was laughing, a musical sound, as she spoke with who Peter assumed was one of her friends.

And it catches him off guard, because he hasn’t felt like this in a while. Not since MJ said it “just wasn’t working out” and that she “still loves him as a friend.” That one hurt for a bit. But now it’s his senior year, and it’s been at least half a year since MJ, and there’s this girl standing in front of him.

And Peter really isn’t sure how to act.

And maybe he should have noticed that he’d been looking at her for too long, but he really wasn’t expecting for said girl to glance over in his direction, and then smile and wave at him.

It almost knocked him off his feet.

That day, he sees her everywhere. She’s in his English and his math, and he sees her in the hallways almost every time he turns a corner. When he’s sitting in english, she gets called on to answer a question, and her voice has this pretty flow to it, one that makes him want to listen closer even if she talked about something he had no interest in.

He feels a bit silly for never noticing her before, because right now, when she speaks it feels like laying in sunshine. And Peter just really likes that feeling.

So when they just happen to get partnered up for for an English project, Peter can’t say he’s complaining. Especially since he sucks at English and—based on the answer he just heard—she knows what she’s doing.

The time together is just a bonus.

When she walks over to him, she’s got this bright smile on her face.

“Peter, right?” She asks as she sits down next to him, and he nods, and offers her a smile back. “Great, so, do you wanna get together tomorrow maybe and work on this? We could honestly probably get it done in a few hours.”

“Yeah, that sounds great, when are you free?” She glances up at the clock, and lets her eyebrows furrow together as she looks back at him.

“The bell’s about to ring and I really need to get home, how about I give you my number and you text me?”

And so Peter just nods, and hands her his phone. She types her number in, and then the bell rings and she waves a goodbye to him before walking out of the room.

When Peter looks down at his phone, her name is staring back at him, with a smiley face at the end.

—————

The next day, Peter’s sitting in a café, sipping on a warm drink while he waits for her to walk in. He’s glancing over the rubric, trying to figure out everything they’ll need, when he feels a gust of cold air blow past him. He glances up at the door and sees her scanning the room. When her eyes meet his, she smiles, waving at him as she makes her way to the table. Peter has to stifle a laugh as she just barely bumps into a woman getting up from her seat. He watches as they both say quick apologies. When she gets to the table she widens her eyes and makes a face, and Peter lets out a breath of laughter.

“I’m lucky she didn’t have coffee in her hand,” She mutters as she puts her laptop on the table.

“You’re lucky that she seemed nice.”

“Oh you didn’t see the dirty look she gave me.”

And Peter raises his eyebrows at her, smiling and shaking his head as he watches her. She excuses herself so she can go get something to drink, and when she comes back, they’re quick to get to work.

Peter starts to notice little things about her, like the way she flicks her pencil between her fingers while she’s thinking, or how when she’s frustrated with whatever she’s typing, she’ll lean her head back and close her eyes while she types, or how, even though she voluntarily got a cold drink, she still shivers every now and then. It makes him smile.

“What’re you smiling at?” She asks in between a beat of silence when she had been trying to think of what to type. It makes Peter’s heart drop for a moment, makes heat creep up the back of his neck.

“Nothing,” He answers, probably a bit too quickly, and she smiles, dropping her gaze and quickly getting back to work.

He notices that smile doesn’t go away for a bit.

It’s around two hours later when they finish the project, and it almost makes Peter a little sad when they have to part ways. But she puts her hand on his arm, just for a moment, and says something about how they should hang out sometime, and it makes Peter’s heart flutter, so he takes everything he can.

Later that night, when Peter’s just getting home from patrol, she texts him something that had reminded her of him. They stay up texting for most of the night.

—————

It’s a few months later when they’re sitting together at lunch. It’s winter now, and whispers of Christmas and New Year’s linger in the air. At this point, Ned knows about his crush, and he isn’t exactly subtle about it, because every time she talks to him, Ned gives Peter a look and he has to stop himself from rolling his eyes.

But it’s nice, because even though they haven’t done anything, because hell, Peter’s scared and he’s not really sure if he has the time for a girlfriend right now, he gets to spend time with her, and that’s something he’s really happy to have.

And she melds well with the group. Ned loves her, loves how she’s quick witted and isn’t afraid to make fun of Peter with him—much to Peter’s dismay—and MJ thinks she’s fun, and they hang out all the time ever since they found their shared love of true crime documentaries. Peter’s even pretty sure Flash likes her, with how often he hangs around the group now. And somehow, Flash makes fun of Peter less when she’s around. So even though he’s pretty sure he’s just trying to get close to her, Peter doesn’t mind it too much.

He especially doesn’t mind it when the two of them hang out at his apartment, and they’re both leaning against his bed, blankets wrapped around them and snacks between them while they watch movies.

And he doesn’t mind it when her head falls on his shoulder, tired from the week, and her eyes fall shut halfway through the movie, because at least she’s here, and he’s really happy to have that.

—————

He’s on patrol when he hears word of a robbery on 21st, and Peter’s quick to swing past buildings and practically fly down the streets New York to get there. When he arrives, there’s three guys inside the bank, one watching while the other two grab as much money as they can from the broken ATM. Peter almost rolls his eyes.

“You guys never learn, do you?” Peter says as he webs the guy on watch’s hand to his gun. The other two glance up at him, and both go for their guns, quickly pulling them on Peter. Peter flips up and over them as they start shooting, and then swings to kick one of them out towards the window. The window breaks, sending glass shattering across the sidewalk. Peter webs the guy outside to the ground, and then counters a hit from watch-guy, pushing back and sending both him and the only other guy still left to the ground. He webs them both to the floor, which has pieces of glass scattered around it. It’s then when Peter hears the police sirens, and he goes to leave when he hears someone hiss.

When he glances outside, he sees a girl on sitting against the wall of the building, holding her right arm in one hand.

“Hey, you okay?” Peter asks as he approaches her, and when she glances up, Peter feels his heart drop.

Because of course it’s her. It’s always his friends who end up in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine just-“ She hisses again. “A few pieces of glass hit my arm and I have a few cuts. It’s nothing bad, I should be fine. It just kinda stings.”

Peter lets his eyes fall down to her arm, and she’s right, it’s not bad, but she’s clearly in pain and she needs to get home so she can still get them disinfected and bandaged up. And since he has experience in the field, he offers. And there’s something that crosses her face. Her eyebrows furrow, and she bites the inside of her cheek, but her eyes still carry that brightness he’s oh so familiar with. And she says yes.

He’s careful taking her home. He glances over every two seconds to make sure she’s okay, and she always is, but he can’t help but be a bit worried. When they finally get to her apartment, there’s a moment of awkward silence, but then she motions that she’ll go grab their first aid kit, and Peter just nods.

He’s been in her room millions of times by now, but there’s always something weird about going places as Spider-Man. He’s so familiar with these places, but he’s not supposed to be. So he feels out of place. It almost feels like he’s just passing through. Or like he’s someplace he really shouldn’t be. Either way, it isn’t his favorite feeling.

So he glances around the room to distract himself. He’s noticed that she’s put a few more pictures on her bulletin board, and he walks over to look at them.

There’s a picture of MJ, standing in a crowd and holding up a sign. He smiles. It’s very like them. His eyes fall down the board. There’s a picture of Ned excitedly showing off his lego death star, and another picture of all four them sitting at Ned’s house while they ate pizza. MJ had forced them to watch about five different documentaries that night, but to be honest, it was too much fun for any of them to mind. (And even though Peter would never admit it, they were kind of interesting).

And then his eyes fall on a picture of himself. He’s leaning over a physics textbook, but he’d glanced up to give her a look as she took the picture. He’d rolled his eyes at her after that, and then grabbed a piece of popcorn to throw at her. And then there’s another picture, from when they’d gone to a museum together. He’s sticking his tongue out at her from in front of a weird modern art sculpture because she said he “clearly wasn’t sophisticated enough to understand the complexities of a misshapen head.”

After that, they’d gone to look at more of the Monet paintings, because those were her favorite.

“Sorry, I’m back, that took forever to find.”

“No, you’re fine.” She sits on the bed, and puts the first aid kit by her side. Peter walks over and kneels in front of her. He’s pretty familiar with first aid kits at the point, so he barely even has to look at everything before he knows where everything is. “Did you run it under water? And use soap?”

She nods, “It’s really not that bad, you don’t need to bandage me up and everything.”

“I broke the window, it’s the least I could do.”

He dabs some disinfectant gel on the cuts, and then starts to wrap bandages around the few deeper cuts.

“I guess you’re pretty used to this stuff, right?” Her voice sounds hesitant, and he’s not really sure when he’s ever heard her be like this. Even when they didn’t know each other, she was so sure of herself. It’s weird to hear her like this.

“Yeah, I try to avoid it though. Still sucks.”

He finishes wrapping bandages and then looks up at her. She’s analyzing something, her eyes falling over his mask and her eyebrows furrowed.

“Are you okay?” He asks. She nods, slowly.

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine.”

Peter moves to leave, walking towards the window. He turns back, glancing at her for just a moment.

“Stay safe, alright?” He watches as she nods, and then he goes to swing out the window.

“Wait-“

He turns back and she’s standing up, walking towards him with careful steps.

“Okay this is going to be really weird if you aren’t who I think you are.” She pauses, and walks until she’s right in front of him. Peter can feel his heart speeding up, can feel the way his breath has quickened. He’s terrified, and based on the look in her eyes, she definitely knows.

“Peter?” She whispers. And he’s silent, because honestly, he doesn’t know what to say, or how to explain himself, or how to deny it, because she knows and there’s nothing he can do about it.

So it’s silent, but then she’s suddenly more sure of herself. She’s slow to reach her hands up to his mask, and Peter lets her.

“Can I take this off?” She asks, and Peter just nods, because there’s no point to stopping her now.

So she does, in slow movements, she takes his mask away from his face, and then suddenly they’re standing together, and she knows.

“Hi,” Peter whispers, and she lets a breath of a laugh escape her lips, and it makes Peter feel a little better about everything.

“I’m impressed,” She says.

“Impressed?”

“Who knew you could keep a secret for so long.”

And that makes Peter laugh, but he rolls his eyes at her, and so she joins in his laughter.

“Thank you for taking me home and making sure I was okay,” She says after their laughter fades.

“It was my fault you got hurt, it was the least I could do.”

“Hey,” Her hand goes up to his shoulder, her thumb rubbing back and forth, “it wasn’t your fault, okay? You couldn’t have known someone was gonna be there.”

“I still should’ve been more careful.”

“If that’s what you think, then you’ll know for next time.”

Their eyes meet for just a moment, and then she’s pulling him in for a hug. It takes Peter by surprise, but he’s quick to wrap his arms around her, letting his nose bury into the crook of her neck.

“You gotta stay safe out there, okay?” She’s muffled by his shoulder, but he understands her all the same.

“I know, I try.”

She pulls away to look at him, and she’s got her head tilted to the side, eyebrows raised.

“Okay, I’ll try harder.”

“Thank you,” She says, “I don’t know what I’d do if you got hurt.”

“Bandage me up?” Peter replies. She laughs, turning her gaze to the floor before shaking her head back up at him.

“I guess so.”

—————

It’s a few weeks later when they find themselves at a New Year’s party. Flash had insisted they all come, and although Peter’s pretty sure it was just to get Y/n at the party, he was more afraid of what Flash would do if they didn’t show up, so they decide to go.

Peter stays by her side the entire night, and they quietly whisper in each other ears about the party, the things around them, the people around them. It’s all very cliché, but Peter’s having fun because he’s next to her. So he doesn’t mind.

The party’s loud, there’s music playing and way too many people to be in one house, but sometimes Peter catches Ned and MJ’s eyes, and Ned winks at Peter, and it feels like they’re all at Ned’s house.

She pulls on his arm when there’s just a few minutes until midnight, bringing him towards the giant screen Flash had set up to watch the ball drop.

“Hey, Peter. I have something to tell you.” She turns to him, and she’s got one of his hands in her own, her eyes bright as she looks up at him. She’s got a permanent smile painted on her lips as her eyes flit over her face, and it makes his heart melt. She takes a breath. “I really like you.”

Peter can’t help the smile that takes over his face.

“I really like you, too.”

“So, personally, I’ve never had a New Year’s kiss.” She pauses for a moment, taking a breath. “And I was thinking this year might be a good one to start.”

As if on cue, the countdown begins. People are yelling around them, and the crowd around the screen is growing bigger, but Peter can only focus on her. Then suddenly, there’s cheering, and people are blowing noise makers, and hugging, and then she’s leaning up to him.

And then it’s just the two of them. It’s officially the New Year, and she’s kissing him. And it’s perfect, because she tastes like her mango chapstick, and she’s with him, and her hands are playing with the hair at the back of his neck, and he thinks this is the happiest he’s ever felt.

—————

Spring is sneaking it’s way into New York. It rains most days, so Peter’s been wearing a rain jacket, but since she has a habit of forgetting her umbrella, he’s found that he’s also been carrying an umbrella of his own just for her.

She’s laying next to him on his bed, tracing little patterns onto his chest, almost mindlessly. Her head is on his chest, and he’s running his hands through her hair as they watch movies. He’s come to realize she’s like moonlight. 

She’s his way home. She’s his light in the dark. She’s the brightest thing he’s ever seen, and she’s a wonder. And right now, he’s not sure what he’d do if she disappeared.

And he’s pretty sure this is more than a like.

And he feels like it shouldn’t be so difficult to say, because he says it all the time. He says it to May before he leaves every day, he says it to Ned, hell, he said it to Tony on accident one day and apologized about a million times before Tony said he loved him too, but to get back to his homework.

But it’s just different. Because she’s like the moonlight, and he doesn’t know what he’d do if he lost her.

And it’s gone through his head a lot lately. He thinks it when he sees her at school, when they say goodbye, when she laughs, when she flicks her pencil between her fingers. He’s always thinking it.

But he’s scared. Because it seems like whenever he says he loves someone, he’s more likely to lose them. And he really doesn’t want to lose her.

“What’re you thinking about?” He hadn’t even noticed that she’d paused the movie, but now she’s got her chin on his chest, and she’s playing with his hand.

“Nothing,” He replies.

“You always say that.”

“Maybe I don’t think.”

“Okay Mr. Top-Of-The-Class.”

And Peter rolls his eyes at her, grabbing a pillow to lightly hit her. He feels her laughter more than he hears it, and it makes a smile reach his face.

“Okay but really, what are you thinking about?” She puts the pillow under her chin now, making her a bit more eye-level with him.

And Peter’s thinking about saying it. Because maybe she’ll say it back and it’ll all be fine and nothing will happen and they can just keep going. But he doesn’t know.

“You know you’re like my favorite person, right?” He finally says.

“Poor Ned and May.”

“That’s different.”

“And how’s that?”

And it makes Peter pause, but Peter takes a breath and closes his eyes for a second.

“Because I’m not in love with them.”

And god, the smile that breaks out on her face makes every second of overthinking worth it. The way she tilts her head to the side, and lets a little breathless laugh pass her lips, it makes every second of it worth it.

“You’re in love with me?” She whispers.

Peter leans up, and wraps his arms around her waist. She lets her arms lazily rest over his shoulders, and she moves to lean their foreheads together.

“God, I am so in love with you.”

And she lets that breathless laughter escape her again, and it makes Peter want to hold onto her and never let her go. She leans into him, pressing a quick kiss to lips. She still tastes like mango chapstick, and Peter’s pretty sure that’s his new favorite chapstick.

“I am so in love with you, too.” She whispers when they pull away.

Peter decides that’s his favorite thing she’s ever said.

tag list! send me an ask to be added!!

@its-obrosey-bitch // @timelord-sorcerer // @amarokofficial // @ultrunning // @ocaptainmycaptainrogers // @holly192 // @nasa-parker // @dandelittlelion // @tomshufflepuff // @bucky-smiles // @delicately-written // @shakespeare-and-shenanigans // @mismatchingsocks // @ggukinn // @peterparkerandtessaholland // @smexylemony // @toxicated-mami // @savethehoneeybees // @theouternetisscary2 // @tiny-friggin-human // @yourwonderbelle // @evelyn120700 // @spideys-gurl // @musiclover1236 // @spidey-writey // @notsolivelyadele // @mutualmendes1998 // @spideykiks // @zabdisamor // @xidaughterofthemoonix // @vibraniumass // @blowing-mikey // @trustfundparker // @cutiepiemimi13 // @sebbystansstuff // @fangirlingonrhys // @y--oungblood​ // @friendlyneighborhood-holland​ // @livingoffsavvyillusions 

don’t want to be tagged? changed your url? not getting notifs? message me!

[angelatmidnight1]

hey there! so glad you're back, and happy new years btw!! idk if you're taking prompts atm so don't feel like you have to write this straight away (since you just posted a new fanfic anyway, and it was worth the wait as always), but i was thinking maybe you could write something with wattson and loba? because on this current season, loba is trying to be nicer to her, to kind of make up for the S5 accident, and i mean we love to see that character development lol. cheers!

A/N: Hi, happy (very late) New Years! I’ve actually picked up Loba as my secondary main, so I was really excited to write for both her and Wattson. This story is based on quest events from season 5 and onward, as well as the Legends’ dialogue mainly between Loba, Wattson, and Crypto (this video kind of shows the lines, but I couldn't find the one I originally watched). I was also inspired by a post from @thebliznet, which helped the story along a lot. Thank you for allowing me to mention your post and the blog! I hope this story is to your liking anon :). I had fun writing it.

Unleashing Your Inner Wolf- After Wattson’s accident, Loba has kept a watchful eye over her. This is especially true after Revenant has sworn to ruin the thief’s life. When the murderous simulacrum joined the Apex Games, Loba was hellbent on killing him herself. But, this wasn’t a job she had to do alone. Loba had all of the Legends wrapped around her fingers with the dirt she had on them, and she was pleased to have them at her disposal. The job was simple: find the artifacts she needed, locate Revenant’s source code, and end his miserable existence. So, when Wattson wandered into the building alone to retrieve an artifact, her plans literally went up in flames. Not only was she further away from what she wanted, someone nearly died, and it wasn’t the demonio. Loba secretly thanks the gods for Wattson’s recovery; the engineer has a harsher view of the world now, yes, but she’s alive. It was the first and last time that Loba would put someone in danger on her behalf. After having her as a teammate during a couple of games, Loba discovers some new, interesting information: Wattson spends a great deal of time speaking with Crypto. And, the thief finds their nervous, awkward interactions absolutely adorable. Loba decides to take the engineer under her wing to teach her the art of flirting. But first, she has to teach her the most important lesson out there: self love. Wattson finds her lessons a bit unorthodox, and is reluctant to open up. So, Loba’s first job is getting her to smile...and maybe laugh, too.

When Crypto fell on the battlefield, Loba was quick to toss her bracelet and teleport to his aid. She had a Guardian Angel backpack and there were fences set up within their hideout to deter an enemy push. She was just slipping her bracelet back on when someone else rounded the corner and ran over to the downed hacker. It was Wattson, who put her Interception Pylon in the center of the room to deny incoming projectiles. The engineer heard an angry “bloody hell” from the explosive expert outside, which made her grin inwardly. Natalie knelt down and rubbed her hands together to generate a charge. Unlike the rest of the Legends, the engineer revived her teammates by using her equipment like a defibrillator. 

“Got you Tae J---ohhh…” Instead of pulling him up, Wattson accidentally dropped him back onto the floor, covering her mouth with both hands. Crypto landed with a heavy thump and a groan. 

“Ugh, Natalie..” The hacker winced, prompting her to start the revive again, her mind still racing to finish her sentence. 

“J...Joules and Watts are tied for my favorite units of measurements. And yours?” Natalie giggled nervously after she successfully pulled the man back onto his feet. She looked over her shoulder to see Loba staring at them like they each had two heads. But then, the enemy Bangalore shot at her through the window, giving the engineer and hacker a welcome distraction. 

“...I’ll get better at this. I promise.” Wattson smiled and pushed a Phoenix Kit into Crypto’s hands. Crypto sighed and put the healing item to use, giving her a small smile of his own. 

