#Aaron clocking them immediately

[blaithnne]

I’m sure they’re fine

[sunshineandspencer]

Friendly face

A/N: Aaron Hotchner, thank you for being there when our fathers weren’t ���🙏

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x Fem!Receptionist!Reader.

Summary: The higher ups decided that the BAU needed their own reception area so that visitors and the agents had their own friendly face whenever they come back from a case. Hotch already has a soft spot for her.

Word Count: 741

Warnings: just a little fluff for my first Hotch fic, because receptionist!reader and Hotch makes me feral

Part 2!!

When they first told her that she’d be moved from the normal reception to a special one being made for her up in the BAU, she thought that she’d been sent a spam email. Laughing it off and getting back to her baking.

Until her boss escorted her up to her new desk the next morning.

Thankfully, all her belongings had been boxed up by other staff, and had already been moved up in boxes for her to unpack. 

Her days were long, and she was routinely one of the first people in the building, which meant she had more than enough time to sort through her boxes before any of the actual team turned up for the first time.

Apparently they’d had a few issues with people getting in that weren’t the most savoury of characters. So she was moved up as an extra layer of protection before the public were allowed into the bullpen. But being on the same floor as profilers wasn’t going to stop her from decorating as she always had.

Besides, she didn’t have to share this desk with anyone, so she got the entire space to decorate herself.

Putting her box of biscuits, made and decorated the night before, on the top of the desk, she got to work. Getting into her own little world as she sorted out the boring bits first. Putting away important files she always needed to have on hand, and setting up the monitor to make sure all the information worked to let people in.

Eventually, thankfully, she got to the more fun aspects of her unpacking.

A lilac notebook, a collection of glittery pens (that, sadly, still had to be black ink), a sweet bowl since she knows how many agents have kids, and a plush lilac blanket over the back of her chair. She runs cold, and will have that over her lap if she starts to freeze.

Just as she started to unload her pretty, pastel post-it notes, there was a voice from beyond the desk.

“Are these for us?”

She shot up, hand going to her chest, thankfully also somewhat startling the man in front of her desk. At least she recognised him, SSA Aaron Hotchner, she’d been the one to sign him in most days when she worked downstairs.

Giving him a small smile as she leant over to pop the lid, the smell of shortbread biscuits immediately hitting the area and making them both hungry.

“Of course, sir, and since you’re the first here, you can have two.”

Her original shock lessened as she smiled up at the man, who did immediately take two biscuits for himself. He’d never say no to her baking again - it had made her upset and she hadn’t spoken to him for three days.

“You don’t need to call me sir, not now we work together. It’s good to have you on the floor.”

“It’s good to be here.” Smiling nervously as she shifted into her chair, the clock telling her that more people were going to start coming in soon. “I can only deal with Maria’s constant bad date stories before I go mad.”

There was that small smile on his face, one she’d seen very few times, but still made her all warm and gooey whenever she did. Brushing her hair back behind her ear and glancing away to boot up the monitor for the morning.

Looking back at him one last time, just to catch him sneaking a sweet from the pot, not even stopping when she caught him. Shoving it into his pocket and stepping away a little.

“I’ll stop by later on, make sure you’re settled.”

He nodded, as if he’d do that for anyone else, and she smiled. God. He could drown in her smile.

But as he went to walk off, she waved a hand for his attention, neither of them noticing Spencer coming through the elevator doors, freezing at seeing the interaction between them. Not sure what to make of the smile on his Unit Chief's face.

“I’ll save a biscuit, so you can take one home to Jack. I’ll sign you in, go on, you workaholic.”

Accepting and returning his little wave until she turned back to her desk with a stupidly daft smile on her face. Which she didn’t even try to dampen when she spotted Spencer, beckoning him forward.

“Morning Doctor, have a biscuit, I’ll sign you in.”

Want more?! Good!

[believemedarlin]

The Perfect Man

Aaron Hotchner/Female Reader (3.9k words) Also available on AO3

Summary:

“You know, if you combined all the men on the team… they’d make the perfect man.”

“What?” Emily sputtered into her wine.

Penelope giggled while JJ looked intrigued

***

A drunken night out with the girls leads to some interesting revelations.

***

“Let’s play Fuck, Marry, Kill.”

A round of groans sounded from the table, but Penelope Garcia was not to be dissuaded. 

“Come on, ladies. It’ll be fun!”

Her best puppy dog eyes firmly in place, Penelope implored her friends and coworkers with a practiced look. You were holding strong until she brought out the big guns and pouted at you.

A mere ten seconds later you caved. 

“Okay, fine,” You sighed. “But can we use kick instead of kill? I always hated that option. Why do you have to kill them when kicking would be just as effective in showing your lack of interest? No death required.”

“Ooh, I like that,” Penelope immediately agreed with a nod. “You know I’m a pacifist at heart.”

She turned to the other two women seated at the table, pout back in full force. JJ gave in first, patting Penelope’s hand with an indulgent smile and a nod. 

Seeing that she was outnumbered, Emily shrugged. “Sure. But I’ll need another drink if we’re doing this. I haven’t played this since college.”

“I’ll get us all another round.” Penelope jumped to her feet to join her and they made their way to the bar, weaving through the other patrons.

It was a rare Friday night off and the women of the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit had decided to go out for a much-needed night of ladies-only fun and frivolity. They had happily left the guys to sort out their evenings and escaped the second the clock struck five.

They were all a few drinks in at this point, which is most likely the reason Penelope had suggested the game. She always got a bit playful when she drank.

They returned a few minutes later, fresh drinks in hand. 

Once settled, Penelope leaned in, an eager smile on her face. “Okay. Fuck, Marry, Kick. Henry Cavill, Ben Barnes, Zachary Levi. And go!”

Emily took a sip of her drink and wasted no time in voicing her choices, followed by JJ and you. You took turns coming up with more and more outlandish options, and pleasantly spent the next hour drinking and laughing with your friends.

You had just finished giggling over Penelope’s reasoning behind her choosing to kick Willy Wonka and marry Jareth the Goblin King so she could enjoy a night with Conan the Barbarian when Emily leaned in with a smirk.

“I’ve got a good one. Hotch, Morgan, and Reid.”

The table erupted in a chorus of ooohs and laughter. 

JJ bit her lip in thought. “Okay, since we know them personally and I’m a happily taken woman, I’m going to change mine to kiss, because it’s weird to say I want to fuck any of them. So, uh, I’ll go with kiss Morgan, marry Reid, and kick Hotch. But only barely, because I do not want him angry with me.”

“Easy,” Penelope chirped. “Fuck Morgan, marry Morgan, and kick Reid and Hotch.”

You, JJ, and Emily burst into laughter, with JJ swatting Penelope on the arm. “You can’t double up like that!”

“Can too! My game, my rules. Besides, it’s special circumstances with Morgan as an option.”

Emily snorted, then grinned. “Hmm. I think I’d go with fuck Morgan, marry Hotch, and kick Reid.”

All eyes then turned to you as you stared into your drink, taking entirely too long as you overthought the options.

Eventually, Emily cleared her throat and you looked up to see her watching you expectantly.

“What?” You grinned sheepishly with a shrug. “It’s harder than you’d think!”

The ladies teased you good-naturedly until you finally said, “Okay, okay! Um, I think…” 

You blew out a breath in a long sigh. “Fuck Reid, marry Hotch, kick Morgan. No wait… Maybe fuck Hotch, marry Reid?”

Emily and JJ cackled while Penelope put on a fake offended air. “Why you gotta kick my beloved cinnamon hot chocolate Adonis not once, but twice? He’s the perfect man!”

"I mean, a lot of women would think that, yeah, but not me.”

Penelope gasped and pressed her hand to her chest dramatically. “Why, I never.”

You giggled with a shrug. “Sorry?” 

“You’re forgiven.”

“What I want to know,” JJ chimed in with a mischievous grin, “is why you can’t decide between Reid and Hotch on who to marry?”

You buried your face in your hands to hide your blush. “I don’t know! Both seem like solid choices. I think they’d both make good husbands.”

Emily smirked. “Sure it wasn’t because you couldn’t decide which you’d rather fuck?”

Penelope and JJ burst into laughter again while you groaned into your hands.

“You all are menaces. I don’t know why I spend time with you.”

“Because we’re wonderful people and you love us.”  Penelope teased.

“That’s debatable.” You mumbled.

“Oh, come on,” she leaned into your side and laid her head on your shoulder. “You know you adore us.” Penelope batted her eyes and you couldn’t help but grin.

“Yeah, I do.”

She cheered and called for another round of drinks.

The game wound down and devolved into a rather extensive list of men and women that each of the ladies wouldn’t mind enjoying some personal one-on-one time with.

You had been sitting in a comfortable silence for the past few minutes, chin in hand and elbow on the table, your mind pondering on something Penelope had said earlier. Your voice took on a contemplative tone as you mused aloud, “You know, if you combined all the men on the team… they’d make the perfect man.”

“What?” Emily sputtered into her wine.

Penelope giggled while JJ looked intrigued.

“Okay, just hear me out. Now, granted, everyone’s idea of the perfect man is different but for me… If we go by physical attributes first, you have to admit that each guy is objectively attractive on their own. I mean seriously, was it a prerequisite that everyone has to be outrageously good-looking to be a member of the team?”

The ladies heartily agreed with laughter and nods, but you gestured across the table to them. “I’m including you three in this too. Have you looked at yourselves? You’re all absolutely gorgeous.”

“Damn right, we are,” Emily exclaimed as she high-fived JJ.

You raised your glass to her and took a sip before expanding on your premise. “So by themselves, each man is handsome but combined…”

You tilt your head in thought. “For me, it would be Reid’s hair. I’ve always liked longer hair on a guy and have you seen those curls when he lets it grow out? And then add in Hotch and Rossi’s dark hair and … yeah. Next would be Morgan and Rossi’s facial hair. I don’t know about you ladies but I like a man with a bit of scruff, you know what I mean? Goatee or full beard or just a couple of days growth, hell even a good five o’clock shadow, as long as it’s maintained and not all scraggly, I like it. Oooh, remember when Hotch came back with a beard?

“Yeah,” you sighed, a bit more dreamily than you had intended, surely caused by the late hour and not the memory of a casually dressed, bearded Hotch. “Like that.”

All three ladies shared a knowing look, but you paid them no mind. 

“Though there is something to be said about a freshly shaved face. It’s so soft…” You sighed again.

“And then there’s height.” You knew you were rambling, but with the alcohol fueling you, there was little chance of stopping you now. “They’re all at least 6 foot so the height difference is perfect for both cuddles and forehead kisses.”

At this, Emily snorted. “Forehead kisses?”

“Yes,” you snipped primly. “They are the pinnacle of non-lip-to-lip kisses and they are my favorite thing. They just make you feel so adored. Now shush.”

You shooed her and rested your chin back in your hand. “Let’s see… Eyes. Honestly, I think they all have lovely eyes. I’m not picky on eye color really but I think Hotch’s stand out the most to me. I mean, have you seen his eyelashes? It should be criminal for a man to have such beautiful eyelashes.”

Another round of nods and hummed agreements sounded from the table.

“You know,” you continue with barely a pause, “I’ve never been a fan of really buff dudes, which sorry Pen, but that’s kinda why poor Morgan got kicked twice.” You shrugged unapologetically at her. 

“I’ve always preferred lean guys. Not scrawny but not bugling out his shirt, you know? Strong but not shoved in your face. But!” You sit straighter in your chair, index finger raised to emphasize your point. “That’s just looks. Personality-wise, I’m drawn to kindness first and our boys all have that in spades. And they each show it in different ways, but it’s always present.”

You met Penelope’s eyes. “And Morgan’s kindness absolutely overrides his excessive muscle mass. He’s honestly one of the kindest people I know, even if he’d deny it. He’s not humble about a lot of things, but he is about that.”

Your eyes dropped to the table as your finger ran along the wood grain. “I also like intelligence and while yes, first thoughts go to Reid, the others are all brilliant too. Like, Rossi is so wise! It seems like he always knows what’s going on with someone before anyone else, and always seems to know just what to say just when you need to hear it. And they each have strengths that I admire. I genuinely like each of them as a person and I’m proud to know them and am honored they consider me a friend. Honestly, I feel that way about all of you.”

“Aw!” Penelope sniffled. “That’s so sweet. We love you too, you know.”

You gave her hand a quick squeeze and took another sip of your drink. 

“What about lips?”

You blinked at JJ. “Lips? I’m not sure. I don’t know that I look at them much.”

Emily tilted her head. “You seriously don’t look at men’s lips?”

“Not really? I mean, I notice smiles. And honestly, how did I not start with that? It’s usually one of the first things I notice about someone. Smiles make everyone look twice as attractive. Oh, and a sense of humor! Gotta love a man who can make you laugh.”

“This one is definitely Morgan,” Emily chimed in and you nodded in agreement while Penelope raised her glass.

“Absolutely. He always makes me laugh, but so do the others. Rossi is snarky, which I appreciate as a fellow snarker. I can’t tell you the number of times he’s made me hold back a laugh during a round table. Reid can be really funny, too. Especially when we’re making Star Trek or Doctor Who references that no one else gets. Except you, Pen, but you’re usually in your lair. And Hotch—”

“No,” Emily cut in. “No way you think he’s funny. The man barely smiles.”

You tsked and leaned in, your tone turning a bit haughty. “First of all, I think it’s a good thing that he holds those back because have you seen how handsome he is when he smiles? His whole face transforms and he has dimples. Dimples . It’s ridiculous and no one would be able to focus on work if he was blinding us with his smile all the time. And secondly, yes. He’s hilarious, actually. He has a dry sense of humor that gets me every time. And he is so straight-faced about it. I laughed embarrassingly loud once at something he said and I had to leave the room because I couldn’t stop giggling. And the man had the nerve to be smug about it later.”

You shook your head with exasperated fondness, not noticing the raised eyebrows and pointed looks the other ladies were sharing.

“Anyway,” You sighed and leaned back in your chair. “Morgan is my biggest supporter, Reid nerds out with me, Rossi gives the best advice, and Hotch makes me feel safe. All things that would attract me to someone. So, with their powers combined…” You spread your hands in a sweeping motion. “The perfect man.”

“Huh,” Penelope hummed. “You know, I kinda see it.”

“See?” You grinned triumphantly. “We really do work with amazing guys.”

A cry of ‘hear, hear’ sounded around the table and the four of you leaned in to clink glasses.

Emily settled back in her chair with a smirk, her eyes focused on you. “Okay, you waxed poetic about the guys. Now, what about us?”

You grinned. “You, my darling lady loves, all hold a special place in my heart. There’s no way I could choose. You are each the perfect woman.”

Another cheer went up and everyone downed their drinks, laughing merrily.

The outing wound down about half an hour later. You each stumbled your way outside, Emily and Penelope deciding to share a taxi.

You stood with JJ as you waved the other two goodbye; you waiting for your own taxi and JJ waiting for Will to pick her up.

“You know,” she said conversationally, her eyes on the street. “You mentioned Hotch quite a few times describing your perfect man.”

You blinked. “What? I did not.”

She turned to you with a wide grin. “Oh yes, you did. No denying it now.”

You sputtered, not sure how to reply.

She chuckled and laid a hand on your arm, just as your taxi arrived. “Seems to me like he ticks quite a few of the boxes for your perfect man.” She leaned in to whisper, “So what are you going to do about it?”

JJ winked as she stepped back to open the door of the car that pulled in behind your taxi and slid in. “Just think about it, okay?”

You nodded numbly, mechanically climbing into the back seat of the taxi while Will and JJ patiently waited to make sure you were safely on your way.

You mumbled out your address and barely noticed the drive home, arriving much sooner than expected, as your mind was focused on JJ’s words.

You shook your head as you entered your apartment, determined to think no more of it. It was just a silly statement born out of one too many drinks.

There was no way you thought of Hotch that way.

No way at all.

***

The rest of the weekend was miraculously quiet and work-free. You couldn’t remember the last time you had so much time to yourself, so you took full advantage of it.

As days off always tended to do, they flew by too quickly and Monday morning arrived before you were ready for it. You greeted everyone when you entered the department, nodding to Rossi and waving at Morgan and Penelope as you settled in at your desk.

No new case had come in, so today would be an in-office day catching up on paperwork and caseloads.

You were productive throughout the day, completing most of the pending work assigned to you, and you were feeling quite accomplished with the diminishing stack in your inbox.

Only a few minutes remained in the workday when you stood from your chair, stretching your stiff back, and made your way up the stairs to Hotch’s office to drop off an armful of completed reports.

You knocked on his door, only having to wait a second before he bid you enter.

He was focused on the open file in front of him and he didn’t look up until you spoke. “These are ready for you to review, Hotch.”

His eyes shot up to meet yours before dropping to the folders in your arms. He gestured to the corner of his desk nearest you and went back to scribbling notes on the report. “You can just leave them there, thank you.”

You set them down next to another stack and grimaced. There were multiple bundles of files littering his desk. While in-office days were great for clearing your desk of work, it unfortunately always added to Hotch’s workload.

“Looks like everyone had similar offerings for you today. Will you be able to leave at a reasonable hour tonight? I’d be happy to help with anything if you need it.”

Hotch finished the line he was writing and looked up at you through his long lashes, a small, shy kind of smile curving his lips. His cheeks were just a touch pinker than usual and you blinked because you’ve never seen that look on his face before.

He looked almost bashful, a word you would never have associated with Aaron Hotchner.

But damn, was it a good look on him. He really was a handsome man, wasn’t he? Kind, funny, successful, and a great father. He was practically the perfect man.

You froze and blinked again at the realization.

“Oh, uh,” his deep voice broke you from your thoughts. “I appreciate the offer, but I’ve got it covered. I shouldn’t be here too much longer.”

“Right, of course.” You nodded and prayed he couldn’t see the blush you knew was rapidly spreading across your face. “Well, good night, sir.” 

You spun on your heel and opened the door, ready to flee as fast as your feet could carry you.

His low, murmured good night followed you out the door and you nearly shivered because holy hell, even his voice was attractive.

You quickly grabbed your things and nearly sprinted to the elevators, not wanting to stay one second longer around skilled profilers who could read you so easily, knowing they would spot your flushed cheeks instantly and want to know what caused them. Or worse, they’d already know, and that was not something you were ready to discuss with any of them at the moment.

You had fully intended on ignoring JJ’s words from Friday night, but after your reaction just now, you knew she was right.

Hotch was pretty damn close to fitting the idea of your perfect man.

Or maybe, the idea of your perfect man came from Hotch.

You sighed as you entered the thankfully empty elevator, finally admitting to yourself the truth that had been staring you in the face for longer than you’d ever care to admit.

You had it bad for Aaron Hotchner.

Oh, you were in so much trouble.

***

Aaron watched as you left his office, your face a delightful shade of pink.

His eyes followed as you rushed to your desk, snatched up your things, and darted out the door.

He hadn’t meant to overhear Prentiss and Garcia’s conversation that morning as they reminisced over their night out last Friday. He certainly hadn’t meant to linger when they mentioned you and your adorable—according to Garcia—rant about the perfect man. And he most certainly hadn’t meant to lean in rather eagerly when they whispered about just how many times his name had come up as an example during said rant.

He had been pleasantly surprised and somewhat stunned by the information. He’d never thought of himself as an ideal for the perfect man. 

