#I remember a friend threw a Halloween party when we were kids and we did cute little homemade vampire looks

[starlene]

I've been seeing a post on my dash where some USAmerican tumblrina feels sorry for the rest of the world because we don't have Halloween, and that we should steal it for ourselves, too.

I just... uuuugggghhh. Dear worried USAmerican tumblrina: please do not feel sorry for us, at least not about that particular issue.

Like. As far as Finland goes (but I'm 100% certain this applies to a bunch of other countries all over the globe too), our supermarkets and our shopping centres are trying their absolute hardest to shove Halloween down our throats. They really, really try. From Halloween themed doughnuts to Halloween balls and Halloween garlands (for our Halloween trees?? I really have no idea), it's all over the place. It may not actually be celebrated to the extent it is in the US, but it certainly cannot be escaped, and as long as there's plastic crap to sell, it's not going away.

If I could, I'd shove all that nonsense into a cargo container and return it to where it came from. But I can't! You'll catch me dead before you'll catch me buying a Halloween themed Runeberg torte, though.

[pepperonidk]

i. i wish that you and i lived in the sims || to.you

↳ "... but instead we're both at some trashy halloween party downtown.''

Pairing: Jeon Wonwoox gn!Reader Summary: When your friend Chan invites (bribes) you to come watch his band play at a stupid frat party, you're surprised to see that Jeon Wonwoo from your social psychology class is the lead singer. Warnings: alcohol mentions, cursing Songs Mentioned: about last night - monsta x, sims - lauv

A/N: hehehehe I'm back for another Jeon Wonwoo autumn/winter rom-com. buckle in folks, this one was so cute to write. My last wonwoo series was for the bookworms, this one is for the keshi simps.

let me know if you'd like to be tagged! comments and rb's are appreciated :)

back to playlist || next track ⏭ 

“Chan, why the hell are you dragging us out to this party?” you complained to your friend as he threw himself down onto your sofa. He reached over to grab some candy from the bowl you had on your coffee table. You sent him a sharp glare and he swung his feet off the couch with a sheepish smile.

He simply shrugged in response to your question, the movement of his shoulders barely recognizable under the giant pumpkin costume he wore. “The band’s playing at some pre-Halloween party, Mingyu and Seungcheol told me to invite all my friends.”

A scoff came from the other side of the room, where Soonyoung, in his “sexy cowboy” costume, was leaning against the wall. “Do they know that you only have two of those?” You heard a laugh beside him as Chan glared at him.

“You’re here too, aren’t you?” Seungkwan raised an eyebrow at Soonyoung. “That makes four at least.” He put up each finger on one hand as he listed off everyone, besides Chan, present: himself, you, Soonyoung, and Hansol.

“I’m not his friend,” Hoshi rolled his eyes before looking away. “And Hansol is Seungcheol’s cousin, he doesn’t count. So yeah, smart-ass. Two friends.” He pointed at you and Seungkwan, who were dressed in matching pumpkin costumes with Chan. Hansol, who was dressed as three-hole-punch Jim from the Office, nodded in agreement. 

Soonyoung, to some extent, was right. He sat by Chan in the psychology class you two shared (often asking if the two of you could share your notes with him) and Hansol comes to the band’s shows all the time.

“Hey,” you pointed out. “The pumpkin costumes were not my idea. I wanted to be Pitbull.” You attempted to cross your arms over the orange felt encasing your body, to no avail.

“Not fair,” Seungkwan countered. “We’ve been matching pumpkins since the fourth grade.” 

“Why is Hansol exempt this year then?” You huffed.

“I told you guys I’d be a pumpkin on Halloween,” he shrugged. “It’s October 17th.”

You rolled your eyes. He had a point. And it was far too late for you to find a different costume now. Soonyoung scoffed at your playful bickering. “At least you’re a hot pumpkin,” he joked. You were used to Soonyoung’s flirtatious comments by now, but you never really took them too seriously. He didn’t either. He seemed like he only did it to get a rise out of Chan, who’d come to fill some sort of brotherly role in your life since you were kids.

“Yeah?” Chan spoke with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Glad you think I’m hot.” He and Seungkwan exchanged a laugh as Seungkwan walked to comfort a sulking Soonyoung.

“Not you,” Soonyoung turned away, swatting an arm out at Seungkwan who pat him on the back pitifully. “Ugh I don’t even know why I agreed to come along.”

“Because you needed my notes to pass class, dumbass,” Chan retorted.

Remembering your psych class, you cleared your throat before speaking. “Anyway,” you began. “The point was that we have a psych exam tomorrow and Halloween is still well over a week away.”

Chan mumbled something about the frat wanting to beat all the other frat parties happening and promising free coffee for you tomorrow in exchange for coming out tonight. You rolled your eyes in response. You couldn’t be begged to come, but you could be bribed, apparently.

With that, three pumpkins, a Jim looking for his Pam, and a sexy cowboy made their way to the local frat house. It felt pretty ridiculous really, to see the five of you (especially the pumpkins) all pile into Chan’s beat up Camry on a random Sunday in October. 

The blue and white house that sat at the end of Greek row still seemed relatively untrashed, save for the (decorative?) shopping cart filled with empty cans of beers and seltzers on the front lawn. The party had yet to hit its full swing and you internally groaned at the thought of being here all night. Upon entering, the four of you followed Chan to where his band was beginning to set up. Somehow, they had managed to set up a stage in the cramped first floor of the house. 

Chan’s band, No Name, consisted of him, and three other students from various departments of the school who were all also somehow academic weapons: Mingyu, a rather popular computer engineering major on lead guitar; Seungcheol, a finance major on drums; and Wonwoo, a biomedical engineering major, was their bassist and lead singer. Chan himself played rhythm guitar as well as keyboard, and was a junior in music education.

He started in the band around the end of the spring semester when Joshua, the previous guitarist for the band, and the others came up to him after one of his recitals to invite him into the band. Chan talked about his band members a lot, but this was the first time you were going to meet them in person. 

The rest of the band was already on stage, tuning their instruments and messing with the amps and wires that were scattered around. They looked up at Chan as he hopped onto the platform to join them. Mingyu gave him an excited wave as he played a few test notes on his guitar. Seungcheol gave him an acknowledging nod, before turning his attention back to his drums.

The third member, Wonwoo, looked up and nodded at Chan before glancing at the rest of you. He seemed surprised to see you there because you watched his dark eyes flicker back to you. His gaze was intense, but cautious. You turned your head in confusion until you realized you’d seen him in class before. You hadn’t really spoken to him before, but you gave him a light wave anyway and he returned with the same nod he gave Chan. 

“Hansol,” Mingyu greeted him with a kind of friendliness that reminded you of a puppy. “Jim from the Office?” Hansol gave him a nod, appreciating that he got the reference and gave him a high five in response. Seungcheol was not in costume, but Mingyu and Wonwoo seemed to have a matching motif – Mingyu was wearing all white with a halo headband atop their head, and Wonwoo was in all black with devil horns on his head. Mingyu turned his attention to the rest of you and hopped off the stage to meet you. “Hansol, you’ll have to introduce me to your friends.”

“Right,” Hansol started. He introduced you and Soonyoung to Mingyu and to Seungcheol and Wonwoo who were listening while finishing up. Soonyoung nodded to Wonwoo who looked at him with a raised eyebrow. 

“Hey bro,” Soonyoung greeted. Wonwoo scoffed in return with a shake of his head.

“Not your bro,” he replied curtly. His icy stare and stoic demeanor was not the type you’d expect from the lead singer of a beloved campus band. You’d heard girls and guys in class swooning over him, but to be honest, he wasn’t what you expected. He seemed like the type to want to be far, far away from a party, let alone perform at one.

Mingyu raised an eyebrow at him in amusement. “Sorry about him, he’s not good with strangers,” he said with a laugh, as if this was something that happened often. Icy��� but with a bite, it seemed.

Wonwoo rolled his eyes behind his glasses. “This is that idiot who sits in front of me and watches Fortnite streams during class.” Mingyu hummed in recognition as Wonwoo explained. You couldn’t help but let out a chuckle at Wonwoo’s dry response, earning his gaze.

“He’s right Soonyoung,” you agreed. “You are a bit of an idiot.” Wonwoo’s lips twitched at your agreement.

“And you’re the one who shares notes with the idiot so he passes,” he raised a challenging eyebrow at you. There was a glint in his eyes that you couldn’t quite read.

“Yup,” you affirmed with a grin, meeting his eyes. “His savior, if anything.”

Soonyoung opened his mouth to retort before a voice caught everyone’s attention. Jun, the president of the frat called out to Wonwoo. He was dressed as a minion. “Hey Wonwoo,” he greeted. “Are you guys ready? More people are starting to show up, so I figured I’d ask if you guys were ready to start your set.” Wonwoo nodded and Jun turned to the rest of you. “There’s snacks and drinks in the kitchen.” He leaned over and lowered his voice conspiratorially before adding, “I’d go ahead and dig into the charcuterie before Seokmin gets here and gets a whiff of the prosciutto.”

The group of you moved away from the amps by the stage and towards the kitchen where, sure enough, enough alcohol and snacks for an army were haphazardly layed out. A strum from the guitar and a tap on the mic caught your attention as Wonwoo introduced the band. “Hey everyone, we’re No Name. Enjoy, I guess.” Without any more fanfare, he turned to Seungcheol and nodded as they began their first song, a rather upbeat song about partying. The cheers from the now crowded living area spurred them on. With a fresh drink in your red cup, you made your way back towards the stage to watch the group.

Honestly they were pretty good, and you wondered why it had taken you so long to actually see one of their shows. Mingyu had an upbeat and charismatic aura on stage, constantly bouncing on his feet and even sending an occasional flirty wink to people in the crowd. Seungcheol seemed to get lost in the music and you watched as his eyes shut and he seemed to be in his own world. Even Chan, who looked focused on his instrument, nodded his head along to the music and you could recognize his voice ever so often in a harmony. 

And there was Wonwoo.

 Although he didn’t look it… or particularly sound like it from his cold and short manner of speaking, had a melodic tone to his low voice. He was much different on stage than what you had gleaned from him in the short interaction you had with him. Then, he felt intense and closed off, as if he had already placed himself at an emotional distance from those around him. His stage presence however, was magnetic – the way he leaned into his microphone and would turn to face the band every so often to give cues, he seemed so in command, The way he’d smirk every so often or scan around the audience, it made you want to be the object of his gaze. it was impossible not to stare. 

About last night, I was undone God it feels right, being so wrong And I realized, all the blurry nights are when I feel alive.

You looked around at your friends as you began to dance. Hansol gently bobbed along to the music. Seungkwan stood beside him, taking a sip from his red cup. Soonyoung was talking animatedly to Jun and a guy whose plate was full of cheese and prosciutto – Seokmin, you remember. This was fun, you concluded.

Back on stage, Mingyu hit a high note that caught your attention and the fanfare told you the song was coming to an end. You watched mesmerized as Wonwoo stepped away from the microphone to pluck a string of notes on his bass, head nodding along to the music before returning to the mic and gripping it with both hands. “About last night…” he trailed off and ran his hands through his jet black hair. The rest of the band continued on with the last measures of the song, Mingyu’s fingers flying up and down the neck of his guitar and Seungcheol running through the end of a drum solo. 

You found yourself grinning as you clapped and cheered along with the crowd. After a brief pause, Wonwoo’s bass kicked off the next song and you scurried off to the kitchen to top off your drink and grab a snack. With the light buzz of alcohol in your head, you began to realize you didn’t seem to particularly mind the growing crowd dancing alongside you. Time seemed to pass quickly as you found yourself eagerly waiting for each new song the band played. The energy on stage felt electric and contagious, and you found yourself locked in on one member in particular – Wonwoo.

There was something about how he sang each lyric with a raw rasp in his voice and the way his fingers slid down his fretboard with ease that made him so good to look at. The music they played was fun and upbeat, but when they slowed down for a final song, it surprised you enough to snap you out of your trance as Wonwoo spoke in the mic again, leaning in enough that his lips touched the cold metal.

“It’s our last song of the night,” he began with a sigh, catching his breath from the last song. He grabbed his water bottle that was by his mic stand and took a quick sip before wiping some sweat off his brow and continuing. He set his own bass down and reached for the acoustic guitar that was set between him and Chan. “Let’s chill the fuck out and slow things down. For the last time, we’re No Name.” 

Wonwoo’s voice came out over a smooth melody on the keyboard. As people began to gather in pairs or move away from the dance floor, you found yourself close to the stage once again. Wonwoo seemed to catch your eye as he continued to sing and strum gently. His voice had a gentle vibrato to it and it was mesmerizing.

It wasn’t till you felt a tap on your shoulder and you saw Wonwoo’s eyes flicker to a figure beside you that you turned to see Soonyoung offering his hand out to you. “Wanna dance?” he asked casually. You shrugged as you slipped your hands around the back of his neck. His hands awkwardly found your waist, squishing your pumpkin costume in the middle so you looked a little bit more like a squash instead.

“What happened to Jun and Seokmin?” you asked Soonyoung curiously.

“Ditched them so I could dance with you,” he shrugged.

 You had hung out with him a couple of times outside of class, mostly to study, but Soonyoung never seemed very interested in you past being a study buddy turned friend. You raised your eyebrow at him skeptically.

“I tried to ask another girl to dance,” he admitted with a sad chuckle. “But she was definitely more interested in other girls than she was in me,” Soonyoung chuckled quietly. “Plus you looked kinda silly, a giant pumpkin standing by itself in front of the stage.” You turned around, eyes wide, to realize that you were in fact the only person who was on the dance floor alone. Hansol had gone off to the kitchen to find Seokmin and Seungkwan was somewhere outside playing a drinking game. Soonyoung must have noticed your embarrassment because he was quick to continue speaking. 

“Don’t worry,” Soonyoung continued. “I too would be transfixed if it seemed like a hot singer was singing right at me.” You felt yourself blush at his comment. 

“Shut up Soonyoung,” you chastised. “Or else I’ll tell Wonwoo you think he’s hot.” “Game respects game,” Soonyoung chuckled with a shake of his head and leaned in to speak near your ear. You could hear the smirk in his voice. “Don’t believe me?” You shook your head no in response. “His eyes haven’t left you since we started dancing.”

Sure enough, Wonwoo was still watching the pair of you as you gently swayed to the melody. The song came to a close soon after and Soonyoung jokingly twirled you away from him before whispering “Go get ‘em, tiger.”

You found yourself stunned as he walked away and turned back to the stage just in time to see Wonwoo set his guitar in its case before hopping down in front of you. Without his guitar slung in front of him, you could see his outfit better. He wore a black turtleneck that clung nicely to his toned chest and arms and black slacks. Wire framed glasses sat on his face and from here you could tell how thick the lenses were. The only Halloween-y part of his outfit were the devil horns that sat on his head… which he promptly removed. Even with his hair disheveled and the glow of sweat on his skin, he looked good. He ran his hands through his dark hair and took a sip of his water, not once breaking eye contact with you. It felt a little intense, really, and even more so when you realized you couldn’t read anything from his gaze.

“You guys are really good,” you offered with a smile that you hoped didn’t come off too eager, afraid to scare him off. “I really liked that last song.”

The corner of his lip twitched upwards in a flicker that you might have missed if you weren’t studying his face so closely. It felt satisfying, in a way, and almost like a challenge. How could you get a full smile? His quiet “Thanks,” lingered in the air between the two of you. Was he this reserved around everyone else, or was there something about you that made him feel as nervous as you did? 

“You’re in my psych class, right?” Did he already forget or was he just looking for a way to continue the conversation? You played along, wondering if his cold demeanor was just hiding a nervous guy.

“Yeah I am,” you confirmed, recalling the conversation from earlier. “I sit next to the idiot.” Wonwoo’s lips turned upwards in amusement as he processed your reference and he nodded.

“Cool,” he said simply. He didn’t say anything else, but he made no move to leave either, so you tried your best to continue the conversation.

“When–”

“We–” 

Wonwoo finally let out an amused scoff. You figured that’s the closest you’d get to a genuine laugh, and it was enough to put your nerves at ease for the time being. “Go ahead,” you said.

“We’re playing at another party here in two weeks if you want to come,” he said cooly, but the way his fingers fidgeted around the plastic water bottle as if it was the neck of his guitar made you think he might be thinking about this conversation as hard as you. 

“Sure, I–” you paused as you thought about the date. “Wouldn’t that be November already?”

A scoff escaped his lips again. “Yeah, some stupid shit about a post-Halloween soiree leading into no-nut-November. A gig is a gig, I guess.” He sounded less than amused about the theme of the party but shrugged it off.

You laughed at the stupidity of it all. “Sure, yeah, I’ll try to come by.” 

You smiled at him. He smiled back at you, well, smirked more like. “Cool,” was all he said.

A buzz from your wrist caught your attention, reminding you that it was nearing 1 a.m. and that you had told yourself to go home to study for your exam. You looked back up at Wonwoo apologetically. “Sorry,” you began. “I have to get home, I want to study before tomorrow.”

Wonwoo hummed in acknowledgement and you wondered when he found time to study for his own classes. He nodded towards the door, offering to walk you out. He didn’t really say much until you were both at the front porch of the house, with the cool autumn breeze seeping through the felt of your costume. “I’ll see you around?” he asked.

You nodded in response. “See you around.”

“Cool,” he said again. You moved to begin walking home but turned back with a smile and a two finger salute when you heard him say “Nice costume, by the way.” You had a feeling he wasn’t going to say that to Seungkwan or Chan.

Sure enough, the next time you saw Wonwoo was after your psychology exam the next morning. 

You had woken up at your desk after falling asleep studying with only 20 minutes until class began. With no other options, you quickly brushed your teeth and washed your face but ran out of your apartment without bothering to change out of your pajamas.  

Last night after coming home from the party, you found it difficult to focus on your notes. All you could think about was Wonwoo and his piercing stare. You’d definitely seen his eyes before, but being the subject of their gaze was something else entirely. You recalled the feeling in the pit of your stomach the first time he looked at you. It wasn’t until your phone buzzed with a text from Hansol stating that he made it home safely that you snapped out of your daze enough to begin studying. 

You arrived just in time for the test to begin, but too late to sit in your usual seat by Chan and Soonyoung. Panting, as you slid into the first available seat, you grumbled at the way you could feel your pajama pants awkwardly riding up your calves and the slight glimmer of sweat that seemed to now layer over your forehead. You’ve definitely seen better days.

Even now, in the middle of the exam, a question about the misattributed signs of attraction had you thinking back to Wonwoo. Talk about real life applications. Elevated heartbeat, shortness of breath… it definitely wasn’t stress or fear that had you feeling that way around him. You let out a sigh as you circled the letter C.

When the exam was finally over, you met the two of them outside of the classroom.

“No, you idiot,” Soonyoung argued. “You’re thinking of the halo effect, the answer was the reciprocal liking effect.” They were in the middle of arguing about what the correct answer on a part of the exam was and you watched Chan scramble to pull his messy notebook out of his backpack to find it in his notes. Before you could interrupt and correct them, a low voice beat you to it.

“It’s the mere exposure effect, you dumbasses,” You turned around with a chuckle, turning to see Wonwoo, standing a little too close, right behind you. You could smell the cologne he wore, something that must be out of your price range. He wore a crisp white t-shirt and black sweatpants and you felt slightly embarrassed at your own pajama pants-hoodie-bedhead combo.

“Huh?” Chan asked as he tried to skim through his notes. “But isn’t that–”

“Mere exposure suggests that the more times we encounter someone or something, the more we tend to like it,” you explained. Wonwoo nodded in agreement. Something about getting his validation made your heart skip a beat.

“Looks like the studying paid off,” he commented, turning to face you with the faintest hint of a smirk. Was he teasing you?

“Sure did,” you replied with confidence, though you found yourself blushing under his gaze.

“Take a nap,” Wonwoo suggested, looking you up and down. “You look like shit.” His deadpan tone almost made you miss the mischievous glint behind his eyes. You turned to him with a sharp eye before you realized that was his attempt at witty banter. Instead of a scowl, you rolled your eyes instead.

“What every person wants to hear at 9 in the morning,” you shot back. “I’ll nap after this one buys me a coffee.” You gestured to Chan who had now turned back to Soonyoung to argue about a different question. Wonwoo scoffed as he watched the two bicker before turning to the voice that called his name from behind. It was Mingyu and Seungcheol.

“See you around,” he said before heading in their direction. You watched as Mingyu clapped a hand on his back and Seungcheol offer him some of his pack of Oreos as they retreated down the hallway. What an interesting friend group, you thought to yourself.

You didn’t see Wonwoo much after that day. Or Chan for that matter. 

For the next few classes, Chan and Wonwoo left rather promptly to have band practice in preparation for their early November gig. So those days, you found yourself walking to the library with Soonyoung.

“I haven’t seen Chan have to go to practice this often since the summer,” you had remarked to him as you walked. The party was tomorrow night, and Chan and Wonwoo skipped class altogether for rehearsal so you promised to send Chan your notes.

“Yeah,” Soonyoung agreed as he brushed a fallen leaf off the top of his hair, ruffling it in the process. “But apparently they have a new song on their setlist, so I guess that’s why.”

“A new song,” you echoed, half listening. Your mind wandered back to the image of Wonwoo on stage, the way he played, how he held onto the microphone. It must be some song if they’re practicing so hard. If he wrote a song would it be as complex and enigmatic as he seemed to be? Or would it be something completely unlike him?

“You’re doing it again,” Soonyoung’s teasing tone cut you out of your thoughts. He snapped a finger in front of your face. “You’ve been spacing out a lot lately. It was cute at first, but now it’s concerning.”

You groaned at his accusation. “I’m not spacing out,” you huffed.

“Right…” He grinned mischievously. “So who is it? Tell me so I can give you my stamp of approval.”

Something flipped in your stomach as you rolled your eyes at your friend. “Focus on your own love life, Soonyoung. Anyway, you said Chan told you about it?”

He raised a teasing eyebrow before raising his hands in defense, allowing you to change the subject. “Yeah, he did,” he confirmed. “And what about it?”

You were surprised to learn that Soonyoung had a conversation with Chan past arguing over class notes, and you noted the shade of red that dusted the tops of his ears when he saw you look at him inquisitively. “Nothing,” you replied coyly. “Just glad to see you guys are friends now.” Soonyoung rolled his eyes and you shoved him playfully. He shook his head with a soft laugh.

“I guess if I have to see him every day, we might as well be friends,” Soonyoung admitted. “Mere exposure effect or whatever.”

“Aw, you are learning, Soonyoung.” 

The next evening you found yourself at yet another frat house in front of another stage. At least this time you weren’t in a pumpkin costume, but rather in an actual outfit that you felt good about (One that wasn’t picked out by any of your friends).

You managed to arrive in time to catch the band setting up, wanting to offer help, but not really knowing how. Instead you sat on the couch beside a bored looking Hansol as he fiddled with the cup in his hands. 

“Most people don’t show up to parties until they’re actually parties,” Hansol sighed as he rested his chin in his hands. You watched as Chan fiddled with the tuning pegs of his guitar in front of Wonwoo who played him his pitches on the keyboard. You chuckled in agreement. There really wasn’t much going on quite yet as the party had yet to truly begin.

“We could have come by later in the evening,” you replied.

“Nah,” Hansol countered. “I’m bored, but I’d rather be bored here with you and the band than bored alone at home. Plus this way everyone knows I’m ‘with the band’ or whatever. Keeps weirdos away from my cousin.” As if to prove his point, he sent a glare towards the poor girl who walked up and offered Seungcheol a water bottle. He had a point. He at least had a loose reason to be here early, but did you?

You could say that Hansol dragged you here with him, but he didn’t really. You weren’t really “with the band” either. You looked back over at the stage and caught Wonwoo’s eye. He gave you a single wave. You’d leveled up from last week’s curt nod, you realized with a soft chuckle. You continued to watch as he returned his attention to his microphone stand. Maybe, you thought, it was reason enough that you liked seeing the band set up.

By the time No Name got to the middle of their set, you were having a great time dancing with Hansol who was more than buzzed. You also felt a little tipsy, but you were nowhere near Hansol’s level. One of you had to be sober enough to care for the other. Wonwoo cleared his throat into the mic before speaking. “This is a new song. Happy Halloween and no-nut-November.” Although his face remained passive, you could tell now that Wonwoo was poking fun at the drunk frat boys that were scattered about and cheering loudly.

Hansol leaned over to you as a keyboard melody began to play. “Chan said you’d probably like this one,” He slurred into your ear. You winced at the volume of his voice and the smell of beer. He’d regret this in the morning.

I wish that you and I lived in The Sims We could build a house and plant some flowers and have kids But we’re both at some trashy Halloween party downtown

Wonwoo let his bass hang around his neck as he wrapped both of his hands around his microphone and leaned in close, as if his proximity to the microphone could fill the room with a sense of intimacy.

I wish that we lived on a VHS I'd erase the things I said and that I'll probably say again Hit rewind on all the times I got lost in my head

Hansol was right, and you were pleased to know that your many years of knowing Chan paid off in him knowing your taste in music. You wondered if he had any influence in writing it and you made a mental note to ask him about it some other time. It was a different vibe than some of the songs the band played last time you saw them, but the crowd seemed to enjoy it and so did you.

The rest of the set was filled with songs that were familiar to you – songs you heard at the last show, and songs that you’d heard Chan practice when you came to visit him, Seungkwan, and Hansol at their apartment. Same as last time, the set closed with a slower song, but with no real interest in slow dancing with each other, you and Hansol stumbled out to the backyard instead, opting for some fresh air. In the moonlight, you could see the red glow that rose in his cheeks, a side effect of the alcohol. Knowing him, he was on the verge of falling asleep and you were thankful that Chan would be finished with his set soon and could deal with him instead. Seungkwan had cleverly avoided going to this party, leaving you and to care for their roommate instead. As much as you loved your friend, Hansol became a deadweight when he was drunk, as if all his muscles became laced with actual iron. 

As if on cue, the final strum of the song rang out and soon after, Chan plopped down between you and a sleeping Hansol. He scoffed at the sight, laughing at Hansol’s soft snores. He pulled out his phone to take a photo of him in his peaceful state and you laughed softly.

“You know he’ll kill you tomorrow morning once he sees that,” you warned him. Chan chuckled and shook his head as he reached under Hansol’s back to pull him into a more comfortable sitting position and he murmured a quiet thank you. It was hard to believe that in any other square inch of this party there were frat boys throwing up on the grass when a scene as soft and gentle was playing out right in front of you.

“Eh,” Chan shrugged carefully, assessing his friend’s state. “I think I can take a hungover Hansol.” He smiled as he patted him on the crown of his head before looking back towards you. “Did you drink tonight?” Chan asked curiously.