“Thank you, Natalie.” Tae Joon huddled in the corner of the room to stay out of enemy sights. This prompted Natalie to put another fence at the doorway that would lead to them. No one was going to get in and hurt her friend; not if she had something to say about it! So, when she heard someone approaching, Wattson immediately pointed her Mastiff at the door, ready to take down whoever managed to slip in. She yelped and fired at the thief when she stuck her head in; fortunately, there was no friendly fire allowed in the Games. 

“Relax, it’s just me.” Loba frowned and walked further into the room. “The whole squad’s down and a wall of death is coming our way. We need to move.”

“Got it!” Wattson hopped to her feet and offered a hand to the hacker. Crypto reached up to take it but froze, looking over Natalie’s shoulder. For some reason, the thief was still looking at them. The engineer arched a brow and, since she didn’t see what he saw, she grabbed onto his hand anyway. “Let’s go, Crypto. Allons-y!”

Crypto stood without a word and followed the engineer out of the room. Wattson didn’t release his hand even when they were well inside the ring. The hacker cleared his throat and gave the woman’s hand a gentle, but urgent squeeze, and she promptly let go of him. But, since Loba was trailing behind them, she saw everything, and a knowing smirk graced her lips. 

Loba found the engineer in her room after the match was over. Her high heels sounding throughout the hallway announced her arrival way before she did. So, by the time the thief sauntered to her doorway, Wattson was already facing her. 

“Ah, there’s the little heart breaker in the making…” Loba grinned and leaned against the doorway with her arms crossed against her chest. The engineer furrowed her brows and pushed her organized clutter further back onto her desk.

“Huh? What’re you talking about?” Wattson appeared even more confused as she approached her. Loba glanced to the woman’s desk; besides the textbooks and random sticky notes everywhere, the thief didn’t see any obvious signs of a romantic rendezvous. No roses, no letters, and worse: no shiny trinkets. 

“I used to think hand holding was a dying art. No more lingering touches, or a bat of the eye. Nowadays it’s just sloppy grabbing, a couple minutes of heavy breathing, and then...nothing.” Loba let out a wistful sigh as stood behind the younger woman, putting her hands on her shoulders. “It’s all quite dull, if you ask me. But then, I saw you and Crypto holding hands…” 

The realization hit Wattson and her face turned pink. For a moment, she was at a loss for words, so the thief continued. “And it was so refreshing to see. It’s subtle. Innocent.  And yet...intimate. Especially with the right person.” 

Wattson hopped out of her chair and faced the thief, her pink face quickly turning red. “I...I didn’t...I wasn’t...he was injured!” She stammered, suddenly unable to meet Loba’s teasing gaze. “I only held his hand to make sure he was okay!”

“Oh, of course, beautiful. That’s kind of you..” Loba chuckled and stepped in front of her. She knelt down, “In fact, it was so kind that it must’ve stuck with him the whole time he watched you walk away~.”

Wattson looked up with a gasp and finally met her gaze. Her face grew even redder as she struggled to find her words again. “...Crypto and I...we--we’re just friends. That’s all. I’m sure he was just...um...w-watching my back. His drone is very useful on the battlefield.” She put a hand on the back of her neck; it was burning hot, just like her face. 

Loba didn’t want the engineer to pass out on her, so she took a step back to give her some breathing room. “I can’t argue with you there. But...what do you think of him?” She tilted her head to the side and smiled. “He’s  on the quieter side, I’ll have to admit. But he’s very handsome, no?”

“...Well..maybe...” Natalie toyed with the ends of her shirt as she looked to the corner of the room. There was a radio that Octane gave her a while back, and Loba caught her looking at it. This made the thief smirk again. 

“Where’d you get that? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a radio like that before.” Loba strutted over to the little device and picked it up. Natalie perked up and hurried over to gently take it from her. 

“Oh! Octavio gave this to me. He spray painted it using my favorite colors.” The engineer visibly relaxed and finally allowed herself to smile. Loba’s eyebrows rose and, grinning, she couldn’t help but to tease her again. 

“Oh, so there’s two people vying for your affection. You like to have options.” Loba giggled when the engineer’s face turned a deeper shade of red. “I like how you think. There’s so many beautiful people out there...why limit yourself to one?”

“No! It isn’t like that, really!” Natalie insisted and put her radio back down so she didn’t drop it. “I mean...Octavio and Ta---er, Crypto, are attractive, yes.  But I wouldn’t flirt with them! Because...well, I...don’t know how.”

Loba wanted to laugh, but this new bit of information surprised her. She arched a brow and crossed one leg over the other. “You don’t know how?”

“Well, I know how.” The engineer corrected herself and fiddled with her hair next. “But I don’t know what to say! Plus, I don’t want to make things awkward between us.”

Loba’s eyes softened; the engineer was too cute. “Aw, it’s alright, doll. A little harmless flirting every now and then doesn’t hurt anyone. Keeps things interesting, if you ask me.” She smirked, playfully nudging her side with her elbow. Natalie stiffened and pursed her lips.

“That’s easy for you to say. You flirt with everybody.” The engineer muttered, giving her a coy smile when Loba feigned offense. 

“Oh, come on,  I do not flirt with everyone. I’m very selective in who I choose. Not everyone is worth my time.” Loba fired back with a grin. It didn’t seem like she was winning the engineer over, so she decided to switch tactics. “I suppose you can say there’s a certain elegance to flirting. If you’d like, I’ll show you. Free of charge, of course.”

Wattson looked up at the woman skeptically. The engineer didn’t know her as well as some of her other friends, but she didn’t believe that she would steer her wrong. “Er..how do you propose to do that?” 

Loba beamed at her and gestured to her closet with a manicured hand. “Put on your favorite outfit, then stop by my room.” She grinned and sauntered back out into the hallway. She looked over her shoulder and saw the uncertainty lingering in her eyes. She sighed, “Trust me, beautiful. I won’t embarrass you. I know just what you need to have whomever you like flocking over to you.” 

“...Okay, Loba. I’ll be there in a moment.” Wattson smiled and waited for her to leave so that she could change clothes. 

Natalie opted for a simple outfit with her favorite Nessie shirt and jeans. She stepped out of her room and closed the door behind her. Then, she wandered down the hall until she got to the thief’s room. She could hear music playing as she approached the door, and found the thief idly swaying to the beat when she stepped into the room. 

Loba beckoned for the engineer to come closer, another smirk on her face. “Come on in. I don’t bite.” She snickered, her cocky smirk giving way to a small smile. “You look cute.” 

“Merci. Um...so what will we be doing, exactly?” The engineer peeked behind Loba to see a pole in the corner of the room. She blinked; what on Earth was this woman planning? 

“Well, before we work on making your special Legend fall for you, I think you could use a bit of a confidence boost.” Loba smiled and strode over to her pole, hooking an arm around it. “I’m going to teach you how to pole dance.”

Wattson’s eyes went as wide as dinner plates, and her face turned a bright shade of red. Loba immediately put up her hands.

“Hold on, it’s not what you think. I didn’t say you were stripping, nor does pole dancing have to involve it. This is about doing something fun, something that makes you feel sexy. Because when you feel good, you look good. And others notice it too…” Loba smiled at her hopefully and extended a hand. “Won’t you give it a try, love? If at any point you don’t like it, we stop. Simple as that.”

“Umm...a-alright…” Natalie blushed even more as she took the thief’s hand. Loba beamed excitedly and led her to the pole. 

“Wonderful. Now, let’s just set the mood.” Loba had the best wireless speakers that a thief could get their hands on, and she switched the current song to something slower.

“Mmm, there we go. So! The first thing you want to do is take your dominant hand, and reach high above your head.” Loba demonstrated what Natalie needed to do on the opposite side of the pole. “Then you want to...ah, hold on.” She let go of her side of the pole and walked behind the engineer. “Make sure your shoulders are down and back, like this…” 

Loba took her shoulders and gently maneuvered them in the correct position. Her nails gently brushed against them as she drew back, causing the younger woman to squeak and flinch. The thief looked down at her with an arched brow. “...What?”

“Pardon (Sorry), Loba! It’s just...your nails are long, and that tickled a bit.” Natalie smiled sheepishly and rolled her shoulders. Loba chuckled and stood behind her again. 

“Oh, not a problem.” The thief put her shoulders in the correct position one more time; then, smirking, she stood back in front of her to continue the lesson. “There we go, perfect. Next, you want to stand on your toes, and take three steps with the leg closest to the pole. So, like this…” 

Loba walked Wattson through the rest of the steps for a basic, fireman spin. The engineer caught on quickly but, although she was performing the moves correctly, her overall movement was pretty stiff. It didn’t help that Octane wandered down the hallway, drawn to the music, and curiously poked his head in the room. He wasn’t wearing his usual mask and was eating a candy bar; but, when he saw Natalie pole dancing, his jaw dropped...along with his snack. Thankfully, Natalie didn’t notice him because of the music and her focus; Loba, on the other hand, heard the sound and she glanced at the door. She narrowed her eyes at the daredevil, mouthing ‘get out, or you’re dead.’ She grabbed her staff and pointed it at him to show that she wasn’t messing around. Octane held up his hands and, nudging the candy bar back towards him with his leg, he picked it up and took off down the hall. After a few more spins, Wattson stood up straight and looked up at the thief. 

“Loba? Did I do it right?” Natalie panted a bit and rubbed the back of her neck. Loba turned back around; the engineer got the moves down to a T, but there was still something missing. She looked so shy, so unsure of herself...and, perking up, Loba knew exactly what she needed. 

“You did, and I’m impressed. I don’t see many people catch on to this sort of thing so quickly.” She complimented, slowly making her way back to her side. Wattson re-assumed the position by the pole, assuming that they were going to practice again. The thief chuckled. “There is just one, tiny thing I think you need to do…”

Wattson looked up at her and stepped away from the pole. She was flattered by the compliment...but, the mischievous glint in the she-wolf’s eyes made her falter.  “Okay...what is it?” 

“...Smile.” Loba grinned and latched her hand onto her hip, giving it a quick squeeze. Wattson yelped and lurched away from her hand, but Loba was quick to close the distance. When the engineer pushed her hand off of one hip, she just squeezed the other one instead. Loba already had her laughing before she even pinned her down onto the mattress behind her. 

“Nohohohohoh! Nohohohoh Lohohohohba, dohohohn’t!” Natale panicked and tried to roll away from the she-wolf. She arched her back when Loba’s manicured nails found her sides, giggling loudly. “DohohoHOHOHOHN’T!”

“Don’t what?” Loba grinned and gently poked at her belly, tracing five manicured nails up and down her torso. Wattson’s giggles picked up to laughter and she bucked her hips. 

“DOHOHOohohohohn’t tihihihckle mehehehehehe!” The engineer squeaked and struggled harder when the thief slipped her hand underneath her shirt, clawing at her bare stomach. “LOHOHOHOHBAHAHA!”

“Oh, that tickles? I had no idea.” Loba smirked and lifted her shirt up to give her better access to her stomach. She slowed her tickles to gentle, featherlight strokes along her tummy. This still made the engineer laugh, but not quite as hard. “Why didn’t you tell me you were ticklish before? That would’ve made things much easier.”

Natalie giggled uncontrollably and sucked in her belly to try and escape the tickles. Not only did it fail, but Loba kept up the slow, teasing pace, which sent ticklish shivers up her spine. “N-Nohohohohohoh ihhihiht wohohohohuhuhldn’t!” She tittered, another laugh escaping her as the thief gave her hips another squeeze. 

“Yes it would!” Loba snickered, kneading her thumbs into the woman’s hip bones. Wattson squealed and bucked her hips, but Loba didn’t let go of them. “A smile can bring even the hardest of men, and women, to their knees, falling for you...”

The color came rushing back to Wattson’s face as she squirmed in the she-wolf’s iron-hold, giggling. “Okahahahay! Okahahahay I’ll smhihihihle MOHOHOHOHRE!” Natalie shrieked and laughed when Loba’s fingers scribbled back into her stomach. “STAHAHAHAHAH!”

“Oho, yes. You certainly will be smiling more...” Loba teased and swiped her nails from one side of her tummy to the next. She laughed at the squeal it produced, which only encouraged her to tickle faster.  “You’re stuck with the big bad wolf, and she’s going to tickle you to pieces~.”

Wattson fell into a deeper fit of laughter and increased her efforts to escape. The thief’s fingers strayed away from her stomach and scritched to her lowermost ribs. Natalie’s eyes widened and her laughter went up a few pitches as she rocked side to side. “NOHOHOHOHOH! PLEHEHEHEAHAHSE DOHOHOHOHN’T!” She begged, pulling at her trapped arms repeatedly. Loba had her arms pinned underneath her thighs and despite all of her struggling, they didn’t move an inch. “LOHOHOHOBAHAHA NOHOHAHAHAHAHA!”

Loba raised a brow and grinned, suddenly swiping her nails up the entire length of her ribs. Natalie squeaked and arched her back, causing the thief to giggle. “I think this is a good spot..” She purred, resting her hands back onto her lowermost ribs. She kneaded in between the bones and moved up her ribcage. The engineer kicked her legs against the bed and laughed louder, which made the thief smirk. “Aw, does that tickle? That looks like it tickles so much..”

Wattson turned crimson at the teasing and she shook her head, filling up the room with her laughter. Her laughter was so infectious that Loba laughed along with her, poking her fingers into her uppermost ribs. “No?” She tilted her head to the side when Natalie shrieked and threw her head back, laughing. Then, grinning, the she-wolf leaned in and repeatedly tweaked those ribs. “Are you sure?”

Wattson shook her head even harder and whipped her body around, trying to avoid her long nails. When that didn’t work, she opted for attempting to buck Loba off of her...which also failed. So, the engineer continued to laugh herself silly and make futile attempts to escape. “NAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I-I MEHEHEHAHAHAN--AH!” The thief leaned over and blew a raspberry onto her bare stomach. “DOHOHOHOHN’T DOHOHOHOH THAHAHT HAHAHAAHA!”

“Do what?” Loba chuckled and blew another raspberry, snickering when the engineer bucked her hips again. She blew another raspberry on a different spot on her stomach, and then another one somewhere else. She resumed wriggling her nails on her uppermost ribs while she continued blowing on her stomach, sending the engineer on a one-way trip to hysterics. 

“THAHAHAHAHT!” Wattson screamed and shut her eyes tight, her laughter sounding squeakier each time Loba’s lips made contact with her stomach. “STAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAP THAHAHAHAHT! PLEHEHEHEHEAHAHAHSE!”

Loba paused, pretending to think, only to resume tickling the younger woman’s ribs and stomach. “Hmm, what if I don’t want to stop?” She hummed, swiping her fingers back down the length of her ribcage. The engineer yelped and snorted, making Loba giggle again. “What if I find it enjoyable to make you laugh so much?”

The thief eased up on the tickling so that Natalie could speak. Wattson’s laughter died down to giggles as Loba squeezed her sides and hips. “Iheheheheheheheh ahahahahalready ahaahahahaham!” She tittered, snickering as Loba stroked her nails up her torso. Loba wriggled her nails in slow, circular motions just underneath Natalie’s ribcage, causing her to jolt and giggle harder. “I’m ahahahahalrehehehady laahahahaughihihihng!”

“So you are. But, I think I can make you laugh a little bit more, no?” Loba smirked and tickled further up her ribcage. This time, she pressed her fingertips into the bones and kneaded each rib individually. Wattson’s eyes bugged out and she squealed, dissolving back into laughter. 

“NOHOHOHOHOH! YOHOHOHU DOHOHOHN’T NEEHEHEHED TOHOHOHO!” The engineer yelled, kicking her legs out again as she laughed. She twisted her torso around, but Loba kept up with her struggling and focused on the most sensitive ribs. Her laughter and squirming grew more desperate by the second, and Loba took advantage of her adorable state to lower herself back towards her stomach. By the time Wattson noticed, it was too late; Loba took a deep breath and ducked her head down, blowing a raspberry right over her navel. Natalie shrieked and thrashed around violently, but this didn’t deter the she-wolf. “NAHAHAHAHA STAHAHAHAHP! STAHAHAHAHAHAHAHP IHIHIHIHIHIHT!”

Loba was still blowing the raspberry as the engineer cackled out her demands; she made sure to empty her lungs. Then, instead of complying, she brushed her fingers against her uppermost ribs again while she blew another lung-emptying raspberry over her navel. By then, Wattson was howling with laughter. After a few more raspberries, Loba reached up further and burrowed her nails into her armpits, prompting a sudden shriek of desperate laughter. 

“NONONOHOHOHOHAHAHAHAHAHA! PAHAHAHAHAHS IHIHIHCI! PAHAHAHAHAHAS IHIHIHIHCI! (Not there! Not there!)” Natalie screamed and pulled at her arms as much as she could. Loba smirked widely and stopped tickling, but kept her nails pressed into the woman’s armpits. 

“Well, well, well...look what I’ve found…” The thief purred, applying just a little bit of pressure to make her shiver and giggle. “This spot must be terribly ticklish, huh?” She slowly raked her nails back and forth where her armpits began, looking down at the engineer with a smile. “Call it woman’s intuition.” 

Wattson sputtered and giggled heavily, teetering on the edge of laughter. She gave her arms another sharp pull, but it didn’t do anything to free them. When she didn’t respond with understandable words, the thief gave her armpits a quick scribble, making her shriek and laugh. “YEHEHEHEHS! Ihihihihiht tihihihckles! Sohohohohoh leheheheht mehehehe gohohohoh! Plehehehehease…” She pleaded, staring up at the thief with nervous, giggly anticipation. 

Loba playfully tutted at her and shook her head. “Aw, Natalie. When have you ever known me to walk away from a gold mine?” She simpered, sneaking her hands underneath her arms and scratching away at her hollows. 

Wattson screeched and burst out laughing, bucking against the mattress. The thief focused on the very center of each armpit, where the muscles split. Loba almost toppled over from how much Wattson was squirming; so, for a moment, she believed that the younger woman would somehow be able to free herself. So, keeping her fingers buried in her right armpit, the thief shifted her weight so that she could reach above her bed. 

“AHAHAHAHAHAHA LOHOHOHOHOHBAHAHA NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHN!” Natalie cried out, squirming as far to the left as she could to try and get away from the intense sensation. “DOHOHOHOHOHN’T TIHIHIHIHCKLE THEHEHER--HEHEHEHEHY!”

While Wattson was laughing, Loba lifted up her left arm and slipped her wrist through a restraint above the bed frame. It was soft, black, and made out of nylon, but sturdy enough to keep her arm in place. The she-wolf stopped tickling to do the same thing to her right arm. Now, she had easy access to her armpits and torso. Loba settled back down onto her waist, making a dramatic show of wiggling her fingers in the air. 

“There we go, much better.” The thief began, grinning as Natalie paled and tried to tug her wrists free from the newfound restraints. “Now there’s nothing in my way…” She whispered tauntingly, lowering her hands even closer to her exposed armpits. Wattson’s eyes were locked onto Loba’s wiggling nails and she squirmed, already giggling.

“Nohohohohoh wahahahait! WahahAHAHAHIT!” Natalie squeaked and jumped when Loba held her nails just inches from her armpits. The she-wolf cocked her head to the side and smirked at her. 

“...Yes?” Loba chuckled, wiggling her fingers in the air again. She wasn’t even touching Wattson yet, but the engineer squealed and giggled harder the closer her fingers got. 

“PLEHEHEHEAHASE STAHAHAHAHA!” Wattson yelled, her arms twitching from how much she was trying to pull them down. The phantom tickles caught up with her and she started laughing, making the thief laugh in turn. 

“What? I’m not even touching you!” Loba giggled, barely pressing her fingertips to her armpits. The engineer screamed and bucked her hips; now, Loba was laughing almost as hard as she was. “Seriously? I don’t even have to do anything, do I? You’re too ticklish for your own good.” She smiled, letting her words hang in the air. Just when Wattson thought she was going to attack her armpits, the she-wolf switched gears and started stroking her sides. 