Sure, he supposed he had a few attributes that some women might find appealing. He had a successful career and tried to keep in shape, though that was more for his job than vanity.

But he never imagined that anyone would look at him and think that he was a paradigm of their perfect man. Least of all you.

You were a brilliant profiler, exceptional in the field and able to hold your own in a fight when needed, but you were also caring with the victims and their families. You were witty and kind and easygoing. You were someone who smiled freely and laughed readily and did your best to cheer and encourage the team on tough cases.

Not someone who would think of stoic, hardass Aaron Hotchner as the perfect man.

Still, he hadn’t been able to keep his eyes from drifting to the window of his office throughout the day, seeking you out.

He thought back to when you joined the BAU and how quickly you became not only an essential part of the team but a much-welcomed member of their little family. Everyone adored you and Aaron himself had to admit that you had wormed your way into his heart.

He loved the time he got to spend with you when the team got together to unwind after a case and the little moments of levity you all shared in between working. He recalled the times he managed to make you laugh and the occasions where he found himself chuckling as well. You were easy to talk to and more often than not, the two of you fell into conversation whenever everyone else was either asleep or preferred to be left alone on the jet going to and from cases.

He genuinely enjoyed your company and found himself wishing he could enjoy it more often.

His eyes wandered to the bullpen again, zeroing in on you almost immediately. Prentiss and Morgan were standing by your desk when one of them said something that made you laugh.

Your eyes squeezed shut and your mouth opened to release an enchanting sound of delight. Aaron couldn’t look away and had to admit that you really were quite lovely. Inside and out.

He wasn’t sure how long he sat looking at you but knew it was longer than appropriate. He shook his head and forced himself to focus back on his work.

He managed to shove all thoughts of you from his mind for the remainder of the day until a soft knock sounded on his door late in the afternoon.

He didn’t bother to look up from the report he was notating after giving a gruff come in until he heard your voice.

Aaron couldn’t keep his eyes from darting up to meet yours before dropping them to the large stack of files in your arms.

He gestured for you to place them on the corner of his desk next to the ones Reid had deposited earlier and thought that would be his singular interaction with you for the day.

But then your caring side came out again and you sweetly offered to help him, a proposition that both filled him with fondness and nervousness.

After all his wayward thoughts about you throughout the day, he wasn’t sure if being in close proximity with you was a good idea or not. 

Aaron looked up at you again, the late afternoon sun enveloping you, enhancing your features, and his only thought was that he’d been wrong earlier. 

You weren’t just lovely. You were stunning.

In that moment, he was completely captivated by you and his thoughts ran rampant as he cataloged every minute detail of you. Your beauty, your kindness, your brilliance, and all the little things that made you you . Everything that endeared you to him.

But his thoughts came to a crashing halt when he realized that he was staring at you. He felt his face flush and he stammered as he gently declined your help.

You bid him a good night, but Aaron couldn’t take his eyes off the spreading blush on your cheeks. It kept his attention until you were out of sight.

He blinked and dropped his eyes back to the forgotten report in front of him, a slow smile creeping across his face.

He may not have meant to overhear the conversation that caused him to think about you all day, but he was starting to be glad he had. It seemed it was all he needed to face a few truths he had been in denial about for a long while now.

He was completely and utterly smitten with you.

Now, he just had to decide what to do about it. 

Aaron sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

Oh, he was in so much trouble.

[anothermansjeans]

How would you think the team would react to meeting singer!reader??

HEHE FIRST TIME MEETING THE REST OF THE TEAM!!! I HOPE YOU ENJOY !

cw: reader meets the team :), spencer gets embarrassed, reader gets embarrassed, but it's all in good fun!! song mentioned at the end is picture you by chappell roan!

wc: 1.1k

singer!reader masterlist

++

Having a two week break during a tour usually meant resting as much as possible before starting back up. For you though, it meant spending as much time with your boyfriend as possible before you're on the other side of the country.

Staying with Spencer brought normalcy to your life. Paparazzi weren't down your back, people minded their own business, and it was easy to blend in– he brought the calm to the storm that is your life. Today, you were feeling that it was time to get out of the house, and the only motivation that could muster you up out of bed was to potentially visit Spencer.

Y/N: paperwork day??

His response was almost immediate.

Spencer: Yes. There’s not much left to do. I’ll probably be coming home earlier today.

Y/N: awesome!! :) have you had lunch? i can bring you something!

Spencer: I have not. You don't need to come all the way here, I don't want you to feel uncomfortable.

You smiled while reading his messages. He was always considerate of your feelings.

Y/N: noooo, i want to, spence. i want to meet the rest of your team as well…?

It took him longer to reply to this one, and you were scared you crossed an unspoken boundary.

Spencer: They can be a bit much, but as long as you're comfortable I would love for you to meet them.

You smiled, immediately letting him know you'd be there within an hour. It was almost exactly an hour later when you were walking out of the elevator onto his floor, clad with a baseball cap and sweats, holding your joint lunch in one hand and your phone and sunglasses in the other. You could spot Spencer within seconds, and as you got closer to his desk, you heard who you presumed to be his coworker whistle to him.

“Oh, pretty boy, I think there's a special delivery for you…”

Spencer whipped his head up, seeing you lift the brown bag as you continued to walk towards him. He stood up when you got to his desk, and took the bag from your hands, placing it next to the stack of papers before engulfing you in his arms. You– being completely used to this behavior– let out a giggle when you heard a muttered “who is that guy and what has he done to Reid,” coming from a woman off to the side.

You let go after a minute, and turned towards the three people currently standing with you. “Hi, I’m Y/N!” You sweetly smiled at them as they gawked at you, and you felt Spencer’s hand sneak up to your shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

The built man in front you eyed the interaction immediately, and gave a grin as he extended his hand. “Derek Morgan. It's great to finally meet you.”

You shook his hand and turned towards the two women, “Emily,” she too put out her hand for you to shake.

“I’m JJ,” the blonde said as you shifted to look at her. A gasp was heard from across the room, causing everyone to swivel their heads towards the sound, and there stood Penelope.

“Y/N!”

“Penny!” The two of you met in the middle for a hug. “It’s so good to see you.”

“Likewise, pumpkin.” The two of you giggled as the office doors above the bullpen opened up. The chatter below caused two men to make their way down with the rest of the group.

“Y/N, this is Aaron Hotchner and David Rossi,” Spencer said, moving back over to you and slyly placing his arm around your hip. Of course, he wasn't as sly as he intended because everyone on the team clocked the move.

“It’s nice to meet you,” the older man smiled.

“My son loves your music,” Aaron said, causing you to pale as you thought about the very explicit album you recently released, “the radio edits,” he added, noticing the relief flood your face.

You let out a breathy laugh and backed your body into Spencer's instantly melting into his body. “Right, well, I’m really glad I’ve met you all. Any time you want to hang out at a show just say the word. I’d be happy for you to come.”

They all hummed in appreciation, and Spencer gave you a squeeze, “do you want to have lunch?”

Looking back at him, you gave a nod, but before you could move an inch, Penelope spoke up. “Do you want to have lunch all together? The conference room is available and I don't think anyone has taken their lunch yet…”

Staring into Spencer’s eyes, you silently asked him if he was okay with it, and when he gave a subtle nod, you turned to Penelope with a smile. “We would love to! As long as that's okay with everyone?”

Everyone agreed, and you all sat around the round table getting to know each other as you dug into your lunch.

“Okay, I’m sorry, Spence, but I need to know what songs were specifically written about him.”

JJ’s question caused a blush to appear on Spencer’s cheeks and you stifled your laughter. “Um, well… the entire 'favorite’ album is about him.”

“Oh wow, an entire album?” Derek’s words were directed to Spencer, but instead of acknowledging him, he dug back into his sandwich.

A short laugh was released from your lips at the interaction. “Yes, a whole album. The uh, last five songs on my album ‘rebuilding’ are about him too.”

“And any singles?”

You lifted your eyebrows at the eagerness that came from Emily. “‘Espresso’, and 'Unconditionally’, but that one isn't officially out yet for streaming.”

“Wait, go back,” Penelope paused the conversation, “you said the last five songs… so ‘Picture You’ is definitely about Spencer?”

Now you and Spencer were both blushing. Clearing your throat, you looked everywhere but at the people around the table. “I mean… I like for my listeners to think about whoever they want… given the context of the song…” Spencer’s hand went to your knee, inching his hand towards your thigh and rubbing it gently, letting you know you're both in the same boat.

“But you…” Emily started, a small smile creeping onto her face, “thought about… Spencer.”

“Mhmm.” And that was all she was going to say on the matter.

“My man!” Beside Spencer, Derek clasped him on the shoulder and gave him a shake, everyone around you snickering.

As embarrassed as you were, you knew these types of conversations were bound to happen when meeting the people closest to Spencer, so in the end, as long as you had him, it didn't matter how embarrassed you were. For Spencer, it was the same. He understood your world the best to his ability, and he knew you showed your feelings best through your music. So what if he had to deal with a little bullying from his team?

++

singer!reader taglist: @itsleilabxtch @wietske27 @taylorswiftilovecowboylikeme @marshatesthisreality @ladylincoln @delightfulmakerpiegiant

let me know if you would like to be added or removed!

[hyperfixatedoncrimminalminds]

ahhhh! i was the anon who requested the most recent hotch!daughter fic! tysm for writing that. the most adorable thing ever <3!!!

is it ok to have a sort of follow up on that fic? maybe reader comes back and forces hotch and all the bau members to play princess tea party with her during their lunch break haha?

Aaron Hotchner X Young Daughter Reader Pt 2

Request : ahhhh! i was the anon who requested the most recent hotch!daughter fic! tysm for writing that. the most adorable thing ever <3!!!

is it ok to have a sort of follow up on that fic? maybe reader comes back and forces hotch and all the bau members to play princess tea party with her during their lunch break haha?

Start of recap...

Following his arm Hotch breathed a sigh off relief as he saw where Y/N had got to, smiling he watched his daughter laugh and play with the young doctors hair.

He was glad she was okay and made a new friend. Quickly taking a few pictures he sends them to Haily who messaged back just a quick. "Some one made a new friend" chuckling he responded. "I think they both made a new friend"

Putting his phone away he went back to his office, happy to leave his daughter in his agents capable hands.

End of recap...

Third person pov...

A couple months after Hotch and Haily get a divorce. Haley has the kids most of the time and Hotch gets visitation rights, little Y/N loves spending time with her Daddy.

It was a typical day at the FBI academy for Aaron Hotchner, the team's stoic leader.

As they were reviewing their case files and strategizing for their next case, Hotchner's phone rang. He picked it up and on the other end was his ex-wife, Haley.

Hotchner's heart skipped a beat as he heard the sound of his two-year-old daughter, laughing in the background.

The spending if her voice grew louder, she had come closer to the phone.

"Hi daddy!" She squeals as she sees his contact. Hotch let's a smile fall on his lips. "Hi baby, you want to spend the day with me and the team?" He asks the young girl.

Hotch immediately pulls the phone far away from his ears as his Daughter screams in joy shouting into the phone. "Yes yes yes!" Hotch laughs at how excited the little girl sounds.

After getting the phone back, Haley explained that their original babysitter had called in sick and she had an important meeting she couldn't miss, Jack had school so She asked if Aaron could take care of Y/N for the day.

Despite his busy schedule, Hotchner couldn't say no to spending time with his daughter. He quickly made arrangements for Y/N to come to the BAU office and inform the team that they would have a special guest for the day.

As the clock struck 12, Agent Hotchner was in his office, going through files when suddenly he heard a knock on his door.

"Come in" he called out, not looking up from his work.

To his surprise, it wasn't one of his team members, but his 2 year old Daughter

Y/N standing in front of him with a huge smile on her face.

"Daddy!" she exclaimed, running towards him.

"Hey, Princess have a safe trip" Hotch asked, lifting her up in his arms. The energetic girl smiled and hugged his neck. "Yep I did, can we play daddy?" she asks the man, giggling.

Hotch chuckled, "i'm sorry sweetie, but Daddy has to work right now. Maybe later, okay?" The H/C girl pouted, but before Hotch could say anything else.

she suddenly let out a loud giggle and ran out of his office. Hotch shrugged, thinking it was just a phase and went back to his work.

But 5 minutes later, he heard more giggling and the sound of his door opening again.

This time, it was the whole BAU team following Y/N who was dressed in a pink princess dress with a tiara on her head.

She was holding the young Dr's hand who was smiling, Y/N still loved Spencer the most apart from her Daddy of course

"Hotch, we have a problem" Rossi said, a serious look on his face but trying to hold back his laughter.

Hotch raised an eyebrow, "What's going on?" Everyone one of them after trying to keep a straight face.

"Morgan found this little princess wandering around the bullpen, claiming that she was here to play with you" JJ explained, trying not to laugh

Before he could say anything, Y/N ran towards him and tugged on his shirt. "Daddy, I wanna play tea party with you and your friends!"

Hotch looked at his team, trying to hide his amusement. But seeing their pleading faces, he knew there was no way he could deny his daughter's request.

"Okay, just for a little while" Hotch said, putting the little girl down and joining the others in the break room.

Y/N clapped her hands in excitement as she dragged Spencer out of her Daddies office and to the found table room.

She then passed out plastic tea cups and saucers to everyone. "You're the queen, Daddy!" She said, placing a tiara on Hotch's head.

The team couldn't help but laugh as they pretended to sip imaginary tea and have conversations with the little princess.

They even played make-believe with her, pretending to be princes and princesses in a magical kingdom.

Hotch was the Queen, Rossi was the King, Y/N of course was a Princess, Spencer the court magician, Penelope the fairy God Mother, Derek a Knight, JJ and Emily were princesses with Y/N.

For the next hour, the BAU team forgot about their stressful job and just enjoyed the innocent fun with their bosses daughter.

Hotch couldn't remember the last time he laughed this much, and seeing his team bonding with his daughter made his heart warm.

As the lunch break came to an end and they had to get back to work, Y/N hugged each team member tightly, thanking them for playing with her.

"Thanks for saving my princess, Hotch" Derek said, high-fiving him as they all left the break room.

Hotch smiled, feeling grateful for his team and their willingness to be a part of his daughter's little tea party adventure.

From that day on, whenever little Y/N would visit him at work, the team would always set aside some time to play with her.

Hotch couldn't be happier, knowing that his daughter was being raised in a loving and supportive environment.

The end!

I hope you liked this oneshot, so sorry for the wait. Finally got around to writing this. Sorry for any grammar and Spelling mistakes.

Request are open!

Word count: 1100

[www-loser-org]

Tulips and a Broken Clock

Pairing: Post-Scratch!Aaron Hotchner x Fem!Bookstore-Owner!Reader

MDNI 17/18+ ONLY

SMUT WARNING

A/N: Unfortunately, English is my first language, but I hope you enjoy it regardless! No use of y/n. This was inspired by a post prison Spencer fic called Hourglass by @nereidprinc3ss , it was so good and I loved the premise of it, so I decided to attempt my own.

Content Warnings: 17/18+ ONLY, MDNI, semi-canon Hotch, smitten!Hotch, time skips, not physically descriptive reader, physically descriptive Hotch, 1st person reader, protected sex, interchangeable use of cock and dick, oral sex (fem! receiving), missionary, fluff, angst, smut, use of pet names (darling, honey, baby, sir, counselor, captain, etc.), dirty talk, female is vocal, Hotch isn’t (not surprising), tit sucking, clit play, mention of real life events (COVID), I DO NOT OWN ANY CRIMINAL MINDS CHARACTERS, hair pulling (male receiving), scratching (no mentions of Scratch/Peter Lewis), “I need to know you’re real” sex, OC side characters (Mrs. Johnson), mentions of Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan, let me know if there’s more

Word Count: 5,375 words

The clock was ticking by very slowly today. Too slow. I kept eyeballing it as I anxiously waited for the seconds to pass by, silently wishing it would go by faster. It was just another day at the cozy bookshop I had opened a little over 2 years ago. The smell of vintage, used, and new books blended together in harmony with the mix of my lavender essence I had at the front. A few customers roamed amongst the shelves, skimming their fingers along the edges and quiet voices humming in the air. It was a slow day, by any means, but it was even slower as I waited impatiently for the clock to start my wonderful date night. I tapped against the book I was reading and watched as the seconds clock ticked by. Is it getting slower? I should have the mechanic check it out. But that’s so expensive, I can just do i-

“Are you okay there, sugarplum?” The customer asked, interrupting my thoughts.

I shook a little, but smiled nonetheless. “Yes, Mrs. Johnson. I’m just a little distracted today.” I replied, scanning her books. 

“What’s got your mind warped, sugar?” She asks, taking out her wallet.

“Well,” I started, bagging her order and tapping on the screen. “I have a date tonight.”

“Oooo, is it that attractive, serious, brunette man? He’s been looking at you with sparkles in his eyes.” She said.

I nodded, cheekily smiling. “Yes, we had gone out on a few dates over the past 4 months and I really like him.”

She chuckled. “That’s good, sugarplum. Have fun tonight, and be safe.” She warned, pointing an accusatory finger at me as she grabbed her bag and walked out. I giggled and waved at her. “I will, goodnight Mrs. Johnson!” 

I looked back at the clock and not even 5 minutes went by, the hour hand remaining on the 5. I sighed and pulled out my book again, attempting to continue my reading as the remaining customers wandered and filed out. Purchasing or window shopping. 

One by one, chapter by chapter, it soon became 6:30 and I was able to close for the night. I counted out the change and the register and placed them in the safe, putting in the code to ensure its safety. It was then I heard the bell go off in the store. I got up quickly and reached for the bat behind the door. “We’re closed!” I shouted into the store, my hand twisting the bat nervously. I stepped out and closed the door to the office, placing the bat in both my hands. Stupid! You should’ve just hid and called the police! I scolded myself. I walked out slowly, crouching slightly in case the intruder could see me. 

“It’s just me.” I suddenly heard from my right side. I swung the bat towards my intruder before hearing a yelp. “Aaron?”

“Yeah, I’m sorry. I know we agreed on 7:30, but I was off earlier than expected and came over immediately.” He explained as I turned on the lights, revealing him in his work attire and holding a bouquet of tulips. Pink tulips. Aaron had fallen and was now laying in between the back reading chairs. He held out the tulips for me to take. I breathed the sweet scent of them and sighed, smiling sweetly at him before holding a hand down to him. He took it and I pulled him up. He stood up quickly and so close to me, I could feel his breath on my nose. I smiled and looked up into his eyes. “Hi.” I whispered.

“Hi.” He whispered back. He smiled and I stole a glance at his lips. He noticed and glanced at mine. Slowly, he leaned in, closing most of the gap between us until his were brushing mine, teasing mine. I decided to minimize the distance and close the gap, kissing him fully. The kiss was soft and sweet, slow enough to stop the world. I closed my eyes, heaven taking over my senses. I let go of his hand and reached to cup his jaw and his grazed my other hand that held the roses. The kiss stole our breath away as we’d break apart for a few seconds and return to the kisses. Heaven blessed this world as we continued to kiss each other in the back reading area of the store. 

Soon his hands caressed my waist as he gently pushed me back. I opened my eyes and pouted teasingly. “Don’t you have to get dressed?” Aaron asked.