You nodded and reached your hand up to feel how warm your cheeks had gotten from the alcohol. “Not nearly as much as Sol,” you answered.

“Do you have a ride?” Chan asked, concern lacing his voice. “I didn’t drive today.”

“I was just planning on walking back,” you shrugged your shoulders. Chan’s brows furrowed together in thought.

“If Seungkwan’s around, you should ask him to walk with you,” Chan suggested. “Or I guess that tiger-wannabe dumbass. He’s fine, I guess.” You laughed at Chan’s mention of Soonyoung.

“I didn’t even know they came,” you admitted.

“They showed up kinda late,” Chan explained. “I saw them show up towards the end of the set.” You hummed in response.

“I’ll keep an eye out then,” you promised as you turned away. “You sure you don’t need my help?” You glanced at Hansol who was now starting to tip to the side as Chan shook his head and waved you away.

“Text me when you get home!”

Back inside the house, the sounds of the band had been replaced with someone’s playlist blasting over the speakers. After doing a lap around the house, your two other friends were nowhere to be found. You knew you were hitting the end of your own social battery as you approached the kitchen in search for a water bottle to take with you before heading out. Although you didn’t drink as much as Hansol did, the warmth in your throat reminded you that it would be a smart idea to start hydrating. You immediately headed for the cooler that was propped on the counter and dug through the ice and cans of beer until you found what you needed. You wiped your hand against the fabric of your top, trying to regain feeling in your cold fingers before you heard a familiar voice call your name.

“Wonwoo,” you smiled at him in greeting. Today he wore a simple gray sweater with black jeans, and you wondered if he owned anything colorful in his closet. “You guys killed it today.”

Wonwoo’s eyes lit up ever so slightly at the compliment. “Thanks,” he began, and you wondered if that’s all he’d say. “We practiced a lot.”

“And it paid off,” you agreed, opening your water to take a sip. “I really liked that new song.”

You noted how Wonwoo’s mouth twitched into a small smile. “Really?” he asked.

“Yeah,” you nodded enthusiastically. “It’s right up my alley, and I liked the lyrics too.”

That answer seemed to please Wonwoo who turned his head to hide a gentle blush that crept up his cheeks before clearing his throat to change the subject. “Not drinking tonight?” Wonwoo nodded at the water bottle in your hands.

“I drank plenty,” you chuckled. “It’s for my walk home.”

“You’re walking home?” Wonwoo repeated. “Where’s Chan?”

“Chan?” you echoed as Wonwoo nodded. “He’s dealing with a drunk sleeping Hansol. I told him I'd go with Seungkwan or Soonyoung, but I can’t seem to find either of them.”

Wonwoo hummed as you explained. A beat of silence fell between the two of you as he looked around, lost in his own thoughts. “I’ll help you find them,” he offered with a quieter voice before nodding towards the stairs. For a moment, you hesitated and wondered why he was offering at all. Wonwoo didn’t seem like the type to go out of his way to help someone who was effectively still a stranger. Maybe he wasn’t as cold and distant as he tried to make himself out to be.

You followed close behind him struggling to shove your way through the crowd until you realized Wonwoo had stretched his hand behind him to grab hold of your wrist. “Stay close,” he called to you. You wished you could read the stoic expression that remained fixed on his gaze, but everything about him seemed so… calculated, down to the way his fingers lightly brushed against your wrist as he guided you through the crowd. 

Honestly, It was a pleasant surprise that he had offered to help you at all. Half of you expected him to just reply with a simple “cool,” as what seemed to be his default response, and be done with it. Instead, he was dragging you up the stairs and shoving people out of the way on your behalf. You blushed as you realized what this might look like to the random onlooker. The two of you must have looked like any other couple at a frat party, headed upstairs to do something unsavory.

Before you could relish the idea any longer, Wonwoo dropped your hand as he found a clearing by the railing at the upstairs landing where there was a decent view of the party going on downstairs. “It’s easier to find someone when you have a bird’s-eye view,” he explained as his eyes scanned over the sea of partygoers.

You turned your attention to where he was looking before spotting Seungkwan’s blonde hair and Soonyoung’s silvery white hair, both unmistakable from your point of view. “There they are,” you noted excitedly. Wonwoo scoffed in amusement at how a simple observation got you so excited. “It looks like Seungkwan’s… occupied,” you chuckled to yourself. Seungkwan in the middle of belting out a Whitney Houston song by a karaoke machine. You decided you’d best not bother him and sighed in relief when you saw Soonyoung was just chatting idly with Jun near the door. 

Wonwoo walked with you back down the stairs until you found Soonyoung, who smiled and greeted you with a hug. “Hey, stranger.” He turned to Wonwoo with a polite, but distant wave. “Hey b-” he cleared his throat, correcting himself. “Hey Wonwoo.”

A scoff escaped Wonwoo’s lips as they formed into a smirk. “Hey, Hochi-Mochi.” Soonyoung’s face immediately fell into a frown. 

“Only my mom– how do you even know about that?” Soonyoung ran a hand down his face as Jun laughed beside him.

“You leave your brightness all the way up when you text your mom from your laptop in class,” Wonwoo explained with a casual shrug, much to Soonyoung’s dismay. “And you have the default font size of a billboard ad.” 

Jun put a hand on Soonyoung’s shoulder and shook his head in laughter. “I’m gonna go ahead, Hochi-Mochi. See you around.” He waved goodbye at the three of you before disappearing into the crowd.

“Et tu, Brute?” Soonyoung grumbled as he watched you laugh along. “On that note, I think I’m gonna go too,”

Wonwoo watched your hand as it flew up to grab Soonyoung’s elbow as he turned away. “Wait,” you sighed as your laughter died down. “I was gonna ask if you could walk me home, since Chan and Seungkwan are otherwise occupied.”

Soonyoung’s eyebrow shot up as his eyes moved between your hand that tugged at his sleeve and the steely dark eyes that seemed to be intensely watching his next move. He paused for a second before finally answering you. His face had slipped into an expression that you couldn’t quite read. “I don’t mind but–”

“I’m Mingyu’s designated driver, and he lives like a half hour away,” Wonwoo seemed to answer Soonyoung’s question before it even came out. Would he have offered otherwise? you thought to yourself. You turned your gaze to Wonwoo, still unreadable as ever, and wondered why he answered so quickly.

“I see,” Soonyoung replied skeptically before turning to you with a shrug. “I’m ready whenever you are.”

You nodded to Soonyoung and the three of you walked towards the door where Wonwoo hung back and leaned against the door frame as you moved past him. You weren’t sure if you were on hugging terms with Wonwoo yet (or if he even had hugging terms for that matter), so you opted to give him a wave instead.

“See you around?” you smiled at Wonwoo warmly, hoping to mask the rush of nervousness that seemed to flood through you every time you were the subject of his gaze. His eyes lingered on yours for a moment longer and for a brief second, they softened, in a way that seemed to melt away his icy exterior that you’d thought was unbreakable. 

“See you around,” was all he said, but the three words seemed to carry more weight – a promise that something was beginning. This time, there was no mistaking it. 

His eyes definitely softened.

[herogoose]

Heartskipping Halloween (Sean Diaz x F!Reader)

“Hey Diaz, wake up!” Lyla’s voice muffled through his window, and her shouts were followed by many loud knocks on the glass. “You better be at the door like, yesterday!”

Sean’s eyes opened against his will, and he saw his friend’s silhouette walk away from the window, towards the front door. He grumbled, rubbing his palms over his eyes as sleep fought to take over again. It was about to win, up until the front door was brutally attacked by Lyla’s knuckles.

He reluctantly rolled out of bed, pillow in hand, not bothering to cover up the blue seagull-patterned boxers before he let her inside. Daniel was sitting in the living room, a soda on the coffee table in front of him. He was talking loudly into the headset. As usual.

Some music was faintly drifting in from the garage door, so Dad must have been working on his new client’s truck.

Sean opened the front door, chucking his pillow at Lyla’s head with a grin. “Tú es una perra.” She caught it and gripped it tight.

“Uh-huh. Morning sunshine,” she grinned and got ready to throw it back in Sean’s face. “You ready to-”

“Lyla!” Daniel jumped off the couch and all but pushed Sean out of the way.

“What’s up little bro?” She raised a fist, and Daniel reciprocated the motion, ending the bump with a dramatic explosion.

“I was just playing Minecraft with Noah. We’ve been building this huge castle, wanna see?” His eyes gleamed with excitement to show off to her.

“Wish I could, but I gotta get your brother ready. Maybe later, if we’ve got time?” She always made time for Daniel. More than he did, but he already lived with the kid. He got more than enough Daniel time.

Frankly, Sean thought he had too much Daniel time.

“Aw man… okay.” He trudged back to his spot on the couch, returning all his attention to the screen.

“And just like that, Lyla loses 10 cool points.” Sean remarked, earning a thump on the back of the head. They headed toward his room so they could get ready for… uh. What was Lyla here for?

“Not likely. You know I’ll always be his favorite.” She threw his pillow across the room and it landed haphazardly on the sheets. Lyla took a seat at the desk while Sean retreated back to his bed, fighting every urge to lay down and sleep again.

She put her hands on her knees, leaning towards him with excitement. “So, you got everything?”

“Uh, yeah. For sure.” His bluff did not land on Lyla. Her face dropped, the usual unimpressed stare landing on her eyes.

“You have no idea what I’m talking about.”

Sean sunk back in his seat, drumming on his thighs. “Yeah… I’m not even going to pretend like I do.”

“The party, Diaz! It’s Halloween, remember?” Lyla jumped up, pushing his shoulder. She turned around to open his closet, seeing the mess of clothes strewn inside.

“Oh yeah, right.” He smirked. Maybe it was the fact he just woke up, but he just wasn’t all that excited.

Usually, he loved Halloween. Maybe it was Dad’s extreme love for the holiday rubbing off on him, or Daniel’s childlike wonder when it came to any holiday that involved candy or gifts.

But this year, he just wanted to stay home. Maybe put on a movie when Daniel and Dad got back from trick-or-treating.

He just wasn’t in the spirit. “Do we have to go? I don’t know Lyla, I’m just not really feeling it tonight.”

She turned around as quick as a whip and dropped the assortment of t-shirts she was holding. “You’re kidding.”

Sean simply shrugged in response.

“Come on dude. You can’t bail on me day of. If I’m going, so are you. We’re supposed to match!” Lyla reached behind her, grabbing an off-white poet shirt with strings holding the neck together and waving it in front of her.

He sighed, pushing off the bed. “I know, sorry. I’m just-”

“ ‘You’re just’ going with me and that’s that. You try to do this for almost every party, and I’m not letting you start this early. We. Are. Going.” She paused momentarily, wiggling her eyebrows and biting her lip. “And you know that Halloween equals girls in slutty costumes.” Sean rolled his eyes. She knew him better than that. “There’s just so many people, everyone’s wasted…” He trailed off. Lyla’s face turned stern, and she threw an assortment of clothes at his head for him to catch.

______________

The next thing he knew, he was standing in front of the bathroom mirror, adjusting the black fabric over his right eye. His gaze turned downward, and he looked at his costume for about the fifteenth time.

“God damn it Lyla,” he mumbled under his breath. The poet’s shirt hung low on his thinner frame, whereas the blue-gray vest sat uncomfortably tight around his shoulders. The brown breeches were baggy, trying to ignore his belt and obey gravity.

He looked at the cheap knee-high boots that sat by the tub. Hell. No. Sean grabbed the pirate hat from the counter and centered it on his head. He reluctantly opened the bathroom door and headed into his bedroom where Lyla had gotten dressed.

She donned a red bandana that hung much lower than her short hair. Her own white shirt was mostly hidden beneath a black corset, with gray and black striped leggings tucked into her own boots. A tacky Jolly Roger flag was folded and pinned into the belt that hugged her waist, giving her a long half-skirt on the right side of her body.

“Argh.” He lazily curled a finger, grinning when he saw Lyla’s own smile.

“Lookin’ good Captain Diaz. Now where the hell are your shoes.” she asked bluntly. He felt bad, as she sounded somewhat disappointed. However, she’d convinced him to even get in the costume and attend this party, so he was going to stick his ground for this one thing.

He lazily motioned toward the bathroom. “No way in hell I’m wearing those. This is fine.”

“Ay, where is your sense of immersion, matey?” She nudged him in his side, a goofy grin plastered on her face. “These seas need a fully dressed duo before we set sail!”

“This Captain has some self-respect left. I think my crew will forgive me.” He joked, while still laying the law.

“Your first mate might be annoyed,” Lyla grumbled, crossing her arms. Sean heard Daniel’s bedroom door open, and his small silhouette appeared in the doorway, arms behind his back.

Sean felt his anger rise almost instantly. “Daniel! How many times do I have to tell-”

His little brother couldn’t hide his huge smile. Daniel smiled wide, practically from ear to ear. He took a deep breath before cutting Sean off. “Avast, Captain! Before the ship departs the bay, your swabbies wanted to leave you with a gift.”

He unfolded his arms from behind his back, one foam cutlass in each hand. One’s handle had been hastily painted black, and the other was a messy marine blue. Daniel stepped into Sean’s room, delicately handing the blue-handled sword to Lyla, the black one to Sean.

“Shit, thanks enano,” Sean wrapped Daniel into a side hug, taking the toy sword out of his hand and examining it.

Sure, having a kid’s toy tucked into his belt loop all night will be pretty embarrassing. But, it was pretty sweet that he had painted these just for him and Lyla. He appreciated it a lot, though he’d die before admitting that to his face.

Lyla all but ripped the sword out of Daniel’s hand, an enormous grin across her face. “Yes! Thank you Daniel!” She immediately sheathed it into the left side of her belt, her outfit finally complete. She posed with her hands on her hips, chest puffed out and chin high.

Sean fit the toy into his belt loop, the same side as Lyla’s. “My first mate, ye be lookin’ great. Thank you, laddy.” Sean joked, slapping a hand on Daniel’s shoulder.

Daniel smiled before awkwardly stepping out the door and back into his own room.

“So, please tell me he’s convinced you to finish off your own outfit.” Lyla started.

Sean smirked evilly. “Nope.” 

______________

“Half cabs.” Lyla groaned, standing outside of the party house. “We’re pirates, and you’re wearing fucking half cabs.”

“And I will be so much more comfortable than you in an hour, with that cheap fake leather shit you’re wearing,” Sean remarked.

Lyla grumbled but gave up the fight. They walked up to the front door, people in various costumes scattered around the front lawn. Sean noticed two guys wearing some half-assed skull makeup practically blacked out already, lying on their backs in the grass.

Not even an hour into the party and some people couldn’t even enjoy the rest of it. Sean enjoyed feeling buzzed of course, but sometimes people got a little obnoxious with their drinking habits. It was a bit much.

They managed to get through the door with little issue, the house crammed wall to wall with people fully decked out in makeup and costumes. Sean felt a little claustrophobic, but he was sure that a beer or two would help him not notice the amount of people anymore.

He and Lyla met up with her friends to talk and drink. They’d all danced around a few times, Sean less than the girls. He’d gone to grab another drink from the extremely crowded kitchen.

A small shadow moved towards him that he ignored, but a soft voice spoke in his direction, piquing his interest.

“Nice boots there, captain,” a girl spoke, long plastic vines and white glitter twisted in the tight waves her hair held, likely from being in braids.

“What? Oh, I uh- lost them overboard. Had to find replacements,” Sean was taken aback by her, stuttering over his words. She wore a short, puffy lavender dress, and white fairy wings were strung around her shoulders. Glitter adorned her arms and legs, and she had on white Converse with a floral pattern.

He was pretty sure she saw him give her a good look over, since he noticed her eyes flick to the ground and grin. “I guess the water gets pretty rough, huh?” she asked, Sean handing her a beer and picking up one of his own.

Sean exhaled through his nose, shaking his head with a smile. “Yeah, it’s a dangerous life on the sea.” he said, glancing at the girl again. He felt so stupid. He was barely able to hold eye contact or speak without tripping up his words.

He was never one to have much game in the first place, but god damn, why did this stranger have such a huge effect on him? His heart felt like it was stuck in his stomach. He lifted the can to his lips, taking a long swig to mute his brain.

“Well that’s a shame. I was hoping maybe you’d offer to take me on your ship.” she took the tiniest step forward, her arms held behind her back. Sean’s uncovered eye shot wide open, some of his beer spitting across the room and some going down his trachea.

He started coughing nonstop, this random girl immediately asking whether or not he was okay as he fought for some air. Within a few seconds he’d recovered, looking back into her eyes and smiling sheepishly.

“God, are you okay now?” she asked, her hands outstretched towards him. One simple move and he’d know how soft they’d be in his own. How delicate they felt against his calloused palms. He had to shake the thought from his head, literally, before answering.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. I was just uh, caught off guard. Sorry.” Sean’s felt his face heat up. The urge to drop dead and wish the last 30 seconds hadn’t just happened was stronger than ever before.

She smiled, so gentle and sweet. “No, I’m sorry. That was…” she drifted off, her cheeks dusting pink. Her eyes conveyed so much of who she was, what she was feeling.

“Do you want to go outside?” Sean blurted out, sick of having to shout their conversation over the dozens of people and loud music surrounding them. He waited for her reaction, nerves flowing all throughout his body and settling in his stomach.

“Yeah, I do actually.”

______________

Sean leaned his back against the porch, breathing in the cool air. He flipped up his eyepatch, reveling in the feeling of using both his eyes again. He looked over at her, leaning over the railing and looking up at the night sky surrounding them.

His heart nearly exploded out of his chest as he guided the girl through the party and out the back door. Mainly because she decided to hold onto his wrist so she didn’t lose him in the crowd. Sean was pushing through people, trying his best to apologize while his neurons short-circuited.

He had a revelation while standing beside her in this silence, though. What the hell was her name? He pursed his lips, wondering if it was too late to ask now. Did she even know who he was?

Sean cleared his throat, turning so only one arm rested on the porch and he could look at her delicate features closer. She really did look like a fairy, as her costume suggested.

“I realize it’s kinda late for introductions,” he started and she turned to meet his eyes. “but uh, I don’t think we even really introduced ourselves.”

She huffed a laugh through her nose, a dimple forming on her cheek. “Right. I’m Y/n.” God, even her name was beautiful. And the way she looked in the moonlight, staring up at him. Fuck.

“That’s really pretty,” he said, causing her to smile shyly, averting his gaze momentarily. He nodded his head once before speaking again. “Sean.”

“Well Sean, it’s nice to formally meet you,” she stuck her hand out towards him. He was all too quick to push away from the railing, clasping his hand around hers. Her skin was so soft, so plush.

She shook his hand, then somewhat reluctantly pulled her hand back, returning to the railing and leaning over it once more.

Sean tried so hard not to make it obvious that he was looking over at her. He just really loved the way the moonlight reflected in her eyes. And how relaxed her face looked, like she was actually comfortable being out here with someone she didn’t know.

The silence they were in was comfortable as well, he didn’t feel like he needed to fill the air with awkward small talk that no one enjoyed. He was just a little stunned–more like very stunned–at how this beautiful girl came up to talk to him, and somehow he had the balls to actually get her alone so he could talk to her.

The only downside was how badly his heart was racing. How his stomach felt like it was in knots. How much his hands were trembling. God, why was it so bad this time? Sean had been interested in plenty of girls before this, but his body reacted as if it was the first time.

“You’re not too big on parties, are you?” she asked, her tone sounding more like a statement than a question. He met her eyes briefly, then turned around so he could look at the lawn.

“You got me there. There’s just a lot of people… I really only come because my friend wants me to.” He then remembered Lyla in the living room, in which he’d told her he’d be back in just a couple minutes… fifteen minutes ago. Shit.

“Yeah, I get that. I feel the same way sometimes. But I think it’s sweet that you come along for them, even if you don’t necessarily want to.” Her dimples showed, in what felt like was just for him.

Sean plucked at a splinter in the wood, trying to free it from the railing. “I guess so,” he paused for a few moments, shakingly conjuring some sort of conversation topic in his mind. “So, do you go to our school? I’d remember your face if I’d seen it before.”

She blushed, a sight that he was coming to love all too much. “Sean… no. I don’t. But I have been thinking about transferring; one of my friends goes there, and I kind of like, really hate my teachers.”

“Well, uh, I think transferring is a good idea,” he scratched the back of his neck. He waited a moment before looking back into her eyes, only to see a downturned smile splayed on her lips. “...What?”

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you might like me there, Sean.” she stood up straight, taking a step towards him with her hands behind her back, just like before. His breath hitched, his heart dropping.

His legs froze completely, wanting to take that instinctive step back but unable to. “Wh- uh, I mean, well-” Sean didn’t know what to say. He felt as if he’d been caught red-handed, doing something he wasn’t meant to.

She smirked, chuckling slightly. “Relax. I’m just giving you a hard time. I… well shit. I think you’re pretty cute.” Her demeanor shifted, blushing once more and turning her head away from him.

Sean bit his lip and took a deep breath. It was now or never, and he wasn’t just going to lose an opportunity to get to know her. He leaned to the side, getting within her line of vision.

“Do you want to get out of here? I- I mean like, get food, or something.” He smiled a little awkwardly. His heart was racing in his chest.

She turned her head, smiling that sweet smile at him. She didn’t say anything, but she nodded her head. Sean held out his trembling hand, and her fingers were intertwined with his just a second later.

They pushed their way back inside, Sean trying to find Lyla. He dragged his little fairy through the dozens of people crowding the hallway, trying to remember the path back to the living room.

He saw Lyla’s red bandana reflecting the multicolored lights and waved his arm to get her attention. She didn’t notice him at first, too busy downing another beer and dancing with her friends.

Her dazed eyes finally caught wind of him, so he finally pointed toward the front door to let her know he was leaving. As he walked away, Lyla saw the girl being dragged behind Sean, and she grinned all too knowing.

______________

As if Sean couldn’t have faced enough embarrassment tonight, the young bouncer–no more than a year older than himself–stopped them both as they exited the front door.

He was convinced Sean had ill intentions, though neither of them looked wasted enough to deserve questioning. The bouncer and Sean got into a near-screaming match before Y/n had to step in, swearing up and down that she was mostly sober and the two of them were leaving to get something to eat.

Sean had to drag a palm down his face, dying internally as she was practically begging him to let the two of them just leave. He eventually conceded, letting them off the property with no other issues.

They walked down a couple of blocks to a little diner on a street corner, swinging their interlaced hands the whole way. His heart was thrumming with… something. Adrenaline? Nerves? Excitement, maybe admiration? He wasn’t quite sure.

The two of them sat in a small booth, the retro navy and white interior giving a comfortable atmosphere for their late dinner… date? The overhead lights brought a low, warm tint to the diner, with purple LEDs lining the ceiling, embellishing her costume and softening her features even more than they already were.

“Alright,” she started, placing her elbows on the tabletop and resting her chin on the back of her hands, “now I get to interrogate you. What are your most vital hobbies?”

Sean smiled, lightly drumming on his thighs. “Well, I skate. Not as often as I’d like. I’m almost always listening to music, I draw, and sometimes-”

It was impossible to miss her eyes lighting up, then cutting him off. “You draw? So you’re like, really good?”

He chuckled, examining all her features. “I guess. But it’s all pretty subjective.”

She leaned in just a touch. “Can I see any of them? It’s fine if you don’t want to share, I get it.”

Sean smiled at her eagerness. God, she really did have such a beautiful smile. If he wanted to, he could lean over and know what her lips tasted like against his own. Maybe that would be too soon. He couldn’t risk fucking this up.

“I left my sketchbook back at home. But, uh…” he began fidgeting around himself, feeling in his pockets for his pen. He pulled it out, reaching over to grab a napkin from the dispenser and flattening it out on the table.

Sean’s eyes scanned their surroundings for the perfect picture. He was about to get the side profile of a lone man sitting a few tables away from them, when he realized this would be the perfect opportunity to just draw her. Though, his sketchbook was probably going to be full of sketches of her later.

He was pretty positive she didn’t need impressing after her confession on the back porch earlier, but this was a damn good excuse to put this perfect image of her out for her to see.

He drew her exactly as she was already sitting, her arms nicely crossed under her chin. She’d look him directly in the eyes every time he’d look over her, causing his heart to strain while he’d go back to carefully dragging the pen along the cheap napkin. Her cute, wide eyes that looked right through all he was, reflecting everything she saw back out to the world.

Sean was finished a few moments later, the picture small no thanks to the limited canvas. He unhid the view of the napkin from her perspective, sliding the paper over to her side of the table. She eagerly picked it up, bringing it close to her eyes to examine.

“My God Sean… this is-” her mouth sat ajar as she examined it, her eyes flicking over every small detail he was sure to add.

“Not the best?” He laughed. He was used to people looking at his drawings constantly, but it was as if this was the first time it ever mattered that someone truly saw his art. He felt a little nervous as she looked over it so closely.

“Shut up. This is so fucking good! It looks just like me!” she exclaimed, virtually jumping in her seat. Next thing Sean knew, she was running out of the bench, rounding the table to sit on his bench and squeeze the ever-loving God out of him. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’ve never had someone draw me before.”

“It’s no- ack- problem,” he forced out, his voice strained from her arms crushing his torso. She stood, returning to her side of the table with a huge grin on her face, which of course only brought a smile to his.

He fidgeted with his hands under the table as they spoke, learning about each other as the night slowly passed them by. It was around one in the morning when he paid their check and they walked out of the diner the same way they went in, hand in hand.

She stopped them only a few steps away from the door, looking deep into his eyes and smirking. “Well, it would definitely be a tragedy to part ways tonight without you asking for my number.”

“Yeah, uh,” he dropped her hand, patting around his pockets for wherever he dropped his phone. He slid it out, hand shaking like crazy. “I like, really want your number.” Could he have sounded more stupid?

She took it from his hand, typing in her name with a <3 beside it. Sean bit his lip, trying to force down the grin that pulled the corners of his mouth up. “Now, I can only hope I’ll hear from you soon.” she said, handing his phone back and holding such hard eye contact he felt like he was going to snap.

“ ‘Course you will,” his stomach felt like it was doing cartwheels, his heart clenching as tight as possible in his chest. He scratched the back of his neck, trying to form a way to ask this without sounding like a complete idiot. “Y/n, I uh, I really want to uhm, can I-”

“Yup.” she slithered her hands to his jaw, pulling him down to her level. As their lips locked–as he’d been craving to do since the moment she walked up to him–he wrapped an arm around her waist, the other hand holding the back of her neck.