Wattson shivered and wiggled, biting her lips to trap the giggles. Loba arched a brow at her and, grinning, she jabbed her fingers into her ribs. The engineer flinched and grinned widely, shaking with the laughter that she refused to let free. 

“That’s not going to work, love…” Loba sang, rubbing her fingertips between the bones. Wattson gasped and let a few giggles slip out, but she was determined to hold out. Loba leaned in again and slowly started scratching her way up her ribcage. “I know you want to laugh. And, it would seem that I’m exceptionally good at making you laugh…” She continued teasing, causing the engineer to giggle even more. The thief continued tickling her ribs and even her stomach before finally descending on her armpits. Loba dug five wiggling nails into each armpit, causing Natalie to scream and cackle loudly. 

“NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHON LOHOHOHOHBA! AHAHAHARRÊHEHEHETE ÇAAHAHAHAHA! AHAHAHARRÊHEHEHETE ÇAAHAHAHAHA! (Stop it! Stop it!)” Wattson shrieked and threw her body around, laughing harder when Loba tickled faster. Loba chuckled and jabbed her fingers into her armpits instead, making the engineer let out another cry of laughter. 

“Sorry, beautiful. But I never did pick up on the language of love. You’ll have to translate for me..” Loba jeered, scribbling away along the poor woman’s armpits. Wattson tossed her head back again and shook with laughter. Any words that she tried to say were lost as she desperately tried to escape the woman’s devious nails. Loba kept up the tickling for a good five minutes before slowing the scribbling down to slow, gentle strokes. “You know what? There’s something I meant to ask you..” She remembered, slowing the tickling down even more so that the engineer could breathe and speak. 

“...Whahahahahahahat?” Natalie panted and snickered, grateful for the small break, but still twitching from the residue tickles. Loba, since she noticed how especially ticklish her right armpit seemed to be, traced a nail just around that particular armpit. 

“You know, all of this talk about flirting and charming others has got me wondering...who is it you have your eyes on?” The thief inquired, taking that same nail and poking it into her armpit at random intervals. Wattson snorted and pulled at her right arm, her cheeks reddening. 

“I-I dohohohn’t hahahahave mhyhy ehehehehyes ohohohn ahahahanyoohohohne…” Natalie giggled; when the engineer looked up at her, there was skepticism written all over her face. And that one, lone finger poking into her armpit noticeably picked up speed. “I’m sehehehehrious! Lohohohohbahahaha plehehehehase!” She tried again, rolling her body to the side and frantically giggling.

“Aw, sweetie. I’ve been doing this sort of thing a long time. I can always tell when someone has a crush…” Loba purred, starting to poke all five of her fingers into that same armpit. Wattson yelped and turned her face into her shoulder, loud laughter mixing in with her giggles. In fact, she was giggling so loud that the thief had to speak up so that she could be heard. “Would you like to know what else I’m good at?”

“NOHOHohohohohohohohoh!” Natalie rejected and resumed kicking at the mattress. She was dangerously close to laughing; so, the thief positioned her free hand by the woman’s left armpit while continuing to tickle the right one. 

“I’m also good at picking out lies…” Loba muttered with an evil grin, spidering her all ten of her nails against both of her armpits. Wattson started bucking her hips again, hysterical laughter filling up every last corner of the room. 

“I’M NAHAHAHAHT LYHYHYHYING! AHAHAHAHAH I’M NAHAHAHAHAT!” Natalie argued, her trapped arms twitching in place as she fell deeper into hysterics. It didn’t matter how much she pulled or bucked; her arms stayed above her head, and Loba was having a blast tickling her super sensitive armpits. The thief decided to drag her nails along her outer left armpit while she continued tickling every inch of the right one. “PLEHEHEHAHASE LOHOHOHOBAHAHAHA  I’M NAHAHT LHYHYHYINHG HAHAHAHA!”

“Yes you are! Just tell me who it is. I’ll keep it a secret.” Loba promised and, smiling, she flicked her nail against her left armpit. Wattson squirmed to the right and squeaked, so the thief did the same thing to the right armpit. She laughed when the engineer jumped to the opposite side, so she kept on alternating the pokes, amused by the little ‘dance’ she was doing. 

“IT’S NOHOHOH OHOHOHOHNE HAHAHAHAHA!” Natalie insisted and shut her eyes, her laughter completely taking over her. “I DOHOHOHOHN’T HAHAHAHAVE A CRUHUHSHAHAHAHAHA!”

A small part of Loba believed her, but another part of her wanted to keep tickling just a bit longer. She could tell the engineer was reaching her limit, though, so she wanted to give her one last good tickling before she stopped. So, with a small sigh, Loba grabbed onto her right arm with her left hand. Then, with her right hand, she pressed her fingertips into her uppermost rib. Wattson arched her back and kept on giggling but, when she tried to pull her arm down again, it didn’t move at all. The restraints were already keeping her limbs still anyway, but Loba’s grip made it virtually impossible for her arm to have the slightest movement. Natalie froze as the panic seeped in. 

“Last chance, beautiful. Tell me who you have the hots for, and I’ll stop.” Loba demanded, vibrating her fingers against the bone. Wattson shook her head and laughed, pleadingly looking into the she-wolf’s dark eyes. “If you don’t...well, let’s just say I’m sure you’ll come around…” She continued warning, smirking as she slowly inched toward her armpit. “So? Who’s that special Legend?”

Wattson breathed heavily, her body going rigid in anticipation of the incoming tickles. She kept her eyes on her just in case she decided to have mercy...but Loba wasn’t so easily swayed. The engineer scrambled to provide her a satisfactory answer, but she took too long, and the thief wasn’t a fan of waiting. Loba kept a firm grip on Natalie’s arm as she wriggled her nails into the right armpit, scribbling along the area where the muscles split. 

The engineer thrashed in Loba’s grip, convulsing with laughter. She repeatedly shook her head and tried to get even the smallest bit of leverage on her arm, but the thief wasn’t having any of it. So, Natalie didn’t have a choice but to take the tickles and laugh her head off...which is exactly what she did. 

“AAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH NAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” Wattson gave up on trying to speak and resumed laughing into her shoulder. “SAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“No can do, love. I gave you plenty of chances to come clean. And you didn’t take them.” Loba donned her best pitying voice as she fluttered her fingertips into her left armpit, now tickling both armpits. Wattson squeaked and scrunched her nose up from how hard she was laughing.  “I told you what would happen…” She whispered, leaning over to resume blowing on the engineer’s stomach. 

Wattson yelled one more time before her laughter became silent. She was too tired to struggle, so she laid limp as the she-wolf tickled her. Loba stopped the tickling altogether when she didn’t hear anymore laughter, reaching above the bed frame to undo her restraints. The engineer’s arms felt heavy as she finally brought them down, trembling and giggling. 

“I’ll tehehehell yohohohu...I’ll tehehehell yohohohu..” Natalie gasped for air and sat up, pulling down her shirt and rubbing her arms together. Loba chuckled and shook her head, crawling off the bed to give her some space. 

“No need, beautiful. I’m sure I’ll find out soon enough. And I’m sure whoever it is will love hearing you laugh just as much as I did.” She winked, giggling when the woman’s cheeks reddened. Loba strode away from her just to turn off the music. Then, she returned to the engineer and sat beside her. The thief’s expression became more serious and she turned to face her. “Mind if I give you some advice on pursuing this mystery lover of yours?” She quipped and offered her a smile...but, something about the way she asked made Wattson look up. And, when she did, the smile also disappeared. 

“Yes? What is it, Loba?” Natalie put her hands in her lap and eyed her curiously. Loba sighed and stared at the wall for a moment before looking at the engineer. 

“I haven’t always been honest with you. With anyone, really. Because after I lost my parents...well, I didn’t think any of that mattered anymore.” Loba admitted quietly, frowning for the first time in the time she and Wattson spent together. “I learned that the world is a cold, unforgiving place. And as long as I got what I wanted, nothing else mattered. I had to claw my way out of the slums to get where I am now, so if I broke someone’s heart or stole some old guy’s jewelry, so what? At the end of the day, I took care of myself. Because I didn’t have anyone to do it for me.” She sighed, putting one hand over the other as she remembered her parents. Wattson blinked and opened her mouth to speak, but the thief held up her hand.

“I don’t want you to feel bad for me, Natalie. I’m fine. I’m just...what I’m saying is that once the demonio joined the Games, I realized that I didn’t have to do everything by myself anymore. I lied to you, to everyone, to get what I wanted. And..I almost got you killed. I just want to tell you that no matter who you fall for, always take care of yourself first. And do it by yourself. That way, no one else gets hurt if things go south…” Loba affirmed, looking directly into the engineer’s eyes. “And if they’re dishonest with you, make sure you walk away.”

Wattson’s gaze didn’t falter as she looked up at the thief. She took on a serious expression, too. “You did what you did to avenge your family. I don’t blame you for that..” She answered firmly, which surprised the thief. Loba expected anger, rage even….but she got quite the opposite. “If Revenant did that to my family, I’d…” The engineer trailed off, suddenly getting louder, her eyes momentarily engulfed with fury. But then, she calmed down and sighed. “I don’t even want to say it. But, I also think that people can change for the better, if they want to. I’ve seen it myself.” A smile sprung onto Natalie’s face as she put her hand over Loba’s. “So no matter what you choose to do, Loba, I forgive you. You’re a part of the Legend-ary family now, for better or worse!” Natalie giggled and beamed up at the woman. Loba chuckled and patted her hand; she wasn’t the emotional type, but the engineer’s words made her heart feel warm. 

“Thanks, Natalie. Now, it’s getting late. And I have some...things, I have to take care of. Why don’t you go break some more hearts and tell me about it tomorrow?” Loba quipped, pulling her hand free to poke Wattson’s sides. Wattson lurched away from her and laughed, hopping off of the bed. 

“Okahahy...I’ll see you around, Loba!” Natalie smiled and bid the thief farewell, hurrying out of her room and down the hallway. Loba noticed the slight strut to her walk as she left, which made her heart swell with pride. 

Aw, they grow up so fast… 

[milstrim]

Rise From the Ashes; Just to See You Again

Chapter 5: Penny Parker

"Miss Parker."

Penny looked up sharply at her teacher's reprimanding voice, snapping her computer shut, almost flinching at how suspicious that was. She hadn't been looking at anything weird, just...herself. Well, theories about Spider-Woman (though the media called her Spider-Girl, much to her annoyance).

"Mmhm?" she hummed, her lips pursed as she tried to appear as though she had been paying attention. It worked about half the time.

"You still with us?" Mrs. Warren asked.

"Uhh, yeah. Yeah, yeah," she looked at the equation on the board, hoping it had been what she'd been talking about, "Um, mass cancels out, so it's just gravity times sin."

"Right," she praised, turning around and walking back to the front of the classroom, "See, Flash, being fast isn't the same as being right."

Oh my, God,  Penny thought, about to bang her head on the table. Flash? Why did Mrs. Warren think  that  was a good idea?? As if he read her thoughts, Flash turned around in his chair and mouthed, "You're dead."

Great.

She didn't let it get to her though, Flash couldn't hurt her, not really. Still, she was just a little uneasy the rest of the day.

Once the final bell rung she rushed out the doors, reaching the gate before anyone else even stepped outside and leaping over it with ease. The teen ran to her usual spot, grabbing a sandwich from Mr. Delmar's on her way, and changed into her suit. Electricity seemed to flow through her as she pulled her mask on and began to swing through the city. As she landed on an especially tall building, static crackled in her ear.

"Ned Solo to Spider-Girl. I repeat, Ned Solo to Spider-Girl," said her best friend, his voice as clear as if he were standing right next to him. The earpieces they had made were really holding up.

She snorted at his words, cracking a smile and trying to contain a laugh.

"Spider-Woman,  Ned. Is it really that hard to remember?"

"Ned  Solo, " he replied, putting on a fancy accent, "Sorry, though. Anyway, how is the earpiece holding up?"

"Sounds like we're right next to each other," she answered, "How's the camera?" She had installed a small camera of her own creation into her lenses, and Ned had linked it to his computer so he could watch and alert her of crimes after tapping into the police scanner.

"Sweet. I finally get to experience being a superhero first hand!!"

"It's really not that exciting," Penny told him, leaping off of the building and shooting a web, "For me anyway. The most exciting thing we'll see is someone robbing an ATM machine."

She was right. Spider-Woman patrolled the streets of New York for nearly five hours, and a lot of it was spent goofing around. Don't get her wrong, there was plenty of crime in Queens, but it generally wasn't enough to keep her busy for a whole afternoon. Ned somehow managed to stay on the whole time, though he did start doing his homework halfway through. Penny did have fun taking pictures though, getting some nice angles for The Daily Bugle.

Despite the afternoon being boring, things had gotten a little more intense recently. She'd been encountering a lot of alien weapons, though she'd never actually managed to get one from someone, or a name. They always either hit her or something else, making her have to stop instead of grabbing the people and the guns. She was looking around for leads, but had none at the moment, she wasn't exactly a detective. She figured that if she continued patrolling she'd be likely to find more of the weapons.

It was dark by the time she climbed into her room, ripping off her mask and throwing it on the floor. Thankfully, she had remembered to actually close her door before she left for school that morning.

Penny could hear May bustling around in the kitchen, she could smell it too, though she wished she couldn't. Hopefully they'd go to that new Mexican place a few blocks over, it had really good enchiladas. She quickly changed into some shorts and a sweatshirt and headed in the main room, grabbing her backpack so she could do her homework on the couch.

"Hey, May!" Penny greeted cheerily, "Can we get Mexican tonight?"

"I made lasagna!" her aunt protested, waving a rag at the burnt lasagna as if it would help. Penny raised an eyebrow, a small smile gracing her lips. May furrowed her brows in response, but it was playful.

They did end up getting Mexican, and a guy from another table ended up hitting on May, who never quite got the hint. It was kinda funny to be honest.

"So, your birthday's next week," May commented after dinner as they walked down the street, making their way to the apartment.

"Yeah, I know," Penny sassed playfully, which made May swat at her.

"Fifteen's a big deal!" she insisted, suddenly going serious, "I know things have been tough lately, what with...but I still want you to have a good birthday."

"I'm fine, May, really. I don't want anything big."

"What  do you want?"

"I..." Penny hesitated, "I wanna go to the Stark Expo."

May paused, clearly hesitating.

"The Penelope Stark Expo? That thing Stark does every year?"

"Yeah, it's like a fundraiser, for people who would be around his daughter's age or whatever. They do science exhibitions and stuff. It's free to go to, I just wanted to walk around," Penny rushed. May wasn't a huge fan of Tony Stark, and after what they had seen on the news about the Expo in 2010, she hadn't been too keen about Penny going.

"I don't know, Penny, the Avengers will be there an--"

"Exactly! The Avengers! It'll be safe as long as they're there, I mean, that's their whole job," Penny interrupted, wondering if one day that would be her job.

"Trouble  follows  the Avengers. I honestly don't think it will be safe, and I get that it's a good opportunity for you, but I'm just not comfortable with it."

"Please,  May," Penny whined, "I really want to go! I promise it's all I'll ask for, and I only want to go one night, it's not like I want to go every day of the week."

"No, Penny."

"But, May--"

"I said  'no,'  Penny, you can't go!" May said, her voice firm and frustrated.

Penny shut up then, and the two walked in silence up to their apartment. She didn't want to make May upset. Her aunt had been so fragile since Ben died (and if was being honest with herself, she had too), so she'd been doing everything right to the best of her ability. She cleaned, she kept her grades up, she stayed in Academic Decathlon, and she even got a job at the Daily Bugle to help make ends meet, which was like the easiest job ever since all she really had to do was take selfies. Except for Spider-Woman, she had done everything right, and her aunt didn't even know about Spider-Woman.

So she kept quiet as they walked into the apartment, finishing her homework and going to bed. She fell asleep immediately, though her dreams were plagued with screams, an echoing gunshot, blood that filled the streets and stained her hands and arms, and the feeling of being ripped away from strong, comforting arms.

When Penny woke up, gasping, it was 3 AM and she felt hot and itchy all over. She tried to go back to sleep, but to no avail.

Penny climbed out of bed, her mattress creaking as she swung her legs over the side. The teen walked over to the window, sticking her hands on it and opening it slowly, not wanting to wake up May. She then climbed out and onto the wall, the chilly night air biting her skin and washing over her with relief. With surprising energy for the time of night, she jumped from her fire escape to the roof, escaping the pressing confines of her room.

There was no moon that night, and being in New York City, there weren't any stars either. Still, she could make out plenty from the lights of the city skyline. The cool night air washed over her, blowing her curly hair, which she'd cut to her chin recently, as she stared at the cloudy sky, wondering if she would ever be able to make the difference she was hoping for.

  He shot up in bed, grasping the ghost of his arc reactor on his chest as he let out a pained gasp. It had been a nightmare, just another nightmare tormenting him when he couldn't protect himself. He sucked in a stunted breath, managing to take in a little air as he wiped at his clammy and sweaty face, blinking away tears that streamed down his face and found their way into his mouth as it hung open in the attempt to breathe, to feel his chest loosen.

It took several minutes, in which he stumbled out of his bed, managing to not wake Pepper, and shuffled to sit in the chair facing the New York skyline. The man stifled his gasps and continued to wipe uselessly at his wet face, his hands too sweaty to make any difference. When, after several minutes of suppressed panicking, he finally calmed down he managed to actually think.

The dream had started off so nice, well, not nice, but normal, nonthreatening. But it quickly devolved into the same pain he'd been feeling since he'd lost Penny, the constant cloud of rage and grief that hung over him day and night, no matter how he tried to escape it.

The nightmare had been more of a feeling that anything; the way she'd been ripped from his arms, the creeping of the gas as it wrapped around his throat and tied him down. But then it had changed, turning into a faceless woman falling whom he failed to catch, her fingers slipping through his, and though he didn't recognize the woman, and though she had been dead since she was four, it had been Penny.

It had been like Pepper, too much like Pepper, like he was unable to catch his family, to protect them.

"Tony?" Speak of the devil, "It's late. Are you okay?"

"Fine," he replied, but his voice was taut and he knew she wasn't fooled. She never was.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked softly, entering his view and sitting on the footrest in front of him. He just leaned forward in response, taking her hands and pressing his lips to them gently. He didn't speak for a moment, and Pepper didn't make him, just waited patiently, her blue eyes sad.

"It was about Penny," he admitted, "I couldn't...I didn't catch her. She just...fell, and I didn't catch her, I couldn't even hold her."

Pepper placed her hand on his cheek soothingly, and he leaned into it, placing his hand on top of hers.

"Oh, Tony," her voice was so soft and so heartbreakingly sad, "It wasn't your fault, you know it wasn't."

"I was her dad, Pep," he croaked, "I was supposed to protect her, that was my job. What happened to her was my fault."

The woman only sighed, knowing it was a losing battle. It had been an ongoing fight since his daughter's kidnapping, and no amount of therapy she'd made him take or time he'd had had made him believe anything else.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, the two of them staring out the floor-to-ceiling window companionably until Pepper got up. He didn't make any moves to follow her, or to even watch her, just staring out over the city blankly. His fiancée returned, though he didn't know how long she'd been gone, sitting in the chair with him this time and spreading a large book over their laps. It was a dark blue--Penny's favorite color--with large and elegant lettering on the front, simply titled Penny.

Pepper had given it to him on the first anniversary of the worst day of his life, and though he wasn't much of a crier, he'd shed more than a few tears when he'd opened it.

Tony opened it now, flipping through every page reverently, pausing to look at the photos of Penny, to admire every drawing she'd ever given him, from ones of unicorns and dragons to ones of the two of them, usually including Platty. His chest hung heavy as he and Pepper flicked through the memories of the best years of his life, to the years now permanently stained by grief.

"It'll be okay, Tony. It'll be okay."

No it won't.

"I know."

[bewareofchris]

Public Relations 18/??

R atm | Alec Hardy/Dr. Bill Masters | Broadchurch, Masters of Sex | Strong language, eventual sexual situations

“The fact that Alec Hardy was not currently, had not ever, and did not want to date the American sex research did not seem very important at all to the town of Broadchurch.  They did what they had always done with a little bit of juicy gossip: they made a spectacle of it.”