I giggled lightly. “You’re right, I do. Give me 20 minutes. You can come up if you’d like. My place is just above the store if you wanna wash up and wait.”

He nodded and followed me upstairs. I led him into the living room, nodding my head as I told him to sit. I went into the kitchen and grabbed a clear vase for the flowers. I felt a presence behind me as he grabbed the vase with one hand. “I got this, it’s okay. Go get ready, don’t worry, we’re still early.” I smiled and kissed his cheek before briskly walking towards my bedroom. 

***

We were walking towards the restaurant doors, hand in hand, smiling at each other. Aaron had a reservation at 8 for the place. I was decked out in a white dress with white shoes, opposite of his dark suit and red tie. Aaron told the hostess his name and she then led us to our table. Aaron had let go of my hand briefly to pull out my chair. “And they say chivalry is dead.” I teased as I sat down, pulling my chair in slightly. 

“Well honey, I keep the chivalry's heart pumping.” He smiled before sitting down in his seat, pulling out his menu as I pulled out mine.

We spent hours there, just talking, laughing, and smiling overall. My heart fluttered at every little thing Aaron had done. From asking the waiter for a refill for my water to asking me little questions about my shop. Whether it be the workload, the stock of books, or even the customer shenanigans, I understood that he cared. I also discussed my past life, parts I never really discussed with anyone else, how I never kept in contact with my parents because their dreams for me were different from mine, how my fiance died in a car crash, how hard it was to start up another small business bookshop, etc. We also discussed some of his old cases. They were brutal, not brutal enough for nightmares, but enough to scare me a little. He had told me about his late ex-wife, Haley, and his son Jack, who was with the babysitter tonight. He spoke highly of her, mentioning how though they divorced, she had always understood his job and odd hours. He stated how she had aggressive opinions against it, but it was understandable given the circumstances and the effects on the relationship. I reached out for his hand and grasped it softly, hoping to comfort him. He explained that his job is what got her killed, how a serial killer named George Foyet had shot and killed Haley. He also talked about Jack and how tough it was to raise him with his job and how much help Jessica, Haley’s sister, had helped out when watching Jack when Aaron had a case. I nodded in understanding, allowing him to continue his stories throughout the night. 

Later that night, he walked me home. He held an arm around my waist as we slowly walked the path to my home. I adorned his black trench jacket and his tie was loosened. We shared whispers of little things that had happened today, swapping little stories with each other as the wind brushed around us. 

Once we reached the front door of the store, we stopped. I looked at him and turned to fully face him. “You can say no, but do you wanna head up with me?” I asked hesitantly with hopeful eyes. 

He eyed upstairs before closing his eyes, groaning quietly. “I would love to, honey. But I forgot that the babysitter doesn’t do nights.”

I nodded, slightly disappointed. “It’s alright. I understand. Besides, we had that other time a few weeks ago.”

He chuckled before pulling me in close, kissing my forehead. “I’m really sorry, sweetheart. I promise, I’ll make it up to you next week. I’ll push Jack to have a sleepover or something.” He looked into my eyes, guilt glossing over the surface. “I’ll think of something, I swear.”

I smiled before leaning more into him. “I know you will, Hotchner. You always do.” I kissed him. And then I kissed him again. And then I leaned in for another kiss, brushing his lips with mine. He laughed lightly at the trick and held my jaw in his hands before leaning in and kissing me slowly, closing his eyes. I closed mine as I grabbed his torso and pulled him closer to me.

We eventually let go and breathed in the fresh air. “Good night, darling.” Aaron whispered, letting go.

“Good night, Captain.” I replied, unlocking and opening the door. Once I entered, I immediately went upstairs before realizing that I still had his jacket. I placed it on the coat rack and took a picture of it, sending it to Aaron. You forget something? I texted him. 

He replied, Keep it, save it for our next date.

I smiled before replying, Ok ;). My heart buzzed as I thought of all the possibilities of our next date. I was so excited. I think I like him a little more than I thought. 

***

The next date never came. In fact, there were only a few texts exchanged before Aaron completely ghosted me. A 44 year old man with PTSD and a 11 year old son ghosted me. I scoff at the fact less than I cry over the fact. I thought we were going somewhere with this. I thought we were lovers at that point. I guess I was wrong. I was still managing my bookshop, as usual. From 9 am to 8 pm, customers came and went, buying books, selling books, etc. The pandemic made it hard for the store to survive. I reopened the store as soon as it was allowed, following all the regulations and rules in hopes that I could sell more books and keep the store on its feet. However, during the pandemic, my late grandmother had caught COVID and had died, leaving me an inheritance that kept the store alive and thriving. That and the coffee bar I had installed along with the 9 am to 6 pm barista, who gets paid separately and pays rent on the space.

The tulips from my last date with Aaron sit on the desk, wilted and dried out. I kept them there out of hope, no matter how many times my friends had told me to get rid of them and no matter how many dates I went on, no one could compare to Aaron. It’s silly and stupid, that after 8 years of him disappearing, I still had hope he would come back for his jacket. But he didn’t. And so the tulips were one of the good memories I had with Aaron. 

Sighing, I looked at the clock and saw that it had not moved since noon. I checked the time on my computer and saw that time had sufficiently passed. It was 6:52 and I knew I had to get ready to close. Looking around, I saw the only person left was Mrs. Johnson in the back reading area. I smiled before getting up and tapping her shoulder lightly. “Mrs. Johnson, it’s almost closing time. Would you like me to ring you up?”

“Oh, yes please, sugarplum. Just the one, please.” She replied, holding out one book, Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan as I helped her up.

“Good book?” I ask, walking up to the register and ringing her up.

“Oh, it’s great! Reminds me of my husband, Richard, and I,” She smiled fondly. “Falling back in love after thinking we fell out of it.”

“That’s sweet, Mrs. Johnson. I’ll have to check it out myself.” I smiled back.

She nodded, glancing at the flowers. “Don’t lose hope, dear.”

I solemnly smiled. “Good night, Mrs. Johnson.”

She nodded in reply and walked out of the store. I followed behind her and started to pull in the outside coffee tables and chairs, wiping them down as I brought them in. I locked the door, making sure the door didn’t budge. I wiped down all the shelves and the register area, placing the cleaning items under the desk. I glanced up and saw the clock. Snapping my fingers, I pulled out a drawer in the register desk and grabbed a couple batteries along with a screwdriver. I grabbed a ladder and opened it out. Stepping up the ladder, I grabbed the clock off the screw in the wall. I stepped back down the ladder when I heard a knock at the door. Stopping my movements, I placed the clock down on a nearby shelf before walking out into the main area. Looking through the glass, my breath stopped. His back was turned to me, but I knew it was him. Aaron Hotchner.

He was holding white tulips and anxiously looking around. I walked closer to the door, my eyes trained on him and his stature. He turned around and our eyes met. Slowly, I walked over to the door. My hands shook as I slowly pressed the handle bar of the door. I pushed the door open and looked back up at him. His eyes stared back into mine. He looked different. More rugged features on his face. He had grown out his beard and was more fit in. He was wearing much more casual wear, no suits. He was wearing an open blue button down with a white shirt and jeans, sneaker clad. I slowly reached a hand up to his face before cupping his cheek. He leaned in a little to my hand. I gasped quietly before caressing more of his face. His eyes were glazed with tears, reflecting mine. “You’re really here.” I confirmed, tears slowly falling from my eyes. 

“Yes. And I’m so sorry.” He replied, sincerity in his voice.

I shook my head. “Shut up.” I grabbed both sides of his face and pulled him in for a kiss. I closed my eyes as he reciprocated immediately. He wrapped his arms around my waist, careful for the flowers. This gave me the opportunity to pull him closer to me, wrapping my hands around his neck. His beard tickled my chin and tears flavored the kiss. I pulled away with my head still against his, a quiet sob wracking my throat. “You’re really here.” I said again, more breathily than the first time. My eyes were still closed because I feared that if I opened them, he would be gone again. “I’m really here.” He confirmed, as if he had heard my thoughts. I laughed lightly before opening my eyes. He was already looking at me, quiet tears flowing down his face. I kissed him again, much softer than the first time. 

I kicked out my foot and pushed the door more open while pulling him inside by his neck. As I pulled him inside, the kisses got more desperate as we swerved towards my cash desk. Aaron placed his hands on either side of the desk, placing the flowers down on the counter. I pulled him closer, molding our bodies as close as possible, grinding against his clothed dick. His hands gripped the desk counter, knuckles turning white at my movement. He groaned into my mouth, which sent shivers down my back. He pulled away first, both of us gasping for breath. “Wait.” He said and I paused, opening my eyes and looking at his. “Are you sure you wanna do this?”

I placed my hand against his mouth. “Aaron, I’m positive. You’re alive and I hate you for that and I want to understand why. But right now, I need you to fuck me like you promised. I need to know you’re still here and you won’t leave again.”

He shook his head, eyes running crazy. He removed my hand and placed a kiss on the back of it. “I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”

“And Jack?”

He chuckled, reminiscence in his eyes. “Jack is almost 19 years old and in college. I’m pretty sure we’re fine.”

“Okay, just double checking.” I confirmed. He tapped my hips. I immediately understood and jumped, him catching me. I placed a hand around his shoulder and patted his chest with the other. “Why don’t we take this to my room.” I said.

“Absolutely.” He replied. He then walked as quickly as possible towards the office door, opening and closing it while still holding me. He walked us up the stairs and put me down once we reached the living room. I grabbed his face and pulled him towards mine, heavy breaths mingling with one another. I pulled him in for another hot kiss before my hands moved to push the button down off “Is this okay?”

“Yes.” He replied, desperately, allowing the garment to fall onto the ground. He fiddled with the hem of my own shirt, teasing my skin. “Is this okay?” He asked, raising a brow.

“God, yes.” I replied, lifting my arms. He removed the shirt and pulled me into him by my hips. His lips sought mine out and I followed the suit, kissing him deeper. I kicked off my shoes and he did his. I pulled him by his neck into my bedroom, the door pushing open with our force. I let go of his lips and gasped for air, falling back into my queen bed. I pushed myself all the way up to my pillows, curling my finger to tease him towards me, smiling cheekily. He followed me up, lips kissing up my skin from my jean clad hips. My hands sought his hair as I basked in the heat of his lips. He reached my bra and pulled it down enough to reveal my nipples. They hardened at the cold air and at his movements. He kissed each one teasingly. I watched him with bated breath. His eyes bore back into mine as he proceeded to take my right nipple in his mouth, sucking sweetly and swirling his tongue. I moaned at the contact, grabbing his hair. He continued his mantra of sensuality, taking moments between suckling and swirling his tongue. His right hand twisted and flicked my other nipple. The movements alone had me moaning at the contact and pulling him closer into me. He switched to the opposite side, making sure to give the second nipple just as much attention as the first. I let out another moan at the switch, leaning my head back and shutting my eyes. He continued this mantra as much as he did the first one until both nipples were perked and red from the attention. His trail of kisses reached my neck as he sucked bruising kisses on my neck. His lips reached mine and he pressed deep, hot kisses on my lips. He teased his tongue, prodding at my lips and I opened my mouth. His tongue and taste invaded my senses, he tasted of cinnamon vanilla as I explored more, fighting him for dominance. He won, as usual, taking over all my senses, smell, taste, touch, you name it, he owned it. 

His fingers tapped the waistband of my jeans. He let go of my swollen lips with a gasp. “Is this okay?”

“Please.” I whispered.

“Huh? I didn’t hear that darling. You need to speak up for me, darling girl.” Aaron teased

“Please, Aaron.” I pleaded louder, lifting my hips to meet his. 

He chuckled. “So impatient.” He kissed my jaw. “So needy.” He kissed my neck, trailing his kisses back down until they reached my belt. His fingers fiddled with the buckle, opening the belt. His fingers unbuttoned my pants and he pulled the zipper down, easily pulling the pants down. I lifted my hips off the bed to give him more access to pull the jeans off. After he pulled my pants off, I reached around my back and unclasped my bra, throwing it off to the side. Aaron positioned himself right in front of my entrance, licking his lips as if he were starved. He looked up at my eyes from his position. “May I?” He asked gently against my pussy, ever the gentleman. 

I nodded. “Yes, please, Aaron.” I pleaded. 

He obeyed, chuckling slightly. He pulled down my panties and groaned when he saw how wet I had gotten. He looked completely enamored with my pussy, watching how it glistened and clenched, waiting for him. I felt him breathing at the entrance and felt my walls clench around nothing. I made a small noise from my throat. “Please sir, I need you.”

Aaron’s eyes lit up and he smirked. “Don’t worry, pretty girl. I got you.” His tongue reached out and licked a big stripe against my pussy. I gasped at the sudden contact but lifted my hips nonetheless. He wrapped his (big, beefy) arms around my thighs and grounded my body against my bed. He pulled my lower half towards his mouth, licking his way into my entrance. I moaned and gasped at the feeling, allowing him in. His tongue licked stripes on and inside my pussy, varying in patterns and paces. He moved one hand from my thigh and prodded one finger inside. I felt it slide in and moaned at the contact, leaning my head back and shutting my eyes. His finger pumped in and out in a slow rhythm as he licked stripes up and down my labia. 

After a few more pumps, Aaron added another finger inside my entrance. He moved his tongue up from its position and swirled it around my clit. I gasped at the sudden change and grabbed his hair, pulling slightly. He groaned a little and it sent vibrations up my body, letting moans fall out my mouth like a river. His mouth switched from swirling to sucking my clit. His fingers pumped in and out of my pussy. One of my hands was down grabbing his hair, pulling him closer to my pussy. My other hand was under my pillow, grasping the sheets of it and twisting. He sped up his fingers, pumping them in and out of me faster. I gasped at the change and moaned. His tongue swirled my clit until his thumb replaced it, circling it slowly. His fingers sped up as well as his thumb and it made me gasp, my thighs threatening to close in. “Oh shit, Aaron.” I moaned out.

“That’s it, darling. Say my name.” He replied, continuing his movements at the same pace. “Aaron, Aaron, Aaron.” I repeated, like a chorus, my moans and gasps making up the verse. His fingers were quickly working me up, closer and closer. “Oh my god, Aaron. Don’t stop.” I gasped out. He started leaving kisses over my thighs, stopping every few kisses to suck hickies into my thighs. “Please, don’t -fuck, don’t stop!” I pleaded, moving both hands to grip his hair, pulling slightly. The overwhelming pleasure of everything, his thumb, his fingers, his kisses, it all hit me as that knot twisted tighter in my stomach. “Oh fuck, I’m about to cum!” I let out, gasping and moaning, unable to stop myself. His fingers kept the pace but went harder and harder, making me gasp even more than before. “Oh fuck Aaron, I’m about to-” I was cut off when the knot broke in my stomach and I came with a moan. Aaron reached his head down, licking up every droplet like a man starved. His fingers continued to slowly fuck me through my orgasm, drawing it out until the first load was gone. I moved both of my hands to my forehead, catching my breath.

After he had finished, he brought himself back up to my face. “Breathe, darling. It’s okay.” He said. He kissed me softly on my cheeks and nose. I brushed my fingers through his hair and brought it to the back of his neck. I pulled him back to my lips and kissed him desperately. I moved my other hand down his chest and fiddled with the hem of his white shirt. He immediately understood, sitting up and taking it off. I moved my hands to his belt buckle and tried to get it off. He grabbed my hands and placed them above my head. “I know that you’re impatient, baby, but I gave you what you want-”

“Please Aaron, I want more.” I reply, lifting my hips to grind towards his. 

“First of all, it’s sir. Second of all, it’s going to be sir for the rest of tonight, or you’re not gonna cum. If you want anything, you ask. Are we clear?” He responded in a demanding tone.

“Yes, counselor.” I tested, smile spreading, testing him. He turned his head to the side curiously, smiling curving in his features. He chuckled, “I’ll allow it.”

Slowly, he let go of my wrists and sat back on his knees. I pulled my elbows up, positioning myself towards him. He unclasped his belt and pulled down his pants, leaving him in his white boxer briefs. I sat up and slowly reached for his cock, feeling out how hard he was. Aaron wrapped a hand around my wrist and pulled it away slowly. “No, not tonight,” He laid me back down and I wriggled to get more comfortable. He grabbed the spare pillow from beside me and tapped my hips. I obeyed and raised them. “Tonight’s all about you, my darling.” Aaron put the pillow under my hips and stripped himself of his boxer briefs. His dick was leaking with precum, the red tip begging for attention. I stared with my mouth agape. He was 6.5 inches and I knew I was in trouble. I had forgotten how big he was, 8 years time will do that to a person. He reached behind and pulled a condom from his pants pocket. He opened the package, pinched the tip of the rubber and rolled it down his cock. He looked at my face and caught me staring. Aaron chuckled and it caught my attention, changing my line of sight to look at his eyes. “Have you not been taken care of, baby? I’m sorry, I’m here now.” He said, teasing my pussy with his tip. I gasped at the contact, looking down at him holding his cock and where our bodies met. He hissed slightly. “God, you’re so wet.”

“Please sir.” I pleaded.

“Please what?”

“Please stop teasing.” I whined, slowly reaching a hand down to his dick. I reached down and gathered some slick from my pussy and rubbed it on Aaron’s dick, pumping it a couple times. He hissed again before fully grabbing his dick and slowly entered my pussy. I gasped at the stretch, not used to it like I was and closed my eyes, concentrating on relaxing. He leaned down and kissed my neck softly. “Just let me know honey. When you want me to move.” He whispered. 

Once he fully entered me, I moaned at the contact, taking time to adjust. Eventually, I whispered a small yes and Aaron started to thrust back and forth into me. I moaned at the contact as he groaned. Slowly he thrusted in and out of my pussy, taking one of my hands on his and placing it above my head. I moaned out at his thrusts as they hit my pussy deep and hard. Aaron grunted as he thrusted, the sexy sound spilling from his lips as he kissed my neck. I took my free hand and wrapped it around his neck and down his back, softly clawing at it as he moved. “Faster.” I whispered.

“What was that?” He asked in a teasing tone, hitting harder, causing me to yelp in surprise. 

“Please sir, faster.” I gasped out. He obeyed, moving his hips faster and harder, hitting that sweet spot. A high pitched moan left my lips as I clawed his back, my legs wrapped around his waist. He suckled more hickies into my skin, moving his hips faster. “Oh god, sir.” I called out, gasping at the pace of his thrusts. “Yeah? How do you feel, honey?” He teased. 

“So. Fucking. Good.” I replied in a gaspy, whiny tone. He moved my hand to his hair and moved his lips down towards my boobs, suckling more hickies down the trail. He latched his mouth around one of my nipples. His hips moved faster, the veins of his dick rutting pleasure through my walls. His tip continued to hit my spongy sweet spot, causing me to silently scream. My hand tightened on his hair, not pushing or pulling him anywhere, just tightening which caused him to groan. My other hand dug my nails into his shoulder blade, scratching and grabbing onto anything to ground me in my heavenly state. Serieses of “oh fuck” spilled out of my lips like a chorus. Our sweaty bodies are moving with the shaking of the bed.