And fuck, was she the sweetest thing he’d ever tasted. Her lips were soft and plush with a hint of strawberries on them, perhaps from her worn-off lip gloss. Sean pulled her in closer, forcing her to rise even higher on her toes as he deepened the kiss.

It felt like fireworks were taking off in the distance, that they were the only two people in the world that mattered anymore. His heart rate felt like it was going a million miles a minute.

They slowly pulled away, catching their breath and fluttering their eyelids open. Sean huffed a short laugh out, completely in disbelief at this entire night.

“Now I can cross kissing a cute pirate off my bucket list,” she smiled as she joked, her cheeks flushed. She was so stunning.

“Ah, but I get to say I kissed the most beautiful fairy, so I think I win.” Sean held her hand as they returned to the house, her bumping his hip with hers as they walked.

[smutinlove]

Alexandrian Christmas │ Carl Grimes Fluff

Description - An Alexandrian Christmas was always fun. But now it was a day to be remembered.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

This night is sparkling, don't you let it go I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home I'll spend forever wondering if you knew I was enchanted to meet you

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

You had always favored Christmas over Halloween. As a kid, you'd always look forward to getting gifts over candy. And you preferred a nice Christmas dinner prepared by your parents instead of a cold and chewy turkey on Thanksgiving.

But everything changed when the world ended. You still remember that night. You were alone, running away from walkers as fast as you could. Then, a man named Glenn found you and took you to a place called the quarry. There, you met a lot of kind people. You also met your best friend there. Carl Grimes.

But all good things come to an end. Walkers. Death and screams.

And now you find yourself in a town called Alexandria. It was a beautiful place. It was safe for you and for your group.

But it wasn't safe enough for Glenn and Abraham.

"Nice hair, idiot," you heard. Someone threw a pea at you, hitting your eye. "You asshat! I'm gonna get you, Grimes. I swear!" You yelled. Where did he even get that?

"I love you too," he teased. Carl grinned before he quickly ran away. That was your husband. Well, not really. You had a crush on him but never did anything about it. Deep down, you knew you weren't good enough for him.

He was everything to you. And you were just Y/N Y/L/N.

You sighed. You looked out the window and realized it was snowing. It was snowing! You hadn't seen snow in so long that you almost forgot what it looked like.

You ran to the door, put on your boots, and grabbed a coat from the coat rack. Michonne wouldn't mind, right?

You opened the door and ran outside. "Oh, my God!" you squealed. You felt something hit you. "Hey, what the fuck!"

Snow.

"Carl!" He winked. You grabbed a handful of snow and aimed it towards him, hitting his head. You grinned when you saw Carl wince. "Sorry!" You yelled, but he disappeared.

"Carl?" you called out. You sighed. "Carl, this isn't funny." Your soon-to-be boyfriend could sometimes be annoying.

You heard a scream coming from behind you. You turned around and saw Carl. He tackled you to the ground. He was on top of you. "Well, isn't this a sight?"

Carl looked up, finding a very amused Michonne. "Michonne. Hey!" Carl chuckled. He got up and extended a hand to you. You grabbed it, and he pulled you up.

"Michonne, it was not what it looked like. I swear!" Carl tried reassuring her. "I know," she said calmly. "You do?"

"And isn't that my coat?" Michonne asked. "Uh, no?"

Michonne narrowed her eyes, and that's when you knew you were done for.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

Carol had decided to throw a Christmas party. And you loved that for her. Carol was the sweetest woman you had ever met, and she deserved the world, as did Carl Grimes.

As you entered the house, you could smell the warm cookies and cakes. You smiled. And it made you so happy.

There was booze too. Enough for everyone on Earth, including the walkers. You grinned at the thought. You poured a glass for yourself. Hey, it wasn't like anyone was going to arrest you or anything.

You took a sip, and it sucked. "It's expired, by the way." You looked to your left and saw Carl standing next to you. "Great. Adds more flavor." You two burst out laughing.

You put your glass down. "Y/N, I want to show you something," he said with an innocent smile.

"Okay," you replied. "Close your eyes." You closed your eyes, feeling excited. After a few minutes, Carl told you to open your eyes. He was holding a small box.

Carl blushed. "So." He opened the box, revealing a ring. He got down on one knee. "Y/N, I have loved you for years. But I was shy and scared. But now I'm not. It took me awhile to admit it to myself, but I really love you. Now, I only have one question, and although we aren't dating, will you marry me?"

A tear rolled down your cheek. "Yes!" He got up and slid the ring on your finger. Carl looked up. "Mistletoe," he whispered.

You grinned. You and Carl got closer to each other until the gap between your lips closed. He kissed you softly. And it was like everything you had ever imagined, but it was even better.

This was an Alexandrian Christmas that was going to be remembered for years.

To fall in love is one thing, but to fall in love with your best friend is beautiful.

───── ❝ authors note ❞ ─────

How'd y'all like my Christmas special?

(I made it silly on purpose!)

Thank you to everyone for the most momentous year ever! Especially @jas2010 @carlsdarling @taylormarieee I love you all so so much!!!! This year has been wonderful and I hope 2024 will also be fun and exciting. Thank you and Merry Christmas!!

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

aita for ghosting 2 of my closet friends?

TL;DR: 2 of my closest/longest friendships ive had were ended by me stopping any and all communication, either unprompted or prompted. i dont feel any urge to talk with these people again, and i do not want to rekindle these friendships.

i (19ftm) have had only 2 friendships were i would consider the other person a "best friend". the first one was when i was in middle school (12-13). this other person, we'll call K(at the time 13F). now back in middle school i was what would be considered as the cool kids say: Cringe. super obsessed with undertale AND homestuck, a big 1-2 punch.

i met K through our homeroom class, and we really hit it off well. she was funny, great at art, and also loved undertale (she was the one who actually got me into homestuck, but thats besides the point). we hung out constantly, always chatting and swapping art tips, that sorta thing.

when i moved schools in 7th grade we became distance friends. not long distance bc we lived 30 min. away from each other, but we didn't get to see each other everyday anymore. eventually we started dating, but i didnt really feel content w the relationship at the time (i didnt know i was trans/gay yet lol).

one day i told her i was taking a break from social media/discord for a while until i sorted myself out, and then i would be back. i never spoke with her again after that and i felt like shit for years for ghosting my at the time girlfriend. i didnt take the break with the intention of ghosting K, it just kinda happened. she deleted her discord and i don't remember her tumblr so i have no way of communicating w her anymore. we knew each other for about 3-4 years, and dated for about half of that.

my other friend we'll call T(ftm). I met T my freshman year, when i was 14. T is 2 years older than me, so he was 16 at the time, a sophomore. T and i really hit it off well, and we hung out all the time after school, and talked over discord daily. he did a lot for me ill be honest, and helped me through an identity crisis when i realized i was trans and also gay.

however, when T graduated he started to drift away. i was still a junior at the time but we stayed in contact the best we could. i started driving so i would visit him in his apartment on weekends. however things really nose dived my senior year. i was 17-18 and all my friends had graduated, so i was already feeling pretty alone.

i kept trying to find comfort in T but he just kinda faded away. he found a new friend group of ppl closer to his age and they started hanging out more. i knew some of these people from our school, and was even friends w one of them, but for some reason he insisted on keeping me separate from them.

things boiled over when our mutual friend from this new friend group decided to throw a halloween party, but had to cancel last minute. time skip to november 1st and im picking up T to go rollerskating, and to my surprise he hops in my car out of breath and says "sorry it took so long, i was cleaning up after a halloween party!" and went on about this party he threw the night before with all his friends from the other group. T explained to me that he didn't invite me bc "i wouldn't know any of them".

i was pissed. really pissed. i stopped making plans to hang out with him, but to my surprise so did he. we stopped chatting daily, and the last time we spoke was april of last year. i sent him a final message in may trying to spark another conversation but he never replied. so i gave up. i stopped talking to him.

then i realized the pattern of me growing extremely close with someone only to ghost them. i know T basically ghosted me but i also stopped putting in the effort so i feel i still hold some of the blame. even when i last saw T in person i avoided him like the plague, and i just pray that if we do see each other again he does NOT recognize me.

What are these acronyms?

[bloodyquillink-blog]

Sugar and Lemon, Chapter 5 “Everything is Alive”

A/N🪶: I’m back, school kicked my ass and then I did summer school and that threw me into a pit resulting in me not updating for… ALMOST A YEAR??? Sorry about that, friends. I hope this next chapter makes up for it and helps me want to finish this fic. We still have a bit of a ways to go before that happens ad school starts up again in less than a month so we’ll see what happens. Sugar and Lemon Masterlist here

BIG WARNING FOR THIS CHAPTER (I’m not sorry): PTSD flashback/Panic Attack, descriptions of injury, blood, anxiety, uncomfortable eye-contact. If I missed anything for this chapter, please let me know and I’ll rectify it when I can!

Word Count: 3.4K

The same night, Keegan and Logan had been talking over possible “plans” to see you again and hopefully get your number as they sat outside under the dark sky. It was mostly Keegan coming up with one-liners and Logan rejecting all of them. 

“How about ‘you gave me your number in a dream but I wanna make sure it’s right’?” Keegan offered. Logan could only stare at the man. 

“What’s wrong with just asking for it?”

“It needs to be something memorable, something that makes them blush. That’s how you get them going home thinking about you.”

“I think anyone can remember being asked for their phone number.”

“I gave you all my best advice and you’re ignoring it.”

“You shoved your advice in my face and I asked one reasonable question about it.”

Logan’s phone rang, it was David. Logan put it on speaker after answering.

“Yeah?”

“Is Keegan giving you advice that he’s never used in his life?”

“That is exactly what’s happening.”

“That is not what’s happening.”

“I can hear both of you. You guys are like unsocialized dogs trying to do tricks but you don’t know what a treat is and you’re too anxious to take it from someone’s hand.”

“Like your advice is any better, kid.”

“It is.”

“Can anyone vouch for it?” Keegan paused. “Besides Logan.”

“Some of the nurses, the old therapist, Kick, he can send you screenshots if need be.” Logan looked at his comrade, who rolled his eyes. 

“Because you were flirting with him or because you were helping him flirt?”

“Could be either one really.” Logan snorted. “Practice is a helpful learning tool, Russ.”

“Okay, Mr. Suave-”

“I prefer Bond, James Bond.”

Keegan exhaled through his nose. “You are not worthy of the title of James Bond.” A brief silence followed his comment.

“Better than ‘Golden Gun himself’.”

“That was for a halloween party Ajax forced me to go to.”

“And you were so handsome in your getup, weren’t you?”

“Look, kid, it was that or Austin Powers.”

“I’ll keep that in mind for this year’s Halloween.”

Logan could’ve sworn he saw Keegan’s eye twitch. The man stood up and stretched.

“Logan, talk to Kick.”

“Why Kick?”

“Because David needs an ass-beating and Merrick’s too old-school.”

“He can hear you, y’know. I’m not the only one on speaker.”

Merrick’s voice came through the phone, “Meet us in the gym, Keegan.”

“Yes, sir.” Keegan walked back inside, Logan followed him to the gym within the base where they met with David and Merrick. David looked excited for the upcoming sparring match, and with Keegan, it wouldn’t end quickly or cleanly.

“Good luck.” Logan called as he began to walk towards Kick’s room.

“Won’t need it, kid.” The sergeant responded without turning back to him. The door to the gym closed and Logan could hear the sound of scuffling and Merrick’s voice. As Logan passed by David’s room, Riley noticed him and got up to walk beside him. Riley never liked being in rooms alone, especially not after everything that had happened after his father was killed. Logan wondered if Riley ever felt a similar guilt to what he and David felt. Maybe it was just Riley being protective – he’s always been protective, just like any of the other soldiers on base. Logan walked through the halls with only muscle memory guiding him as his thoughts swirled. It was like he was moving, walking  with only a void surrounding him.

“Logan.” 

Logan snapped back to reality, the void was gone. It was Kick talking to him, he nearly passed his room.

“Off in space again? I could hear you coming down this way.” 

One of the things only Kick seemed to notice. When Logan was dissociating or daydreaming, he would forget about the world around him. He wouldn’t try to be as quiet as possible, like the ghost he was, he would let his boots echo. His footsteps weren’t as gentle and he didn’t walk with his heels slightly raised, which he would normally do to avoid his feet thudding against the ground.

“Yeah, just thinking.” He fidgeted, another tendency of his. Kick kept watching him. “Keegan was trying to give me advice on one-liners.” Kick grimaced.

“You should talk to Hesh about that.”

“That’s what David said, they’re sparring at the gym now.”

“And you aren’t with them.”

“Keegan said to talk to you.”

“Why me?”

“I thought it was because David had given you some ‘practice’ but then Keegan said it was so he could beat his ass.” Logan smiled a bit as he mentioned the supposed practice. Kick opened his door and invited Logan and Riley in. It wasn’t often that Logan was in here, but he was more familiar with the room than the others.

“Honestly, Hesh’s advice works with Hesh. He’s good at smooth-talking and being… normal.”

“And Keegan isn’t–”

“Unless he’s drunk, which takes a lot of time and alcohol.”

“And Merrick?”

Kick paused, thinking it over, “Merrick’s flirting only works with very specific people.”

“Not my people.”

“Probably not, no.”

Logan was about to sit on the floor, as he usually did when Kick stopped him and patted his bed.

“Thought you didn’t like it when people sat on your bed.”

Kick shrugged, “I’m not worried about it today,” Logan nodded. “And you look uncomfortable.”

“I’m not uncomfortable.”

Kick didn’t need to say anything, he and Logan both knew there was more. Logan took a breath.

“I really want to talk to them more.”

“And?”

“And I want to be able to talk to them on my own.” 

“You’ve already done that. I mean, today before we left–”

“Yeah, but I mean without you guys there.”

“Go tomorrow!” Logan almost spoke but closed his mouth. He couldn’t find his words but he knew what he wanted to say. Kick was confused on the issue until– “You’re worried something’s gonna happen.”

“When David and I were out, that was my first time in a while just being around civilians living their lives, when we went to their cafe. I was trying to relearn how to just exist with people, not soldiers.”

“You still talked to them right?” Logan explained that you had an area where people could write their own orders down without having to speak. Kick hummed, thinking. 

“I’m busy tomorrow, I think Merrick is too, but you could check in with Hesh or Keegan. Maybe one of them could come with.”

“What do I do if I see them?”

“Do what you’ve been doing,” Logan looked at Kick, “Be yourself, try your best, all that stuff. They’ll at least be nice about how awkward you are.”

Logan playfully shoved Kick, trying not to smile. It was true. You probably would be. You already have been. Why would that change now? Logan sighed and nodded.

“I’ll go tomorrow.”

“With Hesh?”

“If he’s free, yeah.”

“Good,” Kick pat him on the back, “Lemme know how it goes.”

“I will.” Logan whistled for Riley to follow him out. As Kick was about to close his door, he called out to Logan.

“Remember to get their number!”

“How?”

“Hack into their phone– how do you think? Ask!” Logan chuffed and kept walking, his footsteps once again silent as he made his way to the gym to see if the sparring was still happening. The sounds echoing through the closed doors told him enough, but this time there was… more? He peeked into the gym and saw a sight that nearly made him fall to the floor laughing. The only reason he hadn’t was because of utter surprise and curiosity.

Merrick had managed to pin both Keegan and David at the same time. Keegan was on his stomach and David sat his lower-back with Merrick on Keegan’s legs and David’s arms pinned behind him. Despite how slippery he was, Keegan couldn’t squirm his way out with their combined weight on him and David couldn’t get up with Merrick’s hold.

“This is one of my ‘old-school’ moves, Russ. Maybe you should learn it.” The captain taunted. Keegan craned his neck back at his superior.

“We weren’t even talking about combat, old man, we were talking about your flirting skills–”

“More like his lack thereof.” David grunted as Merrick pulled his arms back tighter. The action was cut short by a bark that had the men turning their heads as much as they could. They saw Riley just in front of Logan who was still holding the door open, the corners of his mouth twitched watching them.

“Don’t stop on my account.” His voice was smug as ever. 

“You talk to Kick?” Keegan asked, to which Logan nodded, “Get any good advice?” Logan nodded again, “Are you gonna tell us what it is?” Logan inhaled.

“Not yet, but I was gonna ask if either of you are free tomorrow.” He looked back and forth between David and Keegan, half expectantly, and the two voiced their availability.

“Yeah, after 3. That work?” Logan nodded again, said goodnight, and began walking back out from the gym while Riley opted to stay with the three. There was a single grunt that sounded like it came from Merrick and the sounds of scuffling restarted. The playfulness of his fellow soldiers was always refreshing to hear. 

As Logan stepped into his bedroom, his footsteps a mere whisper, he got ready for bed and wrote in his victory journal.

“I saw them again today. Everyone else got to meet them too, including Riley. The food was delicious and I finally talked to them. They seemed like they enjoyed talking to me.” Logan’s heartbeat steadily increased as he wrote about you. “They’ve been so nice…” He paused his writing, “I wonder if they like me too. I’m gonna see them again tomorrow and ask to go on a date. Or get their number, whichever comes first.” 

He wrote a little more about his plans, bringing David and Keegan with, and closed his journal. Logan flicked his lamp off and settled in for the night. Sleep came a little easier after a few minutes of carefully breathing.

~time skip~

Today, Keegan opted to drive to your cafe rather than walk. He drove an old Jeep Wrangler, the typical green so lovingly adorned with dried mud on the tires and fenders. Neither David nor Logan could try to explain the reason behind the dirt aside from the “personality” it gave the car. Whether that was a joke of an answer to explain they were just too busy to keep it clean or perhaps the real reason, no one could tell. 

The trio arrived at Morning Routine and parked in the public lot that was just off to the side of the cafe. As much as Logan wanted to bring Riley along, even the canine soldier had duties. He hoped internally that you wouldn’t be too disappointed. As they walked in, Keegan picked up a flyer from a nearby stand that advertised the same music event you had talked to Logan about before. He read aloud the details to the brothers, “So there’s a prize for the best performances and people get to vote online for who they like the most.”

“Is there one genre or is it open to everything?” David asked. Keegan continued reading ahead.

“Let’s see… Rock, dubstep–”

“Kick would love that.”

“Jazz, hip-hop, pop…” Keegan’s voice faltered, bringing the attention of the brothers back to him. “What the hell is ‘noise music’?”. David was quick to pull out his phone, Logan peering over at his brother’s phone as he typed.

“‘A genre of music that is characterized by the expressive use of noise.’.”

“Thanks, Wikipedia, for being so specific.” Keegan’s voice laced with palpable sass.

David continued, “‘This type of music tends to challenge the distinction that is made in conventional musical practices between musical and non-musical sound.’.” 

As David and Keegan kept trying to understand the new concept, you walked from the kitchen door to the register, not noticing Logan just yet. He debated, and walked up to the counter. You didn’t spare him a glance as you moved around, fixing up the area, a pile of receipts held in one hand while the other reorganized. 

You spoke as you kept moving, “I’ll be with you in just a second!” about to walk back to the kitchen.

“Take your time.” Logan’s voice was calm. At the sound of it, you whipped your head around and grinned seeing who it was.

“Well, well, welcome back. I didn’t realize it was you,” You scratched the back of your neck with your free hand, “I have some, um, things I gotta take care of but I’ll be out in a flash, ok?” He nodded as you once again retreated. Hearing the door swinging back and forth, he noticed the silence had returned to the cafe. Logan turned back, unsurprised at David and Keegan both watching him. He rolled his eyes and turned back upon hearing the door swing again. He noted the lack of receipts and the addition of what seemed to be flour you wiped on your apron. 

“Sorry about all of that, business has been picking up a bit the past few days.”

“Nothing to apologize for,” Logan softly laughed, “I guess that means you have a good business going.”

“That just might be true! Something any business owner should be grateful for.” You shook your head, “But anyway! What can I get you?” You looked past him, “And your friends, too?” Logan gave the orders and paid. As you wrote down more little notes, an employee walked up to your side and collected the notes.

“I got it!” And they went through the door to prepare the meals.

“Thank you!” You called after them. Always so sweet, Logan thought, like honey. “So, Logan,” God, he loved hearing you say his name, “You’re coming to the music, talent-show thing this week right?”

“I plan on it,” You were beaming, smile bright as ever upon hearing the news, “I’ll bring some of my friends along.”

“Oh yeah, we have a bunch of different music that’s gonna be played. I’m sure your friends will like something.” He gave you a look, confused but curious, “I heard you guys talking about your music tastes last time. Definitely got some variety going on.” 

“Heh, maybe a little,” Logan rubbed his forearms, feeling a bit shy as he kept talking. You heard them, you remembered it too, it seems, “I never asked, what kind of music do you like?”

“Well, that’s a bit hard to explain but I’ve been really into jazz lately. There’s just so much that goes into it, y’know?”

“I saw that there’s supposed to be a jazz performance on the flyer, you must be excited about that.” You sighed and leaned onto the counter a bit.

“I am but I’m still gonna be working when it’s going on so I won’t be able to listen very closely, assuming I’m even out here,” You gestured to the area around the two of you, “Baker’s gotta bake.”

“Maybe I can keep you compan–”

Multiple glasses shattered not too far from you and Logan. He flinched hard, eyes snapping shut before widening as his head jerked to see the commotion. A different employee had tripped on a child’s toy and everything they were carrying fell, spilling contents over them and the ground around them. The sharp glass pieces twinkled in the light. 

“Oh shit, Casey, are you okay?!” You exclaimed as they got up.

“Yeah, I’m alright, just bruised,” They looked at their arm, which was now bleeding, red dripping down to their wrist. “Um, it’s alright! I’ll get the first aid kit, it’s not too bad. Can you clean this up?”

“Yeah, yeah, hang on! Logan, I–” You looked back towards Logan and stopped everything. “Logan?” He was staring at the mess, hands shaking and aggressively rubbing at his forearms.

“Logan? Are you okay?” You kept trying to talk to him but your voice was drowned out. 

The blood. 

The broken glass.

The cut on their arm. 

The sound of the shattering replayed in his head as he heard painfully familiar voices.

The room felt cold and hot at the same time, Logan felt isolated, having forgotten the presence of everyone for the moment. His breath quickened as he began stepping backwards. He wanted to be away from all of this. He remembered the sting that was in his arms and legs for so long. He didn’t hear David calling to him, nor did he notice the older man that was approaching him.

“Excuse me, son, are you alright?” The old man put a hand on Logan’s shoulder and he flinched backward, arms wrapping around himself. 

“S-stop, please, stop…” His voice was scratching out of his throat, nearly a mumble as his eyes flit around trying to identify the faces that now looked at him. There were so many eyes on him and he couldn’t recognize anyone. His arms hurt, his heart wasn’t beating but he could hear blood pumping in his ears, people were so close, he felt so weak but the need to get away was so strong in his bones. As his back hit the door, he made eye-contact with you. 

You could see him. You were seeing him. You saw his scars, didn’t you? You saw everything he had been through. You saw the blood on him. His emotions irrational and boiling over, he put his hand to the door handle and ran outside. He ignored the sound of you calling after him, he ran to the car and collapsed against the door, hidden from anyone that would’ve been on the other side. He sobbed, hyperventilating as he tried to fill his lungs. Despite the air he was taking in, he couldn’t feel the way his chest expanded. Oh god, he was gonna pass out, he was gonna die here. He didn’t want to die, he didn’t want to feel himself dying again. He scratched at his arms, at the scars under his shirt sleeves that still stung despite the wounds having healed so long ago. He curled into a ball again, trying to protect himself from a threat that only lived on in his head. Logan didn’t notice David coming towards him.

“Logan?” David had heard his crying and hiccups and approached slowly. His heart broke seeing Logan. He had seen Logan’s episodes and panic attacks before, back when his little brother was still in recovery after being rescued. He recalled the advice his therapist had given him about helping him through the panic attacks. David sat down near Logan on the parking lot ground, careful not to touch him. David’s voice softened as much as he could make it, “It’s okay. There’s no one else. I’m right here with you, I always will be.” Logan sniffled and continued crying, though he quieted down a bit. As this happened, Keegan came out to check on them. He and David exchanged some words, before Keegan looked over at his friend.

“It’s alright, kid, you’re okay.” And Keegan walked away.

 David continued verbally reassuring Logan of his presence, every once in a while giving him soft reminders to try to breathe and to slow down the breaths he was taking. After a few minutes, Logan brought his head up and let it thunk against the car behind him as he looked towards the sky, eyes still watery. He continued his deep breaths and slowly rubbed his arms up and down.

Keegan approached the pair again, both sitting on the ground. David looked over, “Do you wanna head back home?”.

Logan could only nod, his voice gone once again. The two got up, David taking the front passenger, Keegan back in the driver and Logan behind him. Logan noticed the paper bags on the seat beside him. Their food. He had run out before the order came. He sighed in quiet frustration. It was glass, he mentally reprimanded himself, just fucking glass and you ran out like… like… He couldn’t think. He just wanted to be back in his room. Logan held his head with his hand, blocking the light from the window and his eyes from civilians. 

As they went back to base, Logan immediately walked to his room. No words to anyone he passed by, no headpats for Riley, he hardly even acknowledged Merrick. His door closed silently, the shades were drawn and he laid in his bed, more tears shedding with no one else to see them.

A/N🪶 Part 2: The title of this chapter is inspired by the most recent Slowdive album of the same name. I’d recommend Alife and Kisses, but Sugar for the Pill (way earlier song from a different album) would also fit this chapter well.

Also, feel free to check out the whole fic on Ao3 @ RiversSong82 ! Let me know if you enjoyed this chapter, have a lovely day!

[hotheadrednecksimmer]

New Life In The City - Struck By Love Legacy Challenge - Episode 7

Maeve took the kids to Central Park in San Myshuno, near their new apartment. Maeve explained why they were moving to the best of her ability.

Maeve: I heard your new school has an ice cream bar that your classes get to go to once a week! That's exciting!

Naomi: Yeah, that's cool mom.

Kaito: What if I don't make any friends in my class? I won't know anyone at this new school.

Maeve: Oh, sweet pea, you'll make lots of friends. Who wouldn't want to be friends with a sweet boy like you?

Naomi: Yeah, so sweet you have cooties!

Kaito lightly pushes Naomi: Hey! I don't have cooties!

Naomi: Sure, sure!! That's what people who have cooties say!

Maeve chuckles quietly: I heard that cooties are super easy to get rid of! All you have to do is brush your teeth twice a day!

Naomi: Oh silly mom, that's not how you get cooties! The kids at my last school said you have to swing the highest you can go and jump off and land on your feet! If you don't land on your feet, you still have cooties!

Maeve: If you say so, hun.

The kids run off and play while Maeve cleans up their lunch.

A little while later, Maeve and Kaito playing Chess while Naomi plays in the fountain!