<< prev | Part 1

a/n: I just wanted to say that even though I generally am a failure at responding to any sort of comments, I do read them.  I just want to say thank you to anyone that has ever left me a comment, you’re lovely and I appreciate you.

The distant sound of rapid stomping was so audible even through the walls that Bill could bob his head along with the footfalls.  He was working around to a sense of shame for his behavior and landing somewhere near to an almost-forgotten sense of annoyance.  

It wasn’t Bill’s fault that people were sensitive.  It wasn’t his fault that sex was a touchy subject; that he made people uncomfortable.  (Virginia had said to him, once, that people made him uncomfortable and he had no choice but to return the favor.)  Bill couldn’t change everything about himself just to satisfy the world.

He was already a distant image of his former self.  He’d given up drinking, and having sex, and any hope that things could ever be normal again.  He’d started watching evening TV for lack of anything better to do.

Somewhere in the world, Virginia would have been dying to know that Bill Masters was, in fact, capable of watching a sitcom if you left him alone long enough.  On the weekends, when he couldn’t pretend there was any need to do work, he found himself sitting like a sack of potatoes on his couch, watching reruns of old shows.

No, Bill could adjust to accommodate all the things he’d done wrong.  He could rearrange his own expectations to make room for his new reality.  What he wasn’t willing to do, regardless of the lecture that Betty would soon be delivering, was change the fundamental awfulness that made him who he was.

His awfulness had gotten him this far in life.  

Still, he had time now that his appointment had stormed out in a great huff.  He relaxed back into his chair and pulled his phone out of his pocket.  (He thought, if he were really going to do it, he should finally start calling around for lawyers.)  The conversation with Alec was still open, still waiting for Bill to initiate today’s topic.

Have they stopped giving you looks?  

There’s another thing Virginia wouldn’t have been able to understand: how Bill had gone all these years without even trying to make a friend and now he was having all-day text conversations with a man from Broadchurch.  

If you’re asking if they have gotten over how you’ve left me with all alone on my deathbed, the answer appears to be that they will never get over it.

Bill snorted at that.  I did tell you that I couldn’t be with a man who refused to care for himself.

Betty announced her arrival with a sigh.  She was lingering in the doorway, fingers tapping on the wood as she worked out what on earth she intended to say.  “Well, seeing how you’ve got some time, I think we really should finally have that conversation about how this thing is going to go.”

“Which thing?” Bill asked.

“The thing where you get my girlfriend knocked up,” Betty said.

Bill frowned at the phone, and the floating dots that indicated an answer would eventually appear.  He slipped it back into his pocket so he could concentrate on Betty.

She was poised for a fight, as tense as a high-strung cat, waiting to know if she was going to have to claw his eyes out.  There had been reasons, (good ones), that he’d told her it wasn’t a good idea before.  If he concentrated he might even remember the nonsense he’d told himself, but they seemed stupid now.  

“Do you have a sperm donor?”

Betty frowned at him all the harder, with her eyes narrowing as she slid inward from the doorway to get a better look at him.  She took a seat in the chair that was left empty by his previous client.  Her hands folded on the top of the desk, “you’re really going to do it?”

“Is there a reason I shouldn’t?”

“You seemed to think there was.”

Bill shrugged.  

Betty leaned back into the chair opposite him.  Her fingertips were pressed against the chair arms, her expression was caught in the same heightened suspicion.  

“I was wrong,” Bill said.  “Whatever I said, it was wrong.  I’d be happy to help.  Put uh--”

“Helen,” Betty prompted.

“Helen, on the schedule.  We’ll have to start at the beginning, but if she’s doesn’t have any fertility issues, it’s a relatively simple road from there.  I won’t charge you for my time.”

Betty was still staring at him.  The silence dragged, and dragged, until all at once words seemed to erupt from her throat in a way that surprised her as much as him: “What the hell happened over there?”

“Do you want to have a baby?” Bill asked.

“Of course I do,” Betty said.  She slid forward on the chair so her hands were curled together right by his across the desk.  “Of course I do.  But I also want to know what sort of life-changing experience you had with Britian’s worst cop because if I weren’t hearing you say the words ‘I was wrong’ with my own ears I wouldn’t believe you could.  I’m still working on believing it.”

“Of course I could be wrong...”

“Yeah,” Betty snapped, “of course you can be, and you have been, but you don’t say it.  There’s a lot to saying words like that, boss.  There’s a lot to hear in them if you listen right.  I’m just saying, it’s nice to have your faith in someone rewarded, you know?”

There was really nothing to say to that.  Betty didn’t seem to expect that he would form a response so she just patted his curled fists with her soft palm as she got back to her feet.

“I’ll get Helen on the schedule.  In the mean time, as much as I know it pains you, try to be nice to the patients?  They’re the one that’s going to pay for your divorce.”

Bill snorted at that, and was pulling his phone out of his pocket as soon as Betty’s back was turned.  Alec had finally managed a response: 

Well, lucky for me, I’ve got a new medication routine and surgery ahead if it doesn’t work out.  

Looks like you left me for no reason.

--

There wasn’t enough to do in Hardy’s life anymore.  The medical restrictions took away his ability to drive.  They limited the amount of time he could work.  They limited the amount of activity he could do at all.  

It felt, at times, as if he were always just a few inches away from fainting onto an ornate couch like some damsel in a period piece.  Even if he wanted to think of himself with some hope, the way the town had taken to looking at him prevented it.  While they’d looked at him with pity before, the stares had started to develop into a sort of dawning surprise.  Each and every one of them seemed to think he’d outlasted some expectation just by showing up to do his weekly shopping.

Trouble was, Hardy was truly alone.

That was the only thing his wife had said to him when he took all the blame from her and told the whole world he’d let a child murderer go free out of incompetence.  She hadn’t apologized for the look in their daughter’s eyes when he packed his things to leave. 

But she had followed him out to the car, and she’d looked at him with such worry, and she’d said, ‘you’ll be alone.  You’ll force yourself to be alone.  I know you, Alec. You’re going to kill yourself over this.’

But she hadn’t said that she wouldn’t let him.  She’d only implied she wished he wouldn’t.

Still, there was Bill, at least.  

No reason?  I seem to remember you leaving the hospital AMA twice while I was there.

It could have been that it was easier to hold conversations without faces staring at him.  It could have been Bill’s dryness, and his lack of overt empathy.  It could have just been the ease of talking without worrying about any direct consequences, but this was fun.  It was easy and it made him feel better.

In a place where his death was an almost certainty, and the people around him were already selecting funeral arrangements, Hardy was starving for better.

Yes, well we all have our faults.  Remind me of the time difference, shouldn’t you be working?

I am.

Very diligently, I see.

Well, if you must know, I pissed off my last client and I don’t have another for an hour.  

Hardy snorted at the phone.  

Get a partner to handle the people.  That’s what I do.

I’m going to have to.  

Hardy missed Ellie.  It snuck up on him, time to time.  That realization that he might have had a friend.  He hadn’t wanted one; he hadn’t intended to make one.  But Ellie Miller was the sort of person that you couldn’t effectively fight against.  She had become important to him, and he missed her.  He missed her separately than how he missed his job and his health.  

So do it, he sent to Bill.

I will.  I don’t know why I haven’t.  I wasn’t ready to. 

That was the hell of it, wasn’t it?  Making any step toward the future; changing your circumstances even by a matter of inches, it meant that things were truly over.  It didn’t matter that time could never go back; it only mattered that until you admitted it, you could keep pretending that things hadn’t changed.

Well, when you’re ready.  So, what TV did you watch last night?  You didn’t text.

next >>

@it-is-ineffable, @marvelmisha, @e3105eb, @may-darling, @bigleosis, @jiffry6969, @stardust-andwine, @echelongaga

[cnrmrphy-blog]

life as we know it

title: life as we know it paring: (eventual) connor murphy x fem!reader  fandom: dear evan hansen  warnings: slight cursing  summary: a mishap with a printer led to what one would probably call a serendipitous encounter.  author’s note: uh, hi!  this is the first thing i’ve written in years, holy shit.  also, this is 100% going to be a self indulgent series like a sitcom of sorts, i don’t necessarily care enough to think of a legit plot atm.  enjoy! 

--

This is bullshit.  Absolute, fucking bullshit.  

You sped walked through the maze of hallways that all looked the fucking same, cursing the universe and whatever god was in charge of it for everything that had to align to bring you to this moment.  It was supposed to be a simple essay.  

“Good luck honey!  The first day is always the easiest!  And it’s senior year!  How exciting!” 

Yeah, okay.  Your mother knew jack shit about high school apparently.  

You sighed.  It wasn’t her fault.  You just can’t find your god forsaken summer assigned essay that you needed for your next class to make a good first impression. Besides, isn’t it a grade or something?  Who assigned an essay as a grade before school even started?

You laughed.  This was bullshit. 

After a few more minutes of walking, you saw a familiar door at the end of the hallway.  A little sigh of relief exhaled from your chest.

 Ah, gotcha!

You walked into the library and glance around.  There was no one in here except two other boys who were talking to each other at the other end of a row of computers, near a printer.  You paid them no mind as you chose the farthest computer away from them and sat down. A few clicks of the keyboard and a message on the screen reading that a few cents were going to be taken out of your school account later and you were waiting for your essay to print. 

“So!  Um, what happened to your arm?” 

You looked up.  One of the boys, a tall one wearing all black with a messenger bag (with some pretty sick buttons, you weren’t going to lie) slung over his body, shuffled his feet and unsurely pointed at the other boy’s arm.  The other boy, wearing a blue polo and khaki pants, fidgeted with his hands and wouldn’t meet the other kid’s eyes.  The whiteness of his cast was almost blinding, the poor guy.  You bit your lip with sympathy. 

“Oh—I, um, fell out of a tree, actually.” 

“Fell out of a tree.  Well, that’s just the saddest fucking thing I’ve ever heard, oh my God.” 

“I know.” They both chuckled, but looked like they were at a loss of what to say next. 

You cringed a little bit.  Those boys are the most awkward people I have ever seen, Jesus Christ. 

You didn’t want to eavesdrop.  You really didn’t.  But they weren’t exactly quiet, and what else were you supposed to do?  They’ve piqued your interest. 

“Um, no one’s signed your cast.” The boy wearing black vaguely gestured at the other boy’s cast.  

“No, I know.” The boy in question seemed to shrink into himself, and it kind of broke your heart. 

“Well, I’ll sign it.” 

The pang in your heart crawled up your throat.  That’s actually really sweet.  

It was clear they weren’t friends, but that guy volunteered to sign anyways.  Shit, you wouldn’t mind having friends.  Maybe you should introduce yourself?  Offer to sign the other boy’s cast too?  It would be a great ice breaker after all, and they look like they could be your friend, just maybe— 

Wait, girl, you gotta focus.  Where’s your essay?

Right.  You glanced at the printer next to you only to see that it was empty.

...Okay.  This is fine. 

You glanced at the computer to see the message saying that the printing should be done.  

This is 100% fine.  

You sat back in your chair, sucking in a breath in order to keep from having a mental breakdown in the middle of the library.  You really didn’t need this right now.  You really didn’t need this right now. 

You helplessly stared at the screen in front of you, panic bubbling from your stomach into your throat.  You could try again. Or ask for help.  Which would be logical, right?  God, why couldn’t things just be easy for you for once? 

You looked up at the two boys again, but the mood was not the same as before.  There was fear in the boy in the blue polo’s eyes and rage in the other’s.

Uh, okay?

Your eyes took a quick glance down and saw a few sheets of paper crumpled in the tall one’s hands.  Oooh no. 

“Fuck you!” 

Well, that startled you.  He rushed out of the library and the other boy started frantically calling his name—Connor?—and ran after him.  

Your mind turned off.  You weren’t thinking.  You definitely weren’t thinking.  Because if you were, you would have just let that guy go and ask the librarian for help with your essay.  A few cents out of your account didn’t mean anything—it’s literally just a nickel (a goddamn nickel—if your mother saw you right now, she would so yell at you for your lack of common sense).

But where was the fun in common sense? 

You grabbed your stuff and rushed out after them.  You cursed quietly under your breath because you have no idea where they went, and you realized that there might be a slight flaw in your non-plan.  

Just pick a direction!  What’s the worst that could happen?  If it comes to it you can just tell your teacher that you forgot it at home or something.  

So, you went left.  You sped walked along the lockers, hoping to at least hear them, or see something… 

You turned a corner and saw a flash of a messenger bag with some pretty sick buttons down the hallway.  You picked up your pace, your shoes clapping on the ground and your bag uncomfortably thumping against your back.  You reached the end of the hallway when you heard a sharp clang echo in your ears.  

“Fuck!”

You hesitantly turned the corner to see him cradling his hand (he paints his nails?  That’s pretty cool, actually... Wait, did he punch the locker?) close to his chest, all the while clutching a bunch of papers.  

Bingo.

“Uh, hey!  Connor right?” 

He didn’t look too thrilled for you to be there.  He looked less than thrilled. Actually, he looked downright furious. 

Was now the time for this?  Probably not.  This was definitely not the time for this. 

You got yourself into this mess, girl.  Just power through, it’s fine. 

“Ah, well, it’s just, uh—Okay so I have to turn in this essay for my english class, which is next period, and like, I had a copy but I can’t find it so I figured I could just print out another one, but it didn’t come out of the printer and, like, you pulled out paper from the only other printer in the library, so… uh…” 

Ohmygod, shutupshutupshutUP you dumbass!  Just abort mission! 

Connor’s face shifted from fury to what looked like incredulousness.  Yep, you were well aware you sounded like a lunatic.  You 100% were a lunatic—what were you even doing?  Who in their right mind would do this?

You took a deep breath and powered through. It was probably fine.  “...Sorry.  You have my essay.  Can I have it back?” 

He opened his mouth.  Then closed it.  He looked like a cross between wanting to beat the shit out of something and wanting to ask what the hell is wrong with you.  

You would like to know the answer to that too.  

“...You’re new here, aren’t you?” Connor’s eyebrows furrowed, but they didn’t look necessarily angry.  Just a little confused.  

You weren’t expecting that.  

Your shoulders slumped.  You were really hoping you didn’t stick out like a sore thumb but you can’t win them all.  “Is it that obvious?” 

Connor’s features softened slightly.  His eyes were still cold and guarded, and his jaw clenched and unclenched as if to hold back whatever sharp words he had on his tongue.  But his eyebrows unfurrowed, and he dropped his hands to his sides.  He slumped his shoulders too, and he looked defeated. 

“Yeah, it is.” He slid down the lockers and sat on the floor.  You were still unsure, but you sat next to him.  

“Are… you okay?”  Maybe your need to go after him wasn’t so much about your stolen essay.  He looked so tired… 

Connor glanced over at you, then trained his gaze at the wall in front of him.  “Nah. Used to it though.” 

He unwrinkled the papers and shuffled through them.  he pulled out four sheets and handed it over to you, all the while keeping his focus in front of him. 

“You’re Y/N?” 

You nodded, slowly reaching out to take the papers from him.  You didn’t know what to say—there was something obviously wrong… hell, you were there when he had his little outburst in front of the other kid.  But you didn’t know him.  It wasn’t your place to say anything.  

You didn’t feel comfortable leaving him alone either. 

Surprisingly, Connor spoke again, “I think I’m in that class.  I didn’t do the essay.” 

“How come?”

He clenched his jaw. “Didn’t want to.”

He glanced at the paper in his hands and tore at it, almost mindlessly.  There was a crack in his angry, tough facade (it kind of just occurred to you that it was just that—a facade.  He looked more exhausted now than anything.) 

You didn’t speak.  The only sounds in that hallway in that moment were the crinkles of you trying to smooth out your essay and Connor slowly ripping up the paper that was in his hands.  Neither of you said anything, but the silence was welcome. 

The bell rang, startling both of you.  You glanced over to see a pile that resembled hamster shavings that covered his lap and the floor.  A small piece that said Dear Evan stuck out to you.  

Both of you stood up as a cacophony of footsteps echoed through the hallway, approaching the two of you.  Connor brushed off the remaining slips of paper, which fluttered to the floor. 

“So, uh…. You wanna walk together?  To class?” He raised a brow at you and your stomach clenched.  “You—you said we had it together… It’s cool if you don’t want to!”

Wow, just wow.  This is such a great way to make friends.  Good job, Y/N.  It’s clear he wants to be alone, God. 

He looked unsure.  “You… probably shouldn’t be seen with me.  I wasn’t even planning on staying.”

“What?  You’re leaving?” Who in the world was this kid?  Why was he acting like he was diseased or something? “You have to at least wait until the second day to skip.” 

He cracked a smile at that.  It was barely there, just a twitch of the lips, but it was something.  “Okay, yeah.  Whatever.  Let’s go, you probably have no idea where you’re going anyways.” 

You failed at holding back a grin that stretched across your face.  He’s probably not wrong. 

[nickmuch]

c.z.k. - high school (part 3)

PART 1 / PART 2

Note: Honestly, I have nothing to do at work atm, so I might update this daily. Can’t wait for Part 4! Bc I have finally some more Zion action planned.

Also: It might be prom season there, but you didn’t hear it from me. My favorite part to write was probably the one that took place after prom.

Aaand: mobile tumblr seems to ignore all the paragraphing I put into the text to indicate the end of a scene???? So it’s probably easier to read on the desktop version.

A week had passed since my outburst. If you thought that everything magically turned upside down and we lived a happy life riding into the sunset on our white horse, then you thought wrong. Absolutely nothing happened. I returned back to class that day, not even flinching from his words. And he came back a couple minutes later, both of us acting as if we didn’t just kiss. He went back to her and I went back to feeling like shit. The usual story.

I acted like it didn’t faze me when he approached my locker at the end of the school day. “So …” he began. “You and Edwin?”. His voice sounded nervous when he asked me. Scrunching up my face, I fully turned towards him. “Me and Edwin what?”. Sighing, he grabbed my arm making me look him dead in the eyes. “You guys together now? You both seem oddly close these days”. Wow, I couldn’t believe the words that left his mouth. “Congrats! You have officially lost your mind, Caleb” I started picking up my pace. The front door wasn’t too far from here, so I hoped he would just let it go and let me drive home in peace. I hoped for nothing because clearly, he and his long legs caught up to me rather quickly, opening the door to my passenger seat before sitting down. “Look, I’m sorry for everything. But honestly, I just wanna put this all behind us. I miss my friends and I feel like I can’t hang out with the group while you’re still mad at me” “I’m not mad at you, in fact I give zero shits about you. But if you have something to talk about with the boys, then do so. I’m not keeping you from seeing them. They were your friends first, so you have every right to chill with them. I just don’t wanna be included, s’all”. A tap on the window made us look up. There she stood, tight smile on her face and eyes cold like ice. “Aw shit” he said, hurriedly opening the door to get out and explain why in the name of God he was sitting in his Ex’s car talking. Since I seriously didn’t need to hear their arguing – which was bound to happen any second now – I quickly drove off.

“Prom is right around the corner. What do you mean you’re not going?! Yes, you are! Don’t leave me alone with these fools!”. Edwin was close to having a breakdown. All because I didn’t plan on going to prom. There was no reason to go, really. I had no date, it was way too cold In New York to walk around in a dress the whole evening, and I wasn’t in the mood anyways. “Eddie, I love you, but please don’t make me go. I would only destroy the fun” I begged, thinking that would change his mind. Wrong! Because Edwin was – well – Edwin. My excuses were exactly that: just excuses. And he knew. “Okay bebecita, I knooooow you don’t feel like going”. He was convinced that easily? Wow, okay. “But!”. Ah there it was. “We will have fun. Trust me! When have I ever lied to you?”. I mean, he was right. Whenever he said something was going to be fun, it actually turned out to be. “Fine, we’ll go! But make sure that Zion leaves me alone. He thinks we’re dating and I don’t feel like dealing with his headassery again”. Edwin’s eyes nearly fell out of his face. “What?! Oh my god, is he serious?”. A hearty laugh filled up the whole living room. “Mijo, not so loud!” his mom shouted from the kitchen, making him quit immediately. “Anyways” he plopped down next to me on the couch. “No offense, but even if you’d be the last girl in the world and we had to reproduce in order to save the human civilization, I still wouldn’t touch you” Edwin finished. “No offense taken. You’re not my type anyway” I casually said while not breaking my eyes off of the tv screen. Gasp! “I- what? I meant because you’re my twin sister! Not because of your looks!” he cried. “Uhm … oh y-yeah, that’s what I meant too …?”. No way I could save my ass out of this. He looked hurt for a second but didn’t seem to dwell on it when he used my lap as a pillow to watch the show. “Don’t be fooled, you still suck ass”.