I decided to open my eyes and look down at Aaron. His eyes were focused on my boobs before he looked up into my eyes, switching nipples. The multitude of sensations were overwhelming, but not enough to get me where I needed to be. That knot in my stomach was so close to breaking. I leaned my head back and squeezed my eyes shut, mouth forming an “o”. “Harder, please sir.” I called out, scratching his head. He obeyed, snapping his hips into me, fast and hard, causing me to gasp and throw my head to the side. I continued my series of “fucks” and moans as he continued to fuck me into oblivion. I squeezed around his cock, getting closer and closer. He got the message, reaching a hand down and swirled his thumb around my clit. “I know baby, you’re so close.”

“God, yes.” I replied, gasping at the contact, arching my back some more. 

“I am too, come on baby.” He groaned out. My moans staggered with his thrusts. His fingers. His mouth. His voice. His words. His dick. It all hit me as the knot tightened even more. “Oh fuck, sir, I’m about t- oh god.” I cried out, rutting my hips to match his pace. 

“That’s it honey, let go, I got you.” He said and I did. I let go and came at that. He grunted and came as well, the condom filling up inside me. 

We both took deep breaths and I whined as he pulled out of me. We were both breathing heavily and Aaron got up from the bed. He walked towards the bathroom and threw away the condom. He closed the door and I heard the sound of him using the restroom. I reached a hand out, vision blurry and searching for him. I needed his touch. My fingers twitched for him, gasping his name out. He came back out with a damp towel and a cup of water. He handed me the cup of water and went down to my legs and pussy, gently wiping away the juices and cum from the sheets and my body. I sat up after he was finished and drank the water greedily as he removed the pillow from under my back. He used the remnants of the damp towel to wipe down my sweaty body. He threw the towel in the laundry basket before getting up again. I grabbed his wrist quickly and looked up at him with pleading eyes. “Please don’t leave again.” I pleaded, tears forming in my eyes. He leaned down and kissed my forehead, firmly with his hand on the back of my head. I closed my eyes at the contact and the tears fell down my face. I felt him pull his lips back and wipe the tears from my face. I opened my eyes and looked at him. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying right here with you.” He confirmed. 

Aaron walked around the bed to the other side and got under the covers, motioning me to join him. I got under the covers and wrapped my arms around his torso, leaning my head on his chest. He placed his chin on the top of my head as I drifted off to sleep.

***

I woke up to my alarm and an empty bed. Blearily, I got up and grabbed a shirt off the floor and pulled on the panties, too. Aaron! I thought to myself, waking me up quickly. Putting on my slippers quickly, I headed out into the common area. Hope had faded as I didn’t see him. Panicking, I quickly thought if it was a dream and reached for the counter. Tears pricked my eyes as the lonely presence loomed over me. That was until I heard a muffled clank and a quiet “shit!” from downstairs. I gasped before turning towards the stairs.

I headed down them and opened the door to find Aaron on the ladder, positioning the clock on the nail in the wall. As if he sensed my presence, he turned towards me and smiled. “Good morning, I got us breakfast and coffee. Made it the way you like it.” He said, climbing down the ladder. I saw the food and drinks at the register desk as well as the white tulips in a vase with water, right next to the dried tulips. I walked towards the desk and Aaron appeared behind me. He kissed my cheek. He licked his lips before concern crossed his features, turning me to face him. “Are you okay?” He asked. 

I smiled and nodded. “I am now.”

He smiled back and hugged me tightly, swaying slightly as we drank in each other's presence.

A/N: Hehe, it's finally done and I honestly love it, let me know what you guys think and if I should start a taglist on this or something.

Buy me a ko-fi if you enjoyed it. I also do commissions! Likes and reblogs are also helpful!

https://ko-fi.com/katelynyava1130

[writinghotchner]

fandom: criminal minds pairing: hotch x fem!reader (could be read as hotch x oc, i guess) rating: M (nsfw) words: 1,224

read below, or on ao3.

insomnia has once again webbed its way through her brain and shattered through her eyelids. it's nothing new, she's dealt with it most of her life. with an annoyed, tired sigh, she turns fully onto her side to face her boyfriend letting her eyes scan his sleeping face as puffs of his breath fans across her nose. she sighs again, frustrated that she can't sleep and that he can. just as she's about to fling the blanket off of herself and stomp to the living room to be grumpy on the couch, he cracks an eye to look at her. she immediately huffs out a laugh.

"did i wake you?"

he clears his throat and rolls onto his back, stretching his body a little. "i felt you staring at me." he turns to look at the clock on his nightstand. two a.m.

she laughs at that, reaching over to palm his cheek, it hits him with a soft unpainful smack. "i'm sorry. i was admiring your ability to sleep."

he rolls back onto his side, wiggling a little closer to her. "can't sleep?"

she sighs. "no, my brain won't shut up long enough."

he hums his response, his eyes slipping closed again.

"aaron..."

his eyes open slowly to look at her. "hm?"

"help me fall asleep...?" she studies his face as well as she can in the dimly lit room, but she sees him crack a grin, his eyes coming to life.

"how do you suppose i do that?" his voice is still rough with sleep sending shivers down her spine, igniting the fire already growing deep in her belly.

without saying anything, she reaches for his left hand and guides it slowly towards her already throbbing center. she lifts her right leg up a little to give him room and he automatically palms the entirety of her, the warmth of his large hand making the heat already boiling between her legs unbearable.

"god, baby, please.." she chokes out in a whisper, but he keeps slowly, lightly, running his hand over her.

"please what?"

she throws him a pointed look and he grins. "i want your fingers inside m-"

before she can even finish that sentence, he skims his fingers up over her mound, and then wiggles them under her panties, brushing through her trimmed pubes. he doesn't pull her lips apart like she's dying for him to, instead he rests his entire palm on her pubic bone and lets his fingers play softly at her opening, feeling how hot and wet she already was. she squirms under him, clenching helplessly at nothing. he chuckles. "already so wet, hm? were you planning on waking me up or were you going to take care of this yourself?"

she huffs out something between a breathy laugh and a moan as she reaches under the blankets to grip at his wrist. "you're killing me here, babe."

"oh, we can't have that, can we?" he says and then quickly presses his two middle fingers down and then up, pulling her lips open and then stopping to press the tips of them against her clit. she squirms against his hand even more, her bottom lip caged between her teeth.

"aaron hotchner, i swear to god," she pants, the grip on his wrist tightening.

he props his head up on his right hand so he can look down at her, the street light from outside barely shining into the room so he can see the shadows of her face. she looks up at him right when he starts moving his fingers in small circles. she licks her lips and lets them fall apart to suck in a breath.

he speeds up his movements, watching as her face as it contorts with pleasure, her chest rises and stutters, an annoyed yet pleasurable groan leaving her throat.

"baby, please," she nearly chokes out. he chuckles to himself, loving that he can do this to her - make her beg and moan.

a few more deep pressure circles to her clit and he slides his fingers down to her opening and presses inside of her slowly. "is this what you want?" his voice is low and teasing and she can practically hear the grin on his face through her now closed eyes. he uses the heel of his hand to press back into her clit and her leg twitches.

the grip on his wrist moves down to grab the back of his hand, her fingers over his, and she makes him push himself deeper into her. her fingers brushing against her own entrance with the movement.

"jesus, fuck, god," she cries out, squeezing her eyes closed. his fingers are thick and always fill her up the way she needs, especially when he uses two. he sets a slow steady pace, pressing them as deep as they can go and then drags them slowly almost all the way out of her before quickly sliding them back in to his knuckles. she squeezes her legs together, trapping their hands in place. she can feel the tendons in his hand every time he moves his fingers, and she grips his knuckles as he picks up the pace.

strangled moans fall from her lips as she moves her hips against him. he curls his fingers and holds it momentarily against the spongey tissue that makes her feral which causes her to immediately arch her back and release a guttural moan. when he starts to move his fingers again, picking up the pace even faster, she slides her right leg back so he can have more room to move his hand. he moves faster now, the wet slapping sound of his hand ramming into her and her strangled breaths filling the room.

it only takes a few more pumps and curls of his fingers before she's squeezing his knuckles tight. she presses her her own middle fingers into his, trying to push his fingers in farther as her orgasm sparks through her, her own two middle fingers slip in with his for a moment and she thrashes against him, her eyes still squeezed shut. he can feel her lower stomach spasming and it makes him bite his lip to stop his own pleasured sounds. her breath catches in her chest as her orgasm continues to static its way through her. he leans in closer to her, "breathe, honey."

a final strangled, broken moan leaves her throat and she sucks in a harsh breath, her body goes limp, and her hand falls away from his as she continues to breathe heavily. he doesn't remove his fingers right away, he leaves them buried inside of her, unmoving. she slowly opens her eyes and looks at him. "fuck," is all she can manage to croak get out.

"tired?" he asks, his voice strangled with his own wants now, but willing to go on if that's what she needs.

before she can answer he's pulling his fingers out of her and sliding them right back up to her clit. she can feel the gush of warmth follow his fingers out and it makes her moan again.

"are you?" she husks.

"wide awake." and with that he leans over and catches her mouth in a heated kiss as he moves his body on top of hers and settles between her parted, shaking legs.

[cas-kingdom]

Would you write for criminal minds, Spencer and his sister? Something fluffy, brother & sister, I really suck at prompts so hopefully this is enough 🥲

“Did you know there’s actually a phobia of your glass being empty?"

The bustling and noise of the Las Vegas club was no match for Spencer Reid. Sat at a bar stool while he waited for his glass of water, the genius grinned openly as he struck up in a one-sided conversation with the barman.

"It’s called cenosillicaphobia," he continued obliviously, "a mouthful, I know. Breaking it down to the origin; Ceno comes from a Greek word 'kenos', meaning empty, whereas 'sillica' refers to quartz, or glass in this context. Lastly, 'phobia', as you may know, means fear. Putting it all together, you’ll have 'the fear of an empty glass'. Neat, huh?"

As unit chief, Aaron Hotchner was privy to many aspects of his team members that the others weren't. He could usually tell before anyone else when someone would react a certain way, or when a particular case would hit someone the hardest. As he sat at his own stool, partly engaged in conversation with Derek, Rossi, and some girls he couldn't quite remember the names of, and partly with an ear and eye geared towards Spencer's direction, he found himself focusing specifically on you.

As your twenty-first birthday and graduation gift rolled into one, the team had banded together to afford a weekend trip to Vegas. You'd arrived earlier that evening, and after an expensive meal you'd dragged them all to a club. It had gone down well of course, with J.J., Penelope and Emily immediately dancing off the copious amounts of alcohol they'd already drunk, and Hotch, Spencer, Derek and Rossi entertaining their conversations with whichever women decided to walk up to them.

You had flit between both groups, at one point hauling them together in the middle of the dance floor when you insisted the BAU's song—'Ghostbusters', of course—was playing. For the past twenty minutes however, as the clock steadily approached four am and the girls resorted to sitting cross-legged in a corner somewhere, giggling about anything and everything, you had been hovering by your brother and sucking melted ice through a straw. The moment Spencer had started talking, however, you'd edged closer to him, and Hotch had seen it.

His suspicions elevated when the barman handed Spencer his drink with a less than impressed look on his face. "Thanks for that," he deadpanned.

Spencer hopped off his seat with a grin. "You're welcome!" he said before making his way back over to the guys.

Hotch took a sip from his drink as he watched. He ignored Spencer as he rejoined the conversation, instead sidling discreetly closer to you. Like he'd said, he knew his team, and he knew you. He knew how you could be. And he knew—

“Fucking freak," said the barman.

There.

Hotch paused, brows furrowed. The man hadn't said it particularly quietly, causing the people around him to laugh, but Spencer was too engaged in conversation now to have heard it. You, on the other hand...

Hotch watched, unsure whether he should be amused or concerned, as the muscles in your face tensed and you lay your forearms on the countertop. Leaning over, you grasped the man's shirt sleeve none too gently, tugging him backwards before he could turn away.

“Hey, Tim," you said, noting his name badge, "you know...I absolutely love what you’ve done with your hair. Tell me, how’d you get it to stick out your nostrils like that?”

Despite the drunkenness of your, quite frankly awful, insult, the barman bristled. Hotch stepped quickly forward and sent him a look that clearly told him to keep his mouth shut. The barman couldn't resist muttering under his breath, but he turned away all the same. Hotch put an arm around you and steered you back towards your brother before you could cause anymore trouble.

"How many drinks did you have tonight?" he asked. He'd indulged himself, of course, but, as always, had been the one to drink the least, if solely for the reason to keep an eye on everyone else.

You rolled your eyes. "Did you hear that jackass? Why do people insult him all the time, huh? Just because they're not as smart as him." With that, you pushed Hotch's arm away.

"Hehey, there's our birthday and graduation queen!" Derek cheered.

You ignored him, making a beeline for Spencer. "Hey, Spence," you said when you reached him, "what was that you were saying about cenosilliacaphobia?”

Spencer lit up. “You pronounced it right! What do you wanna know? Because personally I think it’s pretty interesting how you can go on to add the Latin word for beer—'cervisia'. In that case, you’ll have cenocervasiasillicaphobia, which is the fear of having an empty glass of beer!”

"That is so cool."

Hotch rejoined the group with a smile. One thing was for certain. A big brother would forever be protective of his little sister in the open, but behind closed doors, it was most certainly the opposite.

Criminal Minds Masterpost

[miyuhpapayuh]

magic numbers.

The sound of faint snores mix in with the infomercials that have been playing on a constant loop, about an hour and a half after they’d finally fallen asleep.

Although the couch isn’t the most comfortable spot to lay one’s head, the pair seemed to be content.

Mya's slumped over Isaiah's lap, while he wakes up with a stiff crook in the side of his neck.

Beginning to readjust his position, he looks down at Mya, still half asleep across his lap. His brows immediately furrow, before he remembers them crashing after their comfort show marathon.

Slightly shaking her, he calls out her name.

“Mya.. Mya.”

“Mmh,”

She abruptly sits up, making him flinch. She looks at him with wide eyes, blinking them a few times.

His immediate reaction was to chuckle.

“Are you okay?” He asks, as she rubs her eyes.

She takes a moment to laugh at herself before speaking.

“Yeah– yeah, I’m good.”

“Sorry, I don’t know why I jumped up like that.”

“It’s okay. We found ourselves in a pretty compromising position, huh?” He cracks.

“Did we…” she trails off, staring at his own clueless gaze.

“Nahh.. I don’t think we’d be fully clothed.” He laughs.

“Good point.” She pulls her hair away from her face, hoping it doesn’t look as crazy as she thinks.

“What time is it?” He asks, finally stretching out.

“Uh,” she stares at the blue digital clock beside her tv, “a little after eight.”

He nods. “You wanna get breakfast?”

“You know, I never turn down food. I’d love to.”

“Great. Ima head home and shower, then I’ll come back.”

“Okay,” her voice comes out small as he leans in to kiss her.

She couldn’t lie and say he didn’t make her nervous. But, it was a good kind of nervous.

“I’ll walk you to the door.”

Opening it up, she recoils from the sudden chill of the early September wind.

“This weather is so bipolar.”

“Indeed. I’ll hurry back.”

He hops inside his truck and pulls out of the driveway. She scurries back inside, closing and locking the door behind herself.

After a hot shower and hygiene routine, Mya heads into her room and rummages through her top drawer, pulling out a lavender cropped sweater, pairing it with her black spandex pants and her nude slip-on sandals.

She pulls her hair up into a messy bun, before heading downstairs to answer the door.

Yet, it's her mother.

“Mama,” she excitedly greets her with frightened eyes, as they embrace in a well deserved hug.

“Let me in, child. It’s nippy out here!”

Moving into the house, Mya's stomach does a somersault.

“I know I didn’t call before I came, but it’s been a minute since I’ve been here!” She exclaims, turning back to her daughter. “Were you headed out? You look pretty!”

“Thanks, mama,” she smiles, “and I was, actually. Isaiah’s taking me to breakfast.”

“Oh?! So he should be here, shortly, huh? I finally get to meet this young man.” She says as she sits on the arm of the couch.

“Ma, please don’t embarrass me.”

“I would never do such a thing!” She gasps at the allegation, to which Mya responds with a tilt of her head.

“Do you remember when I dated Aaron? You told that boy that I wet the bed until I was eight!”

“Because, his mother told me that he wet the bed until he was thirteen! I thought it was a bonding moment for you two.”

“You gotta be joking.” She shakes her head.

“Honey, you were in junior high. You’re grown, now, I’ll keep my embarrassing stories to myself.” She holds her hands up.

“You say that like it was character development or something!” She irritably responds, to which her mother laughs.

“I’m sorry! You guys did date for a while, though.”

“Yeah. He probably felt bad for me, since my mom’s crazy.”

Before she could utter a rebuttal, another knock sounded at the door. Her heart drops into her ass.

“I’m begging you.”

“Girl, open the door, already.” She says, shooing her toward it.

Sighing, Mya pulls the door back open to see Isaiah, clad in all black, with a rose in his hand.

“You and these flowers,” she smiles, pulling him in for a hug and a kiss, taking the flower from him.

“You know I can’t show up, empty handed. I hope I didn’t keep you waiting long. You look beautiful.”

“It’s okay, and thank you. I’ve actually got someone that I’d love for you to meet.” They head inside, over to where her mother is patiently waiting to be introduced.

“Isaiah, this is my mama. Ma, this is Isaiah.” They shake hands.

“It’s very nice to meet you, ma’am. I’ve heard so much about you.” He says.

“As I have about you! This girl’s very fond of you.”

He smiles. “I’m very fond of her, too.”

She glances in Mya’s direction, wiggling her brows before turning her attention back to him. Mya blushes, sitting her rose on the coffee table.

“How’d you two meet?”

“That story’s actually kinda funny. We’d previously seen each other in the break room, but I didn’t really know what to say.”

“Why not?” She questions, making Mya curious as well.

“She’s really pretty, and it made me nervous.” He admits, making Mya's jaw drop a bit.

“She was walking down the hall and someone was carrying this huge poster board. I pulled her back, before it knocked her down. I think she said I saved her life.” He jokes, earning a slap on the arm.

“Shut up,” Mya giggles.

“How cute is that!” Her mother coos, before standing to her feet. “Well, I’ll let you two get on with your day. It was a pleasure to meet you, handsome.” She holds her hand out, again.

“Pleasure’s all mine.” He covers her hand with both of his, smiling.

“Hope to see you again soon! Treat my baby well!”

“Yes ma'am!”

“Thanks for stopping by, ma. I’ll call you later.” The two step towards the door, hugging one another before she leaves.

“Love you!”

“Love you, too!” She waves, before closing the door.

Isaiah walks the short distance to her, his arm wrapping itself around her waist.

“You look so pretty. I say that already?”

“You did,” she giggles, “I feel like I haven't addressed how good you look, though.”

“Ah, thank you babygirl.” He kisses her cheek before she moves to grab her jacket.

“Anytime, handsome. Where are we going?”

“There’s this place on central ave, it’s called Snooze. I’ve never been, but I heard it’s really good. It’s got those mimosas that the girls be talkin’ bout— by girls, I mean Jane.” Mya laughs, pulling him towards the door.

“Come on, you dork.”

Taking their seats at the colorful bar, they scoot in close and hang their jackets on the back of their chairs.

“Hey, guys! I’m Amber, I’ll be your server this mornin’. Can I get y’all started with some drinks?”

“Hm.. I think I wanna try the boozy blackberry mint lime-made. It sounds good!” Mya says. The waitress immediately nods.