Kaito: Are you happy mama?

Maeve holding a fake smile: Of course, little duck, I'm happy to be you and Naomi's mama.

Kaito: Don't forget about Salem and Lily Pad!

Maeve: Yes, yes how could I forget our little kitties!

Kaito: When is daddy moving here with us?

Maeve: Remember how I said that we got a divorce? That means that daddy will stay at his house in Copperdale and mama stays at the apartment in the city.

Kaito: So, you stay here and daddy stays there? When do we see daddy again? I miss him.

Maeve: I'll ask daddy when he's available, okay? And maybe we can call him later if he isn't busy.

Kaito: Okay mama!

A couple weeks go by, Maeve and the kids haven't heard from Akira at all. Maeve texted Akira multiple times with no response about their children. After walking the kids to school, Maeve checked the mail before she went inside.

Samson: Oh, hey! You're the new move in! You live in 4, right?

Maeve not looking up from the mailbox: Yeah, we just moved in a couple weeks ago!

Samson: I live in 2, Are you new to the city?

Maeve: The kids are new to the city life, but I grew up in Uptown.

Maeve finally looks up and their eyes meet. It felt like time stood still, or the whole world was quiet just for them. Samson's lips were moving but Maeve only noticed how attractive he was, how easy going it was to have a conversation with him.

Samson stares at Maeve: Did you hear me?

Maeve: Oh, I'm sorry, I, uh, lost focus for a second. What did you say?

Samson: I asked if you liked Spice Area?

Maeve: Oh, It's lovely! We've enjoyed the farmer's market and the kids have been begging me to take them to the karaoke place, but I don't have the heart to tell them that it's a bar and they might not be allowed.

Samson: I think they let kids in? I'm not exactly sure.

Maeve: I don't wanna get their hopes up! We've traveled across town to Central Park. They seemed to enjoy that!

Samson: It was lovely meeting you, oh I didn't catch your name?

Maeve: It's Maeve, I didn't catch yours either.

Samson: Samson!

The next couple of weeks, Maeve and Samson were flirting and getting to know each other. Things were heating up between the two. Over coffee, they started talking about going on a date.... but Maeve decided she wasn't quite ready for that step. It had only been a couple months since she had gotten divorced.

Halloween - Maeve threw a Halloween party and invited her neighbors including Samson.

The party was going off without a hitch! Everyone having a good time, even the kids invited some kids from their new school to come to the party!

During the party, Maeve and Samson got to talking and Samson began flirting with her. Maeve suddenly wasn't feeling it anymore.

Samson: Your the cutest witch at this party.

Maeve: And what are you supposed to be?

Samson: I'm a sexy zombie!

Maeve: How is a zombie supposed to be sexy?

Samson: Because I'm sexy.

Samson wiggles his eyesbrows. Maeve laughs as she takes another bite of her pizza.

Samson: I know you've been putting off our date, but what about tomorrow night? Does that work for you?

Maeve set her plate down to give Samson her full attention: Samson, I really like you -

Samson: But?

Maeve: But I just don't think I'm ready for a relationship, not saying that's what you would want but I'm just ready for all of that. I have to think of my kids, my career, the age difference alone.

Samson: I don't care about the age difference. Everything else we can work through. I don't mind waiting as long as you need.

Maeve: You are young and you have a lot of life left, you should be able to do that without worrying about a woman with kids.

Samson: I won't push anymore, I understand. But know this Maeve, You'd be worth it.

Maeve: Thanks Sam.

Also, at the party is another next door neighbor named Star...

╭┈◦•◦❥•◦ First | Previous | Next

[draiochtoaksacademyrp]

Post MoonFall

Thunder bunny Amber reporting in…

Under the Hunter's Moon Eerie orange glow the final attack of Moonfall was held. 12 Students: Verity, Steve,Otha,Celsa,Honey,Sen,Nisa,Kylona,Azel,Vanie,Ryker and Rowan were all taken in the middle of the night. Last seen walking into the forest under a daze.

Not for a lack of trying, Every adult that attempted to follow were placed under a nightmarish illusion of madness. What could they do but watch as a group of their students play hero and follow them through the barrier. The "Hero" Party consisted of 8 students that were desperate enough to go after their loved ones and friends. Myself, Gora,Aurora,Sara,Karenos,Lorelay,Krul and Ryo set our sights for our friends only to be met with a ghastly sight.

Not so soon after we entered the forest were we hit with the atrocious scent and the full view of the previously missing and pressumed dead students strung up on a tree and completely charred. Urgrad, Sylvana, Dagormith, Theo, Cerana, Nar Hadia and Sleazius. But with everyone focused on the mission, only Karenos could look in horror and pain. I couldn't leave them up there like halloween decor so i had my Familiars Ginger and Rouge take them down and cover them til the mission was over. But since that sight… Karenos looked lost.

After traveling deeper into the forest we finally saw them! But they were all in a trance, markings binding them to a circle, so even if we wanted to we couldn't grab and dip. According to the others there were four figures ready to fight them. But thanks to the fact illusions never affected me. I could see the villain for who they truly were… Sienna Graves. Once she revealed herself to the others i couldn't help but noticed the newest student, Gora, seemed shocked and out of sorts. Even Ryo who was normally always ready seemed a mess. He really just wanted my sister Honey safe.

Seeing that i could see her clear as day i struck her with a lightning bolt, as it hit Sienna yelled to me that it was a cheap shot. Ill admit it. It was. Gora stood aimlessly as she looked at the wisp. Dammit why wasnt she moving?? Aurora tried but seemed to see something unknown and hit that instead. Fuck. Sienna then turned to the captives and hurt that star kid. Why??? But shortly after she tried to hit sara but it only grazed her. What was strange was that blood slowly trickled down her nose… then Sienna started to cough… what was going on? Sara, while Sienna was coughing attacked her with her axe. Making a good amount of damage. Karenos, still shaken from the sight previously tried to attack sienna but made no contact. It was ….pitiful. Upperclassman Lorelay also let her emotions get the best of her, not that i can really blame her, but slipping on a pebble was…. damn. Krul finally arrived and threw his prefects door at her and missed…. was … was he taking this seriously??? Sienna then tried to attack me, it made sense but again… i could see so i just. Moved to the side. She on the other hand started to cough blood. Was she dying? Ryo kept clawing at the illusions, i could feel his rage, and desperation to save my sister, granted he tried to wake Gora from her daze soon after. During this…. Bunny Houses Prefect Vanie died…. apparently Sienna poisoned her to keep her weakened. It just followed due course… Saras cries must've been heard, because kylonas controlled body began to cry. After being attacked i tried to hit back but she was a wisp and remembered she could poof out of the way. Gora seemed to fall apart and did nothing as she fell into darkness. Did sienna feel for her? Seeing Kylona cry set something off in Aurora, she ended up slugging Sienna in the throat. Ouch. Krul ended up going super saiyan when he realized Vanie died… she must've been well liked. Irritated, Sienna tried murdering Steve but Lorelay said no and shielded him with her body. I don't think she will make it. In fact, i don't know how much longer sienna will last either, She looked like shit. Good for us, bad for her. After hitting Loreley Sienna aimed at the Naga. Fuck is he okay??? Seeing Sienna aim for Steve set Sara off as she literally bashed Sienna's skull. The wisps blood was everywhere. Damn. Karenos still attacked at nothingness. Why cant he snap out of this?? I can see Lorelay laying down. She's not getting up any time soon. Despite that head reeling from the recent bashing, her illusions saved her from Krul's wrath it seemed. Lore spoke to the concerned sara. But i cant focus too much there. My ears were filled with Ryo trying to knock some sense into Gora. We need help. We were dumb to come with just 8 people. Sara spoke through tears while sienna attempted to attack Aurora which failed. Ryo finally got up to fight but he missed because of her swaying. Dammit.

Soon i could see that the phoenix gave out. Like Vanie she succumb to death. I tried to attack sienna but she poofed away. HOW?!?! Gora just stared into the nothing. There's no way she fell that hard in like….24 hours!! I can hear Sara screaming out for the phoenix. Lore was dead. Aurora, her anger was palpable. She …hugged? Sienna and engulfed her in the flames of hell til sienna finally died. I think we all know she's with sun now… I felt her magic spells break as we were all freed. But at the cost of two of our own…. Lorelay Polly and Vanessa …well i don't really know her so i'm not sure. Hearing My sisters voice was sweet music. But she wanted Ryo… so i stayed back. Only the gods know what will happen now… Now that the Moon finally fell…..

Art belongs to @monstermarquis of their character Sienna Graves

[sunflowergirl522]

Wanda’s Brother

Pairing: Peter Maximoff x Reader

Requested by Anon: I was wondering if you’d ever consider writing a piece based on Cates Brother by Maisie peters about Peter/Pietro where the reader is Wandas friend i could work with the Peter being from the xcu and Wanda and reader being from the mcu rather than Canada

Word count: 2618

Masterlist

It was a Halloween party you threw at the Avengers compound when you first met him. It was one of those parties where everyone showed up to it which was rare. Tony brought Pepper and Morgan, Peter brought his aunt May, Sam flew his sister and her kids up to come, even Happy had shown up and was having a good time. You spent your time bouncing from friend to friend, you were just ending a conversation with Bucky and Steve when you spot Wanda and Vision across the room.

“Wanda! Vis!” You grab them both a drink on your way over to them.

“Y/n! You really went all out with the webs this year.”

“Oh those were all Peter, he was a huge help putting it all together.” You shrug and point your thumb over your shoulder. “How was your weekend?” They had gone on some sort of trip that caused them to miss game night.

“Oh, it was amazing.”

“We went to see some of Wanda’s family.”

“Family? But I thought you said you lost your mom and dad. And I was there when…” You trail off not wanting to think of the battle in Sokovia when you lost the friend you quickly made in Pietro.

“Do you remember my theories on the multiverse?” Your eyes widen slightly while you nod at Vision while Wanda glances around the room. “Well turns out some of them are true and we met this woman, Agatha, who can travel and send people through universes.”

“Oh, I found him! Y/n did you meet my brother? He’s been wandering around.” She waves someone over while she speaks.

“No I didn’t.” You hadn’t seen anyone that looked like Pietro. That is until you spot the man who appears next to Wanda with a gust of wind following him. The moment you lay your eyes on him your heart thumps hard in your chest and even though you’ve never met this man in your life you feel like you know him.

“What’s up sis?” His arm wraps around Wanda's shoulders and the way she smiles at being called sis fills you with warmth. 

“Pietro, meet my best friend. Y/n this is my brother Pietro.”

“Y/n?” Peter mumbles to himself, his eyes going wide as they take you in. His arm drops and he has to stop himself from taking a step forward and making sure you’re real. His Y/n was dead, lost during a mission gone wrong but here you were.

“Are you for real Wanda’s brother? I’m not being like punked right now am I?”

“I mean I don’t know many other powerful mutants like her. Well, okay that’s a lie, I know a decent amount.” He holds his hand out itching to feel your skin on his and see if there’s still sparks like he had with his Y/n. “Hi, I’m Peter though Wanda refuses to call me that.”

“It’s not Pietro?” As the two of your hands met your heart went love him, he’s the one and we shall wed. Your face heats up and goosebumps raise on your arms but you can’t seem to tear your eyes away from his own.

“It was before my mom moved us to the states but everyone started calling me Peter and it stuck.” He shrugs while breaking contact even if all he wants to do is pull you into his chest. Your heart speeds up at the smile he shoots you after he speaks.

“Oh. Well, have you met anyone else?”

“I’ve been trying all the different food, haven’t had the time to meet anyone.” His cheeks tinge pink at his confession.

“That’s understandable. When I first joined the team Tony threw a welcome party and I was in the middle of stuffing my face when he tried to introduce me to Cap.” You giggle at the memory and Peter smiles at how much it seems you’re the same as his Y/n was. “If you want I could introduce you to some of the gang. If that’s alright with you Wanda of course! I don’t want to steal your brother away.”

“Please I had to deal with him all weekend, I could use a break.” That wasn’t completely true; she could just sense that the two of you needed each other.

“Shall we?” Peter offers the crook of his elbow out to you and you take it slightly laughing at him.

“We shall.”

The two of you don’t make it around too many people. You introduce him to Sam and Bucky before heading over to the bar where Nat and Yelena were making drinks and end up staying there. You two get sucked into your own little world after the sisters take off. Peter seemed to have a thousand questions to ask you and you listen intently as he talks about the X-Men and the school back home.

“Y/n, Peter, it’s about time we head back to see Agatha to get you home.” Vision interrupts a story Peter was telling about a prank he did on his friend Scott. Your heart drops at the thought of him going back. And so does Peters, he had just gotten you back and now he has to leave.

“Alright Robocop, let me finish my drink and I’ll meet you two outside.” You bite your lip to hold in the laughter that wants to escape while Vision nods and heads back over to Wanda. “Wanna walk me out so I don’t get lost?” Peter downs his drink and stands up holding his hand out to you. You’re quick to abandon your own drink and take his hand leading him to the door. 

“So did you enjoy your time tonight?”

“Yeah, it was the best night I’ve had in a long time.” There’s something in his eyes you can’t quite decipher but you can tell he means it. “I forgot for a minute I’d have to go home and that home is so far away.”

“Yeah, I forgot that too. It feels like I’ve known you forever.”

“Ya.”

“Will you be coming back here at all?” As you ask the question the two of you stop just in front of the glass doors and you can see Wanda and Vision waiting.

“Every once and a while definitely but between missions and teaching gym now I don’t have much time. I barely managed to find the time for Wanda and Vision when they showed up out of nowhere.” Your hopes of seeing him again start to go down. “But I want to see you again so I’ll definitely be back.” The two of you share a smile before walking out the door.

“I’ll see you later Wands?”

“Yeah, I’ll be home after we get him back.”

“Alright, bye guys!”

“See you around.” Peter winks at you before grabbing Wanda and zooming off leaving Vision to meet them there.

Wanda ends up going to see him every other weekend taking with her letters from you and bringing back his responses. You don’t see him again until two months after the party and it was just in passing because you had gotten called for a mission with Yelena and Kate. The two of you had exchanged greetings before you broke the news that you wouldn’t be around that weekend. Peter had been let down but tried to not let it show just how much until you were out the doors of the compound giggling at something one of the girls with you said.

“You know,” Wanda says, sneaking up on Peter causing his head to snap her way, “When my Pietro was alive it didn’t take long at all for him to develop a small crush on Y/n.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Peter’s hands clenched into fists.

“Because I can tell that you really care for her already.”

“This is different from just a small crush Wanda.”

“How you don’t even know her.”

“I know her!” He exclaims and then quickly calms down and corrects himself. “Knew her.” Peter sits on the couch in Wanda’s room resting his elbows on his knees and rubs his hands down his face while Wanda sits next to him. “She was amazing, the Y/n in my world, my Y/n.” A sad smile takes its place on his face as he speaks. “We’d go on cinema dates with Scott and Jean, she’s fun and weird and smart and god she could shotgun a beer like no other. I loved her but I lost her, we all did. Something happened on a mission and I wasn’t there to save her. God I should’ve been there.” He sniffles and scrubs his eyes before looking at his sister from another world. “I thought all hope of ever loving someone again was gone, until you showed up and you brought me to your friend's party and I saw her. Your Y/n. She’s so much like the girl I knew but she’s also so beautifully different. It’s like I’m getting to meet and fall in love with her all over again. And I don’t think I will ever be able to thank you enough for giving me this chance.”

“Stay here for the summer.”

“What?”

“You’ll be done teaching right? See about staying in this universe with us, with her. I know Y/n and sure she could fall for you with letters and the random times you’re here but, she’ll need you to be here. Quality time is very much her love language, so if you’re both going to fall in love you’re going to have to be here.”

“Why help me?”

“When I lost Pietro I felt as lost as you did when you lost your Y/n. He was my world, the only person I had left. If it weren’t for Vis and Y/n I would probably be in that dark place I was in. You’re my brother Peter, you are now and you would be even if I still had Pietro. I love you and want what’s best for you and I want what’s best for Y/n. And I know that’s you.” Peter pulls Wanda into a bear hug smiling into her shoulder.

Wanda’s visits to see Peter are down to just once a month and everytime you ask her about it she just shrugs and says he’s busy with a smile you can’t decipher. And that means he hasn’t been able to visit either. You’re let down but at least you still have his letters to look forward to. Meanwhile Peters working double time, going on even the smallest of missions to help get the professor in his good graces for when he asks about being gone for the summer.

You don’t see Peter again until June and he shows up with suitcases dragging behind him. You’re sitting on the patio with Kate drinking your usual Starbucks order after a day out when you see him heading towards you. Your eyes are drawn to him like a moth to a flame and you smile as he bobs his head to whatever is playing through his headphones. His own face breaks out in a smile as he spots you and in a second he’s standing in front of the table.

“Hi.” His grin goes dopey as you laugh at his sudden presence.

“Hey.”

“Hi.” He repeats not fully functioning as he stares at you and how perfect you look in your sundress with the sun shining down on you. Kate laughs at him and it breaks him out of his stupor. “Have you seen Wanda?”

“I’m pretty sure she’s in her room. Why, didn’t she go get you?”

“Nah Vision did.”

“What’s with the suitcases?” You gesture to the forgotten luggage where he first spotted you while taking a sip of your drink.

“Oh, I’ll be here all summer.” His words take you by surprise and you start to choke on your drink. “Are you okay?” His eyes fill with worry and he leans down and places a hand on your shoulder. You just nod and wave your hand while you finish your coughing fit.

“You’re here for the whole summer?” 

“Yeah.” You beam at him while he gets lost in your widened eyes. 

“Y/n you gonna introduce me to your boyfriend or what?” Kate breaks through the moment causing Peter's cheeks to tint.

“Oh, um, he’s not-”

“I’m Peter.” He sticks his hand out for Kate to shake.

“Kate. Are you a troublemaker like our Petey?”

“Who’s to say?” He shrugs with a smirk on his face while he tries to ignore the twinge of jealousy when she says ‘our Petey’ and motioned to include you in it. You chuckle at him and stand up.

“Come on P, I’ll take you to Wanda. Tell Yelena I’m sorry about skipping out today Kate.”

“Don’t worry I’ll make sure she knows you’re bailing on girls day for new Peter!” She yells after you as you head away causing you to roll your eyes.

“Oh, Peter, I was just coming to get you.” Wanda turns a corner almost bumping into the two of you. “I set up the guest room in between Y/n and I for you.”

That summer is the best time of your life. Peter stays basically glued to your side the whole time making sure he got to know who you were closest to, which meant a lot to you. At some point during the summer the two of you became more than friends but not quite lovers. He had basically moved into your room about halfway through his visit. He had claimed it was because he ended up falling asleep while the two of you watched movies anyway but really he just slept better when he was with you. And honestly so did you.

You found yourself thinking about your not there yet relationship while you stood against the wall with Wanda at Peter Parker's birthday party. With the whole different universe thing are you gonna work, gonna hurt, gonna last forever? And if it’s gonna hurt, will it be worth it and will you recover? Peter makes his way back over to you as the speakers play Nirvana.

“Babe, your friends are great!” He’s used the nickname here and there without thinking about it and it flusters you every single time.

“I know!” You smile up at him letting him take your hand in his.

“You mind if I steal her away Wanda?”

“Not at all.”

“Is it too late to blow this popsicle stand?” He whispers in your ear as he leads you away from his sister.

“Nah I was starting to get tired anyway. C’mon we’ll pull the ol’ Irish goodbye.” You tug him out of the room before he grabs you and you’re in your room. When he puts you down you get lost in his brown and don’t even realize you were both leaning in until your noses were touching and you were breathing each other's air. Your lips connect and you decide that you don’t ever want to stop kissing him. When the two of you trip and fall onto your bed you both laugh and he rests his forehead on your shoulder.

“Be mine?” He glances down at you while he moves to rest his head on his hand. “I won’t let you down or lead you on.”

“How can I know you’re for sure? It’s only been a summer.”

“Come to my universe to meet my friends and my family.”

“Okay.” You grin at him before pulling him down for another kiss. And now you date Wanda’s brother.

Peter Maximoff Taglist: @elaineygrace @loveyou3000-mcu @stars-of-clarke @strawb3rrydr3ss @dissectiontime @clubcesspool @sailormajinmoon @girl-obsessed-with-things @collywobbl @idli-dosa @

Marvel Taglist: @its-the-autism-innit-luv @milkiane @rorysreallyrandom @lieswithoutfairytales @sugarbutterbailey @1-800-ch3rry @neenieweenie @rocketxgirl @fluffy-bnny @bunnyweasley23 

[italiansteebie]

There's a Time and a Place to Act Like John Bender; And It's Not in My Bedroom

---------

Steve Harrington has never celebrated halloween.

And sure, he threw parties and got wasted, but proper dressing up and trick or treating. Not even once. Fathersaid it wasn’t becoming of the Harrington name, and it wasn’t something “real men” did. Now Steve wasn’t exactly sure why his father was so concerned with him being a man at a ripe 8 years old, but he digresses.

Now of course he was a little sad that he never got in on the experience, but it was never a huge deal. In fact when he still hung out with Tommy H. it was thought of as something pretty cool. Steve, then, didn’t understand how having no one to take him was cool but… Well. We’re not talking about that right now.

So when he met Robin Buckley for th first time, and hearing her complain over and over again about how she elt like a kid on halloween in her stupid uniformmade these things come to a head. “Wow.” She scoffed. “Of course you’d be too cool even as a kid.” Marked with an eye roll. At the time he’d shrugged it off. They weren’t friends, so why would she be interested in hearing some boring sob story about poor little Steve Harrington?

It didn’t come up for a while again after this, and Steve thought he was home free. That is until Eddie Munson joined their ragtag group of end of the world survivors And when he found out.

Oh boy.

It was October 25th, and they were having their weekly sleep over at Steve’s when it was brought up. It started off as a simple question, a measly “What are you guys going as for Halloween this year?” Followed up with a timid “Are we going trick or treating?” From Will. Eddie’s eyes lit up, “We should all go together!” And Steve made a face at this, “Aren’t we,” He gestured to the young adults, “A little too old to go trick or treating?” And Eddie scoffed at that, waving a dismissive hand at him. Well it was settled, they were all going. Including Steve.

And as pathetic as it is, he was a bit nervous. Steve was wallowing in his nerves when he sensed eyes on him, “What?” Dustin rolled his eyes, “Geezzus, Steve. Please pay attention, this is important!” He ragged lightly, pushing on Steve’s shoulder. “We were asking about the first times we all can remember going trick or treating!” And the blush rose to his face. He opened his mouth and closed it a few times, trying to figure out how to break the news.

And suddenly Robin lit up in remembrance. “Oh my god. OH MY GOD. That’s right! He’s never been trick or treating.” She’d screeched, heads whipping around from all directions, effectively making Steve shrink in his seat. There was an overlapping of words, and commotion, all sounding something vaguely blasphemous and cursing in Steve's direction.

He shushed them with a simple hand wave.

“It’s not that I didn’t want to go! No one would take me.” He started off light, voice wavering as he finished his sentence. And boy that was almost worse than the group finding out he hadn’t gone in the first place.

Eddie clapped his hands. “Alright! We have…” He counted on his fingers “approximately seven days to figure out what we’re going as!” He cheered, everyone joining in save for Robin and Steve who side-eyed each other, sharing a small giggle at the use of approximate.

—----

It was five days later that Steve found himself in a Walmart looking through clothes and odds and ends with Robin to find something for their costumes. The older kids were going as the “Breakfast Club” gang and appropriately Steve was Claire, because of course, of course, Eddie was Bender. Because who else would he be? Steve fought hard for Nancy to be Claire, but to no avail. She was going as the little nerd boy, Steve couldn’t be bothered to remember his name no matter how many times Nancy yelled it at him, exhaustedly. Jonathan was going as the jock, to which Steve laughed at the irony for longer than appropriate, earning him smacks to the back of the head. (To which earned Jon a chasting to “Be careful! He’s got enough brain damage!”)

So Yeah. Here they were in the middle of the Women’s underwear section of a Walmart, getting enough side eyes as it is, save for the loud grumbling coming from Robin. “Just chill, Rob! You pretty much dress like her already, anyway!” Which was the wrong thing to say because he got a bra lobbed at his face in response. Chucking it away from him at lightning speed as a disgruntled mother made a disgusted face in his direction. He flashed her the “Steve Smile,” before turning to Robin and whispering harshly, “Can we please go?!” She rolled her eyes, grabbing a pair of fishnet stockings and tossing them into the basket, along with the pale pink shirt from Steve’s costume.

As much as they both hate to admit it, they only really needed the finishing touches to their costumes, having had most of the garments in their own closets. And it’d really take forever to get Steve to admit he took clothes out of Robin’s closet. Mainly socks, but still.

And on the other side, Eddie didn’t have to shop to look like Bender, he’ll all he had to do was tweak his daily dress. Jonathan had most of the stuff, just having to do his hair up and having to begrudgingly ask Steve to borrow his letterman jacket. Nancy didn’t have to shop at all, much like Eddie, though she did have to go into Mike's closet and mess with her hair for a bit to get the right look. She thought to herself at least 4 times during the whole ordeal that she was going to go 60’s and just cut her hair off.

The younger kids were going as the GhostBusters Crew. With Will as Winston, because of the “W” he claimed, when really it’s because he didn’t want a repeat of what happened the last time. Max was the receptionist, Janine, plotting Lucas as Egon, for…. Obvious reasons. Mike and Dustin fought over who was going to be Venkman, which eventually landed on Dustin for his argument that Mike has already been Venkman once. Mike fought for El to be Dana, but she was too dead set on being the ghost.

When they shared that with the older kids, Steve let out a giggle, fist bumping El and saying “That’s what I would’ve picked too.” That same night, it had been determined that Mike’s neighborhood was the best for trick or treating, due to the large population of young, middle class families. The game plan was to start out there, and see where the night takes them, Eddie in charge of bringing Max, and Steve in charge of bringing everyone else. El was going to be spending the night, so she would already be there, along with Will.

—--------

It had hit the 31st, and the morning air was cool, and crisp.

And to be completely honest, Steve was almost shaking in anticipation. Like that guy- girl, from that weirdly erotic movie Robin made him watch. He’d liked it, but it was still weird. In fact, he had pushed for that to be their group costume but the idea was outvoted by the breakfast club idea. He thought about guilt tripping them into it, putting on a whole show and whining about how it was his first halloween, but he refrained. If there was one thing Steve wasn’t, it was a brat. Most of the time.