The night of the prom, Edwin had officially turned into a bridezilla. Minus the bride, of course. His steps could be heard from everywhere in the house, like a ticking clock you couldn’t dismiss. It was driving me insane. It was driving us all insane. “Edwin, you need to calm down” I tried. “There’s no way! No. Way.” he frantically walked from one room to the other. “My clothes need to be ironed, you still aren’t in your dress- “. “It’s 2 p.m.!” my voice sounded squeakier than expected. “- … your hair’s a mess, face not beat, my hair is acting up, and the damn rental car is running late” he finished with one last breath before collapsing on my bed. “We won’t be on time. Just cancel on the boys for me, the stress isn’t good for the baby”. “What baby?!”. “Me. I’m baby”. I couldn’t believe my ears. This boy lost his mind. Narrowing my eyes at him, he challenged me back to a stare-down. “Listen here, egghead” An offended gasp left his lips. “You’ve been talking about this night for weeks. There’s no backing out now. Move your ass up and get your to-do-list, so I can help you with everything. We still have four hours left before the boys are supposed to be here. So, let’s start!”.

The white Range Rover came to a halt right in front of the school building. Loud music could be heard already, some new rap song playing in the background. “This is gonna be so lit!” Edwin bounced on his seat excitedly before jumping out and dragging the rest of us with him into the gym. The motto for this year’s prom was “neon festival”.The wall decoration was painted in a mix of fluorescent colors, which reflected every time the lights hit them. Bright yellow stars adorned the ceiling, some white smoke even coming out of a smoke machine. Everything was arranged so nicely, I couldn’t help but admire the great effort of the students who probably worked hard for this to come true. Now I understood why Edwin wanted to go so badly. Back home, our prom nights were pretty basic. No one could be bothered to put so much effort into an event, just for it to be over on the same night.

“Here, for you” Nick handed me a red solo cup, which was filled with some pink drink, accompanied by a cocktail umbrella. “Thank you” I said, turning my gaze towards the shining stars again. “I’m so sorry about what I’m gonna say next” he looked slightly uneasy, so I tried to calm him down by laying my hand on his shoulder. “Z and Asya will be joining our table. I mean, only if it’s alright with you”. As if on cue, my eyes wandered over to where I last saw the boys, seeing that – in fact – they were surrounded by the couple. All of them looked so happy, laughing and joking with each other. No matter what I felt towards Caleb, I had to set my pride aside and act nice from now on. The boys were longing to hang out with their friend again and I didn’t want to be the reason for a strain in their friendship.

“It’s alright with me” I replied. His hand cautiously wrapped around my hips, like he was scared of making me uncomfortable. “Lead the way, Mara”. He grinned at me. “Say no more, Honoret”. I rolled my eyes at the name. He knew I wasn’t really a Honoret, and yet everyone just called me that, totally ignoring all my attempts at correcting them.

Luckily, I got the seat between Edwin and Brandon. I didn’t know how to greet Zion and his girlfriend. She was too busy typing away on her phone to notice my arrival, anyways. So, I just gave him a short wave and a shy smile. “Looking nice” he said, motioning to my baby blue velvet bodycon dress. His girl was so busy, she didn’t even notice him complimenting another female. Either that, or she didn’t care. “Thanks Caleb, you too”. Coincidentally, he wore a dark grey suit with a baby blue pocket square. To not give awkward silence any room, Austin suggested to me to dance. Gladly taking his offer, we made our way to the dance floor. Soon enough, Edwin and Nick joined us, their dance moves putting me and him to shame. “You guys enjoying yourselves?” Brandon shouted over the music. I pulled him closer by his forearm to join us. “Very”. My grin however didn’t last. When I looked back to our table, I saw Zion all by himself. He looked bored, occasionally scrolling through his phone. “I’ll be right back” I told no one in particular before making my way over to the lone boy.

“Why so lonely, Kuwonu?” I nudged his arm. With a weak smile on his plump lips, he answered “Asya is preoccupied with her group of friends. I don’t really vibe with ‘em”. Nodding understandingly, I offered him to accompany me back to the others. “As long as you don’t hit the folks, we’re good” I playfully teased him. “Ha ha, very funny” Caleb sarcastically remarked. It was nice to talk to him without an attitude or tension building up. Maybe I overreacted a little bit in the last weeks. Having him around felt good, if you ignored the butterflies that erupted deep down in my stomach every time he looked at me or smiled his goofy grin. But we had our chance and it didn’t work out, that’s why I had to get over it. Better to have him as a friend than anything else. Right now, though, was about having fun and enjoying the company of good friends in a night that seemed to be endless.

The thing is, everything has an end. And so, I found myself in the booth of an old diner. The fake leather of the seats was peeling off and little bolts of cloth got stuck to our clothes. One of my legs was pressed against the window side, my other leg was touching Brandon’s involuntarily. Edwin thought a corner booth would totally suffice for all seven of us. Well, he thought wrong because now we were all huddled up, trying to get as comfortable as humanly possible with not much space between us left. Asya decided to not tag along, saying she was too tired from dancing with her friends all night.

“I hope they hurry up with our order, I’m starving!” Ansley sighed dramatically. Turns out, Austin was talking to her for weeks now, he just couldn’t build up the courage to ask her out yet. So, Edwin being Edwin, persuaded her to join our trip for a midnight-snack, claiming that “this pizza is going to be the best you’ve ever had!”. Judging from the interior design and the slack expression we were getting from the waiter, I highly doubted he was right. But then again, never underestimate Edwin.

“Okay, you were right. This is the best pizza I’ve ever had. Kudos to you, Ed” Ansley munched happily on her slice. Suspiciously examining the pieces in the center of the table, I couldn’t really put too much trust into her words. For some odd reason, the pizza had more grease on it than my face in the morning before washing it. “Just try it, she isn’t lying” Zion slid me a slice over. “If I die, tell Mama, Papa and the babies that I love ‘em” I told Ed before taking a bite. This was actually pretty good. Maybe not the best I’ve had, but it came close. “What makes this the best pizza in all of New York, though? It doesn’t taste that special”. The boys smirked knowingly, all eyes looking down trying to avoid my gaze. “It’s not necessarily the taste but rather the memories this place holds, you know? Back when we were younger, we’d spend our evenings after school here since our parents were working and we had no one to watch us in the meantime” Brandon nodded along to Edwin’s words, clearly remembering it all as if it had happened yesterday. “Can you imagine the mess we’d make?! Five little boys, full of energy rushing in to buy themselves some junk food, not a single care in the world” he paused for a moment, giving the others a short smile. The moment was filled with a melancholic retrospective feeling. “We literally grew up in this place. T’was safer to play and wait for our parents in here than at home or on the streets. I guess that’s what makes this so special to us” he shrugged. Sensing that he had finished the story, I nodded slowly, comprehending everything he just told me. “I like it here. Has charm to it”. Grinning widely, I took another bite to further prove my point.

People think of New York as this cool and hip city, with expensive luxurious apartments and such, but they seem to forget that not everyone is fortunate enough to live that life. Some of us have to learn from an early age that this world is full of bad people. Not everyone is going to wish you the best or give a helping hand. “We kinda are like OMB if you really think about it. Sure, no one is forcing us to join a gang or sum, but we do live a similar life” Zion threw in. “Actually, the weedhead might be onto something” B exclaimed. “You moving here out of nowhere” he said, pointing towards me. “Ed having to give up his room for you. A weird crackhead as a friend like Jamal” Now it was Edwin’s turn to be pointed at. “Hey! That’s rude! Besides, don’t do my bro Jamal like dat. He’s a great friend, always got their backs and shit” Ed tried to argue. “You’re a great friend, too. And an even better twin brother” I genuinely told him. A chorus of “Awwee”’s followed the round. “Now this is how you talk to friends! Take notes, ladies”. When he said ladies, he definitely wasn’t referring to me or Ansley.

The night itself turned out being amazing and I was glad that Edwin had convinced me to go to prom. We were talking about everything and nothing, really. Moments turned into minutes. Minutes turned into hours, and soon it was already time to leave. Ansley had to be home soon, so Austin took it upon himself to make sure she would arrive there safely. Edwin was craving donuts from the corner shop across the street, but since he couldn’t be trusted on his own, Brandon decided to follow him. “Is B really the right fit to watch him not do any shenanigans?” Nick asked warily. “… honestly, talking from experience, I should probably go with ‘em before their sugar high kicks in”. With that, I was left alone with Zion in the booth of a run-down diner in the middle of New York. Despite being in one of the biggest cities, the world suddenly felt so small around me.

“So …” Zion said, looking around the place. “So …” I mimicked. Shaking his head, he just laughed. “This is low key awkward, not gonna lie”. It was true. In a group we no longer had trouble talking, however when alone it was a whole another story.

“I’m sorry”.

“You say sorry way too much”.

“Maybe. But this time I wanna apologize for attacking you with that kiss last week”.

“It’s all forgotten”.

His mouth opened and closed, scared to say something but I knew there still was something he wanted to get off his chest.

The bell above the door frame signaled the arrival of someone. “Guess what I gotchu guys?!” Edwin trotted over, taking a seat on the table, so that he had both me and Z on each of his sides. A small brown paper bag rested on his lap. With one swift movement, he pulled out some twizzlers, and shoved them in our hands. “And we also bought you make up wipes!” happily Brandon said in a sing-song voice. Fishing out the pack, he handed them over to me. “I love you guys!”. Nick walked in last. “Yo, I’m slowly getting tired. Can we drive home now?” sleepily he rubbed his eyes, already pulling on Zion’s sleeve. Reluctantly, Edwin followed behind, even though all he wanted was to eat his candy. His sugar high was still going in full force. Therefore, he didn’t feel an ounce of sleep.

“Why the fuck is he so bouncy?!”Austin asked. We had called him earlier to ask for his location, so that we could pick him up and drive home as well. He climbed up the Jeep, sitting next to an energetic Ed. “Twizzlers?” he offered to his friend. “No, thanks. Also, please stop smiling so creepily, you’re scaring me”. This was going to be a long drive.

Note: Part 4 will have more Zion moments. The plan is to have only one or two settings, so hopefully it’ll work out as planned.

I’d love to get some feedback, good or bad doesn’t matter!! What direction would you want this to go? How would you like this to end? Let me know!

Cami

[theravencawsatmidnight]

Uh, hey. First time doing this, may have spoiled you a bit with comments. I love that. I dunno if you are taking anything atm. (It can be whatever you please, I'm cool not picky. Not even if you ignore this.) 👇👇-I wonder if any mha students appreciate an old school fist 👊 fight. w/o quirks. - like someone talking shit about a kid from class-b, stealing a s/o, or literally jumping in bc they see their friend fighting. -OHHH! what if it was boys s/o. -👌👌 ok, I'll go. bye👏

OMGGG. @crushonkatsuki ♥️✨

Thank you for the ask 😭

Uhm uhm uhm . I did both . 👉🏻👈🏻 i hope you enjoy this!

Talking shit about class B .

Togaru Kamakiri aka Jack Mantis was leaning on a locker looking through his phone browsing specialty blade sharpners . Was a boring day for him honestly, he finished training a little early and decided to hang out by himself till everyone was done. He was near the Class A door oddly enough. Within minutes the door kicked open and students were leaving. Jack Mantis scooted closer down the wall so he would not be seen , he did not want to bother with anyone right now.

“Stupid .. its dumb!” Yelled Bakugo who was shoving his hands in his pockets. Kirishima was following close by with his hands up.

“Cmon Bakugo . We talked about-“

“I dont care!!! Its a dumb quirk. Making things soft?!? Stupid.”

Jack Mantis looked up from his phone. Was he talking about Juzo ?

“Dumbass.. have you seen his grin? He looks like a nerd!” Yelled Bakugo

Jack Mantis put his phone away pushing himself off the locker , he turned the corner to see the two.

“Atleast hes not a hot head like you” Jack Mantis said, sounding irritated with what was said about his friend.

Bakugou tilted his head , a smirk creeping up his right cheek . He stepped over shoving Jack Mantis. “Oh yeah? Did i hurt youre feelings can opener? “

Jack Mantis pat his UA uniform brushing off the nickname he was given and took in a short breath then exhaled. He grabbed Bakugous right arm pulling him forward punching him right in the nose. Bakugo fell hard into the lockers and Kirishima tried to help him up but Bakugou pushed him off.

“Say what you want about me, but leave Juzo alone. Hes done nothing to you.”

Bakugo scrambled to his feet grabbing Jack Mantis tackling him . The two punched each other over and over . Making quite a ruckus. Jack Mantis rolled so he was ontop now and slammed his right arm down over Bakugous holding it in place, he grabbed his other arm holding it and moving it to his other hand so he was holding both. Both students had bloody noses now and were staring each other down.

“Get OFF me!! You stupid can opener!!!!” Yelled the angry blond.

Jack Mantis punched him one last time and got off walking away. “Dont talk about my friends”

Kirishima helped Bakugo up and asked if he was alright. The blond scoffed walking the other way, he spit out blood and walked with a hunch. “Im fine, lets get out of here. Thanks for.. sticking around i guess .”

“No problem bro! “ Kirishima hurried to his friends side joining him.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Stealing a Class B s/o

Ibara and Kaibara were a happy couple, in fact everyone in class B was rooting for them and Kaibara finally worked up the courage to ask the big question. They were both unsure of how a relationship was suppose to go but learning together could be fun! Right?

Kaibara was on his way to pick up Ibara from the UA courtyard , they were heading to a crepe shop together. It took him a minute to actually find her . She was sitting on a bench but .. someone was with her? As he got closer he realized it was Izuku. He tilted his head watching, listening.

“So you got any plans Ibara?”

“Well theres a crepe shop Kaibara wanted to take me too.”

He laughed. “Kaibara? What a weak date. You want to hang with me instead? I know the mall just got a flower shop “

“They .. they did? I did not know that...”

“You didint? Gosh i thought you of all people would know first. I could take you if you want.”

Ibara looked around then back at Izuku. She nodded and the green haired boy smirked pulling her up “great!!! Lets go!!!” Kaibara did not know what to make of this.. or what to do..

[bxcketbarnes]

Awkward First Date

Pairing: Luke Hemmings x Reader

Author: @cxddlyash

Words: 3629

Author’s Note: This was requested by anon stating,  Oh, hello! I was wondeing could you do first date imagine with Luke? In a really fancy restaurant, you wear a pink dress, and he wears white coat with a black leather jacket. And, you both being shy during dinner, in the end of the night he walks you with home and you say good night and he kisses yor cheek? Just something like that, I really need kind of things about Luke. And I’m like hell yes. Awkward Luke is like my favorite Luke.

It’s been almost over a year since I last went on a date. My stupid dick of an ex ruined almost any chance of me going out again. He managed to break my heart into tiny little pieces then decided to stomp on it some more before stepping out of my life.

Even though it was for the better it didn’t mean I wasn’t upset… because I was. I barely left my best friend’s house, barely left the room I was staying in. Cat, my best friend, finally managed to get me to leave the house, going out to a small cafe downtown.

“So,” she spoke up after our food was brought out, “have you thought about putting yourself out there again?”

I sighed, shaking my head as she began to eat the salad she got. “No, not exactly. I don’t think I’m ready,” I mumbled, picking at the pastry I got as my eyes were on the people of LA who were going on with their day, walking down the semi-busy streets.

“You do know there are guys out there that aren’t like him?” Cat asked, mixing her salad around as she kept her eyes on me. I nodded, taking a bite of the cinnamon roll. “Well, will you at least go to this small party with me tonight? The guy I like is hosting it and he told me to bring you along.”

I furrowed my brows a bit, wondering why Ashton would want me there since we haven’t really talked. “I-,”

“Please, please, please! It won’t be the same without you there. You’re my wing woman,” Cat begged and I chuckled a bit, shaking my head at how she cut me off before I could even say anything.

A smile came to my lips as I tossed another piece of pastry into my mouth. “Alright, alright. I’ll go,” I told her, giving her a small grin.

-

I slipped on a pair of dark blue skinny jeans, combing my fingers through my wet hair as I searched for a shirt in my closet. I picked one of my Def Leppard shirts, throwing it over my head as I pulled it onto my body. I analyzed myself in the mirror, actually pleased with how I looked.

Cat burst into my room, flipping herself onto my bed as I grabbed a pair of black converse. “Yes, of course, make yourself at home,” I laughed, sitting in the chair in front of the vanity as I laced my shoes.

“Well, this is my home,” she smirked and I rolled my eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. You want me to stay home?” I asked her, a smirk on my lips as the one on hers dropped.

Cat scoffed playfully, crossing her arms over her chest as she stood up from the bed. “Of course I do. You deserve to have a bit of fun. Are you ready?” She asked and I nodded, grabbing my wallet from the table in front of me. “Great! Let’s head out!”

-

On the drive to Ashton’s house, I couldn’t stop my leg from bouncing. Nerves were coursing through my veins as I looked out the window, trying to calm myself down a bit. It only took us about ten minutes to get to his place, admiring the beautiful house as Cat pulled into the driveway.

“Wow,” I mumbled to myself, unbuckling my seatbelt before the two of us got out of the vehicle. My fingers fumbled together, Cat and I walking up to the front door before she knocks.

A couple yells could be heard inside as I rocked on the balls of my feet. The door opened a few seconds later, Ashton’s face coming into view as a large grin appeared on his face. “Cat! You made it and you brought, Y/N! It’s finally nice to meet you,” he spoke, holding out his hand to me.

“It’s nice to meet you as well,” I smiled softly, chuckling a bit. He invited us inside as his hand rested on Cat’s lower back and I smiled at the two. I hope he’s good to her…

I followed the two towards the kitchen, already feeling a bit out of place as my best friend was laughing at something he said. I shoved my hands into my back pockets, continuing on when a body collided into mine. A low grunt left my lips as I almost fell backward, a large hand wrapping around my forearm and the other grabbing my waist.

“Woah there,” a slightly accented voice spoke and I glanced up. Oh wow, he’s tall… I gulped slightly as a tall blonde stood in front of me, heat spreading across the arm his hand is holding. “Sorry ‘bout that. You alright?” He asked and I nodded my head quickly.

“Y-Yeah… yeah… I’m fine,” I mumbled shyly, becoming a bit flustered. His hands continued to stay on my body as I cleared my throat a bit. “Y-You can let go now.”

His blue eyes widened, quickly releasing me from his hold as he mumbles an apology. “So-Sorry. I’m, uh, Luke,” he introduced giving me a small smile.

“Hi, Luke. I’m Y/N, Cat’s friend,” I told him, rubbing my hands together nervously.

Luke looked towards the living room where everyone was at before his eyes glanced to the kitchen. “Do you… do you want a drink?” He asked and I nodded slightly. The tall blonde led me towards the kitchen, my eyes connecting with Cat’s as she wiggles her eyebrows at me.

I roll my eyes, leaning against the island as Luke grabbed two glasses. I watched as he made two vodka sodas, placing the bottle of liquor back on top of the fridge and the bottle of soda into the fridge.

“Thanks, Luke,” I softly spoke while giving him a small smile, taking a sip of your drink as you looked into his eyes.

-

It’s been about a month since I first met Luke and the boys, not having any regrets about joining Cat that night. My phone buzzed as I picked it up immediately already feeling the smile on my lips.

From: Cute Giraffe -

Hey! Uhm, are you doing anything atm?

I bit my lip, tapping my nails against the screen.

To: Cute Giraffe -

Nope! Cat’s gone out with Ash so it’s just me here. Why? What’s up?