“One of my favorites. It’s kinda strong, but it’s delicious.”

“Ooh, I can’t wait.” She dances in her seat, looking over at Isaiah, who’s already shaking his head at her.

“I’ll take an iced tea. One of us has to be sober, right?” He cracks.

“I suppose.” The waitress jokes, making Mya laugh. “I’ll be right back with those.”

“So, I’m the only one having fun, today?” She asks.

“Nah, my entertainment is you, baby.” He fondly pats her knee.

She blushes. “You’re so sweet.”

“Anything for you.” He winks.

“It was nice meeting your mom,” he continues, “I gotta get my two favorite ladies together now, too.”

“Yeah! I’d love to meet the woman that birthed my favorite man.”

His cheeks warm at the sentence.

“It’s cute, when you steal my words and use them on me.”

“I think so, too.” They share a kiss, just as the drinks come.

“Oh, I just love the affection!” The waitress coos. “You cuties need a couple minutes to look over the menu?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Alright, I’ll be right over here!” She points to a spot at the other end of the bar.

Mya grabs her menu, scanning the many delicious options it has to offer. “I think… I want French toast.”

“I think I’ll get the same. I’ve got a bit of a sweet tooth, today.”

“You do, huh?”

“I do, I do.”

She giggles, taking a sip of her drink. Her eyes immediately widened.

“What? Strong like she said?” He asks.

“Yeah, but it’s really good!” She whisper-yells, making him chuckle.

“I’m glad you like it.”

Their waitress comes back and takes their orders, leaving them to their semi-serene moment in the midst of the chatter, on either side of and behind them. Their eyes rest on the television above, showing a rerun of a college basketball game.

“I swear, every place like this plays the same channel.” Mya says, still sipping on her drink.

“Either this or SportCenter.” Isaiah snorts. His arm now draped around her frame.

She fidgets, before relaxing against him.

“Can I tell you something?” She asks, her eyes still on the tv.

“Of course.”

“You make me just a tad bit nervous, sometimes.” Her voice comes out small, again.

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t take it the wrong way,” she looks in his direction. “Have you ever liked someone so much, the amount of butterflies in your stomach just kinda scare you?”

His frown slowly turns up, easing her increased heart rate. “Yeah. I know what you mean.”

“That’s how I feel about you… if you didn’t guess it, by now.” She slides a nagging curl behind her ear, staring down at their intertwined fingers.

“I know we say it a lot.. but, it feels nice to say it to someone who feels the same way. You know?”

“Now, I really really really like you,” he says, making her giggle and swat at him as he presses endless pecks to her cheek.

“That’s a lot of really’s. It might turn into something else.” She teases.

“I ain't scared.” He shrugs.

“Neither am I.”

☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.☆:☆: .☽ .☆: .☽ · 。ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆

A full belly and two more mimosas later, Mya’s in the middle of telling Isaiah, yet another random thought that’s buzzing around in her tipsy mind.

“The media’s full of shit, I’m telling you. They get in everybody’s business and start stirrin’ shit up. Just like white people,” she whispers, but it comes out louder than intended, while he chokes on his laughter.

“For real, ‘saiah. Every “downfall” is probably nothing more than a fluke that gets muddled through the pipelines of a group of greedy bastards that need a way to make extra cash. Taking pictures of famous people gotta bring more than bacon to the table.”

“I agree with you. You can see it blatantly through the fan bases of certain people.” He adds.

“Exactly!—Ugh, don’t get me started!” She waves her hand, sticking her fork into the honeydew that was left on her plate. He laughs again, thoroughly  entertained.

“Want some?” She asks.

“I’ve never had it. Is it good?”

Mya sits up, a look of disbelief coloring her face.

“What— a southern man like yourself has never had honeydew?? Have you at least tried cantaloupe?”

He laughs at her expression. “You’re very animated. It’s funny— but, yes, I’ve had cantaloupe before. It’s not my favorite, and I guess that discouraged me to try anything else like it. It just never seemed appealing to me.” He responds.

“Do you wanna try it? In my opinion, it’s sweeter than cantaloupe. I don’t like that shit either.” Her face holds a slight mean mug.

“I’ve got nothin’ to lose, right?”

“I don't think so!” she laughs. “You don’t have to try it.”

“Nah, I’ll try it.” He shrugs. “C’mere.”

“Huh?”

“Huh?” He mocks, beckoning her with a single finger in his direction. “Come here.”

“I almost channeled my inner Mercedes, and chin checked you.” She says, before holding the fork in his direction.

He scoffs, “abuse in public? How rude.”

“The waitresses’ll back me up.” She looks in their direction, making them laugh and give her a thumbs up.

“That’s cold, ladies.” He chuckles, before finally taking a bite.

She studies his expression as he chews. “You like it?”

“It’s better than what I was expecting.” He responds as she nods.

She swipes her thumb over his bottom lip, catching the excess juice from the fruit before licking it off.

“Mm,”

His brows raise as she turns away from him, hiding the grin on her face. His subtle laugh makes it worse.

“Guess three’s your magic number too, huh?” He asks.

She playfully cuts her eyes at him, folding her hands in her lap.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” He laughs.

☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.☆:☆: .☽ .☆: .☽ · 。ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆

“Thanks for breakfast,” Mya says, twirling her keys in her hand as they stand in front of her door. “I enjoyed myself.”

“As did I.” He smiles. “We gotta keep you away from the bubbles, though.” He jokes.

“Don’t do me!” she rolls her eyes. “Three’s our magic number, remember?”

“Our, huh?”

Her eyes roll back, once more. “Shut up.”

“You got it.” Their lips meet, catching her off guard as his hands find her waist.

A sort of laughing sigh leaves her as their lips mold together. Her hands find the sides of his face.

He pulls her closer to him as he tugs on her bottom lip. A slight moan leaves her.

Resting her hand against his chest, she sighs.

“What’s wrong?” He asks, pulling away.

“I really like you, and I don’t wanna do what I always do in these situations.”

“What do you always do in situations like this?” He asks.

“Something I’m sure I wouldn’t regret..” she briefly looks up at him, his expression making her avert her gaze as her face grows hot.

“It’s okay. I wouldn’t regret it, either.” He says, pulling her gaze back to him. “But if you’re not ready, we don’t have to go there.”

But, I am ready!!!!!

Suppressing her urge, she nods. “I— I might be a little too drunk for this conversation.”

A mutual laugh carries through the wind. Still wrapped in each other’s arms, they kiss once more and part ways.

“I’ll call you later.” He promises, hopping into his truck, not driving off til she made it inside.

Pulling her jacket off, she sighs and plops down on the couch. Turning the tv on, another episode of Living Single plays, making her groan.

“Ugh!” she lays on top of the pillows, frowning as his scent hits her nose. She groans all over again.

Her phone begins to ring. Leaning up to grab it out of her jacket, Cedes💘 flashes across her screen.

Laying back down, she answers the FaceTime call.

“Hey, girl.”

“Ew, what’s wrong?” She asks, taking in her friend’s distressed expression.

“I’m just losing my mind. Nothing serious.”

“Wha– girl, what’s going on?”

“I almost threw caution to the wind!” She palms her face. 

Mercedes already knowing what she meant, her face lights up like a Christmas tree.

“Ooooh, you and swole arms ‘bout got it on?!”

“Yes,” she whines, her face still covered by her hand. “I was so close.”

“What happened??”

“We fell asleep on the couch last night and I woke up in his lap. I almost jumped out of my body, because I thought we did something, and then I felt stupid ‘cause we were still fully clothed.”

Mercedes starts laughing, catching a mean glare in return.

“Hey, someone’s gotta tease you for that! I know he didn’t.”

“No, he’s a sweetheart, unlike you, you imp.” She rolls her eyes.

“Anyway, he took me to breakfast and I didn’t even get to my second mimosa before I started telling too much.”

“Oh, girl. You know liquor is not your friend!”

“I know, but I’m always up for a good time! And he didn’t seem to mind, which made me even more comfortable and I just really like him.”

“Then, what’s the problem?”

I don’t wanna give it up and be lonely again.” She frowns.

“Oh, honey.” Mercedes’ expression mirrors that of her friend’s.

“Listen. I’ve only met him once and I immediately knew that he wasn’t the type of man to just screw around. He genuinely likes you. All of you! The things that we tease you for, he finds adorable. The things you don’t like about yourself, he admires. Y’all might not be in love or anything, but the feelings that’re there are mutual. I know you’ve gotta see it for yourself and know that he’s worth it, but I promise you won’t get left. I’d kill him, either way.” She winks, making Mya crack a smile.

“Thank you, girl. I just have so much baggage still. Literal ptsd from his crazy ass.”

“I'm still mad you didn't let me whoop his ass, but jail will do! For now, anyway.”

“You know I can't live right if you’re locked up!”

“I know, I know. At least you know I got your back.”

“I do, I do.” She smiles. “Thanks for calling. I really needed to get that off me.”

“That’s what I’m here for!! Besides getting on you and aunt Savannah’s nerves!”

“You know that’s the only reason she gave you the job, right?” Mya jokes.

“You just wait til I see you. We’ll see if Isaiah saves you from my foot like he did that poster board.”

“Shut the fuck up! Bye! Love you!”

“Love you, too!” She blows a kiss before hanging up.

She sits her phone down on the coffee table, before turning her attention to the screen. Eventually, she dozed off.

☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.☆:☆: .☽ .☆: .☽ · 。ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆

Isaiah sits across from his sister, Sabrina, currently talking her head off about his new favorite girl.

“She’s so beautiful, man.” He sighs. “I’m not even talking about her face anymore. Just her, in general. I’ve never seen someone wear their heart on their sleeve like her and be so proud about it.”

Sabrina smiles. “Sounds a lot like someone I know. Maybe, she’s been through shit too, ‘saiah.”

“Yeah, we’ve talked about it briefly. She’s definitely got scars. But, you wouldn’t know it by being around her. She’s a light.”

“You sound head over heels, over there!”

He rubs the back of his neck. “I just might be.”

Her eyes widened at his confession.

“Well, now I’ve got to meet her! But, wait..” she pauses, leaning forward on the table. “This ain’t another Janae situation, is it?”

“No, mama.” The scrunch is his expression making her laugh. “It’s not.”

“Hey, I’m just making sure! That girl had you runnin’ behind her like a lost puppy, out here.”

He sighs. “Can we change the subject, please? That was a long time ago.”

“Okay, my bad. When do I get to meet your girlfriend?”

“She's not my girlfriend.. yet. When’s the next time you’re free?”

“Hm. Next Wednesday. You guys should come to my job on your lunch break!”

“Alright, I’ll set it up.” He stands up from his seat to hug her, “tell Elijah I’ll be in the car.”

“Where y’all goin’?”

“Tuxedo shopping. I’ve gotta look my best at the Gold Ball,” he fixes his imaginary tie, making his sister laugh.

“Oh boy, I hate I’m gonna miss that.”

“Don’t be a hater all your life, okay?”

Grabbing an apple, she tosses it near his head. His left hand reached out just in time, catching the shiny red fruit.

“Of course, you caught it.” Their younger brother says as he rounds the corner.

“Yeah, him and those crazy fast reflexes. I almost had him, too!” She scowls.

“Better luck, next time.” Isaiah says, turning towards his brother. “You ready to go, man?”

“Yep. You lettin’ me drive?”

“Hell no. C’mon.” He says, before heading out the door.

The snickers from his sister turns him back toward her, a similar scowl on his own face. “Really?”

“Better luck, next time.” She mocks, waving him goodbye as he flips her off.

☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.☆:☆: .☽ .☆: .☽ · 。ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆

Standing inside Bailey Brothers’ clothing store, Isaiah browses the expansive collection. His brother, Elijah, trails behind, half listening as he asks for color suggestions.

“I don't know.. wear red.”

“Too bright.”

“Burgundy?” He asks,  looks up from his phone.

“Mm. Maybe.”

Stopping in front of a mannequin, his interest is finally piqued.

“Man, this is a nice suit.”

A Lugard original.

Splashes of cream, maroon and champagne blend beautifully with the help of a metallic overlay for the suit jacket. A burgundy, double breasted cross cut waistcoat, shirt, tie and matching trousers.

“Try it on, man.” His brother nods, sliding his phone into his pocket and pulling over an associate to assist his brother.

Stepping out of the dressing room, he pans around. “What do you think?”

“I don’t like the jacket. It’s too bright,” he chuckles, “the rest of it is sweet, though.”

He sighs. “I can’t buy the suit without the jacket, man.”

“Do you like it?”

“I did, no thanks to you.”

Elijah rolls his eyes.

“Call your girl and ask her opinion or something. We’ve been in here for almost an hour, man.”

“My fault, I'm holding you up? Somewhere you gotta be?” He sarcastically asks.

“Whatever. Ima go check in with Charlie.” He says, before leaving out.

“Of course you are.” He scoffs, before pulling out his phone to facetime Mya, who answers on the third ring.

“Hey, ‘saiah.” Her smile is big, matching his own.

“Hey, beautiful. How’d you sleep?”

She laughs, wiping the crud out of her eye. “Like a baby. What’s up?”

“I need help picking out a tuxedo for the ball.”

“Aww, you want my help??” She squeals.

“Of course. My brother wanted to tag along, but he just left me to go flirt with the girls at the bar, across the way.”

Mya snickers.

“Oh boy. Well, have you tried anything on, yet?”

“I’ve got one on, right now. Hold on.” Finding a small table, he props the phone up and takes a couple steps back as he fits into the frame.

“I like it!”

“You do??”

“I do! Red might be your color, instead of mine. Only thing.. I’m not too crazy about the jacket.”

“It’s too bright, huh?”

“I was thinking shiny in my head, but that works too.” She nods.

“Alright, let’s try another.”

Sliding into an Italian, black velvet-soaked suit, he turns towards the mirror, straightening the matching scarf tie.

“I don’t know how I feel about this one.” He says, glancing over at the phone. Mya looks up her binder.

“Let me see.”

Moving back into the frame, he pans around as she gets a good look. She chews on her nail.

“I like this one, better than the other one.” She says. “Black looks good on you, too. And, it’s velvet! You can’t go wrong, there.”

“Even with the scarf tie? It doesn’t look weird?”

“Not to me– do you like it?”

“I mean, it’s cool. I’m not crazy about it.” He shrugs, still adjusting the suit, unbuttoning the jacket and buttoning it back. Moving the scarf around, even switching it out with the bow tie option.

“I can see that. You want something colorful?”

“I do, yeah. I’m just not seeing a color that’s really doin’ it for me. The first suit was cool, but I don’t wanna stick out like a sore thumb in a ‘shiny’ jacket, either.”

“They’d never forget you!” She cracks, making him chuckle. “But, just because I don’t like it, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t wear it.”

“You’re right.” He disappears momentarily, before reappearing back in his own clothes. Grabbing the phone up from the table, he heads out of the dressing room and back onto the floor, searching for another suit.

“Alright, I’ll try one more and then I’m giving up!” He dramatically announces. She rolls her eyes.

“Isaiah, you’re a drama queen, sometimes.”

He scoffs, further proving her point. “I should hang up on you.”

“Who else is gonna watch you play dress up, boo?” She tilts her head at the same time that he looks back down at the screen, making them both laugh.

“Good point.”

“I know it.” She looks back at her notes, scribbling a couple of things down, as well as doodling all over her page.

“I’ve got another idea for the office!”

“I see you writing away, over there. Lay it on me.”

“It’s just little things that I’ve been thinking about— like, marble floors could be cool! Rounding off the tops of the archways, I didn’t wanna call ‘em door spaces,” she laughs. “It makes the building look taller.”

“I think it all sounds really cool, babe. You got visuals?”

“Thank you! And yes, the internet was my friend, today!” She exclaims. “I’ve created a folder on my laptop for it and everything.”

“I wanna see,” he says, still skimming through the suits.

“Want me to come over, later?” She asks. “We can order a pizza and I can show you all of my ideas!” She cheeses.

He swoons at the sight.

“Sounds like a plan, babygirl.”

“Great. Still looking?”

“I think.. I found the perfect one.” He says, and for the first time since he’s been on the phone, she can hear the excitement in his tone. It makes her excited, as well.

After calling the associate over, heading back into the dressing room, undressing and redressing in the suit, he takes a look in the mirror.

He snaps his fingers. “This is it.”

“Let me see! Let me see!” She yells.

He stands back in front of the camera, doing another spin. She immediately nods, clapping her hands.

Another all black suit, tailored just right to his muscled build, a red pocket square and matching tie to set it off.

“Wow. That’s absolutely the one. I like the style of the pants, very 70’s flare!”

“Yeah, I like that too!”

“Mmhm, it looks really good on you.” She swoons, placing her chin in the palm of her hand.

His own face runs hot underneath her gaze. “Thank you, pretty.”

“You’re welcome. Glad I could help.”

“I appreciate you. I’ll see you later?” His tone was full of hope, even though she’d already made plans to do so.

“You’ll see me later,” she smiles.

“Good.”

“Now, buy the suit and go wrangle your brother from those girls.” She laughs. He sucks his teeth.

“Kid’s gonna be the death of me, I swear. But, alright. I’ll let you get back to your notes.”

“Alright.” She blows him a kiss. He catches it in his hand, sticking it in the suit’s breast pocket.

She giggles as he explains that it’s for good luck, before they finally end their conversation.

☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.☆:☆: .☽ .☆: .☽ · 。ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆

Standing inside of Windsor, Mya's friends, sister and mama help her pick through her options for the gold ball. 

“What about this one? I think it’s cute.”

The Valdrin Sahiti ivory gown with its spaghetti straps and deep enough v-cut, beaded silhouette and ostrich feather train made her feel ethereal.

The feedback made her feel even better.

“Wow! We have to look at more dresses after this one??” Mercedes asks.

“It’s very beautiful, I agree.” Her mother chimes in. “The cut is even tasteful.”

“I love this color on you, honestly. It makes you pop!” Gina says, making Taylor agree.

“Pick this one!”

“Well, there’s another one I wanna try, before I settle! But, I really really like this one, too!”

Stepping off the platform, she rushes into the dressing room to try the other one on, with the help of the lovely associate.

“Okay, here’s the second option!”

Stepping back out, the collective gasp lets her know that she’d, indeed, saved the best for last.

“Wow! Never mind. This is the one!” Gina exclaims.

A brown and purple mosaic style ensemble, this time from Mirror Palais. Silky with a small train for drama, complete with the back out.

“Wow,” her mother exclaims.

“Get this one,” they say in unison.

“I knew this would get y'all!”

“Mmhm. Somebody ain’t gon’ know how to act when he sees this dress.” Mercedes says, snickering to herself.

“Mercedes, please.” Mya laughs, heading back into the dressing room to put her clothes back on. Her brash friend comes with.

“What?! Am I lying??”

“Not necessarily, but shh.” She hints at her mother. “She’ll get wind of him going, and start badgering me about that, on top of asking me why I didn’t tell her!”

“You’re right, my bad.” She apologizes, helping her place the dress in its garment bag. “I’m just so excited for him to see you!”

“Ugh, you should see what he’s wearing.”

“Ooh, you got a picture?”

“I took a screenshot while we were on the phone, earlier.” She goes searching for the picture, squealing as she comes back across it.

Taylor pushes the curtain to the dressing room back, as she steps in. “I heard squealing and I didn’t wanna miss whatever’s going on!”