The day went by slowly, too slowly in Steve’s opinion, he was probably more excited than he should be, but he couldn’t help it. He paced practically the whole day. So when it finally hit Five O’clock, he practically jumped out of his skin, packing his bag with his costume and racing out the door. He couldn’t keep the child like smile off his face, no matter how hard he tried.

By the time they all reached the Wheeler house, it was 6 pm, and the excited vibration had turned into a contagious buzz. Everyone was getting gradually excited with Steve, especially El, who was also celebrating her first proper Halloween.

They ate dinner, and shimmied into their respective costumes, Mrs. Wheeler took as many pictures as she could manage, with Jonathan assisting. “You guys are just SO cute!” Mrs. Wheeler bubbled, laughing brightly. “Say cheese everyone!” she cheered, gathering the teens and young adults all into frame, “This is going to be a keeper!” She said, and the flash went off with a bright crack.

“Okay, okay. Now everyone stay together, a-and don’t wander off! Oh! And if you feel unsafe, come home right away, okay!” She rambled as she ushered everyone out the door, pressing a kiss to both Mike and Nancy’s foreheads.

The group trotted down the road, waving at the other costumed groups, and eventually wandered up to their first house. Steve was pushed to the front, and he couldn’t help but feel the anxiety well up in his throat.

He moved to turn back and let one of the kids do it but he was blocked and spun back around by his very own Bender. “Nope! You gotta do it! It’s the rite of passage princess,” The metal head teased, pushing the pink clad man towards the door.

He knocked with a shaky hand, and was met with a calm hand on his shoulder from Robin, who winked at him. The door swung open, “Trick or treat!” The group chimed, almost in unison. And the lady answering the door did a double take, which looking back was actually quite funny.

“Well I’ll be! Steve Harrington! Now I have been waiting to see you out here for years!” She gushed, and a bright smile etched its way onto his face. “Yup! It’s his first time!” Dustin said, with a cheeky grin. And the old woman, who was soft and what Steve expected a Grandma to look like, reached out and pinched his cheek. “Well, well. Let's see what we have here.” She squinted at the group, pointing at each one of them and naming their costumes, only faltering once she reached El. “Ghost.” Was all she said. And the lady smiled yet another cheery smile and said, “Well. I guess those ghostbusters are doing a pretty good job then!” Finishing the interaction by dropping candy into each of their bags and buckets. El and Steve had been graced with classic pumpkin pails, while the rest carried pillowcases. At first El had tried to argue saying that a pillow case would fit way more candy, but was appeased by her brothers assuring her that they could share.

Overall, the night was a huge success.

The first house really set the tone and interactions only went up from there! There were a few side eyes towards the odd group, from parents who were walking with their young kids, but Eddie convinced them all to just wave them off. It was sweet, and Steve means that both literally and figuratively.

They make it back to the Wheelers all in one piece with no complications, and began the mandatory candy sort and trade session that took much longer than Steve anticipated. With candy sorted and put back into respective owners possessions, they switched on a movie, and snacked on their collections. It was a puppy pile of siblings and friends, and it was the safest any of them had ever felt at night.

It wasn’t supposed to be a sleepover, but with bellies full of candy, they couldn’t help but start to doze, and when a snore rumbled from the throat of their beloved babysitter, they knew they weren’t going anywhere. A quick call to home to avoid panicking mothers, and everyone was settled in for the night.

It was nice for them all to see a day full of spookiness and not terror, or a fear of losing their lives. A successful Samhain indeed.

[mysteryshoptls]

SSR Silver Halloween Personal Story: Part 2

"I should enjoy this to my heart's content"

(Part 1) Part 2 (Part 3)

[The Other Dimension – Sparkling Chamber]

Jamil: He seemed to be so calm while we were exploring the ghost world… was he thinking about that the whole time on the inside?

Silver: …While we were traveling, I was desperate to find Lilia-senpai and Malleus-sama.

Silver: That is why I hadn't the need to think of anything else. However, as soon as I relaxed myself…

Silver: I remembered the moment that Lilia-senpai and Malleus-sama stood before us as the "enemy."

Silver: Being unable to meet each other again due to going separate ways from each other, or life coming to an end… I had believed that to be "farewell."

Silver: But it is not just that. Fighting against the two of them… I acknowledge that such a form of parting is also possible.

Silver: If Lilia-senpai and Malleus-sama used all of their strength, there would be no way we could win. But even so, the reason why I unsheathed my sword was…

Silver: Because I had believed that the two of them were being manipulated by someone. My sense of duty to bring them back to their old selves was my sole drive.

Silver: However, if Lilia-senpai and Malleus-sama were to choose to be our enemies of their own volition…

Silver: Would I be able to fight them? Would I be able to point my sword at the two of them…?

Jamil/Cater: …

Silver: Ah, my apologies. That is not a topic of conversation suitable for an environment such as this where everyone should be enjoying themselves.

Jamil: No… This was my first time seeing you be so fearful, so I was a little bit surprised.

Cater: Me too～ Silver-kun always has a cool image, so this feels like such a huge difference from usual.

Silver: I am also at a loss at my own feelings. This is the first time I have felt so uneasy.

Silver: Even though this is a party that Lilia-senpai and Malleus-sama threw for everyone… I do not believe I will be able to dance today.

Silver: Cater-senpai and Jamil. Please don't worry about me and enjoy your Halloween.

Cater: Hrrrrm… As someone on the Halloween committee, I can't really bring myself to leave a sad-faced kid all by himself…

Cater: Besides, I've just been walking around non-stop dancing and taking pictures and videos, so I want to take a little break.

Cater: Hey, I have a great idea, if it's all right with you, we'll stick around and chat with you.

Cater: Sometimes just talking it out is good for those gloomy feelings.

Jamil: We, as in…. Me too!? Please don't pull me into this unprompted.

Cater: Eeeh～ c'mon. Aren't you interested in the internal affairs of the closed-off and mysterious Diasomnia dorm?

Cater: We might be able to get the inside school on that Malleus Draconia too ♪

Jamil: I don't really care about that sort of thing but… Well, all I was doing was grabbing Kalim's food anyway.

Jamil: …If talking will make you feel better, I'll listen to you too, Silver.

Silver: You guys…

Silver: Thank you. But even so, I'm not sure where to start…

Cater: Hmm… Ah, it seems like you're pretty close like family to Lilia-chan, but when did you guys meet?

Silver: Lilia-senpai and Malleus senpai have taken care of me for longer than I can remember.

Silver: I guess I've known Sebek for about 10 years now…

Silver: Sebek's grandfather and my father are old friends, and one day Father brought him to our home as a junior disciple.

Cater: Wow, so you've been with him for over 10 years, huh～

Cater: Cay-kun really can't relate to those kinds of stories with childhood friendships and familial relationships～

Jamil: I'm rather envious at how carefree he is. It would be better to not feel so tied down to one's hometown.

Silver: Children around the same age as me were rare in the Valley of Thorns, but

Silver: Lilia-senpai was always there for me, so I was never lonely.

Silver: Training with Sebek was always fun, and sometimes Malleus-sama would come and visit us in secret…

Silver: Somewhere in my heart, I had decided that that peaceful time would continue on forever.

Silver: …I had never even given it a thought that I could experience a parting.

Jamil: Well, you wouldn't have had any time to prepare yourself for this one, at least.

Cater: …Silver-kun, Jamil-kun. Most of the time, you won't be able to prepare yourself beforehand.

Jamil/Silver: Eh?

Cater: Farewell is something that usually comes without warning.

(Part 1) Part 2 (Part 3)

[babymetaldoll]

DIWK - Chapter eight: "There is no I in Team"

Word count: 8,4K

Summary: It's Spencer's birthday, and the team meets Mikey, Lu, and Frank. Reader is no longer in denial, but she has no idea what she is doing. Also, Rossi is here.

Warnings: Cursing, frustration, please don't hate me.

A/N: Hi! I hope you enjoy this fluffy chapter 'cos... well... things are a few chapters away from getting a little messed up. Thank you for all the support! your likes and comments keep me writing! Love you all!

Masterlist

Chapter one | Chapter two | Chapter three | Chapter four | Chapter five | Chapter six | Chapter seven | Chapter eight | Chapter nine | Chapter ten | Chapter eleven | Chapter twelve | Chapter thirteen | Chapter fourteen | Chapter fifteen |

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(Y/N)'s point of view

Suddenly, working at the BAU wasn't just catching serial killers. After almost two years at the FBI, I was dealing with some serious issues that were starting to get in the middle of me and work: Spencer Walter Reid.

I didn't want to face it, and I knew I was trying to deny it as much as I could, but even when I kept telling everybody no, deep down, I knew the answer was yes.

I was falling for my best friend.

But I refused to deal with my feelings. There were more important things to do, like catching killers and celebrating Spencer's 26 birthday. So yes, I was screwed.

Penelope organized a breakfast celebration at the BAU with the whole team on his birthday, and I was in charge of the cake. I baked it myself the day before, and Lu decided to help me. And by "help me," apparently, she actually meant "drive me crazy."

- "So, when is Spencer's birthday?"- she sat and sipped her tea at the kitchen island as I continued mixing ingredients.

- "Sunday, October 28th, why?"

- "Just asking. And what's the plan?"

- "Tomorrow Friday, we'll throw an early birthday breakfast at the BAU. Then, I was planning to have a huge surprise party for Spencer here Saturday night. If we are called on a case, then we are doomed. But if we are home, we should definitely celebrate Batsy's day."

- "Aha"- I cut her a questioning gaze, and she just smiled- "I was just trying to make conversation."

- "Ok..."

- "And waiting patiently for you to face the fact you are in love with Spencer."

I nearly dropped the mixer bowl as soon as I heard those words.

- "Lu, what the fuck?!"- I knew I was all kinds of shades of pink, but I did my best to keep my cool and pretend to be stony.

- "I'm just saying it's about time you drop the act and deal with your feelings."

I hated the fact she was right. I was in love with Reid. But I didn't want to talk about it. Honestly, I wasn't ready to acknowledge those feelings out loud 'cause it would make them real. And all I wanted at that minute was to pretend those feelings didn't exist.

- "The only feeling I am dealing with right now is with how pissed I am with your innuendo."

I turned my back at Lu and started looking for the right pan for the batter. I had bought three sizes just to make sure I'd get it right. I also made a mental note not to tell her that.

- "There's no innuendo. I'm telling you upfront. I know you are in love with Spencer."

- "What?!"- Lu laughed and walked to the kettle to pour herself another cup of tea.

- "You do remember I've known you since we were six years old, right?"

- "Yes, I remember that. But that doesn't mean you know how I feel about Spencer."

- "No, of course not. It means you can stop acting. I see through you! you are baking the man a cake."

- "So?"- I looked at her and raised an eyebrow, trying my best to look serious and not busted at all.

- "So you've never baked a cake for me, or Mikey, or Frank!"

- "Well, if you are all jealous, I'll bake one for your birthday then!"

- "(Y/N), please. The cake is just an example. You and I both know you are in love with him."

- "I am not"- I sighed and turned off the mixer, 'cos the batter was ready.

- "(Y/N)"- my friend whispered a few seconds later in a softer voice.

- "Lu?"

- "You are in love with Spencer Reid."

I took a deep breath and crossed my arms on my chest as I looked at her. She was smiling, pleased. It made me think of Frank's request a few months earlier when he asked me he and the guys wanted me to date Reid. I thought it had been cute. Now I was wondering if they all suspected I had feelings for my best friend.

- "Lucy, why are you so obsessed with this?"

- "'Cause he is in love with you too, and I want you to be happy"- and her answer kind of broke my heart.

- "Reid is not in love with me,"- I whispered and returned to the cake to pour the batter into the pans.

- "Why are you so sure?"

- "'Cos I know him! And I know he is in love with someone else"- Lu frowned and shook her head, in disagreement with my words. Like she knew him better.

- "Spencer Reid is in love with you, (Y/N). I've known it since the day I met him."

- "Spencer Reid is in love with JJ. I've known it since the day I met him 'cos he actually asked her out."

- "Oh, come on! You told me that story! Nothing happened!"

- "'Cos she doesn't like him, but you should see him when he is around her! and now that she is dating, it's so obviously killing him!"

I let my arms fall at my sides, defeated, and Lu tapped on the seat next to her. So I sat by her side and held the cup of tea I had left forgotten earlier when I had started baking.

- "So, tell me why you think Reid likes JJ"- Lu demanded, and I somehow managed to tell her what I felt without looking desperate. Or that's what I thought.

- "He worships the floor she walks upon. And I get it, she is cute, she is fun, blond, and friendly. I bet every guy she meets loves her. And it's awful 'cos I love her too, she is my friend. She's the sweetest."

- "But?"

- "But what?"

- "Sounded like you were going to tell me something like "But I hate her 'cos I am in love with Reid."

- "I don't hate JJ! I'm happy she has Will, though she hasn't told us about it. And I love working with her! she is sweet and amazing!"

- "But you are sure Reid loves her"- I just nodded- "Well, you are wrong."

- "Trust me, I'm not."

- "Well, then I'll have to meet that JJ girl and see if Reid looks in love with her."

- "How are you planning to do that?"

- "I don't know"- Lu simply shrugged and smiled- "Something will come up."

And something did come up. Spencer's birthday party. October 28th, 2007.

We threw him a surprise party at my apartment, and everybody came. Derek, Garcia, Prentiss, JJ, Hotch, Lu, Mikey, and Frank. It wasn't just Spencer's 26th birthday party. It was me not hiding anymore. I couldn't hide myself from the team if everybody were invited to my house and about to meet my friends. But I didn't care. I didn't actually think about it much at the moment, 'cos all I cared about was giving Spencer the best surprise birthday party on earth.

And I think I nailed it, 'cos he had no idea what was going on when he knocked on my door at eight. He was innocently holding a bag with some snacks I had asked him to bring for the movie marathon I told him we would have. And he believed me. He was adorable.

As soon as I opened the door and saw him there, my heart skipped a beat. Maybe that's why I didn't say much; I just smiled and invited him in.

- "Is your electricity out? Why are all your lights off, (Y/N)?"- he innocently asked, right before turning on the light and hearing everybody yelling "Surprise!!"

- "What the..."- Reid looked around in shock, not getting what was going on. Frank jumped over and nearly tackled him with a hug, making me laugh. Garcia turned to me in shock, but I just shook my head. That's Frank.

- "Happy barf day, doc!"

- "Thank you so much! Hey!"- Spencer looked around and looked at me. I smiled and watched how everybody got closer to him and hugged him. I don't know if he was ok with it, but he didn't seem to complain. The birthday boy hugged everybody that night.

Spencer's point of view

I don't think anyone had ever thrown me a surprise party before. I never suspected it. Not even a little. I was so glad they had done it, though. I was so happy to have friends and family to share that day with.

It was my fourth birthday at the BAU, the second (Y/N) had organized, and somehow I didn't feel alone anymore. People weren't friendly to me for being condescending. They actually liked me.

- "Doc! You are gonna love these!"- Frank nearly tackled me with his present- "It's from Mikey and me. We thought you might appreciate some new addition to your collection."

I chuckled and held the vinyl records he had given me: Elton John, The Clash, and Arctic Monkeys.

- "Collection?"- Morgan asked and looked at me, surprised- "You collect vinyl records, Reid?"

- "Yeah, I do actually,"- I smiled and kept my eyes on the records- "I think it's a unique classic format. It sounds better than digital, and it includes warmth, richness, and depth to the music you don't find in a cd or mp3."

- "And not just classical music?"- Derek was somehow surprised- "You actually listen to any other musical genre?"

- "What are you talking about?"- I argued, almost insulted- "Just because you think I'm a nerd doesn't mean I only listen to classical music. Last year I got a Johnny Cash record. You were there!"

Morgan raised his hands and smiled, defeated. I chuckled and looked at Frank and Mikey.

- "Thank you, guys."

- "Don't worry about it, come here"- Mikey opened his arms and pulled me into a hug. I tapped on his back and smiled.

I noticed JJ's look at Penelope and wondered if she was surprised I had friends out of the BAU. (Y/N) and I were always together, and we usually talked about what we do with her friends during the weekend. Our friends. They were our friends.

- "We already gave him his presents this morning,"- Garcia explained to Frank. I don't know why maybe she thought it was necessary to make sure he understood and let them know they weren't the only ones who had given me presents.

- "Ok, kids, we've got pizza, beer, and a Halloween cupcake for the birthday boy"- (Y/N) walked over and put on a party hat on my head. I smiled and also received the bottle of beer she handed me.

- "Thank you, chipmunk"- I whispered and felt her arm around my waistline, wrapping me sweetly as she rested her body against my side.

- "You are welcome, honey. Happy birthday."

The way she looked at me made me feel I was the most important person in the world for her for a solid minute. And I wondered how I could make her feel the same.

- "So, doc. How was the cake?"- Lu stood by my side and smiled at JJ, who was just talking to me about nothing important.

- "Good! It was delicious! Did you help (Y/N) bake it?"

- "No!"- she shook her head and chuckled- "I just came for moral support yesterday."

- "It was good! Real good! you can't go wrong with chocolate and raspberries."

- "I'm glad"- she smiled and looked at JJ. I shook my head, embarrassed, and made the proper introductions, though (Y/N) had already done it.

- "You have been (Y/N)'s friend since you were kids, right?"- JJ asked, and Lu smiled again, nodding.

- "We were all neighbors growing up. And... you and doc, how long have you been working together?"

- "For the last... three years, I'm the communication liaison of the team"- Lu nodded and sipped her cup of tea.

- "He has been an incredible addition to the Three Stooges' lives"- Lucy joked and turned to me for a moment. Then, she scanned my face carefully, keeping a big, warm smile on her face.

- "Mikey and Frank were so excited to hang out with you. They keep hoping to find Lila Archer each time they go to your house."

I heard JJ laughing and looking at me, surprised. Lu just kept her eyes on her tea for a moment and then stuck out her tongue to me playfully.

- "Lila Archer?"- JJ asked, shocked- "Are you two still talking? Is there something I don't know about?"

- "No! no!"- I quickly tried to explain- "The guys are obsessed with her. Frank, mostly, and they love to bug me with her."

I turned and looked at them. Frank was hugging (Y/N), and Mikey kept trying to steal her beer from her hands as she just chuckled. I stared at them for a second, and I know I smiled. Somehow I felt slightly jealous of Frank and Mikey for always being so physical with her, not overthinking everything they did around her. I always wished I could be like that. But then again, they weren't in love with her.

- "So you and (Y/N)'s friends get along pretty well"- JJ's voice was curious. I kept thinking she was shocked I had other friends.

- "Actually, we consider Spencer our friend,"- Lu answered and chuckled- "Please, don't tell them I told you this, but they always get excited to see you."

- "Me?"- I was shocked- "Why me?"

- "'Cos they admire you a lot. Frank keeps saying you are the coolest guy he has ever known."

I didn't know what to answer. I had never been one of the popular guys, so having Lu telling me those guys thought I was cool was pretty shocking and heartwarming.

- "Hey, doc! I heard you met Mrs. (Y/L/N),"- Frank said from the other side of the room, causing everybody to look at me. I nodded awkwardly and took a sip of my beer- "She's hot, isn't she?"

- "Frank!!"- (Y/N) yelled and hit his arm- "You are talking about my mom!!"

- "I am not ashamed, Nugget! You know what I think about her!"

- "Wait, princess!"- Morgan was still laughing when he started talking- "Your mom is Mrs. Robinson?"

- "I don't know! Frank is just a perv!"- my best friend argued, looking disgusted.

- "Your mom is a hottie. Deal with it!! Mikey thinks so too!!"- Frank threw his friend under the bus trying to save his own ass. Everybody kept laughing as (Y/N) gasped and turned to see him.

- "You are a sick bastard too!!"

- "I haven't said anything!!"- Mikey tried to explain, but it was useless. Everybody kept chuckling.

- "You are thinking about my mom!!"

- "Well, I'm pretty sure Reid thought about her too!"

- "What?! Why me?!"- I shrieked, and I know I blushed.

- "You saw Mrs. (Y/L/N)! Didn't you think she was hot?"- Mikey looked at me and snickered.

- "She was very welcoming and cordial with me"- I tried to say the most neutral things possible.

- "Dude! come on! she is hot!"- Frank argued and looked at me in shock

- "She is my friend's mother!"

- "Yes! please stop talking about my mother!!"- (Y/N) kind of shouted but chuckled a little at the end.- "Instead, can we talk about how hot Morgan looks tonight?"

- "What?"- Derek raised an eyebrow- "Where is that coming from, princess?"

- "Pure honestly"- (Y/N) replied with a warm smile- "Doesn't he, Garcia?"

- "My chocolate thunder is always the center of my attention,"- Penelope answered and winked at Morgan- "And it's not just tonight. He is always delicious."

I shook my head and took a look around. All my friends were together in the same room. For the first time ever. Only Ethan was missing.

- "(Y/N), where do you have more dishes?"- Prentiss asked her as (Y/N) walked back from the kitchen, carrying a tray with drinks.

- "I'll help you"- I quickly ran to the kitchen and grabbed a few more dishes, plus napkins and a few coasters.

- "Thank you, honey bunny"- (Y/N) whispered and smiled at me when I walked back with everything.

- "You surely know your way around this house."- JJ pointed out, with a somehow suspicious tone of voice.

- "We hang out here a lot."- I explained and looked around, trying to find my beer.

- "Here you have, doc"- Mikey handed me a cold one, and I nodded- "The band has a gig Halloween night. If you are in town, you have to go."

- "Sure! I'd love to!"

- "You have a band?"- Garcia asked awed, and Mikey nodded- "You two? together?"

- "Yeah"- Mikey confirmed and looked at Frank, who talked with Morgan and (Y/N)- "Nugget and the doc are our biggest fans. They never miss a show when they are in town."

- "You go to rock shows?!"- Garcia was now in shock and hit my arm- "Does he go to the shows wearing band's t-shirts and jeans?! or in his usual wardrobe??"

Mikey chuckled and looked at me with a confused stare.

- "They don't hang out with you outside work a lot, do they?"

- "Yes! We do!"- and Penelope nearly jumped, insulted by those words- "We are just surprised 'cos there's a whole lot of our resident genius we haven't seen yet! like... going to rock shows!"

- "So you haven't seen him drunk? 'cos drunk doc is a beast!"

- "I am not a beast!"

- "I haven't seen him drunk! Boy wonder!! Why are you wilder with (Y/N)'s friends and not with us?"

- "We are his friends too,"- Mikey corrected her and smiled- "And we might push doc a little further, like the day we bet we couldn't drink a box of milk in 30 seconds."

I laughed, thinking about that moment, embarrassed and amused at the same time. It was true; the guys and I had a completely different dynamic than the one I had with my work team. Probably because from day one, neither Lu, Mikey, nor Frank labeled me as a dork. Well, sure, I was one, but so were them. They made me part of the group instead of being the "weird one" of the group. Somehow with Mikey, Lu, and Frank, I could be just plain Spencer and not Doctor Reid and allow myself to do silly, weird, dorky things, not afraid to be judged.

- "When did that happen?!"- JJ was in shock, overhearing that conversation and walking over with Lu.

- "A few weeks ago,"- Mikey answered and chuckled. I wasn't drunk that night; we just had a few beers. And it had been Frank who was incredibly persuasive about trying the milk challenge.

- "I made an equation, and we tried to beat it,"- I explained JJ, and Mikey laughed right away- "According to it, a regular human being might drink a whole box of milk in 33,3 seconds, and Frank argue he could do it in 30."

- "Spoiler, he couldn't"- Mikey added- "But he gave it a good fight, nearly died, choking."

- "Technically, he would have drowned"- I corrected- "It's called "dry drowning." It happens when water is in the mouth or nose and the vocal cords spasm, trapping the water, causing the person to asphyxiated."

- "That's a real thing?"- Garcia questioned in shock.

- "Yes, you drown, but you don't get any water in your lungs. Instead, it goes through your nose and your mouth, and the muscles close off and spasm."

- "Wow"- Mikey tapped on my back a few times and smiled- "I love that you know so much weird shit, doc. Happy birthday!"

- "Thank you..."

My birthday celebration was a blast. Mikey, Lu, and Frank were the hit of the party, and the BAU loved them. Penelope had a rocky start with Mikey, I think 'cos she was a little jealous I had done more weird things with them than with her, but everything was smooth after they shared their third beer.

I laughed so much my face hurt. Morgan and Frank told the weirdest and most incredible stories. Prentiss came up with a few fun games to play, and everybody was on board with them. Even Hotch. Lu and JJ talked a lot, and the two of them seemed to get along just fine.

(Y/N) was incredible. She made sure everything was perfect. The fact my birthday party had Halloween decorations melted my heart. She had all my favorite snacks, pizza toppings, and drinks. Even a Halloween cupcake. What else could I ask for in life? I had everything I always dreamt of: a family. And a best friend who loved me. Not in the same way I did love her, but you can't always have everything in life, right?

- "Thank you for everything, Munchkin!!"- one drunk Garcia hugged (Y/N) for the hundredth time, standing by the door. At two in the morning, she was the only one left, along with Morgan, who was her drive back home.

- "See you Monday at work, batgirl"- (Y/N) hugged her and giggled as Garcia nearly choked her with her tight embrace.

- "And you come here!!"- Penelope hugged me too and kissed my cheek- "I love you so much, boy wonder!! I'm so happy you are happy, 'cos you deserve to be the happiest you can be!"

- "Thank you, Garcia,"- I giggled and looked at Morgan- "Are you going to be ok?"

- "Hey!"- Penelope hit my arm (for the hundredth time that night) and frowned- "What do you mean if he is going to be ok? I can behave!"

- "I know you can! I'm sure you can! I'm asking Morgan 'cos it's late and he has to drive!"

- "I'm gonna be ok, kid."- Derek answered and smiled at me- "Do you need a ride?"- I shook my head and heard the words I was secretly waiting to listen to all night long.

- "You can crush the couch if you want to,"- (Y/N) suggested and turned to me, shrugging.

- "I can help you clean,"- I added right away, and she smiled. Morgan stayed still, staring at me, and I swear he was trying to read every single facial movement I could do. So I just looked at him and smiled.

- "Ok then, we'll leave you two alone. See you Monday at work"- Derek tapped on my back and gave (Y/N) a small hug. Garcia winked and walked out.

Just like that, it was finally just the two of us.

- "Did you have fun?"- (Y/N) whispered after she closed the door and rested her back against the wood. I nodded and smiled, staring at her eyes shine.

- "Very much. This was actually my first surprise party."

- "Ever?"- (Y/N) questioned and frowned- "Really? then I am glad I didn't know that before, 'cos I don't think I could have managed the pressure of having to make you the best surprise party on earth."

- "You raised to the occasion"- she smiled and walked to the kitchen. And I followed her.