The three dots bounced on my screen, signaling he was typing as I patiently waited. They suddenly disappeared as FaceTime popped up, Cute Giraffe stared at the top. I answered almost immediately, fixing my hair a bit as his face came onto the screen.

“Hey, you,” he smiled, his head resting against one of his pillows.

“Hi,” I grinned, leaning my chin on my knees, holding my phone out in front of me. “Did you wanna talk to me about something?”

Luke nodded his head, clearing his throat a bit as he shuffled on his bed. “Y-Yeah. Uh, just uh, a-are you doing anything tonight?” He asked, his bright blue eyes darting everywhere.

I shook my head as I analyzed him curiously, wondering what he was so jittery about. “No, I’m basically free every night,” I laughed awkwardly, biting my bottom lip.

His curls fell into his face a bit as he nodded, pushing them out of his eyes. “W-Would you wanna… um, go out with me?” Luke asked and my heart felt like it stopped.

The words kept replaying in my head, having an internal debate with myself on if it’s a good idea or not. Luke’s nothing like my ex… He’ll treat me like a princess. This is the happiest you’ve been… just go for it. “I-uh-I, yeah. I’d love to,” I muttered, blushing a bit as a large smile came to his pink lips.

“Great! Great, I’ll uh, pick you up at 7?” He asked and I nodded my head, smiling at him as Luke nodded his head as well. “Great! Good! I’ll see you later, love.”

I blushed at the pet name as the two of us muttered our goodbyes before hanging up the phone. I set the phone on the edge of the couch, my mind racing with everything that just happened. The front door opened signaling that Cat was home, hearing her talking to Ashton.

“I had a great time, Ash! Can we do it again sometime?” She asked and I smiled, combing my fingers through my hair.

“Yeah, definitely. I’ll call you,” he mentioned and then it was silence, a small sound of a smooch bouncing off the walls and a smirk settled onto my lips.

Cat walked into the living room with a large grin on her face, her eyes meeting mine and they widen a bit. “You heard everything didn’t you?” She asked and I nodded my head, laughing slightly.

“Yeah, you guys are cute together. W-Would you help me pick out an outfit for tonight?” I asked her and her eyebrows rose in curiosity. “I uh, I have a date with Luke tonight.”

A loud squeal left her lips as she ran to the couch, sitting down beside me. “Holy shit, what?! When did he ask you?” She asked, a large grin on her lips.

“We just finished FaceTiming before you came in. He’s picking me up at 7,” I told her, feeling a bit nervous but also excited. “I-I haven’t been on a date in over a year and my ex ruined a lot.”

Cat took my hands into hers, patting it lightly. “Honey, I’ve known Luke for almost four months and he has to be one of the sweetest people ever, other than Ash of course,” she laughed and I chuckled, shaking my head, “and I know that he will treat you very well. Just… be yourself and don’t worry about that asshole.” I nodded, chewing on my bottom lip as Cat stood up, grabbing my hand before taking me to her room. “Now, I think I have the perfect dress for you to wear!”

-

“Are you sure this looks okay?” I asked my best friend, looking at her through the mirror and she nodded her head.

“Of course! You look gorgeous. Luke’s gonna be blown away,” she grinned and I pressed my lips together, looking over the pale pink dress in the mirror. It stopped a bit above my knees, a simple skirt and halter top bodice with spaghetti straps going over my shoulders, but with an open back. I smoothed out the dress, letting out a huff of breath as there was a knock on the front door.

“Oh, god. He’s here,” I mumbled, feeling my hands shake a bit with nervousness.

Cat pushed me towards the front door, holding a thumbs up while mouthing, “you got this.” I took a deep breath, nodding a bit as I silently reassured myself before opening the door. My breath hitched at how gorgeous Luke looked. He was sporting a pair of black skinny jeans, a white t-shirt, and a black leather jacket.

My hands became a little sweaty as I wiped them on the dress, smiling up at the tall blonde. “Hey, Luke,” I breathed, stepping out of the house, quietly closing the door.

“W-Wow, you look beautiful,” he mumbled, his blue eyes raking down my body and I blushed. The two of us began walking down the streets of LA, taking in the scenery of the city’s nightlife. Luke hand brushed mine every couple minutes and he took the big step of taking my hand into his, our fingers lacing together. I looked up at him, my cheeks blushing as he gave me a cute grin.

“So, where are we going?” I asked, shuffling a bit closer to him.

Luke’s thumb rubbed my knuckles as he looked down at me. “Well, I heard you talking about this restaurant you wanted to go to since it opened…” he trailed off and my lips parted, glancing up at him.

“L-Luke! That’s a really expensive restaurant. Y-You don’t need to take me there,” I told him and he squeezed my hand.

He shook his head as we walked up to the building. “It’s fine, okay? Don’t worry about the money. I want you to have a good time,” he informed me as we came to a stop in front of the doors. Luke brought his hand up to my face, gently stroking my cheekbone with the back of his index finger. “Come on,” he whispered, opening the door for me.

I stepped inside, Luke’s hand resting on my lower back as he led me towards the hostess stand. “Hi! Welcome to Patina! Name?” She asked, smiling at the two of us.

“Uh, Hemmings,” Luke answered, giving the young girl a small smile. ‘Madi,’ her name tag read nodded her head as she grabbed two menus.

“Alright. If you can just follow me,” she told us, motioning us to follow her. I grabbed Luke’s hand as I led him along, my eyes glancing around the gorgeous restaurant. Madi brought us to a booth and the two of us sat down on opposite sides. “Someone should serve you in just a minute. Have a lovely evening,” Madi grinned after handing out the menus, walking away from us.

My eyes widened at the menu, silently cursing myself for saying that I wanted to come here. This is confusing… Why is this so confusing? I thought to myself and glanced towards Luke who also sported a confused look.

A middle aged woman came up to our table, a pen and paper in hand as she smiled down at us. “Hi, I’m Casey I’ll be your waitress for the evening. Can I start you two with something to drink?” She asked and I moved my lips a bit, looking back down at the menu.

“Can I get a Bitburger?” Luke asked, his eyebrows furrowed together as he glanced up. She nodded her head, writing it down before looking to me.

I cleared my throat a bit, stuttering. “C-Can I get the Lillet? Blanc?” I asked and she nodded her head. She told us that she’d be right back with our drinks before heading towards the bar area. “L-Luke, are you sure about this place? We can leave,” I mumbled to him, biting my bottom lip.

“Hey, if you’re worried about the money don’t be. I told you that it’s fine, but honestly, do you think they’d let us skip to dessert?” He asked and a chuckle left my lips, shrugging my shoulders. Casey came back with our drinks and I grabbed the wine glass, taking a sip of it. I hummed in response, not entirely hating the taste.

“Have you guys decided what to get?” She asked and Luke and I glanced towards each other.

I was about to speak up when Luke did. “I-Is it bad to ask a person who works here if we could just get a dessert to share?” He asked a little shyly, feeling his long legs brush mine under the table. Casey laughed, shaking her head.

“No, of course not. What would you like?”

“Can we get the Summer Fruit Pavlova?” Luke asked, giving our waitress a small smile as she nodded, writing it down on the pad before taking our menus.

“Of course. It’ll be out soon. Enjoy your date,” she grinned.

-

Our dessert was sat in front of us after about fifteen minutes. During the fifteen minutes of waiting Luke and I talked a little bit about ourselves… stuff that we don’t actually know about each other since we know quite a bit. I fiddled with my fork as Luke dug into the dessert first, shoving the good looking food into his mouth.

“So,” he mumbled quietly, looking towards me as I cut a small piece with my fork. “W-When was the last time you’ve been on a date?” He asked and my heart dropped a bit, gulping. I set the fork down on the plate, suddenly losing my appetite as Luke noticed. A look of panic settled in on his face, moving his lips like a fish. “I-I mean you don’t have to tell me if you are uncomfortable about it. I-I just…” he stuttered, trailing off as I shook my head.

“No, no. It’s okay. It’s probably best if you know about it if things… go further,” I whispered the last bit, my skin becoming warm as I avoided his blue eyes. “Uhm, around two years ago I had landed myself a boyfriend and at first he was great, loving, all that shit. But, as time went on he became angrier… at everything I did and I did nothing by love him unconditionally. He managed to break my heart into tiny pieces, break me down until I became insecure about everything I did. You have no idea how low my self-esteem is. Being here with you tonight is a little nerve racking, honestly. I-I haven’t been on a date in over a year. I barely left Cat’s house in over a year… until that night I met you,” I mumbled shyly, my hands shaking as Luke’s eyes were on me the entire time. Did I just ruin the date?

His hand reached out for mine, reassuring me that everything was fine as if he could read my thoughts. I chewed on my bottom lip, lacing our fingers together. “First of all, he’s an asshole for doing that to you. I may have only known you for a month, but you are literally the sweetest girl I’ve met. Secondly, I hope this date was good enough for being your first date in a long while. Sorry, I’m a little awkward I just… I kinda like you a lot and wanted things to go well,” Luke confessed and my heart leaped, beating quicker.

“Luke, for not being on a date in over a year, my last date being so bad because of an awful guy, this date ranks to be number one. Even though we’re both a bit awkward, I’m having an amazing time,” I smiled and he did the same, tucking a curl behind his ear.

-

Luke and I were on our way back to Cat’s house, hand in hand as I was laughing at some stupid joke he said. We managed to finish the desert before the bill came and no matter how many times I asked him how much it was, he wouldn’t tell me.

I frowned a little as her house came into view, not really wanting the night to end. Luke’s jacket was tightly wrapped around my body as the LA air was a bit cold. Lights were on in Cat’s house signaling she was awake and hoped that she hasn’t heard us come up onto the porch. I turned to face Luke as he shoved his large hands into his pockets, rocking on the balls of his feet.

“Thank you for walking me home and giving me your jacket,” I softly smiled, beginning to take it off and he just grabbed mine, shaking his head.

“Keep it. Gives me another reason to come back and see you,” he mumbled, smiling down at me as my cheeks flushed, nodding my head. I licked my lips a bit, debating whether or not to do what I’m thinking of doing. Luke seemed to have the same idea as he dipped his head down, pressing his lips to my warm, pinkish, cheek. My heart fluttered and he pulled away, grinning ear to ear at my reaction. “Have a good night, Y/N.”

Luke stepped off the porch, beginning to walk back to his place when I called out for him to stop. He stopped in his tracks, turning around as I ran over to him. His eyebrows were furrowed together in confusion as I leaned on my toes, pressing a kiss to the corner of his lips. “Thanks again for tonight. I’ll call you tomorrow,” I smiled shyly, pressing my lips together as he nodded.

I walked back to the house, giving the cute blonde one last smile before heading inside. I rested my head against the wooden door, smiling to myself before heading towards the living room to see Cat sitting on her couch, trying to hide the smirk on her face. “You saw everything didn’t you,” I stated, chuckling as she nodded.

“Yeah, sorry but that was cute as fuck. Please tell me you’re seeing him again?” She asked and I sat down on the couch beside her, playing with the sleeves of his jacket.

“Do you think I’d be wearing his jacket if I wasn’t?” I asked, grinning as she began to squeal, jumping up from the couch to run around the living room of her place, yelling “OTP OTP.” My phone buzzed as I shook my head, laughing at my weird ass best friend, seeing a text from Luke.

From: Cute Giraffe -

Again, I had a fantastic time with you and I can’t wait for more. Sweet dreams, gorgeous x

-

Taglist: @honeymoonmuke @gotta-try-something-new @thebookamongmen @kinglyhood @ashs-cheergirl @dashlilymark @lukeskisses @shower-me-with-roses 

[3rddrawerdown]

One And The Same (Part 5)

Warnings: Real fluff, finally.

Pairing: Peter Parker/Spider-Man x Reader

You sat on the roof, in sweats and a long sleeve t-shirt, reflecting on the events of the evening. Peter either hadn't seen you with Spider-Man, or had left the room out of jealousy. Who am I kidding? You thought to yourself. Jealous? Peter doesn't care. Then, your mind wandered to Spider-Man. The way you spoke with each other, personalities blending so perfectly. The way you danced, anticipating each other's every move. The way he held you, hands in respectful places, but sending electricity through your body all the same. You sighed, lost in thought.

"Hey" giant eyes popped up over the side of the roof, and you screamed. "Woah, woah, it's just me!" Spider-Man held up his hands in surrender. This gave off an odd illusion, as he still hadn't cleared the side of the roof and was merely clinging to the wall with his feet. He pulled himself up over the edge. "Sorry about that. How was the rest of the dance? Sorry about that, too. Robberies and such. I hope you understand."

Your heart began to slow to it's normal rate, but your stomach started to flutter. "I do, absolutely! I can't believe you took time out of your day just to stop by a dance, of all things."

"Well, of course. I like to keep my promises." He winced, grabbing his side.

"Are you alright?" You asked, concern lacing your voice.

"Ah, yeah, just took a nice whack to the ribs. These guys were robbing an ATM down on 21st." Peter hoped you wouldn't ask about how far his spidey sense reached. He hadn't left the dance because of the robbery. He left because his suit was particularly revealing. After that dance with you, well, he was a fifteen-year-old boy, after all.

It was back on the roof getting ready to change back into his tux that Peter had felt the familiar tingle. A van screeched by a few moments later, and Peter followed it to the ATM. When he had interfered, they pulled out some crazy high-tech weapons he'd never seen before. The blast missed him, but busted the store across the street. Everyone in the shop had been fine, but only because Peter let the robbers escape, in order to help. At the recollection, he mentally cursed himself, again, for letting them get away.

"I mean, my parents are out, so you wouldn't have to worry about being seen."

"I-I'm sorry, what was that? I spaced out," he admitted.

"Uh, I mean, I just said you could come in to ice that, if you want. My parents are out, so you won't have to worry about them seeing you or anything. Plus, you could just duck back out the window, if need be." You bit the edge of your lip, which Peter recognized as one of your nervous tells. Warmth seeped into his cheeks. Oh, how badly he wanted to kiss you.

"That would be great, actually." This response surprised you.

"Okay, follow me, then." Oh my God, you mouthed with your back to him. Spider-Man was about to be in your room. You were so close to losing your cool.

He followed you down the fire escape and into your room. You sat him on the bed and went to grab a bag of frozen peas. Wrapping them in a thin hand towel you took them back to your room. You scanned his side, but your eyes began to wander. The suit clung to his frame, and every muscle was apparent beneath the red and blue fabric. "Where did you take the hit?" He pointed and you pressed the peas against his ribs. He sucked air in through his teeth.

"Sorry!"

"No, i-it's fine. Just sore. Definitely bruised. Maybe fractured. I'll be fine."

"Fractured? Does this happen often?" What were you saying? Of course it happens often. "You really should take it easy. Do you need anything... else?" You avoided eye contact, trying not to let suggestion leak into the question.

"Just the ice..." and you. He couldn't bring himself to say the last part, for fear of being too forward. You knew Peter, but you had really only known Spider-Man for a meager 24 hours. He changed the subject, "So, how was the rest of the dance?"

"Oh, I left pretty immediately. Everyone was whispering and I really didnt feel like fielding questions I can't answer. I figured I'd take the weekend to brainstorm what I'll hear the most and how best to answer, you know?"

"That makes sense." A moment of awkward silence. "So. Tell me. Who are you?"

"Oh! I... I guess we never really did cover that, did we? I'm Y/N."

That wasn't what Peter had meant, but it was a good thing to cover. That would have been an sure give-away, had he slipped up with a name he wasn't privy to. "Alright, Y/N, what are your hobbies? What do you like to do for fun?"

"Well, I like to read, usually up on the roof. It's kind of my sanctuary. I also like to bake. Lately it's been cup-pies. Those are just miniature pies cooked in cupcake tins. I take them to Peter's house when we have movie nights." Your shoulders slumped a little. "I don't really know when our next movie night will be."

Peter felt terrible. He planned to fix things at school on Monday, but for now, he placed his arm across your shoulders and pulled you into a hug.

Suddenly, the sound of the front door opening could be heard through the walls, and Spider-Man jumped up, letting go of you. Vague disappointment spread throughout, but you brushed it off as the frozen peas fell to the ground.

"I-I-I- Thank you," he stammered.

"Yeah, sure thing, go-go-go," you practically pushed him out the window. He braced himself to jump, but hesitated, turning.

"Thank you, Y/N."

"Thank you, Spider-Man."

The doorknob to your bedroom turned and you spun to look. When you looked back out the window, he was gone.

"Y/N, what are you doing?" My mother peeked her head in.

"Hey, mom! Just getting some fresh air. How was work?" You were tense, hoping she wouldn't press the subject, as one doesn't typically lean halfway out a window simply for fresh air.

She gave you a look, but didn't question it. "It was good, I made some good sales. I'm going to get started on dinner. Want to come help? You can tell me all about Homecoming."

You closed the window. "I've got some homework to do, actually." This was a lie. You had done it all before movie night with Peter. "I can come help if you need it, though."

"No, no, that's okay. Your grades are more important. I'll let you know when dinner is ready." She left with a smile, and you went to close the door behind her.

Once the door was closed, there was a light tap at the window. Spider-Man hung upside down just outside.

You opened the window again. "What are you doing? What if someone sees you?"

Peter was nervous. "I just, uh... I also kind of got hit in the mouth... would you do me a favor? Tell me if I'm bleeding?"

"Of course! Let me see."

He slowly pulled the edge of the mask down over his chin and lips. You leaned in, gingerly touching his cheeks with your fingertips, looking for any abrasions on the lower half of his pale face.

There was nothing. His face wasn't red or swollen, and the skin wasn't broken anywhere. His face was... perfect. Your heart rate elevated. You leaned in, removing your hand. "Looks like they didn't connect as hard as you thought," you spoke softly.

"Oh, good," he said, distractedly.

"Yeah, no blood," you glanced from his lips to his eyes. The tension between you was nearly tangible.

"No blood," he repeated.

"You didn't get hit in the face."

"One of them took a swing but," he waved a hand behind his head without breaking eye contact, "sixth sense."

"What's that sixth sense telling you now?" You leaned in, further.

"It doesn't... really work like that," he raised a scarlet glove to my face.

"Shame."

Gently, he pulled your lips to his.

It was perfect. His lips were soft and warm. They melded seamlessly with yours. The tension between you melted away into liquid electricity, flowing through your veins to every inch of your body.

Slowly, reluctantly, he pulled away. We stared at each other, processing. He dropped down, then, and you backed out of his way as he quietly climbed back in the window.

"What if-" without looking, he shot a web at the doorknob, overlapping with the frame.

"Then they'd have a tough time getting the door open." He closed the gap between you, but didnt touch you, yet. "You'd be in danger." You nodded, and his fingers lightly grazed your hips. "If an enemy found out about you, they could use you as leverage against me. Which means you could never know who I am. It would only put you in more danger." You nodded again, now placing your hands on his chest. "And you... still want this?"

You couldn't explain it. You just... clicked. You'd never cultivated such a connection with someone in so little time.

All you could do was nod. His feather-light touch on your hips became hands snaking around the small of your back, pulling you into him. He leaned in, head tilted, but he paused, lips mere inches from yours. "You're sure?" In response, your hands slid up to his cheeks and you pulled him in close. You could feel him relax into the kiss, holding you tighter. You had no idea that this was what you'd been missing.

When Monday rolled around, you found yourself less a target for conversation, and more a subject of. No one had approached you yet, but it was only third period.

As if on que, someone slid onto the stool next to yours, in chemistry. It was Peter. Miraculously, you hadn't given Peter another thought the rest of the weekend. Your thoughts had been consumed by Spider-Man. The way his mask displayed such interest in you. The way the suit hugged every ripple of muscle on his body. The kissing.

You said nothing, forcing Peter to break the silence. "Y/N, can we talk?"

"About what?" You focused on copying down your lab procedure, refusing to look up just yet.

"You know about what. Please. I didnt mean it. I don't know what got into me."

"You weren't wrong, though. What are you doing this Friday?" You had heard rumors that he and Liz were going on a date. And by rumors, you meant you had overheard Liz telling her friends. Apparently he was sick and had to leave the dance, and this Friday would be their make-up date.