“Look!” She shows her friends a candid of Isaiah in his burnt orange ensemble.

“Wow!”

“I know!!”

She stares at the picture with them, completely in awe of how good he looks.

A heavenly sigh comes from her lips, making them giggle.

“Sorry, let me put this away.” She snaps out of it, sliding her phone into her sweats.

“Can I ask you something?” Taylor says, sitting on a stool.

“Sure, wassup?”

“I know y’all got a lil hot on your porch, but do you think it’ll go beyond that? Especially, y’all being so attracted to each other?”

Pausing before answering, she sticks her head out, finding her mom and sister by the entrance. She closes the curtain and starts spilling.

“It’s complicated, honestly. Like, I’d love to jump that man’s bones— I’d love to. But, it’s so much more important to me that I get to know him. He’s just so fun to be around— to talk to! The men I’ve come across didn’t even know my favorite color, nor did they care about my random facts, you know? I really, really, really like him. Plus, I’ve got emotional damage to lay to rest, before I have sex, again. That’s not a smart idea.” She explains.

Her friends take in her words, understanding where she’s coming from. They both give her a much needed hug, almost making her cry.

“We love you, girl.”

“You better never forget it, either.”

“I love you guys, too.” She sniffles, as they pull away. She grabs the garment bag and they all regroup to checkout.

“Thanks for finally helping me choose a dress. I can now relax!”

They all hug and part ways for the night.

☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.☆:☆: .☽ .☆: .☽ · 。ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆

Her binder, folder and laptop take up half of the spacious coffee table that Isaiah owns, while the pizza boxes take up the rest.

“Okay, what about marble counters instead of marble floors?” She asks.

“I liked it for the floors, honestly. You think it might be too much?”

“I don’t know… maybe? We could always make the floors a solid color like black or even chocolate!”

“That’s an idea, yeah!” He nods, laughing as she writes it down.

“What about the pastel idea you were telling me about, a couple days ago?” He asks. “Did you trash that one?”

“No, no! I like that idea, too!” She looks between her notes and the goofy expression on his face, sighing.

“Okay, okay. I obviously need to hone in on a color scheme.”

“You think?”

“Listen, I didn’t come over here to get chastised for being scatterbrained, alright?” She pokes his chest.

“I’m just playing.” He chuckles. “Maybe.”

“And that’s exactly why you can’t see my gown, until the night of the ball.”

He kisses his teeth. “Who do you think you are, Cinderella?”

“Of course not! I’m cooler than her. I’m me.” She says, matter-of-factly.

He snickers, watching her type away on her laptop.

“The pastels make more sense for the type of place we work at,” she starts. “But, wouldn’t it be fun to shake shit up??”

“Of course, it would! The rustic, barrel club chairs and the teardrop chandeliers that you mentioned earlier, was something I’d never thought of seeing at work. That’d be dope!”

She stops typing to glance in his direction. “Yeah?”

“Yeah!” He nudges her side. “Me being somewhat of a “handyman”, myself. I could always help you install those.”

“You really wanna help me with all of this?”

“Yeah! You’ve got me excited about all of it. I figure, you can use all the hands you can get, right?”

“That’s very true. I’ll definitely have a full schedule, once I start this thing.” She sighs, cracking her knuckles before looking at him.

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For being you.”

Like clockwork, his face runs warm from her words.

“Anytime.” His grin widened.

Knowing she could spend an eternity staring at him, she drops her gaze back to her laptop, clearing her throat.

“Okay. Last call, I suppose. Pastels or neutrals?”

“I vote for neutrals, but it only matters what you think. It’s your project.”

“Nope, you wanna help me, so it’s your project too, now.” She points out.

“You got me, there.” She laughs, closing her laptop, along with her binder and folder.

“I’m gonna call it, cause I’m tired of looking at all of this. Have you packed for the trip?”

“Yeah, I finished up yesterday. What about you?”

“Almost. I just need a rollaway case for my dress, so it doesn’t get smushed.”

“Understandable. I had to purchase a foldable bag for my suit. It’s actually pretty convenient.”

“I didn’t even know they made such a thing!”

“Me neither! One of the associates pointed me to it, when I was checking out.”

“Hm. How much was the suit, if you don’t mind me asking.”

“$450. Not too bad.” He answers. “How much was your dress?”

“Well, it was pretty pricey, in my opinion. I believe the total came to almost $800. I didn't even wanna really look!”

“So, this dress must be something to behold, huh?”

“You’ll find out soon.” She cheeses wide.

@abeautifulmindexposed @harmshake @henneseyhoe @blackerthings @ghostfacekill-monger @megamindsecretlair @thegifstories @dbaileyblog @blowmymbackout @nahimjustfeelingit-writes @twistedcharismaaa @soufcakmistress @slippinninque @theereina @babybratzmaraj

[clowningaroundmars]

morales twins hcs

i'm absolutely in love with the idea of miles42 and miles1610 being twins, i'm so glad most of the fandom has basically adopted 42 lmao

some of my own twins headcanons, just random stuff to add onto other ppls hcs ive seen:

☆ 42 loves his mamí absolutely but def acts the most like his dad, and haaaates when anyone points it out. it's the most obvious when 42 gets mad, he sounds EXACTLY like his father then lol

☆ in fact, the twins polar opposite personalities is probs bc 1610 takes after his mom's temperament more, while 42 is as stoic, stubborn and slightly dorky as his dad is

☆ whenever the boys made each other cry (by accident or otherwise) they did the typical little kid thing and tried immediately comforting the other. now that they're older 1610 handles his emotions better and is mature when talking about them, but 42 is the one who comforts 1610 more often

more below ↓

☆ as well as staying on top of his academics, 42 also plays basketball and trains in a couple martial arts studios after school. 1610 is taller than 42 bc of the spider bite but 42 has always been slightly bigger and more muscular than 1610 since he's the athlete. whenever the family attends 42's boxing matches, jeff gets an overwhelming sense of deja vu from back when he attended his own brother's matches before

☆ they both got thru school p okay, not many incidents of bullying mostly bc if anyone did try, 42 would put a stop to that nonsense immediately. 42 loves his bro with his whole heart and was glad to pick a fight with anyone who gave him any trouble at all. the whole neighborhood knew it too bc the only person allowed to bully 1610 is 42 himself!

☆ in fact, 42 doesn't win the lottery to enter visions in the first place, which saddened both brothers when they found out. so because they're at separate schools now, 42 makes sure his twin knows that if any fuckery is afoot at visions that he'd be more than happy to roll up and dogwalk any fool who tries it. 1610 laughs him off but knows his bro has got his back for sure

☆ 42 likes to pretend 1610 is the nerdy one, but they are both very big anime and manga nerds. every time they hit up any bookstore, they both make a beeline for the manga section and argue over who's gonna read the newest one first (they have to share cuz those books cost some moneeyyyy, man)

☆ 1610 and 42 love their uncle to pieces, OFC. they both pick up separate traits from him, even. 42 was inspired to start martial arts and boxing from watching videos on old digital cameras that aaron hung onto thru the years. they were of a much younger aaron back in his boxing days, when his family went to his matches and recorded them from the seats. 1610 was inspired to pick up graffiti and then even started doodling in notebooks bc of aaron

☆ 1610 is def the social butterfly and easily the most popular kid on the block by virtue of how friendly and outgoing he is. 42 is more introverted and keeps a small circle of friends, but everyone is cool with him nonetheless since they fuck with his twin bro

☆ since 42 stays at home the most (lol he a homebody) he picks up cooking much better than 1610 thanks to him staying in the kitchen to help his mom make dinner while they watch telenovelas together. 42 also knows how to dance bachata and salsa much better than 1610 too

☆ both twins love physics and math but 42 is more hardware-inclined. 1610 is about software, data, and formulas. 42 is good at taking things apart, putting things together, building and engineering. he kinda takes after his uncle aaron that way, and drove his parents nuts as a lil kid when he got his hands on radios, computers, clocks, etc

☆ 1610 loves softer brighter music like JID, steve lacy, smino, frank ocean, kid cudi, post malone, and nujabes. 42 is always bumping harder shit like pop smoke, waka flocka, zillakami, three 6 mafia, benny the butcher and some oldies like paul wall, wu tang clan, biggie smalls, MF DOOM and big KRIT. they tease each other's music tastes a lot since they're polar opposites in almost every way

☆ they actually have a shared playlist where they add new music they like (probs on some e-1610 spotify or soundcloud equivalent since everything is slightly skewed on e-1610 tbh). both of them check it periodically, and 42 is the more frequent contributor

☆ they both make art but 1610 is the artsier kid for sure. 42 doodles occasionally but he's not as enthusiastic about it as his twin is. they both go around the city tagging walls whenever they have any free time, though. 1610 loves colors, expressive styles and is good at coming up with cool ways to draw text. 42's lines, accuracy and technical skill can never be beat

☆ 1610 has superpowers, sure, but his fighting skills are trash! 42 was always the scrappy one, not 1610, so he shows his twin how to properly throw punches and other useful fighting knowledge. it def comes in handy in the future

☆ jeff loves his sons to death but he often finds himself butting heads the most with 42 since they're so similar, it kinda drives them both nuts. it def gets worse once aaron starts gossiping abt what jeff used to be like when they were kids, giving 42 plenty of ammo. they love each other but their relationship is just as complicated as it is between jeff and 1610, and 42 would be lying if he said he wasn't affected by the rift between his dad and uncle himself

☆ the minute the twins turn 16, 42 goes out and gets his drivers license on the first try (computer quiz AND road test aced) and rubs it in 1610's face almost constantly. 1610 likes to throw back that there's no parking space for another car on their block, so he can't even get his own car even if he wanted to anyways

☆ whenever the boys really fight, the whole city seems to know. they squabble a lot obvi, they're brothers. but the very few times they've given each other the silent treatment like for real, everyone in the family tries to get them to make up since it's unsettling to see two peas in a pod be so hostile with each other

☆ and since they've always been attached at the hip, 1610 being enrolled into visions felt. weird. everyone thought 1610 was gonna take it the hardest but surprisingly 42 had a harder time adjusting since he always saw his bro in the hallways at school, and was so used to him knowing the latest gossip of anybody in their grade. without 1610 around as often, 42 becomes even more withdrawn than usual

rio looks up from the pot suddenly, glancing at the time. dinner was almost ready and she… hadn't seen not hide nor tail of her son this evening. he returned home from school a couple hours earlier, choosing to skip going to his boxing class to shut himself in his room.

fine. teenagers can be moody sometimes and rio would rather keep her moody son at home where she can keep an eye on him, rather than worry about what he's getting up to on the streets.

strange thing is, though... rio hadn't heard a single noise come out of that room all night. 42 usually liked to have at least some music playing, maybe video game noises out of his nintendo... oh, what was it called again? whatever, that nintendo thing he played on sometimes.

rio placed the lid on the pot and lowered the flame a bit before making her way over to her twin sons' bedroom door, hesitating a bit when she noticed no light was filtering out from the bottom either. okay... that was weird, too. neither of her sons ever went to bed before dinner. ever.

the one time rio dared to try and send her sons to bed without dinner years ago-- as punishment for fighting right there in the kitchen that time-- both twins hollered so loud they got concerned knocks on their front door from various different neighbors. never again, rio remembered thinking that time.

now, the bedroom door stands oddly quiet and completely hollow without any signs of life behind it. rio knocked anyways, hoping against hope itself that 42 didn't go ahead and sneak out of the house without her knowledge. if he did sneak out, he's grounded for 3 months, rio thinks to herself mostly as reassurance. she nervously picks at a nail and strains to hear anything behind the wood.

she thinks she hears a groan and decides to try her luck by slowly opening the door. hopefully he's not in there... y'know, doing teenage boy things, either. dios mío.

rio swings the door open to...

...a completely pitch-black room, save for the sliver of streetlight filtering in past a crack in the window curtains and casting an eerie yellow glow on anything it could touch. it is cold, and also deathly quiet.

rio is shocked.

she walks over to the right side of the room where 42's bed is pushed up against the corner, next to the windows. on that bed lies a big lump, buried under several layers of blankets. the lump stirs.

rio crosses her arms. "mijo, mi amor. are you sleeping? …pero qué te pasa, papí?"¹

42 rolls onto his back and glares sleepily at his concerned mother standing at his bedside. it's dark in the room, but rio's face is illuminated by the living room lights pouring in from the open door. she's wearing a tilted smile, but coupled with the worry lines on her forehead, it isn't fooling anyone.

42 slowly closes his eyes, chin still under the covers, and lets out the most world-weary sigh rio has ever heard coming out of someone as young as him. if it weren't coming from her own son, she might have even laughed.

she immediately sits down, lifting the cover off of 42's chin to check his temperature all over his face. he tries to wriggle away.

"maaaaaa, stop..." he grumbles, trying to pull the covers up higher over his head. "'m not sick, mamí, forreal… chill."

rio leans on a hand. "¿si no 'ta enfermó pues qué es?² what's wrong?"

42 doesn't answer for a bit and rio exhales through her nose. " 'moré, what are you doing in this pitch-black room all by yourself? no light, no music, no nothing. what's wrong? you look like you're on a death bed!"

42 finally opens his eyes again, and blinks a few times as he says, "nothing, ma. seriously, i'm just... tired. that's all. i'm fine."

"you don't look 'fine' 42, you look like 2 seconds away from flatlining."

another sigh from the boy. rio rolls her eyes and places her hand on his forehead again, then strokes his cheek.

"is it 1610? hmm?" rio asks 42. she asks so unbelievably gently, as if by only mentioning his brother's name she would shatter something in the room. a mirror or something.

42's heart clenches at the love and care his mother is showing around this particular topic. it was true, and he couldn't even deny it. having 1610 in the house less and less every week, not seeing him in the hallways at their local high school, receiving sparser and shorter replies to his texts... it was all building up in his chest and the dam was pretty close to bursting. especially now as his mom was lovingly stroking his cheek as she checked in with him. how embarassing. rio wouldn't see him cry, not right now. he closed his eyes and willed the tears away, for her sake.

miraculously, 42's voice didn't crack or waver when he said, "yeah. yeah, i miss 'im."

rio crooned something saccharine in spanish and placed a kiss on her son's forehead. she saw right through his cold tough guy act, as expected. with how much of a mama's boy 42 was, it would've been impossible not to. they spent way too much time together for her to miss how he dragged his feet getting ready for school in the mornings, how he's been skipping martial arts and basketball practice more often lately, and how unenthusiastic he's been in general.

rio chuckles as she lays her cheek on 42's forehead for a second before sitting back up. "ay, bendito. 42, you know your brother is just down a few blocks from here. why don't you go visit him soon?"

42 shuffles under the covers. he's unsure if he should even admit this, but he proceeds anyways. "uhm. he's not answering my texts lately, so." he feels strangely guilty about this, like he just snitched on his twin somehow even though he has no reason to suspect that at all.

rio sighs and looks off into the distance, bracing herself for what she's about to say. she looks back down. "yeah. i know. he doesn't answer mine, either. i was hoping he was talking to you, but... well. "

something in 42 stirs a bit. "i bet he thinks he's in some fancy private school, around rich kids, now he's too good for us," it's a weak attempt at a joke, but rio smiles down at him anyways.

"don't worry. the second he gets home this weekend, he's on house arrest. okay? he's gonna be chained to you the whoooole time. and i'm keepin' watch."

it's not much, but 42 still takes that little bit of hope and holds it gently in his mind.

"the second he walks through that door, i'm tackling him. i don't care." 42 smiles at the thought.

rio laughs, kisses his forehead again and stands up. "dinner is almost ready, by the way." she gives him a look. "you better eat with me tonight, because your brother is at school and your dad is doing overtime tonight. okay? okay."

42 sighs deeply to wake himself up a bit more as he sits up and scratches at his durag. "yeah, yeah. 'm comin', ma!"

¹ "but what is going on with you, papí?" (papí being a common term of affection for a boy in spanish, it doesn't always mean "dad" lol)

² "if you're not sick, then what is it?"

☆ until they get "too old" for halloween, the morales twins ALWAYS wear matching costumes. every year. every single year, no matter what. what they usually end up wearing changes every year and they aaaaaalways argue over it, of course. notable costumes so far: batman and superman (age 13), two ninja turtles (age 9) (im thinking mikey and donatello bc of personality but lbr rio most likely forbade either of them to be leonardo bc the twins would deadass get into a fist fight over it), tom and jerry (age 2), mario and luigi (age 7), woody and buzz (age 5), peter pan and captain hook (age 10), and-- rio's favorite-- thing 1 and thing 2 (age 4)

☆ 42 was surprisingly always very popular with the girls at school. in middle school, 1610 was the geeky one with braces and acne. 42 got off relatively easy in that regard and as a result was labeled "a heartbreaker" from the jump, which annoyed him. he has no interest in dating whatsoever and swore to never get into a relationship before graduating high school. he's got his mom and brother to take care of and he's going places after high school, damnit! 1610 on the other hand is a huge romantic and has a crush on a new person almost every year of school, easily

☆ the literal second 1610 set foot in the house after his spider bite, 42 was all over him asking a million questions since they both have that supernatural twintuition, and 42 sussed him out immediately. 1610 obviously had to come clean and tell his brother he was spiderman just like he told ganke, otherwise he was never gonna be able to change into his spider suit at home (plus they share a room, so. there's that)

1610 didn't even get to close their bedroom door all the way before his twin leaped up from his own bed and stalked over.

"óye, bro. what's up? what happened at visions?" 42 circled his brother, squinty-eyed in the exact same way their mom is when she's suspicious. 1610 dropped his bag next to his bed and plopped down on his sheets, trying to put some distance between them.

"uhhhh what're you talkin' about?" he tries casually, and immediately regrets it.

"uhhhhh what're you talkin' about?" 42 mocks. "don't play dumb with me. you KNOW what i'm talkin' about, stupid. first, you answer, like, none of my texts ever. then dad comes home sayin' you never let him talk face-to-face when he visited you a couple days ago. mamí has been texting and calling you nonstop, no answer either. you are a brand new person now, huh? qué te pasa, yo?"

1610 hunched his shoulders as he got up and slumped over to his desk. he was quietly weighing his options, nervously rearranging papers and sketches on the wooden table, wondering how he was going to break it to his brother that he was--

"lemme guess. you have superpowers now," 42 says easily. he crosses his arms triumphantly when big round amber eyes suddenly turn up to his face.

1610 searches his face for any hint of a joke. no... no way. did his brother just...?

"you're playin' with me. no way. how did you--?"

42's eyes widen. "wait, are you being deadass right now?" he threw his head back and crowed with laughter. "that was just a guess!"

1610 leaped forward and pushed his hand onto 42's mouth, shutting him up. "heeyyy hey hey hey hey shhhhh, man. damn, could you possibly be any louder? look," he took his twin by the shoulders and gave him a slight shake, lowering his voice to a near whisper. "mom and dad can never know anything about this. okay? anything. not a word, you understand?"

42 pushes his brother off. "ok-ay man, cool it. i promise. we can shake on it, even."

wordlessly, they did their super secret handshake they came up with and perfected in the 4th grade in lieu of hooking their pinkies together. it was the morales shake, a move that binds them to secrecy and keeping promises til death. this was serious business. 1610 relaxes a bit once they're done.