- "Are you hungry?"- I heard her asking as she opened the fridge. I grabbed a bunch of dishes and glasses on my way to the kitchen and piled them on the sink.

- "Not really. I think it was really too much pizza."

- "Spencer Walter Reid, there is never enough pizza,"- she argued, trying to stay serious.

- "My stomach is telling me otherwise."

- "So there's no room left for a slice of chocolate raspberry cake?"- I turned around and found her smiling from the fridge. She held a cake and giggled playfully.

- "You baked another?"

- "I had some free time this morning, and I had the feeling this is how the evening was going to end."

I don't think there are enough words in the vocabulary to express how those words made me feel. And most of all, I don't think my brain functioned correctly each time (Y/N) looked at me how she was going that moment.

- "So honey. You, me, your new blu ray of the 7th season of Doctor Who."

- "Which blu ray?"

- "The one I just got you, dork."

When I thought I couldn't love her more. There it was. My doom.

- "You are just making this incredibly impossible for your birthday,"- I joked, and she burst out laughing.

- "You can see through me, doctor. I hate it."

- "I'm the best profiler in the BAU, (Y/N)."

- "Really? then why didn't you discover I was planning this party?"- I made a pause and bit my inner cheek. (Y/N) turned to me again and crossed her arms on her chest, waiting for an answer.

- "I'm guessing 'cos you are the best liar in the BAU."

- "You are god damn right."

We cleaned the living room, left most of the dirty dishes piled on the sink to take care of them in the morning. Then we cuddled on the couch with a cup of tea and some cake each.

- "Are you comfortable?"- I asked her wrapping my arm around her neck as she rested her head on my shoulder.

- "Perfect, you?"

- "Me too"

- "Hit it, then. It's time travel time, doc."

(Y/N)'s point of view

I woke up in Spencer's arms. He was taking me bridal style to my room. My face was pressed against his chest, and I swear I felt butterflies in my stomach just feeling his smell.

- "What is going on?"- I mumbled and saw him smiling at me.

- "You were snoring on the couch, so I'm taking you to bed."- he whispered, placing me carefully on my bed. Then, he took out my shoes and covered me with the blanket.

- "Stay,"- I pleaded and held his hand- "Don't sleep on the couch tonight. Stay with me."

I kept my eyes closed, 'cos it was embarrassing to see him as I asked him to sleep with me on the same bed.

- "Are you sure?"

- "It's your birthday. You can't sleep on a couch. And it's not like it hadn't happened before."

I knew I was right. We had slept together in the same room many times while we were out of town during cases. We had also slept together in the same bed before when Reid was detoxing in my house; though we never actually talked about it, it just happened. Those times we literally just passed out due to exhaustion. But this time was different. That was me asking him to stay with me. And he didn't refuse.

I heard him take off his shoes and then walked around the room until he reached the other side of the bed and got under the covers with me.

- "Good night, batsy,"- I whispered and snuggled closer to him. He didn't even hesitate and hugged me tight, leaving a sweet kiss on the top of my head.

- "Good night, chipmunk"- his voice was soft and careful, just as his hands were caressing my back. I sighed and snuggled even closer, craving more of his touch.

- "Happy birthday, honey bunny."

- "Thank you, ma chère"- those words gave me shivers, and the way he murmured them made me feel things I shouldn't have felt for him, especially if he was in that bed with me.

I didn't want to be in love with Spencer. But I couldn't stop those feelings. I had to remind myself he didn't see me the same way. It was hard to deal with those feelings when I was cuddled with him in my bed. And I knew I had gotten under that situation willingly. But I just couldn't help myself. For once, I wanted to know what it felt like to sleep in Spencer's arms. I could pretend to be cool the following day, but right there under those blankets, all I wanted was to pretend he loved me the way I loved him.

Is that too sad? Maybe pathetic? Holding your best friend close in the middle of the night, pretending he is your boyfriend. Feeling how you fall deeper and deeper in love with him, knowing you will never actually kiss him or even romantically hold his hand. But it doesn't matter, 'cos what he gives you every day is way more important than that.

I snuggled closer to Spencer, feeling how he locked his arms around me. I inhaled deeply, trying to burn in my memory how everything felt like. I looked at him for a second and decided to force myself to sleep. I knew it would be hard, 'cos though I was weary, I wanted to enjoy that moment for as long as possible.

There I was, The Ice Princess like Paul had called me once, melted in Spencer's arms, wishing there was a way to stay there forever.

- "Are you ok?"- I heard Reid whisper suddenly, slightly moving to put an eye on me.

- "Yeah, why?"

- "Because you can't sleep."

- "Am I keeping you up?"

- "No... I was worried you weren't comfortable."

- "I am"- I murmured and sighed- "I was just going over the day again. But I'll fall asleep in a minute."

- "Ok..."

- "Are you comfortable?"- he hummed in response and caressed my back sweetly until I started zoning out slowly.

I didn't want to fall asleep, 'cos being awake for once was better than dreaming.

Yes. As cheesy as that.

I woke up to the smell of coffee the next morning. Spencer had made breakfast, and he had also done pretty much all the dishes. As a result, my house was cleaner than it was before the party.

- "You didn't have to clean the whole place on your own,"- I argued as I sat at the kitchen island and sipped my cup of coffee.

- "I know, but I wanted to thank you for throwing an amazing party- Spencer smiled and held his cup of coffee with both hands for a moment- I wanted to make you breakfast, but all I managed to do was the Spencer Reid Special

- "You know I love it!"- I chuckled and watched him turn around to get me a bowl of cereal and milk.

- "Breakfast of champs!"- I teased and grabbed my spoon- "Did you sleep well?"

- "Yes, very much. You?"

- "I don't think I sleep. I fell unconscious. I didn't even hear you get out of bed. I was too tired. It's been a long couple of weeks."- I chewed my cereal as Spencer sat across from me.

- "Yes. But we've managed well without Gideon"- Spencer brought him up, and that surprised me. He hadn't talked about him or even said Gideon's name for the last few weeks.

- "Yeah, we did a fantastic job"- I reassured his words, and he nodded in silence- "Are you excited to meet David Rossi?"

- "Yeah! I mean, that man is a legend. I can't believe he wants to leave retirement and join the BAU again after all these years."

- "I heard he is freaking loaded"- I finished my cereal and sipped my coffee- "Garcia told me that he shouldn't even work anymore with all the money he has made from his book."

- "Why do you think he wants to come back to the BAU?"- Spencer asked and looked into my eyes with a childish expression.

- "I have no idea. Maybe being a millionaire is not as exciting as catching serial killers."

I stood up as I spoke and opened the fridge. There was still some cake left, and I knew Spencer would love to have his sugary coffee with even more sugar.

- "Or perhaps he has unfinished business,"- he said and smiled as soon as he saw the pastry.

- "I just hope he is nice. I don't want to deal with an asshole with a gigantic ego who can't handle working as a team."

- "I heard Hotch saying he is very nice."

- "Assholes are usually nice with Hotch."

- "Are you implying Hotch is an asshole?"- I set to dishes and frowned at Reid as I cut a slice of cake.

- "No! I am saying assholes respect him. And they are colleagues. I don't know if Rossi will work well with younger people, though."

- "We'll have to see tomorrow."

Reid was right. And I didn't want to create a false idea of David Rossi in my head before I met him. I had already read all of his books, and when Hotch told us he might join the team, I hyperventilated for a bit of bit. I mean it when I say David Rossi is a legend. Working along with him would be the most incredible experience ever. But only if he was nice.

I had worked hard for almost two years to get where I was in the BAU. And I didn't want to go through the whole process again, proving to Rossi I deserved to be where I was.

- "So, do you have any plans for today?"- Spencer asked me suddenly, and I just shook my head- "Mikey said they had a show on October 31st."

- "Yes! And that happens to be also Frank's birthday! So be prepared, 'cos if we are in town, we are gonna party hard that night!!"- Spencer smiled and nodded.

- "Then maybe we could go get him a present later,"- he suggested.

- "Deal. And perhaps some new Halloween decorations."

Oh! His excited face was priceless. That boy loves Halloween as much as I do, and each year we got all the best decor to keep our houses festive all year long. 'Cos we are Halloween dorks.

- "You know, Garcia and JJ were pretty shocked last night when they found out I go out and party with you and the guys."

- "Why?"- I cut him a second slice of cake and put it on his dish. He shrugged and sipped his coffee.

- "I guess they didn't know I am human."

- "Don't say that, honey."

- "It was a little upsetting too."

- "Why?"

- "'Cos they kept calling them "your friends," referring to you, and they kept telling them they are my friends too. What? So now I can't party or have friends?"

Spencer was honestly upset with those facts, and I could totally understand why. Everybody treated him like a kid and a nerd. They now knew he did things that weren't expected from someone like him, like going to rock shows and partying. So, of course, they were going to be shocked.

- "Have I ever told you meeting you is the best thing that the BAU has given me?"- I answered, in a rush of honesty that came out of nowhere.

- "No"- he mumbled and pouted like a kid- "Why are you telling me this?"

- "'Cos I wanted you to know."- I smiled and stared at him for a second- "Never let anyone make you feel you are less than awesome, Spencer Walter Reid. 'Cause you are the most amazing person I've ever met."

The way he looked at me, in a weird mix between shock and gratitude, melted me. After that, he didn't say anything; he just blushed. And I guess I was too scared to continue talking, 'cause all I managed to do next was excuse myself and lock in the bathroom to shower.

Spencer's point of view

I walked into the bullpen the following Monday, ready to spread my Halloween love. After spending Sunday with (Y/N), I was in a fully Halloween mood. We had gotten Frank a birthday present, also did some Halloween shopping, and even got pumpkins to carve that day after work. October is my favorite month, and Halloween is hands down my favorite season.

- "I'm going to eat you!!"- I groaned on Morgan's neck and made him jump in frighten as Prentiss laughed, staring at the scene. I was wearing a Frankenstein mask, carrying bags of candies and a bunch of decorations for my desk and the office.

- "Reid!"- Derek complained, but I just smiled and took off my mask.

- "Happy all hallows eve, folk!!"- I waved and walked to my desk- "To paraphrase from Celtic mythology, tomorrow night, all order is suspended, and the barriers between the natural and the supernatural are temporarily removed!!"- I joked and threw Emily a plastic vudú head. But Morgan wasn't in the mood, I guess.

- "See, that right there is why Halloween creeps me out."

- "You are scared of Halloween??"- I narrowed my eyes and looked at him, not getting what he was talking about.

- "I didn't say I was scared. I said I was creeped out. There's a difference there, youngster. You should look it out."

- "What creeps you out about it?"- Emily asked what I was about to.

- "I don't know, people wearing masks"- he pointed at me and added- "I don't like folks in disguises."

- "That's the best thing about Halloween. You can be anyone you want to be"- I argued and threw some candies to him to cheer up his morning.

- "Nah, I'm pretty good just being me."

- "Yeah, why is it that neither of those points of view surprises me?"

Emily joked and shook her head. I was about to discuss Morgan's point when I saw (Y/N) walk into the bullpen. She was carrying a gigantic plastic Jacko lantern while wearing a zombie mask we had just gotten together the day before.

- "I want brain!!"- she moaned, and Emily laughed as soon as she saw her.

- "Not you too, princess!!"- Morgan whined as soon as he saw her- "We were just talking about this."

- "What? You are not a Halloween fan?"

- "Not as much as you two nerds"- he answered and shook his head- "You know what, though? On the flip side, it does provide a pretty good reason to cozy up with a scary flick and a little Halloween honey."

And as soon as Derek said those words, (Y/N) and Emily frowned, disgusted.

- "Halloween honey, now I am creeped out,"- Emily argued, and (Y/N) shook her head, leaving the Jacko lantern on her desk carefully.

- "Guys, he's here,"- I warned them, trying to be as discreet as possible, but I don't think it worked. David Rossi walked over, along with section chief Erin Strauss. (Y/N) made a gesture and reminded me to take off my mask, as I quickly did my best to look presentable. Rossi just smiled at us and walked straight to Hotch's office.

- "So, do you guys think he is going to stay here for good?"- (Y/N) asked, standing by my side. She reached out and handed me a bag filled with my favorite candies for no reason and just smiled.

- "I don't know. Maybe they asked him to fill in while they find a replacement for Gideon,"- Emily said, her eyes glued at Hotch's office, though none of us could see a thing of what was going on in there. We just saw Strauss walking out and JJ walking over, most likely to announce Hotch we had a case.

- "So, what did you guys do Saturday after we left?"- Morgan asked (Y/N) and me and smiled pleased, probably ready to tease us over anything we might tell him.

- "Nothing really, we got naked and did the dirty on every spot you sat on in my apartment."

(Y/N) answered as casually as possible, not even paying attention to his face. Emily burst out laughing, and I know I blushed, looking down at the files on my desk.

- "There's no need to get all defensive, princess,"- Morgan answered and shook his head, smiling at her.

- "Well, it's not the first time you ask about what we've done with that teasing tone of voice, so excuse me for giving you the answer you wanted to hear."

- "Guys,"- I whispered and looked over. Emily and Derek stood up as soon as they noticed Hotch and Rossi were walking towards us.

- "SSA David Rossi, this is SSA Emily Prentiss"

- "Sir!"- she smiled and shook his hand as he nodded.

- "SSA Derek Morgan,"- Hotch announced, and my friend shook Rossi's hand.

- "It's an honor, agent Rossi."

- "Please, just Dave."

- "SSA (Y/L/N)"- he said, and (Y/N) shook his hand too.

- "Nice to meet you, sir."

- "And Doctor Spencer Reid"

- "Sir, if I could talk to you later about your work with the Scarsdale skinner. Psycho-linguistics is an incredibly dynamic field, and the fact that your profile for his reading habit ultimately led to his capture is something I find so incredibly intriguing."

- "Reid"- I know I was carried away when Hotch interrupted me- "Reid, slow down. He'll be here for a while. You can catch up with him later."

Rossi was a little overwhelmed. I'm guessing it was because he was meeting many new people, which can be pretty intimidating at any age. So I smiled and nodded.

- "Sorry,"- I whispered and looked at Hotch to see if he was mad at me, but no. If anything, he was amused.

- "No problem, doctor,"- Rossi added and smiled.

- "Maybe you guys can talk on the jet,"- Hotch suggested, surprising Rossi.

- "The jet?"

- "We've got a jet now"- and Hotch even smiled at Rossi, who was honestly shocked.

- "Are you serious?"

- "Yeah, it comes pretty handily. Come on, JJ is waiting."

Hotch and Rossi walked away to the conference room. Emily followed them, along with Morgan, who also teased me and smiled. I stood still and waited for (Y/N) for a second and felt her hand on mine as we walked to catch with the team. She just smiled, and I did the same. Moments like those were the ones that made me keep going, kept me sane, and made me feel honestly happy. I didn't want it to end.

But it did. Eventually.

The case took us to Carrollton, Texas. It was the first one we had with David Rossi as a part of the team, and it was weird. Rossi didn't really know how to work as a team, and if there was something the BAU had in its DNA was working together, no matter what.

The first time on the field with him, he barely talked to (Y/N) or me. As a matter of fact, she then pointed out she felt we were on his way. In fact, he collected his thoughts and wrote everything he might come up with but never spoke it out loud. So we had to take the words from him.

- "The man is a legend, (Y/N)"- I sipped his coffee and looked at how my best friend shook her head. We were sitting at the Carrollton police office, waiting for Hotch to finish talking with the police chief so we could deliver the profile to all the officials.

- "So? The fact he is a famous profiler means he can't fucking talk to us? give me a break! he is acting like a diva!"

- "He and Gideon created the BAU"- I tried to make a point, but I knew I didn't have any good point to save Rossi from my best friend's.

- "We are ready to deliver the profile,"- JJ announced, and the two of us stood up quickly- "Hey, I'm sorry you missed your concert,"- she whispered as we walked to meet the rest of the team.

- "Yeah, I was looking forward to seeing Frank and Mikey's band live,"- I said and smiled at her, surprised she remembered it.

- "Were your friends too upset?"

- "No, they are already used to it, which is actually pretty upsetting too. That means we've lost a lot of shows. But they know it's because we are working, and not because we don't want to go"- JJ smiled at me and chuckled slightly.

- "What? You still can't believe I go to rock shows?"- I asked her and raised an eyebrow, trying to understand her reaction.

- "No, it's just that you keep saying "we," and it makes you sound like you are an old married couple who does everything together,"- she answered and shook her head as she pointed at (Y/N) and me. I didn't know what to say at that, and I don't think (Y/N) heard her, or she would have said something (anything) to JJ. I just stared at her confused, and she cut me one more smile before we heard Emily speak.

- "There's a sophistication and patience in what this unsub does that suggests a level of maturity. We believe this puts his age in the mid-30s to 40s range."- Prentiss started describing the serial killer we were hunting. I turned to her and nodded, ready to continue giving the profile.

- "Michelle Colucci was taken from the primary crime scene and disposed of at the tertiary crime scene four days later. That means she was held somewhere for at least three days. You can't really just hold a victim anywhere for days on end, so he most likely has access to a house of some kind."

- "And he's also fairly tech-savvy"- Morgan continued- "The fliers were made on a computer, and it's probable that he used a device to intercept the last victim's phone call."

- "Witnesses in the victim's neighborhood say they might have seen a white man putting up fliers, but none of them could describe him. Even with all the media this case has received"- Hotch added. One of the detectives sighed, annoyed we couldn't give him anything better.

- "Great"

- "Actually, what that tells us is that there is absolutely nothing remarkable about this man,"- (Y/N) said and looked straight into the detective's eyes- "He is exceedingly average. Average height, average build."

- "It extends to his professional life as well,"- I added and nodded at her- "He most likely works in a field where he doesn't stand out. Doesn't really make a mark."

- "His lack of distinction is part of his psychopathy,"- (Y/N) said and took a look around the room- "We have hundreds of interactions with people every day. Most of those involve someone overlooking someone else. Most of us don't pay attention to being ignored, but to this kind of unsub, each oversight is intentional, especially when it comes from this object of sexual desire. He begins to obsess over her until she is all he can think about, and the rage builds until he has to attack that person."

- "So he is pissed off that nobody noticed him?"- the sheriff asked and narrowed his eyes. Most people get upset when they find out serial killers do what they do for such pointless reasons.

Hotch was starting to explain his plan to the sheriff and how we would make him contact the police when his attention focused on the tv. The news showed the exact same mask the killer was using on his victims, something we had explicitly asked everybody not to share with the press.

- "JJ, how'd they get that?"- Hotchner's voice was shocked and upset. JJ looked at him, confused, shaking her head.

- "Not from me! Hotch, I called the local police departments, and I stressed withholding the mask!"

- "I called them"- Rossi pointed to the tv as soon as he walked into the room and didn't give it much thought to what was going on. We all looked at each other, confused, and waited for Aaron's reaction.

- "What?"

- "I said the FBI think the mask means he's impotent,"- Rossi explained, and none of us moved or even said a word. All we could notice was how Hotch's face was trying to hide his anger.

- "Can I speak to you for a second?"- he asked David, and the two of them walked away.

- "So, assholes were usually nice with Hotch, right?"- I whispered into (Y/N)'s ear and heard her chuckle. Morgan looked at us and frowned. I guess it wasn't the time for humor after all.

- "So the legend likes to fly solo,"- Prentis whispered as she stood by our side.

- "Are you surprised?"- (Y/N) crossed her arms on her chest and sighed. All of us kept an eye on the door that separated us from Hotch and Rossi.

- "I don't know. I wasn't expecting this today, but I can't say I'm shocked either"- Emily murmured and shook her head- "I just thought maybe he'd know how to work with a team."

- "Now I'm scared,"- (Y/N) said and looked around- "Do you think he knows how to work with females on the team? Or will he keep asking us to bring him coffee?"- Prentiss chuckled at (Y/N)'s words, and Morgan placed a hand on her shoulder.

- "Come on, princess, he is old but not that old."

- "I already went through a lot to validate myself in front of Aaron and Gideon the last two years"- (Y/N) confessed- "I am not planning to do the same with him. He has to know, everybody in this team is here for a reason."

- "We are not letting him do that,"- Derek assured her and cut him a warm smile- "Personally, I won't let him do that."

We caught the killer later that very same day. Well, Rossi killed him, to be completely honest. The team reached his house and saved the last victim. She was hurt, but she was going to be ok soon. The neighborhood was filled with kids trick or treating, and the fact the area was surrounded by police cars and ambulances alerted everybody.

- "Honey..."- (Y/N) whispered and held my hand as she walked me down the street- "Those kids are watching the police procedure, and I don't wanna ruin their Halloween."- she said and pouted.

- "Do you wanna give them some candies?"- I asked her and opened my satchel- "I still got some of the ones you gave me."

- "I love you so much"- she kissed my cheek and grabbed some of the candies. I stayed still for a second and just stared at her walking to the kids and how their faces lit up when they saw the candies. I guessed that's how I looked whenever she walked to me.

–

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–

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Next update: June 2nd, 2021

[hopeless-starry-kingdom]

Don’t Answer the Phone | Chapter 2 | T. Holland

Summary: The town of Riverwood just got a whole lot more scary when a killer decides to reek havoc on the teens at Riverwood High. Y/N Y/L/N and Tom Holland have to find a way to survive Halloween weekend. Or will they just be apart of the killers sinister plans?

tw:blood, mentions of murder, mentions of sex

NOT EDITED!!

October 29, 1999

You couldn't stop thinking about the masked figure that you saw in the morning. At lunch you brought it up to your friend group but everyone brushed it off like Luna did. Saying it was just some kid trying to scare everyone at school. You even pulled Tom aside because you knew he would listen.

“I’m just saying if it is some freshman playing jokes, it wasn't funny. It really scares me and I just can’t help but get a bad feeling.” Tom nodded his head and suggested you take it up with the principal in hopes he can stop people from wearing masks on school grounds. He even offered to go with you but you decided against it. It was Friday so there was no point in trying to make it a rule when on Monday Halloween would be over and Thanksgiving would be the next holiday.

“Are you sure?” He cupped your face in his hands and you nodded, “I’ll be fine.”

As the end of the day rolled around you found yourself constantly looking over your shoulder. It was a bad habit and it wasn't making you feel any better. There was a party tomorrow and on Halloween so it was the talk of the school. You didn't think it was a good idea to go, seeing one of your classmates just passed away. But it seemed Katherine’s death was old news, no one was talking about her anymore and it did make you angry.

“Where are you headed?” You jumped and turned to see Harrison laughing at scaring you. You punched his shoulder and he laughed even harder. “You suck. You can’t sneak up on me like that.”

“My bad. My bad.” The wind blew past you two and you watched as the autumn leaves flew away.

“I'm waiting for Tom. He usually takes me home.”

“He didn't tell you? Tom got stuck with the coach. Season finale is coming up and as the captain, our coach wants Tom at the top of his game.” You sighed and pulled your flannel even tighter around you. You cursed Tom for being the lacrosse team captain and even though you were proud of him, you could really use him by yourself right about now.

“I guess i'll ask Zendaya for a ride. Have you seen her?” You asked and Harrison shook his head and took a look around, “I can take you home, if you'd like.”

You perked up a bit, feeling a bit safer with one of your male best friends taking you home. “Are you sure? I’m sure you have plans with your other friends. It is Halloween weekend after all.”

Harrison shook his head and threw his keys in the air and caught them. He nodded his head to his car that his father got him for his birthday. You followed him closely and watched as other kids slowly left the school grounds. “Thank you so much, Haz. I feel a lot better riding with you.”

“Really?” He sounded surprised and dare you even say a little smile come to his face. “Yeah, I mean I love Z but we’re both girls. I guess one of the reasons Katherine was… killed was because Josh wasn't there.”

“Or he was.” You looked over at Harrison and he quickly glanced at you before turning his eyes back to the road. “I mean we don't know who killed her yet, it could've been him.”

“Yeah, you didn't say much when we were all going back and forth about the whole thing. Do you think he did it?” The only thing he really spoke about was his relationship with Katherine over the summer. You remember Harrison telling everyone he was hooking up with the blonde within the first week of the summer. Jacob had questioned him about it, Tom jumped in and said he barely even spoke about Katherine and everyone wanted to know how it happened.

“Just trying to get over someone,” He said with a shrug.

“Maybe. But who knows like I said we should leave all that investigating and shit to Z’s dad. By tomorrow I'm sure they’ll figure out who did this. It can't be hard in a small town like this.” That’s what everyone was saying. Just wait it out and before you know it the person who did this is going to be plastered across the news.

“Yeah,” You mumbled and Harrison sighed as he pulled up to the curb beside your house. He put the car in park and reached over to grab your hand. You furrowed your eyebrows when his hand met yours. Sure, Harrison was your best friend and one of the closest things you had to a brother but he never got touchy like this.

“Look I promise by tonight everything will go back to normal and we’ll be celebrating Halloween these next two days,” His grip on your hand tightened and you couldn't help but feel a little weird so you gently pulled your hand away and smiled up at him.

“Yeah, you're right. You and everyone else, I'm just a little paranoid.” You unbuckle your seatbelt and grabbed your bag from the floor.

“If you want I can stay with you. Keep you company until your parents get home.” You shook your head at his offer and gave him a small smile which he didn't return. You opened up the door and stepped out. You pulled out your house keys and shut the door, you leaned over into the car window and waved at Harrison. “Thanks for the ride. I'll see you tomorrow?”

Your whole group planned to be DC or Marvel heros. You were going as Black Cat, Zendaya was going to be Jean Grey, Luna was Poison Ivy, Tom was going as Spider- Man, Harrison was going to be Batman and Jacob was dressing as Mysterio.

The group agreed to it as soon as school started. And then on Halloween you and the girls agreed to be the three Heathers’. It was Zendays’s idea and you didn't have any other plans, so you and Luna agreed.

“Yeah, i'll see you.” You waved goodbye from your front porch and entered the house. You looked out the window and saw Harrison still on the curb, after another minute he finally pulled off onto the road.

“Mom! Dad! I’m home!” You threw your bag onto the kitchen counter and sighed when you were met with silence. They were right, they’d be gone for the rest of the day because of what happened to Katherine. You grabbed a snack from the pantry and grabbed the phone from the counter and dialled Zendaya’s number.

“Hello?” Zendaya had an edge to her voice and you raised your brows in surprise, You knew that edge in her voice only occurred when she was mad.

“Hey, I wanted to ask if you wanted to come over for a movie. But it seems you might be a little busy,” You laughed when she started cursing.

“Fucking assholes are calling the house being idiots.”

“What do you mean?”