"I-I-," his eyes displayed hurt and guilt.

"No, really, Peter, it's fine. I take a backseat to your new girlfriend. That's how it is. That's how it should be. Making time for me isn't a priority."

If only you knew, he thought. He sighed. "Look, I don't want to choose between you. I don't want to lose you."

You turned to Michelle, a table over. "Hey, Michelle. Do you have a partner?"

She looked up from her book, "whatever loser gets assigned to me."

You looked back at Peter. "Sorry, Peter. Looks like Michelle needs a partner." You moved over to her table, leaving Peter alone with his thoughts. You were obviously into Spider-Man, but not Peter. Being with you as Spider-Man was not only deceptive and an eventual dead-end relationship, it put you in danger. If any one of his enemies found out about you... he didn't want to think about it. He could reveal himself to you and be with you as Peter, but not only did that option lack guarantee, it would risk you getting even more upset . He didn't want to lose you. He couldn't lose you. And being with you solely as Peter Parker was out of the question, seeing as you obviously didn't share feelings for him as he did you.

Peter looked for a distraction. Now was as good a time as any to work on his formula for web fluid, but Peter was having a hard time focusing. His thoughts wandered to you, and he couldn't seem to stop his gaze from following suit.

You knew why you were being so cold with him, but it wasn't fair. You were upset, but it wasn't that big a deal. You were trying to distance yourself to smother your feelings for him. This newfound... thing... with Spider-Man, it felt real. Really real. It was only a perk that it was helping you get over Peter, but to really let go, this was necessary.

Lunch rolled around and you sat with Michelle. She didnt ask questions, just sat there, reading her book. This didn't bother you, any. You glanced up to see Peter walk in and your eyes locked. Then Liz called out and waved him over. He glanced at her, and back at you. Rolling your eyes, you turned your body away from him. He didn't come to sit with you. Not that you expected him to, but a part of you still felt a wave of disappointment.

For the next couple of weeks, you saw less and less of Peter, and your thoughts reflected that lack of presence. He was replaced by Spider-Man in more than one way.

He would meet you on your rooftop, regularly, and occasionally he would surprise you at your window. You treasured your time with him, as did he. You tried not to think about the long term, choosing instead to enjoy the present.

"So," he said one day, head in your lap, "how's your movie night friend? Haven't heard much for a while."

You looked down at him, eyes breaking away from the sun setting behind the skyline. "I don't know, honestly. He's dating homecoming girl, and we haven't talked in a while."

If only you knew, Peter thought.

"I've honestly been keeping my distance. I denied them for a while, but I had feelings for him." This was news to Peter. He was sure he'd been imagining mixed signals. He was sure of it. Was sure. Past tense. "When he asked Liz to homecoming, I thought we could still be friends, but it was too much. Liz was more important, which hurt, but it gave me more reason to step back and get over my feelings. Then you came along." You smiled down at him, gently drawing circles on his chest. Taking a deep breath, you prepared yourself to admit the following. "I've never felt like this with anyone. We just... click, you know? I don't know where this is going, were it even can go, but I don't care. This, us, it's so perfect. I'm just along for the ride." As you finished, Spiderman sat up, looking into your eyes. He didn't know what to say, but he knew what he had to do.

"I have to go." This was no shock to you. He often had to leave abruptly. Duty calls, and such. But after what you had just shared, you were afraid you'd scared him off. He lifted his mask partway, which never ceased to give you butterflies. Leaning in he spoke, "you're right. We share something special." He kissed you, dispelling your doubts. Then, he hopped off the roof, swinging off into the fading light.

[boopboopbichie]

Reddie headcanon

- Ok so Eddie is like this goodboi. He’s almost done with high school and he really wants to get into a great college.

- So, he is trying to focus on his school work because he’s not going to fuck this up for himself and things doesn’t come easy to him.

- So, one day Eddie is in the library, studying, when two people walk in. He only turns his head because one of them is being fucking loud as fuck and he’s like gosh this is a library jesus Christ.

- When he turns his head, he sees Stan Uris – He knows Stan, they’re in the same Bio class – And Richie Trashmouth Tozier – He also knows Richie (not personally) because everyone does.

-  Richie is loud and obnoxious and what the fuck is he wearing?

- But he is also really really goodlooking as he’s entering the library, laughing and pushing up his glasses.

- Eddie thinks the Tozier boy is super cool and he hates himself for it, because what’s cool about a tall boy with huge glasses, who cracks inappropriate jokes and inappropriate times and wears Hawaiian shirts underneath his jean jacket and has tattoos at the age of seventeen?

- The answer to this, Eddie has figured out is – Everything.

- Everything about Richie Tozier is cool. He’s laid back, popular, seems to always be having a good time and he’s a fucking genius.

- Also. he’s gay? Bi? Pan? Eddie honestly doesn’t know, he just knows that he has heard about Richie kissing a lot of girls and he has heard about Richie kissing a lot of boys as well.

- But that doesn’t seem to bother anyone and maybe that’s why Eddie is so jealous? Because his coming out wasn’t that smooth?

- Anyway, Stan and Richie walks in and Eddie makes eye contact with Richie, but quickly looks back into his book.

- He hopes they keep walking but suddenly two people are standing in front of him and he looks up again.

- “Hey Eddie, I just wanted to ask you about the homework for bio tomorrow. I’m not sure what I even read”, Stan says and Eddie glances at Richie who is grinning from behind Stan.

- “I can send you my notes?”, he offers, and Stan thanks him.

- They’re about to leave but Richie leans over the table and smiles and Eddie wants to die, because he’s even prettier up close.

- “There’s a party at my place on Friday Kaspbrak. You should come. You can bring a friend if you’d like”.

- And then he just leaves.

- And Eddie is left sitting there with huge eyes bc holy shit he knows his full name?

- So, when he goes over to Bill’s that night he tells him about it and Bill – who most definitely has a crush on Stan is begging him to go.

- Eventually Eddie says yes, even though he doesn’t want to. Like, he needs to study he doesn’t have time for silly parties.

- So fast forward to Friday and Eddie is in his room freaking out because what the fuck should he wear?

- Like he knows that the people who are going to be at Richie’s party are probably as cool as Richie and he has absolutely no clothes.

- He ends up wearing his high waisted jeans with a red t-shirt tucked into them and his vans. He doesn’t do anything to his hair because he kinda likes it when it’s curly.

- Bill picks him up and off they go.

- The whole ride Eddie is trying to get Bill to turn around because: “Bill he probably invited me for the laughs it’s gonna suck and I need to study”.

- Bill is having none of that though and eventually they’re at the house and Eddie can’t breathe.

- When they knock on the door, Richie opens up and Eddie can’t stop staring because Richie looks so good.

- He’s wearing baggy blue jeans, a worn the cure t-shirt on top of a striped long-sleeved shirt and his shoes got holes in them.

- Basically, he’s the biggest mess Eddie has ever seen but boi does he look great.

- “Eds, you came! You look cute”, he says and Eddie is still speechless.

- “Hi bigbill, come on in”.

- They walk in and Bill is instantly gone to talk to Stan and Eddie is left with Richie who is smiling at him making him blush.

- There are a lot of people and it stinks of something Eddie is not sure what is but he suddenly doesn’t want to go home anymore.

- Richie pulls him to the kitchen to get him a drink and he asks him what he wants and Eddie is like ??

- Because he has never tasted any alcohol before.

- Richie laughs at this, but not in a mocking way and hands Eddie a beer.

- Eddie hates it but he doesn’t say anything because he can’t help but feel cool as he’s standing in Richie’s kitchen drinking a beer while Richie is sitting on the kitchen counter with a bottle of Jack.

- Beverly Marsh then comes into the kitchen and Richie follows her out but he promises Eddie he’ll find him later and Eddie is like all right.

- So he wanders off and he is actually having fun.

- Then twenty minutes later Richie shows up again and asks Eddie to follow him.

- Eddie is surprised because why the fuck is Richie Tozier pulling him towards the basement??

- “Are you going to bring me to the basement and murder me Tozier?”

- “That’s exactly what I’m going to do Eds, but can you please act surprised when I do it?”.

- Richie’s room is down there apparently.

- There’s nobody there and Richie just sits down by his desk and Eddie stands awkwardly in the doorway not knowing what to do, still trying to figure out why he’s in Richie’s room.

- “Please sit down, that’s stressing my out Eds”.

- “Do not call me that Trashmouth”.

- Eddie does sit down though, in Richie’s bed.

- Richie’s room is huge but it seems small because his walls are covered in posters, pictures and spraypaint(?).

- Eddie admires it for a while until he looks at Richie who is lighting something that Eddie is pretty sure isn’t a cigarette.

-  He scoffs and Richie raises his eyebrow at him.

- “Of fucking course you’re a stoner”.

- “Huh?”.

- Richie is obviously amused and Eddie rolls his eyes.

- “Who says I’m a stoner, this could be my first ever joint for all you know”.

- Eddie scoffs again and walks around Richie’s room looking at his stuff.

- “I suppose it’s not”.

- Richie just chuckles and Eddie looks at him take his second hit of the joint.

-  “Do you even know how fucking unhealthy that is?”. He says this but he can’t help but think that Richie looks even hotter smoking that.

- Richie just winks and blows the smoke in Eddie’s direction.

- “I think I’ll be fine. You should try”.

- “No fucking way, I’m not trying to get into drugs, thank you very much”.

- Richie just chuckles again and Eddie feels this warmth in his stomach from the sound.

- “It’s weed Eddie, not cocaine, you’ll be fine, just take one hit”.

- Eddie knows he shouldn’t want to but he actually really does want to.

- So he nods.

- “Fine, let me try”.

- Richie’s eyes widen but he hands Eddie the joint and Eddie stares at it unsure.

- “Just put it in your mouth and breathe in. You might cough but that’s fine, then you just try again”.

- Eddie does and he does cough.

- But when he tries again he doesn’t and he feels accomplished.

- Half a joint later they’re both sitting on the floor, giggling, passing the joint back and forth.

- Eddie is looking at Richie and he feels his entire stomach fill with butterflies.

- Richie is beautiful and Eddie can’t stop looking at the other boy’s lips.

- Richie then stops giggling and scoots closer to Eddie.

- “I wanna try something”.

- Eddie is unable to speak so he just nods.

- Richie then takes a hit and then presses his lips against Eddie’s.

- Eddie doesn’t have time to react before Richie has blown the smoke into his mouth.

- He then pulls back and Eddie looks at him wideeyed and he feels his cheeks heat up. He stares at Richie and his fingers slowly finds his lips.

- Then he leans in and presses his lips against Richie’s again, this time harder.

- The kiss is wet and messy and there’s a lot of teethclashing but Eddie feels his head get even more light if even possible and it feels like he’s flying

- He thinks he might pass out.

- Eventually he does because Eddie is woken up by someone moving from beside him. He opens his eyes and he has no idea where he is.

- He turns his head and there is Richie, sitting on the floor. Eddie then remembers everything and he giggles.

- He’s still high from last night and his giggling gains Richie’s attention. Richie is smiling at him softly and Eddie thinks he might be dead?

- “Am I in heaven?”, he whispers and Richie chuckles.

- “If god loves the cure then yes”, Richie answers back and Eddie can’t help but laugh. It’s not even funny but he can’t stop again and Richie joins in.

- The laughter dies down and Eddie is suddenly aware of the situation.

- “What the fuck happened last night, why am I still here?”, he asks and Richie laughs.

- “You fell asleep while we were making out and I couldn’t bare to wake you up”.

- Eddie blushes hardcore and hides his face in his hands bc how the fuck do you fall asleep while making out?

- Also he’s mindblown because he actually smoked weed and made out with Richie Tozier last night.

- Richie is just smiling at him lazily though and offers to take him to mcdonald’s to get some breakfast and Eddie accepts the offer bc mcdonald’s sounds fucking great atm.

- Fast forward a few months and Eddie and Richie is dating and they eat crappy breakfast together every Saturday.

 This is a mess but I wrote this last night and I thought the idea was kinda cute idk. 

[someinvisible-string]

The One With the Blackout

MERRY CHRISTMAS @curiousthingdarkness !! I know I was a little distant but trust me when I saw that you seem like a wonderful person! I hope you enjoy your gift and have a wonderful Christmas Day!

AO3

It was three days to Christmas and Emma finally had all her gifts in order which was no small feat since people had been vicious at most of the stores she went into. One woman had tried snatched a sweater out of her hands which resulted in a tug of war before Emma realized what she was doing and let go. She wouldn’t dream of giving Ruby a stretched out sweater anyways. Ruby was the whole reason she even had people to celebrate Christmas within the first place, if it weren’t for Ruby practically dragging Emma with her to an open call she never would be where she is with some solid friends and a nice new apartment that she and Ruby just signed the lease on a month ago. “Oh!” Emma thought as she passed an ATM, “I should get some money out to tip the super and other people for Christmas.”

She walked into the alcove, grateful to be shielded from the wind and snow that was falling fast from the sky. A few people walked out as she walked in, leaving only her and one other person in the vestibule. He was tall with black hair and when he looked up from his phone she was startled by just how blue his eyes were. She let herself discreetly check him out as she walked up to the machine under the pretense of getting her wallet out of her bag.

Just as she went to put her ATM card into the machine the lights in the vestibule went out and the automated door swung shut. A backup generator must have kicked in as a whirring sound started and the lights kicked back on so at least they weren’t in total darkness during what appeared to be a city-wide blackout. The man went to the door to only found that it had locked, trapping the both of them in the vestibule until the power kicked back on.

“Oh bloody hell, that’s great that is-” his words faltered once he laid eyes on her and Emma despite his very cute british accent she instantly knew he knew who she was. No doubt he had seen a large billboard with her and some others in Time Square, the commercials where she had to “walk seductively” towards the camera, or there was even a chance that he watched her walk the runway in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show clad in nothing but lingerie and a pair of angel wings so large her back hurt for days after the show. She busied herself digging around in her bag, hoping that he wouldn’t try to do anything creepy.

“Oh my God,” Killian thought to himself as he stared at her, “I’m trapped in an ATM vestibule with that Victoria’s Secret model, what was her name? Something Swan?” She looked up from her bag and Killian realized he had been staring at her the entire time and being incredibly creepy. She pulled out her phone, probably to text her friends about the creepy guy she was stuck with and frowned. She put it back in her bag and walked to the payphone on the wall, a relic from the 90s, and checked the line.

“Um do you mind if I borrow your phone to call my roommate?” she asked him reluctantly. “My phone’s dead and I think that payphone hasn’t worked since 2005.”

“Yeah sure,” Killian fumbled getting his phone out of his pocket and handing it to her.

“Thanks,” she said taking it and quickly dialing. “Hey, Ruby it’s Emma.”

“Emma that’s her name, Emma Swan!” Killian thought quickly.

“I’m stuck in an ATM vestibule, where are you?” Emma tapped her fingers against the wall as she listened to her friend. “This guy I’m stuck with let me borrow his phone,” her eyes flicked to him and Killian looked down intently at his fingernails hoping that she hadn’t noticed him staring at her. “Yeah I’ll be fine, you just stay at the apartment. We can’t have both of us get stuck out here,” she hung up the phone and held it out to him. “You probably have people you need to call.”

“Yeah, I should probably make sure one of my roommates doesn’t panic and eat everything in the fridge,” thankfully she laughed and Killian felt a surge of confidence as he waited for Robin to pick up.

“Hello?”

“Belle?”

“My phone’s off since we’re trying to make sure both mine and Robin’s don’t run out of battery at the same time, he’s in the other room getting candles. Where are you?”

“I stuck in the Village but listen-” Killian mumbled trying to tell Belle where he was. “Could you repeat that?” she asked.

“I’mtrappedinanATMvestibulewithEmmaSwan,” Killian said hoping the woman in question didn’t understand him.

“Killian, what the hell are you saying?” Belle said her frustration clear.

“Just put Robin on the phone,” he said.

“Hello?” Robin said finally answering his own phone. Killian repeated his mumbled message. “OH my god!” Robin said excitedly and thankfully translated for Belle.

“That’s what you were saying?” Killian could hear Belle exclaim.

“So how’s it going there? You two huddling up to share body heat?” Killian could practically hear Robin’s smile on the phone.

“It’s a bit chilly but we’re fine,” Killian said pointedly. “I’m gotta go and save this battery for as long as I can.”

“Have fun loverboy,” Robin laughed before hanging up. Killian sighed and shoved his phone into his pocket and looked over at Emma again.

She was looking out the glass door at the dark street, “How long do you think we’ll be stuck here?”

“Hard to say, the last time I think New York had a blackout like this was over ten years ago. I’m sure someone soon will walk by us and help or call someone who can.”

“I hope so, I’m getting hungry.”

“I agree with you there,” he nodded before summoning his courage and extending his hand to her, “I’m Killian by the way.”

“Emma Swan, but judging by your phone call you already knew that,” she smirked at him as she shook his hand. HIs cheeks had never felt warmer

After an hour of waiting, Emma started to doubt that anyone was going to come for them soon. Surely there were other people who needed emergency help sooner than two people stuck in an ATM vestibule. But judging by the faint gurgling sounds coming from the guy’s (“Killian” she corrected herself) stomach she wasn’t the only one feeling desperate for some food.

She groped around in her purse hoping to find something, anything even some stale crackers she threw in and forgot about, just to take the edge off. The only food like thing she could find was a pack of gum. Maybe by chewing she could trick her stomach into thinking she ate?

“Do you want some gum?” she asked, breaking the prolonged silence that had stretched between them since the phone incident.

“Is it sugarless?”

“No?” she said looking down at the box. She shrugged and popped a piece in her mouth.

“Actually you know what it really doesn’t matter, could I have a piece please?”

“You sure?” she asked, pulling a piece out for him.

“Yeah, gum would be perfection!” he said and then grimaced, clearly regretting what he had said. Emma just smiled awkwardly and dropped the gum into his outstretched palm. He shoved the piece into his mouth, apparently too fast since his eyes bulged and he made a strangled sound.

“Are you okay?” she asked. He gave a thumbs up but clearly was not okay at all. “Oh my god you’re choking.” Emma quickly positioned herself behind him and gave him the Heimlich. He sputtered and coughed and the gum came flying out of his mouth.

“I’m so sorry,” he coughed, massaging his throat with his hand.

“No need to apologize, it’s not like you intentionally choked on it,” Emma assured him.

“Thanks, but I’m also sorry about the whole phone thing,” he said.

“It’s okay, really,” she smiled at him. “I remember when I first moved to New York I saw Mariska Hargitay walking in the park and I had an internal freakout.”

He chuckled, relieving a dimple in his cheek and Emma felt herself soften, “Clearly you are a woman of good taste. Do you mind if we just start over? Forget the phone and the gum incidents?”

“Sure, hi I’m Emma,” she extended her hand to him to share.

“Killian Jones, nice to meet you.”

“So Killian Jones, what are your plans for Christmas?”

“Oh the usual, going across the hall to hang out and eat the food my chef neighbor makes. You?”

“My roommate Ruby is hosting a big party at her grandmother’s diner on Christmas Eve and then Christmas day we’re just going to stay in and watch Christmas movies.”

“Which diner does your friend’s grandmother own?’

“Granny’s? It’s over on 9th.”

“Wait, the one where the waitresses wear those red and white uniforms?”

“Yeah, you know it?”

“Certainly do, my neighbor actually works there.”

“Huh,” Emma shrugged. “Small world.”

“It appears so,” he nodded, “So how long have you known Ruby?”

“About two years? She was my first roommate when I moved out here, the first friend really.”

“In New York or in general?” Killian looked as if he instantly regretted it once the words left his mouth but it didn’t stop his words from hurting.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” she said, crossing her arms protectively in front of herself.

“Sorry that was a little too forward,” he said looking towards the ground. Emma nodded, retreating back into herself and her purse.

“Good job Killian, really a great job” Killian mentally berated himself. Emma was clearly hurt even though she tried hard not to show it. He tried to think of a way to fix it, but instead, the silence just stretched on and on. They just stood on opposite sides of the vestibule trying not to look at each other, but on one of Killian’s discreet quick looks he saw Emma start to shiver.