"... okay. and i mean it, pencil braids. if you even breathe a word about this, or even think about--!"

"if you don't just tell me already, goddamn."

with a meaningful look thrown at his brother's way, 1610 raises an arm silently. 42 looks back expectantly.

1610 shoots a web up. he jumps up, using the web as a bungee rope to help him flip and land feet-first onto the ceiling. once his sneakers touch their ceiling, he stands up... upside-down. he stares at his brother and his brother stares back, mouth agape.

"niiiiiiice," 42 leans back and grins up at his twin brother, spiderman.

☆ 1610 is glad he has someone besides ganke to talk to about spiderman stuff, though. his brother listens way more attentively than his roommate anyways, and even tries to help sometimes esp when 1610 needs a quick distraction so he can switch from spiderman back into his regular clothes before the parents notice

☆ 42 is surprisingly cool abt his twin bro being spiderman, actually. even when they're texting 42 is careful not to imply 1610 is spiderman, and often calls stuff in to the police station if 1610 webs anyone up and lets him know. he also gets very good at bandaging up wounds quickly

☆ 42 is a hardass on the outside and contains his emotions much better than his twin, but he's kinda different around his family, since he loves them a lot. he jokes around a lot with them, esp around 1610. they also love pranking their parents, and are p creative at coming up with ways to make everyone laugh

☆ i personally picture 42's personality being sort of like huey's from the boondocks, especially around other adults. he becomes withdrawn and speaks very clearly and directly, and is very shy around strangers. some ppl mistake that as him having an attitude problem but his friends and family know better. only difference between huey and 42 is that 42 isn't nearly as woke lmfao

☆ meanwhile, 1610 becomes a motormouth around strangers and is quick to hug and kiss random family members at family reunions. as a lil kid, he'd always be the one up at the counter ordering for the both of them and chatting with the cashiers, or bus drivers, or whoever. as he gets older and used to the spiderman thing, he chats and jokes with randoms a lil less. he has to save the good material for when the mask is on

☆ 42 is a better writer than he is an artist, actually. he has notebooks filled with poetry and lyrics he scribbles down on post-it notes just to stick them in there for safekeeping. he's also been working on a sci-fi story since he was in 6th grade in absolute secrecy; he doesn't want a single soul to see it. he'd be mortified if anyone saw the nerdy shit he comes up with

☆ even tho 1610 has never fought anyone or been scrappy with anyone else, he's very good at wrestling and dodging punches thanks to his brother.

☆ 42 is the more fashion-inclined twin, even tho they're both sneakerheads. 42 just pays more attention to accessories, the fit of his clothing, how to pair the right shoes with the right jacket. 1610 throws on anything comfortable and calls it a day, and it gets even worse after he becomes spiderman. 42 clowns his brother SO HARD after he finds him wearing yellow sweatpants with an oversized red adidas hoodie and a green puffer jacket once (it was when 1610 came home from fighting a shapeshifting lizard that tried to take over cypress hills. the sweatpants were on backwards)

☆ 1610's sense of humor is geeky and he always tries too hard with his quips and jokes. he usually gets "secondhand embarrassment" chuckles from ppl. 42's style of comedy is a mix of dry humor and unintentionally being funny. this dude will say something clever with the straightest face ever and have the ENTIRE room in stitches without even meaning to

☆ just to nail home how different they are, even tho they share a room, you can tell EXACTLY which half of their room begins and ends. 1610's half is cluttered, vibrant, covered in posters and action figures, collages and trinkets on every available surface. 42's is as clean as a hospital room, and he ALWAYS makes his bed every morning. 42 has a poster or 2 hung up but he's not much for decorating in general. he's more into alphabetizing his bookshelf and looking for more efficient storage to put under his bed

☆ when jeff looks at his sons, he sees aaron and himself and sometimes it scares him. when the boys were around 12 (the Evil Year) he made SURE to sign them up for camp trips that summer and keep them close together as much as possible. he hates to see his boys drift apart at all and is the 1st one to call it out if he sees it. he just doesn't want his boys to end up like he and his brother did…

☆ … and then other times? it genuinely makes him feel a combination of irritation and also fondness bc sometimes 1610 and 42 really really remind him of aaron and himself, esp when they were young. ESPECIALLY when they argue. in every playful slap on the shoulder, every arbitrary competition started out of nowhere, every sleepy brother slowly sliding onto the other's shoulder during nighttime car rides, he sees it. he sees them, and then he sees his past. and with every little difference between the boys slowly cracking open like a chasm with each passing day, sometimes he thinks he can even see his future.

☆ 42 is cool or whatever but i also hc he's kinda… weird sometimes. it gets worse when his twin bro goes off to visions, he keeps staring at walls while sitting in dark rooms and eating at weird hours of the day. rio caught him fast asleep practically hanging off the window sill one night, and another time jeff found him having an entire conversation with a brick wall once while on patrol. 42 refuses to answer any questions

☆ after 1610 gets into visions, becomes spiderman, tells his parents abt his plans to go to princeton, etc... 42 eventually starts feeling a type of way (a jealous way…) their parents also seem to pay attention to 1610 more whenever he's home just to add insult to injury. he knows he's not supposed to, but he often finds himself thinking about the prowler gloves and schematics aaron left behind. he managed to grab them and hide them in a gym bag one day while helping his parents clear out aaron's apartment. the tech currently lives under his bed…

[reveseke]

A cup of coffee …

– Request? No

– Criminal minds; Hotch & Son! Insomniac! Reader

– Warnings? None. Just spilled coffee and one curse. :)

– Note; primarily written with insomnia in mind, isn't limited to it though and could be other sleep disorders as well since it ain't specified. anyways a neurodivergent coded one. Not really proud but hey working with what I got while being sleep deprived, bc i need to desperately write something bc impulses. Kinda self-induced.

Edit. This is actually better than I remembered, now that I look at it lol.

It was quite late, the clock striking four in the morning already as R got up from his chair. Not really aware of time as he went out with an empty mug in hand. Dark circles underneath his eyes, making his eyes look a little sunken as one if the underneaths had some greenish discoloration that reminded him of an almost healed bruise.

His body swayed a little as he tried to keep walking straight and not knock himself on a corner of a door or tables on his way to the kitchen. In a way he was glad that his dad wasn't sleeping on the couch, but that just meant he was awake and most likely getting ready to leave.

It was the quiet voice of his dad that made R stop for a brief moment just behind the corner of the kitchen where Aaron would not see him. Contemplating whether or not to go for another cup, he shrugged his shoulders as he wobbled in. Aaron had been speaking on the phone with who R presumed to be JJ or possibly even Veronica to come and babysit them, or more to babysit Jack.

Aaron looked up at the boy making brief eye contact before he stopped completely from what he was doing. "Morning." Casually R greeted, immediately after doing so he went for the coffee pot.

"Don't you think you've had enough coffee for the night?" Hotch mindlessly asked as he glanced at the boy, it was visible, the sleep deprived state his son was in. Lightly tilting his head as he poured his coffee without a word, a hand wrapped around the mug for a more secure feeling as he did briefly make eye contact with a small, "No." Putting the pot down he took a small sip from it.

"Is Veronica coming today?" He asked as he straightened his back out, Hotch currently scratching something down on a paper with a ball point. "Yes. She's coming around ten to check up on you two. Don't do anything stupid." Gathering what he had Aaron took his leave from the kitchen area.

"No promises" He gave a tired yet managing a cheeky smile baring his teeth for a second as his hand slipped mindlessly; "shit!" there was a small yelp as the coffee spread everywhere and the mug hit the ground with a lightly spooked R looking down defeated.

Appearing at the doorway, Hotch looked at what the boh had managed to do within a few seconds of his words.

"Language." He merely reminded him with a heavy sight before disappearing out of the door for good.

" "LaNgUAge" .. language my ass"

[kylieswift31]

Are you not entertained?!

Looking back it's clear that Taylor Swift knew she would be involved with Travis Kelce, the Chiefs and their football games long before their relationship started. This allowed her time to plan and leave a trail of breadcrumbs along the way so that looking back it felt like an invisible string tying them both together.

Just like a broken clock is right twice a day, leaving a plethora of Easter eggs increases the feeling that they were meant to be together all along for anyone that choose not to see past the facade of Taylor™. Many of the connections are simple and obvious, such as the number 87, the combination of red and yellow and football themed references. Others are more of a shot in the dark but have a bigger payoff if they end up foreshadowing something really specific years in advance.

To understand how Taylor has been able to plan so far in advance we shouldn't be looking backwards at what has happened in the past, instead we should put ourselves in Taylor's shoes to consider the steps she would take knowing what was to come in the future. This would begin with researching the topic and learning about the history of football and sport in general. "I want to tell a sports story because I had just watched the last dance." In the folklore long pond studio sessions Taylor and Aaron Dessner discuss the reasons behind why they created the song 'epiphany'. Watching movies and reading books that feature sports stars is a great place to start looking for inspiration to gauge what the public is familiar with.

The next step would be to pick out specific references to hint at in interviews, outfits and social media posts. These take a little more effort to pull off but mostly relate to future projects Taylor has already planned out. The Easter egging begins to reach mastermind status when the foreshadowing links to events outside of Taylor's immediate control. The most recent example of this is the new Pepsi commercial inspired by Gladiator that ends with Travis saying "Are you not entertained?!" This is the same Gladiator quote that Taylor referenced in the Time person of the year interview that she did late last year. It's possible she knew about this commercial ahead of time before her interview.

This is a recreation of the Pepsi commercial that was made in 2000 featuring Britney Spears, Beyonce and P!nk. They were dressed as scantily clad warriors singing a cover of Queen's 'we will rock you' while being attacked by lions. The remake features Megan Thee Stallion singing the same song as Travis and his teammates are being attacked by tigers. This is an interesting choice of predator considering they end up locking one of the tigers in a cage. We've seen many tiger references in Taylor's work including the fearless tiger stripe outfit and the "way to go tiger" lyrics in 'Peter". If we consider what Taylor would have been inspired by as she was planning ahead, the original version of this commercial would have been a perfect example of female sportsmanship displayed in a male dominated industry.

Just like the eye of the storm can trick you into thinking the storm is over, the end of the international leg of the eras tour wasn't the end of Taylor's story. This new commercial is just like the second half of the Truman show when the camera zooms out to reveal the dome Truman has been living in. Everything we're seeing during this break feels jarring after being so focused on the details of the eras tour each night. This is intentional, allowing us room to zoom out to see the bigger picture and the role the director has been playing all along to script the narrative. And even though Taylor isn’t visibly associated with this commercial, it feels like a connection to her story when she’s selling out the same stadiums all by herself over and over again.

All of these connections between Taylor and Travis feel synchronistic in hindsight, yet are logical connections if you're planning ahead of time regardless of the motivation behind it. If you believe they're in love it will seem like fate or a coincidence that they both used the same quote. If you believe Pepsi and the NFL are using Taylor to increase their sales then you will see how they reused her quote to gain attention. If you believe Taylor contributed her ideas to benefit her PR relationship then you will see that she used the quote to foreshadow the new commercial. And if you believe this is all a part of the performance art you will see that it's another piece of the bigger story being told. Either way it creates yet another connection between Taylor and three of the most powerful and successful pop stars of our generation.

After all, are you not entertained?

A tortured poet,

Kylie x

[paintyoureyeswithavividmind]

close to home | chapter thirty eight

close to home | chapter thirty eight

plot: Alexandria steps up to move a herd of walkers, and then the community is attacked

series masterlist

Pairing: Eventual Daryl Dixon x f!reader Word Count: 2,387 Warnings: violence, blood, typical twd A/N: thank you for reading!!!

You couldn’t sleep that night. After the meeting about Rick, and everything that happened during it, you couldn’t close your eyes long enough without thinking about all that happened. Reg was dead, who you didn’t really talk to. And Rick had killed Pete. You hoped that meant Deanna would let Rick stay. That meant you all could stay. 

Michonne was sleeping in the bed on the other side of the room, and you had enough of tossing and turning. You quietly left the room and headed downstairs, hoping to find something small to eat. 

Carol had made her acorn cookies earlier today--a part of this act she was putting on--so you helped yourself to two of them and a glass of water. The clock on the microwave read it was nearing two in the morning. Your eyes were heavy, and your body was tired, but your mind wouldn’t let you sleep. 

Out the front window, you saw the light from a cigarette, and you knew exactly who it was. You hadn’t gotten a chance to speak with Daryl since he got back tonight. You weren’t sure if he knew about Rick’s outburst yesterday or if Noah was alive. He’d only been back a few hours, most of which was the meeting and everyone leaving. 

When you stepped outside, the air was warm, and you immediately caught his attention. You started to feel nervous; he pushed you away when you kissed him the first time. Now that you had sex, you were worried about the same. 

“Hi,” You said quietly as you sat down. 

Daryl nodded with a grunt before taking a long drag of his cigarette. 

“How are you?” You asked, wrapping your arms around your middle and looking at him. “How was recruiting with Aaron?”

“Was okay. Nothin’ happen’,” He said. 

You nodded and looked out at the neighborhood. All of the lights were off except a few porch lights. It looked so ordinary. It even smelt normal. You couldn’t smell walkers. Instead, you smelt grass and the night air. You could even hear crickets chirping. 

“Did you hear about Noah?” You asked.

Daryl nodded and flicked the ash off the cigarette. “Yeah,”

You were silent after that. You weren’t sure exactly what to say. It felt a bit awkward, and you didn’t want to embarrass yourself by saying something stupid. Maybe he was just adjusting to the news. Coming home and hearing about Noah’s death couldn't have been easy. And all the drama with Rick didn’t help either. 

You glanced at him again, taking in his strong side profile and messy hair. You knew you wouldn’t get anything out of him tonight, and that was okay. He needed to process a lot of things in his own way. 

“Alright, well,” You said, standing up and heading back inside. As you approached the door, you stopped and turned around momentarily, “I’m glad you’re home safe, Daryl.” 

***

Two days later, a new enemy threatened Alexandria. You sat next to Maggie on the couch as Rick told everyone about the quarry and how the group needed to eliminate it. At first, you were as unsure as everyone else, but as Rick explained his plan, you immediately agreed. You had to. If you didn’t, and the walkers got out, they’d head straight for Alexandria. 

Of course, you were the first to volunteer, and soon others followed suit. After the meeting, everyone dispersed, and you and Maggie walked home together.

“Aren’t you going to ask me why I didn’t volunteer?” Maggie asked you quietly. 

You glanced at her, “I figured you just weren’t up to it. Honestly, I wasn’t paying much attention. I’ve been preoccupied the last few days.”

“With Daryl? How is that?”

You shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s so reserved. I think us having sex freaked him out because he hasn’t really talked to me. But I left his room the next morning and thought he was happy. I’m just giving him space right now. He’ll talk to me eventually. I can wait.”

“What else is it then?”

“Just everything. Accepting where we are, how we got here. I’m still wrapping my head around it.”

“Yeah, I can relate to that.”

“So what about you? Why didn’t you volunteer?” You asked.

Maggie grabbed your arm and stopped you a few feet from your house’s porch steps. She looked around and then smiled at you. “I’m pregnant.”

Your eyes widened, and you tried to speak but stuttered over your own words. “You’re… what? Like a baby?”

Your cousin laughed, and she nodded. “I wanted you to be the first to know. I’m not quite sure how far along I am, but I am.”

“You look so happy about it, Mags,” You said with a smile. “I’m happy for you and Glenn.”

***

After dinner that night, you decided to go for a run around the neighborhood. You used to love jogging before the end of the world, and then life was always spent on the run. So now that you had a safe place to do it and had food in your stomach consistently over the past week or so, you had the energy to do it. You actually missed it. 

You ended up doing laps around the neighborhood until the sunset, and then you walked back to your house all sweaty and out of breath. But you felt alive. You felt happy and healthy for the first time before the world ended. 

Daryl was sitting on the porch, smoking another damn cigarette. You grew nervous as you approached him. The two of you spoke casually the past few days but nothing with actual subsistence. And you didn’t talk about what you wanted to talk about. 

You gave Daryl a smile and a nod as you walked past him but paused when he said your name. So anxiety filled your stomach, and you sat next to him. 

“Needa ask you a favor,” He said, chewing on his thumbnail and looking at you every few seconds. 

“What?”

“The quarry and shit. Was thinkin’ maybe you stay here instead. Keep an eye on things.” 

Your eyebrows furrowed together, and you looked at him. “What? Why?”

“Lot of us are goin’ out. There ain’ gonna be a lot of us here to defend the place case somethin’ happens.”

“Nothing is going to happen. And I already told Rick I’m going.” 

Daryl looked at you then, rubbing his jaw. “Can ya please just stay?” He stressed. 

You looked away from him as you realized why he was asking. He was worried about you. Your heart fluttered, and you clasped your hands together. “If you tell me why you want me to stay, I will.” 

He nodded and took a long drag of the cigarette, almost like he needed it to speak his mind. He didn’t look at you as he said, “Don’t want ya out there anymore.”

Again, your heart fluttered. It wasn’t a declaration of his feelings, but it was enough, especially from Daryl. So you nodded and reached over, taking the cigarette from his hand and crushing it under your show. “Fine. I’ll stay. But you gotta stop smoking so much. The world’s already trying to kill you, don’t help it out.” 

You stood up, and in an act of bravery, you leaned down and kissed the top of his head. He didn’t move away fast enough, and you chuckled. “Goodnight, Daryl.”

***

You and Carol stood together as you watched the teams head out of Alexandria. You could hear Daryl’s new motorcycle leading the charge. You wrapped your arm around Carol’s and sighed. 

“It’s just a dry run,” Carol reminded you. “And it’s us. They’ll be fine.”

You shook your head, “It’s not us I’m worried about. Building the fences, you saw what they were like; they could barely take down a walker.”

“Rick’s plan will work. I know it will.” Carol said, and you both turned after the gates were shut. “What are your plans today?”

“Carl wants to show me a comic book he thinks I’ll like, and I’m helping him babysit Judith” You smiled, “And I’ll be covering watch duty later tonight too.” 

The two of you split ways, and you met up with Carl while she went to grab things from Olivia. He was excited to show you the comic--which you didn’t exactly care for, but you’d never tell him that. Judith was peaceful as ever, and Tora napped right alongside her. 

It was peaceful until it wasn’t. 

“(Y/N)!” Carol screamed from downstairs, and you were on your feet in seconds. They thudded as you ran down the stairs.

You heard screaming from outside, and you grabbed your weapons, thanking God you’d left them in the kitchen when you came back. The two of you told Carl to stay with Judith and that you’d be back soon. And, of course, not to leave. 

“Plan?” You asked as you holstered your gun and gripped your knife tightly. 

“Try and stay together,” Carol said before you both left the house together. 

Of course, that plan didn’t work out. Strangers were running around with weapons, attacking anyone that moved. You lost track of where Carol went as you crept around a house, spotting a man tying up one of the Alexandrians you didn’t know that well. 

You steadied your breathing and started approaching the man slowly, with your machete raised. When you got close enough, you jumped on his back and dug your weapon into his neck. He died without making a sound, and you untied the man. “Get somewhere safe,”

Then you moved on to your next target, who had just brutally beat your neighbor to death. You used the gun this time, with a clean shot to the head. Then you put down your neighbor with your machete and kept moving. 