“Someone’s called at least five times, either breathing heavily or just dead silence on the other end. It’s pissing me off.” You sat still as you remembered what she had told everyone about the phone calls Katherine was getting before she had died.

“Is your dad there? Or maybe your mom. I dont think it’s a good idea to stay by yourself. Or come over, it’s going to be dark out soon.” You peered out your kitchen window and saw the sky was turning purple. Zendaya chuckled and shook her head,

“Y/N, we’ll be fine. I’ll be fine, it's just some assholes trying to prank and piss off my dad. They’ll get bored soon and stop calling. Now, would you quit worrying! You love Halloween, we all do. This week is going to be a blast, trust me.”

You scoffed and moved the phone from one ear to another, “Yeah, Luna said the same thing. So did Harrison.”

“Well it’s a good thing we’re your best friends because we’re right. Listen I have one more page of this essay and I’ll be right over. Shouldn’t take me too long, I promise.”

“Yeah, sounds great. Friday the thirteenth or Halloween,” You asked as you looked through the horror movies you had in the movies cabinet. There was a pause on the other end before Zendaya spoke “Halloween is more fitting, I think.”

“There’s a reason we’re best friends.” You both laughed and bid your goodbyes and you hung up the phone and began preparing for the night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Principal McNighter sat in his office going over paperwork when he first got the call. He answered the call as he normally would and all he received was heavy breathing. He got impatient after a few seconds and hung up. He went back to his desk but never got to sit down because the phone rang again, he reluctantly got back up and picked up the phone.

“Principal McNighter.”

“The bleachers. There’s kids smoking.” And then the line went dead. McNighter growled and slammed the phone back into the receiver and marched out of his office.

“Downey! Watch my office, I'll be back.” He pointed at the after school janitor who just nodded his head and quickly went back to work at sweeping.

“Fucking teenagers,” He mumbled as he puttoned his suit jacket. He moved quickly to get to the football field. There was nothing more infuriating to him than the students that attended Riverwood High. They were always breaking rules and never seemed to care no matter how many detentions or after school clean ups.

He pushed open the doors that led to the field and watched as the automatic field lights turned on. One by one they lit his path as he approached the middle of the field. He looked around on both sides of the bleachers and was met with darkness.

“If anyone’s out there, you best get going!” There was silence and he saw there was no one in sight. “Damn kids,” He said when he realized it was all a prank.

He turned back the way he came and stopped short when he saw someone at the end of the football field. Illuminated by the right lights, he could easily tell it was a student, he just didn't know who it was because of the halloween mask he wore.

“Hey! What the hell are you doing out here?” He walked closer to the figure and grew upset when the teen didn't answer, just tilted his head to the side.

“I’ll give you detention for the rest of the school year if you don't get your sorry ass out of the school. You're trespassing!” When there was no response from the masked figure, McNighter wanted to unmask him to see who this student was.

You could hear the crunch of the grass as he took each angry step towards the killer. It surprised McNighter that the teen hadn't tried to run away but he didnt care. “Let’s see who you are, huh?” Principal McNighter reached up to umask the dark figure but was met with an unbearable pain in his stomach. With his hand mid air, he looked down in horror and saw a knife plunged into his abdomen. The killer chuckled when McNIghter groaned in pain. The red masked figure withdrew their knife and pushed the principal onto the ground.

“Wait. Pl-please. I-I’ll give you money, anything yo-you want.” The killer shook their head and drove the knife into his chest. McNighter screamed in pain as the figure withdrew the knife again before stabbing the principal again, and again, and again. They continued to do so until the screams stopped and there was blood splattered all over their clothes.

They wiped the blood off of their knife using their hoodie sleeve and reached into the pocket of the hoodie to pull out their polaroid camera. They dropped to their knees and placed their body right next to the deceased principal and snapped a picture. The killer watched as a small square appeared from the camera. They smirked as they watched the film develop into a picture of what they had done. They debated going back into the school and killing Downey but decided against it, Downey never did anything to them.

Downey paused as he lifted the trash mid-air and turned to the staircase on the right. He swore he saw something coming down from them. After a moment of silence he shrugged and went back to taking out the trash.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

More than an hour had passed as you waited for Zendaya. You had a feeling she had fallen asleep somewhere in between writing her essay. You sighed and turned off the television and went to the phone to call Z back and ask her if she was still coming over.

Just as you were about to call her home, the phone rang and you jumped in surprise. You sighed and shook your head at yourself for being jumpy. “Hello?”

On the other end all you could hear was someone breathing heavily. “Hello,” You asked again and was once again met with no voice. You groaned and hung up the phone, only for it to ring right away.

You scoffed and picked up the phone again. “Whatever prank you're pulling, get over yourself. No one’s scared of you. If you want to be scary you should at least do this face to face.”

You hung up the phone once again but you couldn't deny your heart was racing a mile a minute. Zendaya said she was getting these exact calls so you knew it was some fucker from school trying to prey on the girls, it was cruel and you hoped whoever this was got what they deserved.

You punched in Luna’s phone number and groaned when it went to voicemail, you decided to try Tom’s house next to see if he was home yet from practice.

“Holland residence,” You smiled when you heard Tom's mother, Nikki, respond.

“Hello, Nikki. How are you?”

“Y/N! Where have you been? We’ve missed you!” You smiled at Tom’s mom. You always appreciated how welcoming she and her family had always been to her. They always treated her like she was a part of the family, which she appreciated.

“I’ll come over some time soon, I promise. I wanted to ask if Tom was home yet, or if he was going to be home soon. I’m home alone and I don't really want to be,” You chuckled and placed the phone in between your head and shoulder as you went into the fridge to find something to snack for dinner.

“Tom's at Jacob’s house. He came home to grab a few things and then left. I haven't seen him since school ended.” You paused and thought about what Harrison had told you. You wondered if Tom had given him false information or if Harrison had straight up lied to you. But you couldn't think of why they would do any of that in the first place.

“Y/N?” You snapped out of your thoughts and cleared your throat. “Sorry, um, my fault I guess I forgot Tom had plans. I have to go. I just remembered I had a paper due on Monday.” Nikkie bid you goodbye and goodluck on your paper and an early Happy Halloween.

You hung up the phones and pushed your hair out of your face. You figured your best bet would just be to head to bed early. When you reached your bathroom, you turned on the water and waited for the water to heat up. You reached for the bottom of your top and began to pull it up and over your head when you heard the phone ring. You paused and put your shirt back in place, you reached into the shower to feel the water and felt it was still a bit cold. You decided to leave the water running and walked to the kitchen to answer the phone.

“Hello?”

“Y/N? How are you?” The voice wasn't familiar which made you frown.

“Who is this?”

“Who do you think this is?” You scoffed at the person who was most likely from your school and probably one of the idiots running around wearing masks to try and freak people out. He even probably called Zendaya to try and scare her.

“Listen, I’m not in the mood to play your stupid games. Pick someone else to fuck with,” You snapped.

“But I’d rather play with you. C’mon don't be like that, don't you want to have a little fun. Maybe even a game, Katherine loved my game.” You froze in fear and your heart started to beat faster, you could hear it pumping in your ears.

“What did you say?”

“What do you think I said?” He chuckled and you walked over to the back door to make sure it was locked.

“Don't worry your door is locked, I checked.” It was almost like your whole world stopped moving and for a second you couldn't hear or feel anything. The air was sucked out of your lungs and your feet were glued to the floor. “What?”

“Aww, are you scared Y/N? You should be.” Tears pooled in your eyes as you began to close all of the curtains and make sure all of the locks were secured.

“Listen, I dont know what sick game your fucking playing at but you dont want to fuck with me! The police are already on their way.” You grabbed the other phone from the living room and began to dial when you were met with the dial tone. “What?” You grabbed the cord to make sure it was plugged in and gasped when you saw the cord had been cut. Then the lights went out.

You were in complete darkness and your tears were starting to blur your vision. With the phone to your ear, all your heard was breathing.

“Are you scared, Y/N.”

“Listen fucker, I dont know who the fuck you think you are but you better get the fuck away from my house. I’m not playing with you.” You slowly walked to the kitchen, using the walls as a guide. You reached into one of the drawers and pulled out a small kitchen knife. You were shaking as you raised it in the air, ready to defend yourself.

“But I’m already in the house.” A cry broke through your lips when he spoke. You couldn't believe this was happening to you. Out of all the people in this small town, you wouldn't wish it upon anyone but you wondered why this had to happen to you. You were going to die, you were going to end up like Katherine.

“Fuck you!”

“No, fuck you!” You screamed and dropped the phone when you realized the voice was behind you. The moonlight let you see he was wearing a red mask and all black clothing. You screamed again when he charged at you with a big knife, you ducked under him and he fell into the counter behind you.

You lunged at the masked person only for him to grab you by the elbow and throw you into the counter. Pain shot through you as you side hit the corner of the corner uncomfortably and you moved to elbow him in the face.

He was quick to follow you to the living room where he cut the left side of your stomach. You yelled out in pain as blood began to seep through your shirt. You looked up just in time to see him charging at you, you grabbed his wrist and knocked the knife out of his hand and he tackled you to the floor. Tears were continuously falling down your face as you tried to wrestle him off of you. He reached and grabbed a fistful of your head and slammed it down into the hardwood floor. You groaned and reached the touch the back of your head, your head was now throbbing and you gasped when you saw he was reaching for the knife. You looked around and saw the lamp sitting on the side table. You reached up and tugged it roughly, the cord falling from the wall as a result.

You screamed and hit the person over the head with the lamp. They fell over beside you and you quickly got up. Your success was short lived when you tripped and fell when they got a hold of your ankle but you brought your foot inward and then out and kicked them in the face as hard as you could. They fell back into the carpet and you heard them growl, you knew this would be your only chance to escape.

You were crying as you ran down the hallway, gripping the side of your stomach that was hurt. You could hear the killer trying to catch up to you. You reached for the door and threw it open. And you screamed in relief when you saw Zendaya’s car pulling up and started yelling, trying to get her attention.

“Z! Zendaya, help me!” You cried and Zendaya was quick to exit her car, the look on her face was mixed with fear and confusion. You limped to her and she was quick to meet you more than half way.

“Y/N! What the fuck happned? Are you okay?”

“We have to go! We have to go, he’s coming!” Your sobs and screams probably sounded so obnoxious and disgusting, snot was coming from your nose and you couldn't help the spit that was flying from your mouth.

“Y/N, who's coming? Who’s here?” She gripped your shoulders tightly as she tried to get you to speak. “Him! He’s coming!”

You were in shock when you pointed behind you and when you turned, there was nothing there. The house was standing in pitch black compared to your neighbors home.

“Oh my god, are you saying the person who killed Katherine was here? What the fuck, are you okay? That’s a stupid question, of course not, youre bleeding. C’mon we have to get you to a hospital, we have to get the police here.”

Zendaya helped you into her car and when you looked back at your house, you didn't see anything or anyone. At the hospital you were immediately helped by a doctor who treated your wound. The cops came soon after, they surrounded the hospital and requested that you be taken down to the station for further questioning. You really didn't want to leave the hospital but you figured it would be your best and safest bet to be at the police station. Zendayay was with you the whole time, holding your hand as everyone spoke to you and even accompanied you to the station.

When you pulled up to the police station you were shocked but also not surprised that the news had caught wind of this. They were all so quick to try and get the inside scoop about what happened to you.

“Are you okay?” You nodded your head at your best friend.

“As okay as i'll ever be.”

“Ladies stay close to me. You don't have to answer any question, okay?” You nodded and watched as the officer got out of the squad car and opened the door for you and Z to exit. You flinched when the screams got louder and the questions were flying at you left and right.

“Y/N do you know the killer?”

“How did you make it out alive?”

“Did you know Katherine Wheaton?”

Zendaya gripped your arm and gently ran her hand up and down your own, trying to comfort you. But you felt like you couldn't breathe, you couldn't understand why this was happening to you. Tears came to your eyes as you looked down to try and avoid the cameras and bright lights. When you entered the police station you broke down and began crying tino your hands.

“Oh, Y/N.”

“Why did this happen to me? What did he want with me?” You cried as you hugged her tightly.

“I dont know. It’ll be okay.”

“Y/N your parents have been notified about what happened. You can either choose to wait for them or we can begin questioning now.” Zendaya's dad spoke and you didn't want to wait here and be reminded about what happened so you chose the latter, you asked Z to call Tom for you and ask if he can come down here. She agreed and was directed to a phone she can use.

The questions were about the same and after each question you grew more tired and more frustrated. You told them about how Zendaya was supposed to come over but was a bit late, you told them about the phone calls you were getting, then you called Nikki, and more weird phone calls. You Mr. Coleman what the killer had said to you and about the interaction that almost killed you.

“Did you know Katherine Wheaton?”

“Of course I knew her, I just wasn't friends with her like back then.”

“Can you go over the description one last time?”

“We’ve already been over this three times! What’s a fourth time going to do?” You yelled and you knew you shouldn't be yelling at him, it wasn't his fault. But your fear was turning into anger and you didn't want to be here anymore. You hoped this was a dreamland  you wanted to wake up.

“You're right I’m sorry, Y/N. Besides the red mask, did anything else stick out to you?”

“I don't know. He knew my name, he knew my phone number. I dont-I dont know.” You sniffled and tried to stop more tears from coming out.

‘Thank you, Y/N. Katherine also got calls before she passed, we’re going to try and cross match anyone who has called both your homes. It’ll take some time though,” He smiled sadly at you and walked you out of the interviewing room where you saw your parents and Tom.

Your parents immediately walked towards you and hugged you tightly. “Sweetheart, we’re so sorry for not being home.” You cried a bit more when they spoke and you hugged them tighter.

“I just want to go,” They nodded their heads and began to speak to another officer about letting you leave.

“Y/N, thank god you're okay.’ Tom wrapped his arms around you adn you sighed in his embrace.

“What happened?” He gripped your face in his hands and gently kissed your nose.

“Katherine’s killer…came after me.”

“Jesus christ. I knew I should have came over after school, fuck!” He hissed and you shook your head at him, “How could you possibly have known this would have happened. I just want this night to be over.”

“Did they get him? I want a piece of who ever the fuck put theyre hands on you.” You paused when you realized something. They never found him. He was still out there somewhere and you were still alive. He didn't finish what he started so that only meant one thing.

“Oh my god. He’s still out there,” You whispered and your breathing began to pick up. Tom quickly pulled you into his side and sat you down on a chair.

“Y/N, breathe for me. You have to breathe. In and out, just like that.” You followed his breathing exercise but that didn't slow your heart rate or stop the tears. You placed your head on top of his as try to let the world disappear.

“Come stay with me tonight. I’ll make sure that fucker doesnt ever touch you again.”

And you did. It took some convincing from your parents but you told them you couldn't go home. It truly would freak you out to see what it looked like as a crime scene and see your blood on the floor of the living room. Your parents were staying at a hotel nearby and you knew they would be worrying all night which made you feel bad. There was an officer posted outside their hotel and one outside Tom’s house. His family greeted you with a sad smile but of course open arms.

You tried to make a joke to Nikki about how this wasn't what you meant when you would see each other soon. She smiled sadly and you realized it was a bad joke and not the right time for things of that nature. What else were you supposed to do then? Of course you were still scared for your life and now for the Hollands, who knew if that crazy bastard would try to come after you or them. You just hoped he would be smarter than that.

Usually Nikki wouldn't allow the two of you to sleep together but given the circumstances she allowed it. And of course you and Tom were worried about a lot more than just sleeping together. You sighed as you sat down on Tom’s bed, you were exhausted but you couldn't sleep. You closed your eyes and all you saw was the red mask and the large knife, it causes shivers to run through your body.

“You okay?” He touched the side of your face gently and you shrugged.

“I don't know. I just feel… I feel like it’s not over. I'm supposed to be dead and by some chance I'm not,” Your voice cracked as you spoke and Tom pulled you into his side and began stroking your back.

“Listen to me when I say that piece of shit is not coming anywhere near you. I got you, I always got you, okay. I love you.” Your heart began to beat faster and not because you were scared. The i love you’s were still kind of new but you knew you loved Tom, you knew you would always love him.

“I love you too,” He kissed you gently and only parted so he could bring you down on the bed with him. He pulled you even closer and gave you small, loving kisses throughout the night until you were able to fall asleep.

tags: @loxbbg // @bluefencer // @a-goala

[dumb-dotcom]

Scary movies | p.p

pairing: Peter Parker x reader

summary: Some sudden changes make Peter afraid that he might've done something wrong, which pushes you to finally confess to your best friend

word count: 1k

a/n: this was part of someones writting challenge but I don't remember their username, still I hope you like it.

"so... Do you like scary movies?"

He said trying to drawn the akward but much needed silence with smalltalk after walking a considerable distance from the party I attended to, the music that came from the house that I just got out from some minutes ago was still audible and it amazed me the fact that noone called the cops yet. I looked at him, the dim light from the streetlight highlighted his features almost perfectly, his hair fighting against all of the products that he used to make it stay in place and his eyes that could be easily confused with hazelnuts, filled with sweetness.

"You should know by now." I tried to clean my face laughing off his awful attempt to start a conversation, if I had to be honest the night didn't went like I wanted it to be but it wasn't the worst either.

A broad smile was instantly placed on his face, any person who passed by us would notice it, I noticed it. The oversized orange bodysuit that I was wearing was now a bit stained with a drink from another girl and some long forgotten tears.

Everything felt peaceful now that I was besides him, like I used to when we were kids and I got in trouble so I 'ran out', small feet running through the hallway from our apartment to his, where I would nock and just seconds after his aunt opened the door I would ran to his room, seeking the comfort of his presence

I curled up into his arms, and felt his warmth on this October midnight, maybe spending my night at his house watching movies and drinking coffee like every other year was a better plan, and yes! Maybe I made a decision out of pure impulse and curiousity, but how could someone blame me when everybody at the school hallway talked about the huge Halloween parties that Flash threw and even more after for the first time a cute guy invited me to go out.

The curiousity part is almost unnecessary to explain, but the one thing that fuelled my impulsivity this time was the same reason why I did every other stupid thing that pushed me farther and farther from the inevitable truth for the last year or so, and it was trying to get my mind out of Peter Parker, ever since he told Ned and I about his feelings for Liz everything got so awkward, especially since Ned and Mj noticed my obvious feelings towards Parker, but he was oblivious to them, I finally started to move on a month after she left school because of the "incident", or at least that's what I tried to tell myself. See, love isn't how everyone (included some TV shows and absurd movies) says, it isn't always pink and beautiful, like, when the girl from the funny 90's romecom meets this guy at the school hallway and everything tells them that they are ment for eachother, no, sometimes it feels like an annoying thing that you carry around which drains you because, you are obviously in love with a guy that will never feel the same for you because he is one of your best friends and you just want what's best for him, even if it isn't you.

Now, after fighting with my friends because 'traditions are important' but so is opening up to new things, and being humiliated Infront of a large part of the school population I was walking to May's car, which was some blocks down the street so we could finally go and see some Halloween themed movies, with them.

"Y/n, can I ask you something? But you have to be really honest" he played with the hem of his sweater.

I didn't have to see it to know it, that is one of the many things he did when he was nervous and his voice tone gave it away.

"You already did" I passed a hand through my really messy y/h/c hair "but go ahead".

Our steps were slow, not wanting to get with May and Ned yet, so when he suddenly stopped walking I didn't immediately noticed, his stance suddenly changed from nervous to really serious which wasn't a good sign.

"What happened to you?" His hand reached out to mine.

"Isn't it obvious Pet-" I rolled my eyes ready to explain again the events of the party.

How everyone danced to the loud music, wearing their elaborated costumes, then someone pushing me to the sudden realization that the music had stopped and everyone was looking at me, and some girl yelled at me about the guy that had invited me to the party, a drink being thrown at me, someone holding back the girl and me running to the bathroom ready to call Ned.

"I'm not talking about today." He shook his head a bit, it was almost unnoticeable "I'm talking in general, you've seem off, distancing yourself and rambling about trying out new things"

He seemed melancholic and I didn't noticed when his hand left mine just feeling the coldness of his absence, I started to worry, I didn't mean to upset him and I also didn't know what to say.

"Is it that you don't want to be my friend anymore?" He finally said.

His words felt like a heavy stone that someone left to fall on top of me and crush me, it was working. I just wanted to go back in time and change everything, since the time that I decided to go and sit with the good looking guy that suddenly started to talk with me or the time that I wasn't able to go to Ned's birthday party because some girls persuaded me to go out with them.

"N-no! No, no, no, no... Pete I would never want to stop being your friend." I took both of his hands and we made eye contact "the truth is..."

"Yeah?" He was full with curiousity and some new shine in his eyes that I've never seen before made presence.

" T-that, that I like you!" I stumbled trough my words because fighting with your brain and your heart can sometimes blur out the message that you want to send.

Peter's mouth was agape and the shine was still there, but brighter, he took me between his arms into a warm hug filled with love.

"I like you two!! I've liked you for a while now and I was so scared at the thought of you leaving." He whisper near my ear.

"I don't ever want to leave you" I said with a dumb smile on my face.

I stepped back with my face lighted up and took his hand starting to walk, I didn't want him to look at me and how my cheeks where suddenly hot.

"Yes, I like scary movies" I said refering to the old topic which I got a laugh as response.

[platypanthewriter]

Fire

Harringrove April day 21, Fire.  Robin decides to move on with her life by burning her memories in a summer bonfire, but it turns out the one that moves on is Steve.

Robin lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling, and Steve waited.  She groaned, grabbing the pillow, and smushing it over her face.  “...she smelled like summer,” she groaned.

“Kinda like lawn clippings,” Steve agreed, wrinkling his nose, and then ducking the pillow she threw.  

“I’m over her,” Robin sighed.  “I am!  I’m over her, jesus.”

“Is that her scrunchy?” Steve asked, pointing at the suspiciously shrine-like setup with the photo of the girl in question, a gold star sticker Steve remembered her sticking on Robin’s cheek, and a stick of gum she’d passed across the ice cream counter, saying ‘look, it’s a new flavor!’.

She’d blown a bubble in Robin’s face.  Steve’s best friend had staggered watching full, bright pink lips pursed around the bubble, and then clutched the counter at the dazzling smile after. 

“I think she might be dating Tommy Hagen,” Steve muttered, both wanting Robin to know, and not wanting to be the one to tell her.  

“Auuuugh,” Robin moaned, kicking her feet.  “Why do the hot ones have such bad taste?!”

“No idea,” Steve said, huffing a sigh of his own.  

“This isn’t about you,” she hissed at him.  “Hot girls like you, so shut it.”

“I thought she liked you too,” Steve told her, holding up a ratty old Curious George toy, and making it clutch its paws over its mouth.  “She kept trying to put makeup on you.”

“Oh, is that what girls do when they’re hitting on you?” Robin muttered at him, hugging her pillow.  

“No,” Steve said, having Curious George pat reassuringly at her toe.  She yelped, and snickered.  “But, I mean, she doesn’t...maybe she didn’t know what to do.  She tried to get you to come over, I mean—”

“To look at magazines about boys, probably,” Robin mumbled into her pillow.  “God, why wasn’t I born on Themyscira?!”

“Where?” Steve asked, cocking Curious George’s head. 

“Where Wonder Woman lived.  Full of lesbians,” Robin sighed, and Steve nodded slowly.  “Anyway.  I’m over her.  Done.  What do I want with some party girl, anyway.”

Steve, who’d watched Vicki Carmichael fixing her makeup and scrunching her hair before coming in to ask for Robin, bit his lips.  

“The mall burned, and so did my fantasies,” Robin sighed.  “Let’s have a bonfire.  I’ll burn my creepy shrine,” she said, and Steve winced.  “I saw you thinkin’ it,” Robin told him, glaring.  “You can burn your lock of Nancy’s hair or whatever—”

“I don’t have a lock of her hair,” Steve said, his cheeks burning, as he remembered the notes he did have, when she’d returned a few replies to the the hundreds he’d slipped in her locker.  

“Bring Henderson,” she said.  “He can burn whatever weird shit of Max Mayfield’s he’s got ferreted away.”

Steve snorted a laugh, shaking his head.  

 When he saw Vicki Carmichael lingering around his car the next day, her brightly lipsticked mouth sucking a Tootsie Pop, he narrowed his eyes.

“Where’s Buckley?” she asked, eyeing him up and down, the way she had.  

“At home, I guess,” he told her, and she ran a bangled hand through her hair.  

Her lashes were sticking together, a little, and he wondered if she’d applied fresh mascara while she waited.  “Thought you two were stapled together at the hip,” she said, and then spun the Tootsie pop in her mouth.  “Never see one without the other.”

“We’re not dating,” Steve told her, trying to think of what a good friend would do.  “Uh.  We’re...not like that.”

“What are you like?” she asked, laughing, and Steve had no idea what that meant, so he just frowned at her.  She smiled down at her nails, shifting her heels on the concrete.  

“...she’s throwing a party,” Steve told her.  “I mean, kinda, us and a couple of friends, is all, but you should—you should come.”

Vicki went still, searching his face.

“Not—” Steve waved his hands, stepping back, and trying to figure out how to politely say ‘Don’t worry, I’m not into you!’.  “Um, you can hang with Robin, I’ll have other, uh, other friends there.”

It was the first time he’d ever seen Vicki Carmichael blush.  Her makeup hid most of it, but her ears went red, and down her neck, and Steve jerked his head to look away before he stared at her chest like a creep to see whether she was blushing there too.  

“...maybe I shouldn’t go,” she said, laughing a little unsteadily, and he realized he’d scared her.  “Just—say hello.  Or don’t,” she said, biting down on the tootsie-pop, and then muttering what sounded like a stream of fuck, fuck, fuck with her mouth full of candy shards.

“No, she, um,” Steve flailed, trying to reassure Vicki without saying anything Robin wouldn’t want shared.  “She’s been waiting for you to come in the video store.  We uh, we get movies in, and she says you’d maybe like something—”  It was sarcastic, usually, because while Robin obviously wanted to tear the buttons off Vicki’s shirt and suffocate herself in Vicki’s cleavage, she didn’t have a very high opinion of her movie taste.

It was pretty much the same movies Steve liked, so he was used to Robin rolling her eyes and saying “Figures.”

Vicki still hadn’t said anything, her eyes wide as she stared at his face again.  “I think she’d be happy to see you,” Steve told her, holding back a little smirk.  “And this is dangerous for me to say,” he said, lowering his voice, and grinning at her, “—because she’s gonna be embarrassed as hell that I told you.”

It was hot, in the parking lot of Bradley’s Big Buy, in the last lingering days of summer, watching Vicki shift, hugging herself, and Steve thought it didn’t say much good about him as a person, how scared she was of a trap.  