“Are you cold?”

“Huh?” she said as if he was shaking her out of a trace.

“You cold?” he repeated.

“Oh, no I’m fine,” she nodded. Despite her words, Killian could clearly see her shivering.

He crossed the distance that stretched between them, shrugging off his coat. “I’m serious you really don’t need to do that,” she protested but before she could say another word Killian draped his coat over her shoulders.

“It’s the least I could do after totally cocking up our conversation earlier. Plus we can’t have you freezing to death, a Victoria’s Secret Angel becoming an actual angel seems just a tad too ironic for my taste.”

She smiled and pulled the coat tighter around herself and looked up at him, “Thank you.”

“It looks better on you anyways,” he said reaching out and pulling her hair out from under the collar. He couldn’t help but enjoy the feeling of her silky hair combing through his fingers.

“Now you’re going to get cold though,” she said apologetically.

“I’ll be fine, I lived in England most of my life I’ve seen worse,” he said.

“You’re a long way from home then, aren’t you going to miss your family this year?”

“Well yes I will but there’s nothing for me in England anymore. It was pretty much just my

brother and I and well last year he died.”

“I’m so sorry,” she said reaching out to his other hand, the hand he had tried to keep out of sight this whole time because he couldn’t let her see his prosthetic. Her hand came down to find hard plastic and she looked up at him, the question everyone always wants to ask clearly in her eyes.

“There was an accident, I mostly made it out but Liam didn’t,” Killian pulled his prosthetic away from her.

Emma was quiet for a moment before taking a deep breath, “You were really honest with me so I’m gonna be honest with you too but if you tell the press or anyone I will hunt you down,” she looked pointedly at him. Killian was too shocked to speak so he simply nodded. “Yes Ruby is my first friend ever, really she’s my first family. I grew up in the foster system never really had a family to spend Christmas with until I moved to New York and met her.”

“So I guess we found our family,” Killian said.

“Yeah, and I’d really like to get out of here so I know that I can go spend it with my weird little family.”

“I understand, believe me.”

“You do?”

“Absolutely, the first Christmas I had with my brother I was a miserable wreck. Robin’s sister Mary Margaret had to come practically drag me out of bed for Christmas dinner.”

“The holidays are a lot harder than people give them credit for,” Emma sighed.

“Yeah but I don’t know having my own weird little family makes it a lot easier. And it’ll get easier I promise.”

“Thank you, again,” Emma said and Killian suddenly became very aware of how close they were standing.

“Right well, hopefully, this power kicks back on soon so we can actually be with them,” he gulped.

“Right hopefully,” Emma smiled and Killian swore her eyes flicked down to his lips.

“This is crazy, there’s no way this could work,” Killian thought as he started to lean in. She didn’t lean away which he took as a good sign. He closed his eyes and before his completely shut he saw hers close as well. He felt her nose brush against his cheek but just before his lips could connect with hers a loud beeping noise interrupted them accompanied by the bright regular lights of the vestibule flickering on. The automated door unlocked with a loud click.

“Well I guess the powers back on,” Emma said with what sounded like a tinge of disappointment.

“Yeah well if I do say so myself I wouldn’t have wanted to be stuck in an ATM vestibule during a blackout with anyone else.”

“Same here,” Emma stepped back to gather up her things. Killian felt his heart sink, he had missed his chance with not only Emma Swan international model but Emma Swan the person who wanted to celebrate Christmas with her little found family.

“Well good luck getting home Killian,” she said before heading out of the vestibule. Killian sighed looking down at his shoes. He looked up when he heard some hurried footsteps.

“I forgot to give you your coat back,” she said pulling it off of her shoulders. “I also forgot this,” she pulled him by the collar to her lips. It was a kiss unlike anything Killian had ever experienced, it consumed him until it was just him and Emma and everything else fell away from them.

“That was-” he started when the pulled apart.

“Amazing,” she finished with a smile. “Merry Christmas Killian.”

“Merry Christmas Swan,” he said, a sudden surge of courage coursing through him, “You know I’m hosting a New Year’s Eve party, would you be interested in coming?”

“I would be but I already have plans with Ruby,” she said apologetically. “But New Years Day I know I’m going to need some greasy diner food to help recover. What do you say to a late breakfast at Granny’s?”

“That sounds perfect,” he responded already knowing that next year would be a far better year than this year had been.

[rebustein94-blog]

What’s Inside of Room 25?

Glacier National Park is indescribable. You turn a corner and wham, there’s another peak, even taller than the last. Another corner and blam there’s an entire range you haven’t seen before. And you’re standing there, admiring the way the mist steams out of the very trees along its side, so awed that it takes you a full minute or two to realize that’s not mist. It’s the clouds. The mountains are so tall that the clouds can’t even rise above them.

Nothing will make you feel God like a mountain will. Nothing else in the world like it. You can almost hear them humming with age and power.

You can mess with the desert. Conquer it. Live in it. Whatever. You can own the prairie and the plains and the woods, of course. Swamps, too, I guess. The tundra, if that’s what you’re into.

But nobody fucks with a mountain.

I made friends with some of the staff at the Inn and they invited me to go on a hike with them down to this place called Swinging Bridge. You go over this excitingly treacherous, definitely swinging plank thing and up towards a peak called Scalplock. We stood by the bank of a river running through the center of a wide valley for a while. The water is this pure light blue and it keeps pummeling over the rocks so hard you wonder where all that water is actually coming from. If it’s all just melting snow pouring down from the peaks, how much fucking snow is there?

I looked around the valley. It swept out over a long stretch of rocks and dirt and bare trees. I told one of the girls who had invited me there that we didn’t have open land like that in New York.

She blinked at me. Glanced around the valley. I guess it looked relatively small to her because she said, “You think this is open?”

“Well...yeah.” Wasn’t it?

“Maybe I’m just spoiled,” she said, shaking her head. “But this is nothing.”

On our way back to the car, we came across the foreleg of a deer. It ended in a red and bone-white stump. It was bent just so, and lay directly in the middle of the path. No sign of blood or a struggle or anything else around. As if someone or something had carried it there and dropped it. Had left it exclusively for us to find.

“Must be bears nearby,” one of the staff members. But there was this edge to the way she said. This clipped tone of confidence and we all knew. Or felt it. That there was always the possibility for something more.

We moved quickly back to the car.

Because nothing makes you feel the devil like a mountain.

***

Since Glacier is so indescribable, let me describe instead an update on the Izaak Walton’s ghost.

The girl who invited me on the hike and told me I didn’t know what “open” meant is named Margie. When I asked Margie about the ghost on the third floor yesterday afternoon, she nodded.

“Yeah,” she said. “We had a member of our house staff always refuse to go in room 25 because she said it freaked her out.”

I rubbed my hands together. Of course, I love a good ghost story. “Any specific reason?”

Margie shrugged. “Just a feeling she had. And one time, one of our security guys saw someone standing at the ATM downstairs way after the lounge down there was closed. So he went down to check it out. But nobody was there.”

“Excellent.” Yes, this was good.

“There’s a guy who stays in 25 every summer. He says he can see weird markings on the wall.”

My eyes went wide. “Excuse me?”

“Yeah. Like something’s in the wood.”

“Please let me go up there,” I said.

She gave me the key and I went up. Room 25 was at the end of the hall. I felt nervous opening the door, but in a fun haunted-house kind of way. Not a “I’m instinctively sensing my at-hand death right now” way.

Inside, it was just like all the other rooms. Except it was cold as death. For a second that got me. For a second, I went, “Ooohh!” But I figured they probably just didn’t have the heat on, since no one was staying in there. Dread gnawed at me as I opened the bathroom door but inside was just some dumb old bathroom.

No markings on the walls. Nothing.

I had expected symbols burned into the woodwork. Or maybe claw marks from some horrible nightmare-dwelling beast. Or demonic designs formed by the knots and warps of the very wood itself, indicating some demonic presence within the very beams of the hotel.

Nope.

I brought the key back down and said, essentially, “Well, that was all a nice little ghost story. Thanks.”

“Sure,” she said, obviously feeling the same way. And I would have mostly forgotten about it.

But then I met Bill.

Bill’s hairline is halfway up his head. The hair he does have is this white straw stuff that swishes around when he moves his head. He has thick glasses that magnify his eyes to insect-like proportions and the widest, most genuine smile I’ve ever seen.

Bill’s from the Midwest.

“Oh, sure,” he’ll say if you ask him a question. “Yeah, you bet.” As he bobs his head agreeably, grinning such a straight-up smile it’s almost off-putting. Almost. Then you realize he means it and you’re like, “Okay, right on, Bill.”

Bill was on the night shift last night, so it was just him and me and the darkness after about nine (when all the elderly couples curl up into their pods and unplug their alien brains...I assume). So in the dim light of the lobby, I asked him about the ghost.

“Oh!” he said. “I’ve never seen anything here. I’ve heard some things from people but I think it’s all bogus, you know. I used to own a bar, though, and we had some things happen there.”

“Like what?” I asked eagerly.

“Well, gosh. Let’s see. One time, I took this photo of the dance floor when there were all these people dancing. But in the middle of them, in the picture, was this very tall black man in a tweed suit. Like, seven or eight feet tall. And you could see right through him.”

“Spooky,” I said, intrigued.

Bill, encouraged by my enthusiasm, went on. “Another time, we snapped a picture of the stairs. And we saw three little orbs at the bottom of the staircase. So we took another picture. And they were closer. Another picture. Closer. Coming up the stairs. Until finally they were right in front of us. And, gosh, we got a chill, then, you know.” He laughed.

“That’s awesome,” I said. Bill had some good stuff.

“And this one time,” he said, really beaming widely now, “I was upstairs. And my wife was down in the bar. And I heard this bloodcurdling scream. So I stopped. And listened. And I heard another one. Just bloody murder, you know. So I run down and I ask, ‘Barb? You hear anything?’ And she goes, ‘No’. So that was pretty weird.” He laughed again.

I stared at him. In the darkness of the lobby, almost entirely alone, thinking about the notion of hearing anything out of the ordinary, let alone a bloodcurdling scream, I was not on board with this laughter. How is that your reaction? How do you hear a disembodied scream and go, “Say, that’s odd!”

“That’s nuts,” I said, less enthusiastic. My spine felt suddenly cold.

But Bill was on a roll. “Another time, somebody got stabbed in the hallway by the bathroom. But there was no one else there.”

Stabbed?!

“Okay, Bill.”

“Oh, and we had someone get pushed down the stairs.”

What?! My room was upstairs!

“Hey, that’s great, Bill.” I started backing away.

“Oh, and here people have seen figures walking around the lobby at night sometimes. I just remembered that.”

Sweet Christ! We were in the lobby! The very same lobby!

“Anyway,” said Bill, shrugging. “I’m about to close up. So good night!”

And he left me alone there, which was a terrible idea. I have a very good imagination.

Although, really, who’s to say Bill isn’t the ghost?

I mean, I’d buy that. I’d buy that in a second.

But it’s an old hotel. It creaks and groans all the time. The pipes clang and the wood snaps as it settles and warps. The floors scream and the walls ooze and the elk bust on the wall drools blood. Just normal old hotel stuff.

It’s got character, you know? It’s cozy. Super cozy. Not scary at all.

In fact, I’m sitting in the lobby right now! All alone, long after dark. And I love it! There’s this clattering sound that strikes up every few minutes somewhere by the bar that I’m seriously having trouble identifying and someone keeps walking around above me and I’m not 100% sure there’s anyone staying down that hallway because I haven’t seen anyone down there yet but there are people around and it is a cozy cozy old hotel. So what if I honestly can not shake the feeling that I’m not alone right now? Right? It’s just an old hotel!!!! RIGHT??!!

(Essex, MT)

[guys-chill]

My Demons are PTA Moms

Hey so as you know, I love PTA mom jokes and like making names for my friends ect. Well sometimes, when shit hits the fan and there are lots of negative thoughts, so I address each thought as if it were some stuck up lady from the PTA. Here’s my “convo” that happened last night ( I was talking to my friend and basically texted her my thoughts) bc I think it’s funny. If you wanna skip the buildup and go straight to moms, skip the first bit and start where I say YOOT. Theres alot.. yall dont gotta read i know that its alot alot

TW for mentions of rape

Set the scene: My mind is wandering, open to passing thoughts

Me: I wonder why sometimes your brain thinks about nothing. Like, there are so many things to think about, yet I stare at the ceiling thinking about nothing just kind of floating in empty mind space

Me: Now im thinking about [ex bf.] and how i want to work through my [ex bf.] memories with you and [friend’s boyfriend who is also my friend] and how that’s unfair bc its like, yall dont exist to listen to my problems and im thinking i need to face them and get through that wall of pain. Like they’re motly breaking up memories atm. Im trying to avoid them because its hard

Friend: He and I are your friends and part of our job as friends is to listen

Me: :^)

Me: Ye but like no i feel so selfish when we are about me

Friend: But you shouldn’t

Me: You know that meme that’s like “I feel uncomfortable when we are about me”. Mood

Friend: No I don’t

Me: Rip. Yeet bc i wanna face them but i know it’s gonna have me breaking down and I want a hug and like yall aren’t responsible for me or like i j feel bad

Friend: It’s ok dude we’re here for you

Me: But i know i gotta face them but im putting it off rn bc i don’t wanna fall asleep breaking down but why cant i just do it like UGGGH. Like with opening up my feelings door I’ve opened up remembering that i blocked kinda or avoided ahhh lol my mind is riptastic and sad rn but my heart is only mildly and i dont wanna be sadddsdddddd and i avoid my shit. [Her bf] is right that its hard to face your shit. And I feel dumb for not. And its like just let the suffering commense, you’ll be fine later

Friend: I’m sorry

Me: Why am i so FUCKING needy. Lol sorry im like this

Friend: You’re not needy my dude!

Me: My brain is like !OOh idea! Lets want someone to love you and hug you and all this shit to be really extra even though it doesn’t even matter that much bc who gives a fuck yo people have they’re own lives but you know I think it sounds like a GREat way to make things difficult haha fuck u

Me: Lol i said i wasn’t gonna get into this but look at me goooooooooo. YEET

Friend: Oh boy you’re ok

Me: Yo its fine god im im a messsss yoot AAHH YOOT THATS SO FUNNY

Friend (Prolly like oh boyyy at this point): You’re gonna be ok I’m sorry

Me: Wanna hear my inner dialouge lol YOU KNOW WHAT IM GOOD AT MEMES YOU WORTHLESS PIECE OF SHIT

Me: Ye thank you I appreciate that

Friend: If you want to share

Me: I appreciate you listening to me

Friend: Any time

Me: Why is my mind just like saying rando shit its like Haha you fucking psycho kill yourself, and its like no Pam, that’s not even what were talking about rn. Like who invited you. Yeah I know no one invited me to my own party haha funny jan. Why am I a mess. But HeY at least we’ve gotten distracted

Friend: Oh boy I’m sorry

Me: “Lol im gonna kill you” thanks maureen

Friend: Why all the suicidal thoughts

Me: Im thinking of that vine of this kid awkward dancing to like trap music and his mom walks in and you can hear her mouthing like turn it down wtf. I dont even know I dont even wanna die my mind is so unoriginal. Good to know Jan, youre worthless too

Me: Like im doing that thing where i make everything a joke to not have it hit as hard

Friend: Im sorry. You’ll be ok

Me: TW rape “Lol no he didn’t rape me in the butt you insensitive bitch (me @ Clarissa)” Haha im gonna fucking kill myself. That one was a bit more real. I suppose both but like the kill yourself bit

Friend: Oh boy

Me: I wanna die im a mess. Tw again Youre so ugly why the fuck would he even wanna rape you haha dumb bitch got raped you dummy couldn’t even get him off lol you got him off tho...SHUT UP. lol no Way hunny this is too fun you vulnerable cunt haha fucking ill whip out any insult that has to do with sexually explicit shit come at me slut

Me: Haha im sorry

Friend: Oh boy, don’t be sorry. You’re ok. What he did was on him, it had nothing to do with you it wasn’t your fault

Me: Why they gotta say rape so much like i get it gerryanna; you’re shitty at sales pitching sell me something i dont know. God i love these moods (sarcastically)

Friend: Oh boy

Me: Haha you dumb bitch like they’re not even original. Im calling the superintendent of my mind and having them all taken off the PTA board of trustees. Fuck you Helen. Not you though [Friend] your name susan helen does not apply during breakdowns

Friend: Oh boy. Is there anything i can do

Me: Im just laying here with a pained smile on my face its not even a breakdown its a roast sesh. Nah not atm besides listen and hear the dumb shit they say

Friend: Oh boy, does it help to get it out like would writing help

Me: Yeah. God you cant even type right. Yeah you’re a secretary Jan sorry I dont have a crumbling marrage and an English degree like you. Oooooh im throwing sick burns. Im not even funny im just sad. I hope you’re laughing. Genuinely I hope its a bit funny because im a piece of trash. Ok yo you didn’t need to say that last part margaree.

Friend: Omfg

Me: God hell yeah you can take me out on trash day fucking Mmm yeah you bet id like that feeling of powerlessness and suffocation of my voice please, expand uponthis trash bag fantasy joann. Ill sit on the curb and cry myself to death you right. Fuck you got me lol I guess ill just give up now. Fool im not done yet get PUNKED Pamela. Im still here to shit on your bad insults. I hate myself, yeah i hate you too Mary Sue. Go fuck yourself; I think i might give it a shot from what i’ve heard its best in the shower and i was gonna take one tomorrow...

Friend: Oh boyyyyyy

Me: Lol yall are dumb; When they try to make their voices sound like mine but you can tell the yall is just you and the’re throwing shit at you but you see it. Im great fuck you pam

Friend: Oh gee

Me: This is good, like genuinely its like a throwdown and they’re bloody on the floor (the pta council). Fuck em, yeah fuck you too janice. “I hadta do it to em”- me at my future kid asking why i did this. Yeah i beat up Suzanne but she was a bitch anyway. Ok now stop trying to get all on my side pauleenI know you’re with them. Go with the rest of em. I bought you a luxury cruise well actually yall did bc yall are selfish and feed off sadness go drink some martinis and come back but you bet ill be fucking waiting for you, yeah ik were not done donna, but ill still be there and... “I love you”- I love you too higher sweetie who sounds like [my friend’s spirit guide] no now its my higher self but also [her]? Yeet ok bye yall

Friend: Oh boy

Me: Fuck um, Patricia decided to stay behind and keep me company. Lol im a mess. How are you things have relatively chilled. And now im being told “I love you” from someone i think me a higher power that believes in me

Friend: Eh im alright. How are you

Me: Im better. Did you enjoy that little skit my ego wants to know so it can make a production and Pam can bring her friends back and then my higher self is saying just say you love me and you’re here, “and i love you”- higher bee thank you I love you too. Idek, yes I know i’m a mess pam. I know

Friend: “Higher bee” oh could you imagine if god was just a fluffy bumble bee wanting us to love ourselves. I’m sorry you’re going through this

Me: But im a mess of glitter, spilled but pretty and not going away yeah ok no pretty is not my only worthy reason for existing but thanks. Im also friendly. Awwww thatd be so sweet. Thatd BEE so sweet. She’s beautiful

Friend: Ba dum tss

Me: Its ok i find it mildly funny. “I cant drown my demons, they’re in a pta meeting atm and dont have their pool passes handy”

Friend: Lol

Me: Haha im livingg. I love you. Thank you for listening

Friend: I love you too and any time

Me: “I love you so much” thank you giant sky bee, God thank you giant sky bee godbless. Bless yourself. How are you. Im feeling loved. I faced part of the wall yoot lol

Friend: I’m glad you’re feeling loved I’m ok

Me: Like i faced something, im here and it matters. I love you. Im glad you’re ok. What have you been doing how long was that. 12:46 to 1:20. 35-40 min. Average breakdown cycle. Nice good to know. See, its all chill after 40 min

----

And thats that my guys uhh yeah i keep track of how long i break down for and it really is only about 45 minutes until your body wears itself out. I love you all