A horn started blasting, and you froze for a moment, trying to determine what it was and where it was coming from. In your second of hesitation, a figure darted from behind a house and jumped at you. 

Your head hit the ground hard as you struggled against the woman. She had the advantage; she was taller and stronger and seemed twice as crazy. 

“You crazy fuck,” You cursed loudly, blocking her hand that had gotten close to stabbing you. You thrashed underneath her, fighting for your life. She attacked again, and you did your best to block her when the knife came down. It just missed your chest, the blade running against your collarbones. You felt the blood start to pool immediately and thrashed harder, using your legs to kick her off you. 

Acting quickly, you jumped over her and slammed her head against the ground before spotting a rock a foot away. You slammed her again harder and then grabbed the rock in her daze. 

The sickening crunch of the rock caving in her head was enough to tell you she wasn’t dead, and you beat her until portions of her skull had fractured off. 

“(Y/N)!”

You dropped the rock and fell backward when you heard Maggie, and she was over to you instantly. 

“Come on, we gotta go,” She said, helping you stand. 

Rosita and Aaron were there, and they both looked like they had a good fight. You knew the look Rosita gave you, and you nodded, letting her know you were okay. 

“The dead are rising,” Aaron said as he spotted a walker that was once a friend. 

You breathed out and twirled your machete. “We still got work to do.”

***

“Denise!” Maggie yelled as she pushed you through the infirmary door. “She got knicked on her collarbone; it won’t stop bleeding,” 

The new doctor approached you immediately and led you to a chair. Across the room, a blanket was covering a body. A part of you didn’t want to know who it was. 

Denise worked quickly, having Maggie put pressure on the wound before she quickly stitched it up. It only needed a few, but you knew that before getting there. 

“I gotta go to Deanna; you okay here?” Maggie asked you. 

You nodded because you were too tired to speak. Your cousin left, and Denise gave you some water and food to help with the blood loss. 

“Who were they?” Tara asked you. 

“Some freaks with W’s on their forehead. I don’t know.”

***

After Denise cleared you to go, you headed toward the gate. With so many people now dead, you figured someone should be on lookout. The survivors had already begun cleaning up the mess, and you knew it would take hours to get everyone buried. If they even had the space for it in the cemetery. 

You were already standing guard when Michonne, Heath, and Scott returned. You couldn’t hear what they were saying but couldn’t focus on anything except making sure no one was trying to climb the walls. 

Deanna had climbed up there with you and thanked you quietly for helping protect the community. She tried not to look at your blood-soaked clothes, and you realized how jarring it must’ve been. And how messed up it was that it didn’t even affect you anymore. You weren't even sure how many people you killed in the attack.

“Open the gate!”

You both turned at Rick’s voice, and your mouth dropped as you saw what was heading right to you. Through the trees, hundreds of walkers chased Rick down the street. While Deanna froze, you rushed to climb the ladder and get to the gate, where Michonne pulled it open. 

“Rick!” You yelled, grabbing your gun at firing at a few walkers who were too close for your liking. As soon as he crossed through, Michonne shut the gate, and you grabbed Rick’s arm. 

He desperately tried to catch his breath as you searched his arms and then grabbed his face, inspecting for anything that could’ve been fatal. His hand had a gash, and many wounds were across his arms and face. As he breathed deeply, he gave you a nod, and you knew he was okay, for the most part. 

But with the sounds of walkers banging against the wall, you weren’t sure if anything was going to be okay.

[littlewriterfullofwords]

Merry Christmas

Parring: Dr. Spencer Reid x gn!reader

Summary: You throw some Christmas party at your house where you show the BAU team your traditiona

Warnings: fluff

A/N: Hi! So, I'm currently in the 2nd season of CM, so there aren't more characters or anything, I'm new to the series, kinda, so please forgive. Second, the traditions in the ff are my country's traditions. Feel free to share yours in the comments!

"Merry Christmas!" Penelope opened her arms to hug you at the doorframe, big smile decorating her beautiful face. "Thank you for the invitation, sweetheart."

"I'm glad you came." You moved a bit to the side to let your coworker come in. "Make yourself at home, Pen."

"Sure will do." She winked at you and started to walk around your house, from time to time she was making nice comments about the decor.

The next person to come was Spencer. In a red sweater, Mr. "I know it all" greeted you with little, and cute, hand waving, his iconic move.

And after him, the others came in, in the order: Jason, Emily with JJ, Aaron and Derek.

"Your Christmas is a lot different than ours." Started Emily when you put another fish on the table.

"Yeah. Only 12 dishes? You have to try everything? That's insane." Murmured Derek with a glass of dried-fruit juice. "Where did you all get that from?"

"The Bible." Before you could answer, Spencer was faster. "You know, according to the Bible, there were 12 apostles so Catholic countries put 12 dishes on the Christmas table. They also leave an empty seat for an unannounced guest or, more spiritual, for those that had died."

"Yeah." You nodded with a smile. "That's right. Just the tradition, nothing more."

"Tradition is good." Whispered Gideon. "Tells a lot about the person."

"Once again, thank you for having us." Hotchner interrupted the info dump. "It might be a new experience for us, but that's life, right? We learning."

"Oh, stop. You making my angel blush!" Garcia petted your back in a soothing manner but with a smile on her face.

You were glad they came. Hey, they were family and Christmas is family time. You needed them now due to your family being all dead.

After dinner, came the present time! Everyone gathered in the living room and Derek, with a red Santa's hat, started to dispense the presents. Of course, he had to add something funny before giving it to the final owner, which has been making everyone laugh.

The atmosphere was amazing. It felt family-like and you didn't want it to go away any moment soon.

"It's party time!" Said Morgan, and with Emily by his side, they opened champagne and other alcoholic drinks they had brought.

Immediately , it reminded you of New Year Eve and the party your friends had always thrown. There was always lots of alcohol, music, dancing and many more.

"Let's go!" JJ grabbed your wrist and pulled into the dancing circle, you had no other choice but to join them, and you did.

Saying you weren't having the best time of your life would be a lie. You were so happy with those people, you were ready to call the your fucking family, and in your head you were. You loved each of them in your own way, and you hoped they noticed that. Well, they were profilers, they sure did.

The clock on the wall was showing 3:15am, with its quiet ticking interrupting the quiet carols. You turned off the tap in the kitchen and dried your hands. Everyone was asleep, either on the couch, armchairs or floor while you had been washing the dishes and cleaning after the party.

As quiet as possible, you came back to the living room with blankets and covered everyone with one, you didn't want them to catch a cold.

"Happy Christmas." You whispered with a shy smile before you started walking to the stairs.

"Happy Christmas, Y/N." The quiet voice of Reid's made you stop in the half way and smile again before you looked his way.

"I thought you were sleeping. Sorry if I woke you up."

"You didn't, don't worry." He shook his head with his innocent smile you liked so much.

"Would you like to join me for a movie?" You hesitated some time before asking that, it was your little secret.

"Sure." Spencer lifted himself from the armchair and came up to you, then followed you upstairs.

You had this thing, you needed to watch your favourite movie after Christmas Eve to fall asleep. It was hard to explain why only this time of year but you didn't complain. You loved the movie, so it was a pleasure.

"If you don't mind, we will watch 'The Nightmare before Christmas'." You said when you finally reached your room and turned on the TV.

"Whatever you want. I'm fine with that." Spencer sat next to you, on the floor by the bed and placed his head on his knees. "Did you know that Tim Burton only produced the movie, not directed it?"

"I read it somewhere. But thank you for reminding me that." A little smile appeared on your lips before you clicked 'play' and the movie began.

Only a few minutes of the movie passed and in the corner of your eye you saw Spencer rock back and forth.

"You know you can say that, right?" You whispered with your head turned his way and a smile. "That's okay. Go on."

"Did you know that Danny Elfman only voices Jack's singing, not his spoken voice?" With your permission, Reid lets out his kept breath, what made you chuckle, and he started to talk. "He also voices two other characters, Barrel and the Clown."

"Really? That's so amazing." You whispered. "It's good to have you by my side."

"Oh, that's... nothing big." Spencer scratched the back of his head in a shy manner.

You moved on with the movie, with Reid giving you some fun facts about it. And even though you knew all that, you'd been a fan since day one, you've been listening carefully like if you didn't know them. You loved listening to Spencer, you loved his knowledge and how passionately he was sharing it. You loved... Spencer. You liked it or not, you were in love with him and his knowledge.

Unluckily, the movie ended, so did your time with Reid.

"Thank you for your company." You said and turned the TV off. "And thank you for coming...to the party. I had the best time."

"We should be thankful." Chuckled Spencer. "You taught us a lot. We now understand more."

"Don't tell me you don't profile each other on a daily basis?" You joked.

"We do....At least I do. Especially Hotch." Reid looked at the open door as if Aaron was about to come in. "He's the easiest to read."

"True." You both laughed but immediately hushed it because you remembered about sleepyheads downstairs. "Especially his mood."

Your coworker smiled and nodded his head as an agreement.

You both were going along very well, even too well sometimes, from Emily's point of view (good meaning). She really often has been telling you, that you and Spenc were acting like siblings.

"If you want, you can stay here." You offered when Reid started to get up from the ground, you didn't think what were you saying.

"I-...A-... I'll go downstairs. I have my stuff there." He looked hesitant and a bit embarrassed, especially his eyes were hesitant.

"Sure." You nodded and watched him leave the room. "Spenc."

Seconds after him leaving, you called after him and ran up to him.

"Yeah?" Asked Reid with confusion.

"Merry Christmas." Shy kiss was planted on Spencer's cheek before you turned around and disappeared behind the door to your room.

"Me-....merry Christmas." Whispered the man while touching the place your lips touched.

[idontplaytrack]

Prompt idea- Regina tells everyone at the party she is in love with Janis when she is drunk and she publicly apologizes to Janis but she is with Aaron and he is a dick about it. Janis defends Regina.

✧ The One That Got Away

Regina George x Aaron Samuels(ft. Janis + Damian, Gretchen and Karen)

Warnings: alcohol consumption, coarse language, angst

Regina drunkenly admits that Janis is the one that got away. Aaron’s not happy about it

They were all gathered at Regina’s for a hangout, after having not seen each other in weeks, some haven’t seen each other in months. College was great, but also incredibly busy. Now that the whole gang was on spring break, well, they could all finally take a break.

Regina was already tipsy when the rest of the bunch started to arrive, and were subsequently met with a very stressed out Aaron. “Dear Lord, you didn’t want to wait for us before you got started?” Damian grumbled.

“My house. My rules.” Regina laughs. Damian squints at her, then at Aaron, “Man, good luck dealing with that tonight.”

“You guys will be here awhile.” He lets out a laugh, “So…I won’t have to worry about that for a few hours.”

The bunch started off their night with card games, then board games, then puzzles. All of them gradually started losing focus from the games and started getting absolutely wasted. The puzzle pieces were soon abandoned, and chatter filled the spacious room.

“Guys, remember when I made fun of Janis?” Regina asks aloud, causing all of them to just collectively fall silent.

“Babe, what— I don’t think you should be bringing that up right now.” Aaron chimed in.

“Why not?” The blonde asks, “I want…to apologise.”

“Regina.” Aaron sighs, fighting back an eye-roll. Janis notices that immediately, glaring at him very not-subtly. “No, let her talk.” Janis spoke up, “Why shouldn’t she bring that up? She has a good reason to.”

“It’s old news.”

“Well, it happened. And not to you, so I think you should shut the fuck up and—”

Regina cracked a smile hearing the profanity, Gretchen and Karen looked at them, worried. Damian was simply enjoying the building chaos but also— worried a little about Janis spiralling afterwards. Gretchen quietly took away Janis' bottle of beer, and thankfully she didn't notice. "It was a fucked up thing to do, regardless of the reason why. I never should've done that, I never should've made things hell for you and lost you as a friend as a result. It sucked, having to figure out who I was while I envied you being so unapologetically yourself. Pushing you away the way I did was no help to either of us. I wish we could turn back the clock and I would've never done any of that. Things would've been so different. You truly are the one that got away. I'm sorry, Janis."

"Seems very sober of her to me." Damian remarked.

"She's drunk off her ass." Aaron scoffs.

Janis huffs, "And what? That doesn't mean she can't speak. 'A drunk mind speaks a sober heart.'"

"Whatever, I'm out. Good night."

"Don't need you here if you're gonna be a dick about an apology to someone I care about, Aaron. Scram." Regina added on. With that, he got up from the floor and left slamming the front door.

Janis pondered over the girl's words before saying, "Thanks for holding yourself accountable. I'm sorry for lighting your backpack on fire. I just felt so betrayed having the person closest to me at that point in my life make fun of me with the whole school. I had no one for a long time, even though I had Damian. i did not like that change...I missed us. Our friendship, what we used to do, how much time we used to spend playing and laughing together. All of that— gone."

"Please, that backpack was ugly." Regina laughs, "Actually I should be thanking you for lighting that tacky backpack on fire."

Janis sighs, then chuckles.

"We're good?"

"We're good." Janis confirms. Regina opened up her arms, approaching the brunette. Janis, though taken aback, still stood up and accepted the long awaited hug. "Thank you for hearing me out, Jay."

"It's what we should have done in the first place. We're moving on to a new chapter of our lives soon...I'm just glad that one's finally closed." Janis swallows her tears, "Maybe you should go look for Aaron—"

"I'll talk to him in the morning. He was being a fucking dick about this whole thing, he can wait. I'm just glad I have you back in my life without all the tension."

Janis allowed herself to smile, though hiding it— poorly. Regina nudged her playfully, "Sit down. Gretchen took your drink."

Janis sulked as she plopped back down into her spot on the floor, "Gretch. My drink."

"I don't think you should drink anymore tonight, Janis." Gretchen frowns, studying her face carefully.

"I'm fine, this is worth a drink, right?" Janis looks at her.

"I guess?" Gretchen squints, shrugging, "Alright, here you go. Slow down."

Janis grins, reaching out to grab her half-empty bottle of Kona beer. "Thanks."

Gretchen couldn't help but smile seeing Janis being so...smiley. "Cheers."

🏷️ Tag list:

@ashecampos @auliisflower @cheesysoup-arlo @frogs00 @ludoesartnstuffs @pda128

[wuffgang-ameowdeus-moozart]

part 1 ! part 2 ! ao3

People, Aaron knows, are rather simple creatures. In the end it all comes down to this: it is in the human nature to need to be wanted. Not required or tolerated or any of those other substitutes we like to pretend are enough. No, being chosen, desired - not due to what you are or what you offer, but simply by virtue of being, well. You.

Aaron is so confident in this because unfortunately he also counts himself amongst these aforementioned people. He feels it, too. The gnawing in his gut, the emptiness in his soul. This stupidly impossible all-consuming longing for someone to truly see him and still want to choose him despite himself.

He is used to being on his own. So of course it has crossed his mind that maybe - just maybe - he is alone in this, too. Maybe he is the only one so laughably desperate for something as dumb and stupid and embarrassing as acceptance. (Or even love, but let's try to stay realistic).

After all, he is always starving in a way the people around him don't seem to be able to comprehend. Hungering for food and attention and praise like a mutt ditched at the roadside. And just like a rabid dog he is not above resorting to violence in order to get what he is owed. (Just like a rabid dog he wouldn't be able to recognize a helping hand even if it were right in front of his nose)

He tries not to dwell on it, though. The thought of being alone on this as well is unbearable for some reason. It is quite the simple logic, really. Aaron Stewart wants to be wanted, which means that everyone must want to be wanted. Anything else is simply inconceivable, and thus it must be. Sometimes this shared ache is almost enough to make up for the lack of  genuine human connection. (Besides, surely the cheesy melodramatic romances he secretly loves wouldn't be nearly as popular if he was the only one)

What is the thing that first made Aaron notice Callum Hunt?

The unfortunate truth is that it probably was the leg. After all he, too, lives in a society. The limb is clearly stiff, even as it is hidden by long baggy pants and Call does his best to play it off. If the hobbling hadn't tipped him off, Call's speed (or lack thereof) would've done it.

Still, he really wishes that it had just been his general.... Call-ness. That Aaron was different from other people. The he alone had immediately clocked the other where everyone else just saw an injured gloomy kid. (When he is in a particularly romantic mood he sometimes allows himself to pretend). 

Because how else to describe him? Everyone else focused and excited while that little ball of doom and gloom fails at acting unbothered. He is clearly annoyed at the growing distance between himself and the group so Aaron allows himself to fall behind, just to see how the other will react. It is kind of funny, really. Callum is so desperate to seem cool and collected when he is easily the most terrified of them all. And when the walls transform into stone? The laughable attempts at keeping up his grumpy facade has Aaron itching to punch him in the face.

This is exactly the kind of kid the Aaron from before would have delighted in tormenting. A loner, so none of the adults or other kids would give a fuck. Acting like he is alone by choice and not a pathetic wreck no one wants to willingly spend time with. That stupid fucking sense of detachment. As if he were somehow better than Aaron.

And worst of all: those eyes. The starvation he normally only sees in the mirror. As if that wimp had clawed off Aaron's eyeballs and plucked them into his own sockets. The never-ending hunger and defiance. That stupidly obvious sadness he can never quite mask. Can Aaron truly be held accountable if that mother fucking is all but begging for a beating?

Or maybe he is just projecting. 

But that was Orphanage Aaron. Orphanage Aaron who changed schools about as often as he changed clothes. Aaron who lived in detention and has been expulsed more than once. The Aaron who has to die. If he wants to make use of this impossible shot (he still can't believe that it was somehow granted to him of all people) he needs to become someone else once again. He would be a fool to let this chance slip through his fingers. 

That boy had taught himself to fight tooth and nail for every insignificant scrap. And his defence, that strategy had served him well enough. This is just like another foster family, in a way. Learn the rules, play nice, stay out of that fucking place for just a bit longer. The only difference is that he now has to keep it up for a few years instead of just some months. But it's fine.

Golden boy Aaron would be horrified by his past self. No, the golden boy had had a nice uninterrupted education in only one school. He always wrote good grades in all his subjects - something he is determined to continue even at this new...school? Boarding school? Apprenticeship? He may not know how it works down there but he is going to figure out. He always does, sooner or later. Not like he has a choice.

Golden boy Aaron remains so fit exclusively due to nice and legal sports his potential parents could brag about. He is good at it, but not so good that it would make other people jealous. Besides he doesn't have to be: his friendliness and camaderie make up for it. Golden boy Aaron never picks on other kids - quite the opposite, this Aaron absolutely hates bullies. Not enough to get violent, though. No, never that.

So it is exactly because of this urge to wreck the other boy that Aaron decides to stick close.

To be quite honest, this person that Aaron has to become-- no. This person that he is. Aaron can't help but find gol-- but find himself a bit. Well. Dull. But if this is who he has to become in order to survive, he will gladly morph himself once again. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. This is how the world works. And if this weird school really does somehow save him, he will do everything in his power to pay them back.

So he stays near this weird loner kid with the terrified eyes and the bad leg. A decision he is glad for when misfortune seems to follow the other wherever he goes. Perfect. Maybe he has to watch his tongue now, but sticking close to Callum might be just enough to quell at least some of his own less palatable urges. (Seeing that his father may or may not tried kill him in front of an audience is just a big bonus. Everything will look a bit more golden in comparison to that).