“Or look up her number in the student handbook,” he said, holding his hands up.  “Bring her some ice cream.  She’s been bitching about not getting it free.”  Vicki’s eyes widened at the idea, and she shook her head rapidly, her hair flouncing over her shoulders.  

Steve put his hands on his hips, thinking.  “Halloween’s coming up,” he remembered, brightening.  “Wonder Woman costume.  She’d probably forget how to breathe.”

Vicki snorted a laugh, staring at him.  “...you think she’d really want me there,” she whispered, a little mumbly, because she was still trying to chew through half a Tootsie-pop.  

“It’s the day after tomorrow,” Steve said, tasting victory.  “Friday night.  Just, like, me and her and some kids we know, you remember Dustin, he was always hanging around at Scoops.  He’ll bring a friend or two, maybe.”

“...if this is—if this is some kind of—” Vicki hissed, waving the half-chewed Tootsie-pop at him.  “If this is—” she stopped again, sniffling, and Steve waved his hands.  

“No!  No, it’s—it’s nothing weird, I promise, she just...she’d be happy,” Steve told her, grimacing.  “If you were there.”

Vicki nodded, chewing her lip, and Steve rattled around in his glove compartment for a pen and paper.  He found a pen, and wrote Robin’s address on Vicki’s hand.

 The night of the bonfire, Dustin showed up with Erica Sinclair, Will Byers, and Eleven.  They all looked solemn, and Steve wondered what kind of weird hijinks he’d let poor Vicki in for.  Everyone brightened up as they piled brush on the pile and lit it, though, and Steve got the hose—just in case—as Will got the others dancing around the fire to music, and some kinda chant.  

“Out with the old, and in with the new,” they sang, giggling, and holding hands.

Robin looked kind of depressed, watching them, and Steve stopped her from just tossing a whole box of things in the flames.  “Come on, wait until it gets going,” he said, “—you’ll put the fire out.”

She groaned, and nodded, then narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously as he leapt up at the sound of a car in the drive.  

It was the Camaro, with Max in the driver’s seat, and Billy, newly out of the hospital, pale and shaking in the passenger’s side.  “Shut up,” Max hissed, before Steve had even said anything.  “He needs to get out of the house sometime.  He was desperate enough to let me drive.”

“He looks like he needs to lie down,” Steve whispered back, as Billy sat in the car, staring forward.  

“He said he’d be fine,” she shot back, shrugging, but looking just as doubtful as Steve did, and crossing her arms.  

Billy leaned his head against the window, watching them, and Steve finally walked around to knock on the glass.  “You need help?”

“...no,” Billy snarled, looking away.  “I’m just peachy, Harrington.”

“Ugh,” Steve sighed.  “Look, I’ll go find you a chair.  Take your time.”

Billy glowered at him, and Steve wondered whether he was supposed to insist on helping, or ignore him, or what, and rolled his eyes, walking off.  

“...I think he might be stuck in there,” Max said conversationally, as they walked back over to the bonfire.  It was burning high now—taller than Steve twice over, with the fuel of a hot summer’s worth of dry branches and old paper.  Erica stuck a cedar branch in there, and the fire ran down the oily fronds like a sparkler.  The heat was too much even six feet away, and Steve soaked the ground around it again.

“Let’s do this thing,” Robin sighed, clutching her box, and Steve grimaced.  

“Uh, wait a minute, Max brought Billy, and he can’t get his weak ass out of the car,” he told her, as she raised an eyebrow at him like he was being ridiculous.  Steve wandered back out to watch for Vicki, his arms crossed.

Billy had his eyes closed, his breathing shallow, and Steve knocked on the window again.  “You alive?” he asked, wondering whether Max’s night was about to be ruined by her brother dead in the driveway.  Maybe inheriting the Camaro would be worth it.

“...’m alive,” Billy said, after taking a slow breath.  “What’s it to you, Harrington?”

“Nothing,” Steve told him, and Billy smirked.  “...Max is all right, is all, and she’ll be pissed if I let you die in the driveway—”  He cut off as another car pulled in, an aged Plymouth Roadrunner, and Vicki clambered out, struggling with three bags of groceries.  

Steve ran over and took one.  “You came!” he whispered excitedly, and she shot him a wary glare.  The bag he’d snatched had two gallons of ice cream under a six-pack of beer, and he snorted a laugh.  “You know how to make an entrance,” he told her, and she smirked faintly.  

“Gotta use everything I have, right,” she said, taking a deep breath, and Billy started laughing in the car, startling her so she nearly dropped the other two bags of ice cream.  

“I’m so sorry, I have no idea why he’s here,” Steve whispered to her, and sidled around between Billy’s car and the hedge to open his door.  Billy’d been leaning against it, and he nearly fell out, his shoulder thudding into Steve’s thigh.  “Come on, asshole,” Steve told him, crouching.  “Put an arm around me, I’ll get you in there.”

Billy glared back at him, but slowly wrapped an arm around Steve’s shoulders, and swung a leg out.  Steve grabbed his belt—prompting a strangled noise from Billy—and hauled him along to the gate to the backyard, while Vicki stared.  

“Thought it was gonna just be you and the kids,” Billy panted, his voice strained.  “You...planning to get lucky on your...best friend’s bed...Harrington?”

“Gross,” Steve muttered.  “How are you this heavy, jesus.”

“Why are you yanking my jeans into my colon,” Billy shot back, growling, but all three of them made it inside, and Robin dropped her box as she shot to her feet, staring at Vicki Carmichael.

“You said she’d be glad to see me,” Vicki said, slurred through her frozen smile as Robin stalked up and tried to yank Steve away somewhere, but Steve was anchored by Billy’s weight.  

“Lemme put this shithead down,” Steve told her, as poor Vicki waved a bag of ice cream, her whole body stiff.

“I brought ice cream,” she said thickly.  “S-Steve told me there was a party.”

“Steve told you,” Robin said flatly, her fingers digging bruises into Steve’s arm.  

“What’s happening,” Billy said under his breath, looking between them, and finally Robin stopped staring Steve down, and clapped her hands.  

“All right!” she shouted.  “Let’s start!”

The kids started chanting again, like the freaks of nature they were, and Steve caught Billy smiling bemusedly at Max, as they pranced around the fire, the flickering light making them look like witches, or something.  Vicki’s eyes were huge.

Steve kicked Dustin’s leg to make him get out of one of the three lawn chairs, and eased Billy into it.  His grip was nearly as tight as Robin’s, but it wasn’t hard to put his cold, shaking fingers together with his pallor, and guess that he was just trying not to fall.  

“I’ll go first!” Max said, waving a handful of paper.  “I’m gonna burn my report card so I can stop hiding it from Neil,” she said, and Billy winced, “—and these letters from my fucking dad where he says I’ll learn to like it here, and—” she swallowed hard, and then just threw the handful into the fire, and Eleven gave her a side-hug.  

Will threw a crumpled ball in, without a word, and then Eleven shoved a whole box into the middle of the flames.  

Dustin had gotten spoons, and Vicki was getting a lot of soft “Thank you!”s as the kids gathered around her grocery bags, and even Robin grabbed one of the beers, eyeing her and then Steve suspiciously.

“Those are the files on the scientists that...did this,” El said.  “To me and my mom.  I decided not to look for them.”

“Holy shit,” Dustin muttered.

“Me next,” said Erica Sinclair.  She held up a polaroid.  “Heather at the pool gave me this of the hot new lifeguard, this summer,” she said, staring directly at Billy, “—but then I found out he was possessed and drank bleach.  I can do better.”

Max stared at her, open-mouthed, but Billy cracked up, holding his chest as he wiped his eyes.  The photo melted, releasing black smoke, and Dustin and Eleven coughed.

“And then there was you two,” Erica said, putting her hands on her hips to survey Steve, and then Robin, and ripping another photo of them—in Scoops uniforms—exactly in half.  “No free ice cream?  Neither of you are my true loves.”

“Oh my god,” Billy whispered, laughing harder, and looking pained.  

“None of you deserve me,” Erica said, sighing, and she sat down again.

Steve yanked the folded notes he’d kept from Nancy, folded them tighter, and tossed them on the fire.  

“What was that?” Billy asked, frowning up at him.  “Harrington.”

“None of your damn business,” Steve sighed, hoping his blush wasn’t visible in the firelight.  He was watching poor Vicki, ignored while her ice cream offering got consumed.  Billy sighed.

“I didn’t bring anything to burn,” Vicki admitted, glaring over at Steve.  “I didn’t know it was a...fire party.”

“Yeah, how dare you bring ice cream, and not s’mores,” Robin said, around a mouth full of ice cream.  She glanced at Vicki, and then stared down into the carton, taking another huge bite.  

“You should put some of this in the freezer,” Steve prompted.  “Robin, you should show her where the freezer is.”

Robin stared at him, her cheeks full of ice cream, her expression epically betrayed.  He glanced at Vicki to see her giving him nearly the same glare, but they did finally go inside, and Steve breathed a sigh of relief watching them through the kitchen window, edging around each other, bumping elbows, and blushing.  Robin caught Vicki’s arm, saying something, and Vicki turned back, so close Robin was pinned against the counter, staring at Vicki’s face, and then her lips.  

“Shit,” Billy whispered, under his breath.  “Those bitches are gonna kiss.”

“Sssht,” Steve hissed at him, watching with a whiteknuckled hand on Billy’s shoulder.  After a pause that went on forever, as they half-listened to Dustin explaining something about his girlfriend Susie and becoming astronauts, Vicki leaned in, licking her lips.  Steve heard Billy take a shaky breath along with him as Vicki turned her head, kissing Robin firmly enough it pushed her head back, and Robin waved her hands in the air, her eyes huge.  Vicki’s eyes were closed, and her shoulders hunched, a little, when Robin just stared into space, instead of kissing her back.  

Vicki jerked away, and they could hear her heels clacking on the linoleum towards them, so Steve ran over and banged on the window.  “Robin!” he yelled against the glass.  “Wake up!  She’s leaving!”

Robin jerked, shaking her head, and then glowered out, slapping a hand over to turn off the kitchen light, so they couldn’t see what was happening anymore—but she didn’t catch Vicki, apparently, because the heel-noises clattered across the threshold and she came barrelling out, wiping her eyes.  She glared at Steve, and then stomped towards her car, and Robin came flying out after her.  

“Stop, wait,” she hissed, and the kids finally looked over.

“Put more wood on the fire,” Steve told them, spraying the ground around them, as the fire dried the sparse grass.  They yelled and scrambled out of the way, giggling, and out of the corner of his eye, he watched Robin catch Vicki’s hands, whispering to her.  

The kids started building the fire up higher—Steve took the precaution of really soaking the yard down, not wanting to burn the whole neighborhood down even in exchange for getting his best friend laid—and Robin pulled Vicki back over to where she’d been sitting, and slowly, showed her what was in the box.  Vicki covered her face, crying over her own scrunchie, her hair and jewelry glinting in the firelight.  Robin stared over at Steve, rolling her eyes with a bewildered grin.

“...you were playing wingman for a goddamn lesbian,” Billy whispered, like he couldn’t believe it.

“Shut up,” Steve hissed at him.  “Don’t tell anyone.  I’ve still got the hose.”

“You set that up,” Billy said again, and Steve squirted the hose at his lap.  Billy swore, clutching the arms of the chair, but wouldn’t stop staring at him, like he was a zoo animal, and Steve avoided him as much as he could, the rest of the night.

When the kids started to get tired—leaning on each other, their faces orange and sleepy in the firelight—Billy was squirming around, his teeth clenched, a trail of cold sweat running down his cheek.  

Steve sighed.  “You want me to get you home?” he asked, and Billy stared up at him, the same weird, blank look he’d been giving Steve ever since they’d watched Vicki and RObin kiss.  “Look, man, I can tell you’re hurting,” Steve told him, and Billy bit his lips together, swallowing.  

“...I’m fine,” he said, glancing over towards the driveway and wincing, and Steve sighed.

“...you pushed yourself too damn far, and now it’s gonna hurt getting home,” he sighed.  “Am I right?”

Billy licked his lips, and looked up again, watching Steve’s face like it was riveting, like the best new music video on MTV.

“...look,” Steve said, tiredly.  “Robin’s parents are out of town.  Lemme get you to the couch, you can lie down, okay?  I’ll take you home later.”  He said the last part loud, looking over at Robin, and she waved him on, staring into the fire, with Vicki curled up against her shoulder.  Robin shook her head slowly, and squeezed her close.

Billy watched them, then staggered as Steve grabbed his arm and hauled him up.  

 It wasn’t far, to get into Robin’s living room—and thank god it wasn’t, Steve thought, hobbling under Billy’s nearly-limp weight.  He tossed the pillows and things off the couch, lowered Billy as gently as he could onto the couch, and yanked Billy’s boots off.  Billy eased himself back with a soft groan, letting his eyes close.  

“You need a blanket?” Steve asked, and Billy started laughing again, softly, but enough so he grunted with pain, baring his teeth as a tear rolled out of his eye and around to his ear.  

“...jesus,” he whispered.  “You wanna give me a blanket?  I kicked your ass, Harrington—”

“Just don’t do it again, asshole.  Would a blanket help?” Steve asked, waving his hands in frustration.  “Is there anything I can do?  Do you have, like, something for pain?  Jesus, Hargrove.”

“...only one thing you can do,” Billy laughed.  “Come here, Harrington.”  

Steve sighed, and knelt on the floor next to him, letting Billy Hargrove grab his shirt, and pull him in close.  He wondered what the hell Billy couldn’t just say aloud, and then Billy whispered “Don’t get too pissed, Harrington,” and kissed him.

Steve sat back on his heels, his lips tingling from the warm, dry pressure of Billy Hargrove’s lips.  He understood how Robin had felt, suddenly, staring like a moron as her lady ran out the door.  “...what,” he whispered.

“Don’t think about it too hard,” Billy said, laughing again, his breath catching as he squeezed his eyes shut.  “S’nothing.”

Steve remembered touches on the basketball court, and lingering glowers in the showers at the gym.  He remembered Billy choosing to save Eleven and die, throwing his whole life in the bonfire, and Max missing him, like there’d been somebody inside Billy Hargrove worth missing.  Maybe there was, Steve thought. “Seemed like something,” he whispered back.

Billy started laughing again, tears trickling out of his eyes as he gritted his teeth, curling tighter on the couch, and Steve panicked and kissed him again, deeper this time, until Billy went soft and loose against him, his eyes wide in the flickering light from the fire.

“Ssssh,” Steve whispered, again, stroking Billy’s side, trying to avoid the bandages under his clothes.

Billy licked his lips, his eyes shiny.  “...what’d you burn, Harrington,” he whispered, and Steve bit his lips, thinking.

“...I needed to move on,” he whispered back.  “Find...something new, maybe.”  He watched Billy’s hands clench in the fabric of his shirt.  “...somebody new, maybe,” Steve breathed, and leaned in again.  Billy tasted like woodsmoke, and new beginnings.

Other Harringrove April prompts I’ve done

[jitter-bug]

Just Like Me

Taglist: @artemisfowl11

Nines x Reader (Detroit: Become Human)

A/n: Did I hear costumes with a plot twist? And 10x scary???👀 so that the request wouldn't be too short ???🔫👀 I certainly fuckin' did. This one is too long. Sorry for rush. I love you :') plz enjoy(plz) I have so many request. And I am getting around to all of them. So don't worry for anyone that's waiting for your request, they will get done I promise! (Plz don't hurt me--)❤ enjoy- p.s I also had a hard time choosing the costume. I wanted something race neutral because as a person of color myself. There's not many couple costumes out there, that...you know. So 😌 uh. I had to run off a limb here for all my POC readers. (Gang gang 😩) (give me feedback if you any more of this, I know some people messaged me about continuing Fear. I don't do series. But I'll do em' we lit over here😩😪💅) p.s.s I edited it to gender neutral, so sorry for any errors-- (donthurtme)

-

"What do you mean, no?" The defeated tone of the detective echoed through the bullpen. Arms crossed as they stared at Hank. He was sitting at his desk. A hand placed on the desk as he stared at the terminal. In a way so he wouldn't have to stare at the perplexed expression of Y/n. 

"Kid. I'm too damn old to be dressing up in costumes." Was his reply. 

Y/n had woken up that very morning. An idea engraved in their brain like their body threatened them to remember it and not let the wonderful idea go. 

The DPD was throwing a Halloween party. Which was really a celebration for Chris, he was finally promoted to being an official Detective, and for his celebration. There would be a themed party. Considering the fact that Halloween was creeping in around the corner. Y/n soon thought that they wanted to wear a costume, with someone that is. They thought sharing laughs or even going to the party dressed as characters would be fun and yet entertaining. Their first thought was Hank. But, he undoubtedly shot the idea down. And declined. Hank saw the unamused expression on their face when he tore his gaze from the terminal. Their fist was planted on his desk. As their hand was on their hip. Their eyebrows furrowed. Giving him a look that he was used to seeing when they helped him speak with suspects in the interrogation room. Though, their expression was not as hard and more so serious.

Connor, who was sitting at his desk. Across from Hank. Stared between the two. His LED teetering back and forth from yellow to stark red. 

"Go ask Gavin." Hank brought up the name that seemed alien to him as he scoffed slightly at his name. Y/n quickly lost their expression before shaking her head. They couldn't say Y/n and Gavin were enemies. But they haven't interacted with each other to a point where Y/n would see themself asking him to join them on their dress up crusade. 

"No." They replied. Hank has been staring at the ceiling. Arms crossed. Once hearing Y/n once again. He landed his gaze back onto them. His index finger tapping his arm. 

"Go ask your partner."

-

Nines stared at Y/n. The two staring right through each other, but Y/n could feel themself crumble under his steel gaze. His eyebrows furrowed slightly. In an attempt to see through Y/n. 

Nines originally was Gavin Reed's partner. Until Chris was recently promoted to a Detective and made to be Gavin's partner. Which pulled Y/n from Hank and Connor, into being Nine's newest partner. 

Before then. They hadn't really interacted with him. Occasional greetings and ludicrous jokes between Y/n and Gavin. In which the rk900 ignored, he never cared to learn much about Y/n- or anyone at the station at that. He was reserved, observant, stern and very stoic. He...lacked certain things other deviant androids had. 

Emotions. 

People around the prescient knew about him. But never spoke to him, reasons being his lack of expressing himself gave people the assumption that Nines was genuinely just a rude android. Which...Y/n could see why. He didn't tolerate childish behavior, at all. Rarely participated in any outings the station threw, such as celebrations if someone was promoted. Birthday parties. Or just a genuine outing to celebrate and catch up with one another. Nines was always at the station, he - In a way deemed to separate himself from others. His eyebrows were always furrowed. In a way to resemble a scowl of some sort...which he always did. 

Of course, Y/n could somewhat tolerate him, once they were paired together, Nines was non-stop pestering Y/n with things they needed to get done, things that weren't done right. He always pointed out the imperfections and mistakes rather than the good. Y/n couldn't say they were exactly friends with the rk900. He made it hard for it to be anything other than being partners. But, today was the day, Y/n decided it would be best to try and find a way through his cold exterior. 

Nines didn't say anything. Y/n held her hands behind her back. The slightest smile trying to make its way onto their face. "So...I was thinking." 

They started. They didn't feel nervous. But rather awkward from the sudden request. Nines didn't say anything. Instead keep his arms behind his back as Y/n slowly sat down on the desk. Planting their hands on their knees. "I was thinking, maybe me and you should go to Chris's celebration together tomorrow night, you know. As partners? Amigos? Buddies?" Y/n reached up. Placing a half-heartedly punch on Nine's shoulder. 

"And. You know. Dress up? Costumes? I'd think you'd enjoy it. You know, you've been really working your heart out for these past few weeks Nines, and I think maybe you would like a break. You know, wind down." They explained. In their head. The explanation was fool-proof. Nines had been working a lot. In fact. The whole station was. With the new cases of Red Ice popping up around Detroit. Everyone had constantly been on their toes. 

"I'm incapable of getting tired, Detective." Nines replied. He turned to fully face Y/n. His arms that were once behind his back, now by his side. 

Y/n felt themself run into a dead end. 

"I know that Nine's I'm not stupid." She muttered. Instead of replying. He only stared at her. Blinking once, that was so it took. Y/n could tell what he was thinking. They sneered.

"That's not funny, I'm serious."

"My apologies. I was unaware I was making a joke--"

"Anyway!" Snapping their fingers to get back on track. Y/n sighed. Rubbing their temple before looking back at Nine's form.

"If. You go to the party with me, and agree to wear a costume with me. I promise I'll stop fooling around on the field." They tried to compromise watching as Nine's was already turning away from her to walk over to his desk. 

"I'll even stop making those lame ass jokes for an entire week. I can't say for..forever, But I mean a week has to be at least decent." They spoke up. Raising their voice so he could listen. 

"A month." Nines said. His back turned from them. But Y/n could see him grabbing stacks of papers and placing them in their designated manilla folders. Y/n stared at his back. Eyebrows furrowed as they tried to piece together what he meant, the rk900 seemed to be aware of how perplexed she was. 

"You'll focus on the assigned case you have, without constantly getting distracted, for a month. If you can agree to that. Then you've found yourself someone to go to the party with."

He explained. Y/n jumped slightly, the excitement shot through them like electricity, sparking them to life. This was new! Certainly new!

"Wait, are you serious? Oh my god!" They squealed. Kicking their feet so hard Y/n was afraid their shoe would fly off, flying across the room. As funny as the scenario might sound, Y/n was too distracted with the offer to worry about anything else. 

"1 month?" They asks. 

"1 month." He repeats. 

"I mean...what about 2 weeks?" They bargained. A month, where they couldn't bullshit around at work. It felt like a sin to Y/n.

"1 month."

"But...Nines that's too long." They tried to whine. But Nines turned around. Holding the folders in his hands. 

"1 month." He repeats.

"2 weeks?"

"1 month."

"....3 weeks?"

"1 month."

"No! Come on. 2 weeks. Take it or leave it!" Y/n shoots their hands in the air. Drastically expressing their distress. But Nines didn't seem to show an ounce of sorrow or care for the matter.

"Do I hear 2 months?"

"Okay, no! 1 month!" 

With what Y/n assumed would be the end of the discussion to Nines. He nods. 

"Okay then. Now. What is it that you have planned?"

-

"Okay. So. I think maybe we should do something scary. 2 years ago. Me and Hank dressed up as clowns, and scared the hell out of Gavin. It was hilarious." Y/n absently spoke. They searched through their phone for ideas that may spark interest in them. Deciding on creating something new and from scratch. 

Nines was busy placing items in Y/n's bag so the two could leave the station and do whatever it was Y/n had in store.

Nines zipped up the bookbag before turning away from the desk to face. Only to find them already examining his form. 

The yellow soon took the place of the blue on his LED. His eyebrows furrowed. 

"What?" He asks. Y/n hummed. 

"I was thinking of what would suit you." They replied. As they spoke Nines handed Y/n their bookbag, which they thanked him before slipping it on over their shoulders. 

"We can head to my house and see ideas from there." Y/n started. Adjusting the straps onto their shoulders as they took several steps forward towards the exit. They didn't have much time from now till tomorrow night, the gears in Y/n's head were turning. What should they do? What should they dress as for their costumes? And most importantly. Make sure Nines had a good night out for his first ever outing. 

Y/n placed the phone back in theirpocket. Before reaching over to unlock the door. They felt Nines walk behind them, swatting and flicking their hand away from the latch to open the door. 

"I'm driving. You get to the passenger side and think about what your plan will be." Nines spoke. Y/n flinched their hand away from the latch. 

"Ow, okay, okay--" they made their way around the car to the passenger side. Y/n was positive the only real reason he wanted Y/n to sit out on driving was because last time they were behind the wheel, a favorite song of theirs that they vaguely remembered from some time ago came on the radio station when they were patrolling the downtown area of Detroit. 

All Y/n could say was how Nines was extremely pissed with their screeching out lyrics that he wasn't paying attention to. More of Y/n's abrupt screaming. Which is why he didn't want them touching the wheel while he was in the car with them.

Slipping inside the car. Y/n closed the door. Hearing from their opposite side that Nines was in the car as well. 

"Keys." He spoke up. Y/n automatically reached in their dress pants pockets in search of the keys. Once feeling the cool metal against their digits. They handed them to Nines. Where as he started the car. 

Y/n slide off their bookbag. And turned to toss it in the back of the car. Where a paper bag was seen lazily balled up on the floor. Seeing the Red Ice cases increased exponentially, there were many stakeouts that Y/n and Nines were assigned to. Sitting out in the car for long periods of time did spike up an appetite in Y/n's stomach every once in a while. Of course, Nines scolded them for not eating before arriving on the scene, but that didn't stop them from getting food. 

Once situated and Nines driving down the street. Y/n slipped their phone back out. 

"So. How do you feel being a butcher?" They asks. Nines stared at the road. Silent for a moment as he contemplated what Y/n said. 

"A butcher..? Odd, how would that in any way be a good costume?" He asks. Y/n placed their phone their lap. 

"Bloody butcher. You know. Kill people? Chop chop? Blood. Chains and all that jazz." They replied. Flipping through the many photos of cheap costumes that would wear out in later than a few months if they were to purchase one.

"I can't make a firm decision on what to wear. You do that." He spoke up. Y/n hummed in acknowledgment. As much as they wanted Nines to choose for himself. He often had a hard time doing so. Of course he did things his own way, but only for a purpose of doing his job. Completing his mission. 

"Well then. Butcher it is," they replied. 

Once making it into the warm house that groped around Y/n with its comforting warmth. Y/n dropped their bookbag on the ground by the couch. Plopping down onto the cushion. And letting out a long needed sigh. They heard Nines close and lock the front door. 

The tension in Y/n's muscles slowly eased its way into relaxation. This wasn't the first time Nines had seen Y/n's place. Only resorting to be at their doorstep to wake them up at ungodly hours for emergency crime scenes that so happened to pop up out of nowhere. Or to drive them home when they are tired to do it half the time themself.

The TV was still on playing from earlier in the morning when Y/n left. On the same channel and same soft spoken volume. 

"Alright. Come on. Sit." They finally mustered up the energy to speak. Nines - who was standing next to the couch, took a seat next to Y/n as they opened their phone once more. 

"So. I was thinking on the way here. A bloody butcher. Both you and I. I think that would be fun." They proclaimed it was some extremely good news. But to Nines, it was more of good news to Y/n, but he didn't say anything. His pale optics pierced Y/n's face. His eyebrows raised slightly. Y/n gave him a smile, one of reassurance. "Oh come on, don't worry. You'll love it. I saw you have a knack for violent things." They chuckled. Moving over to their coffee table to pick up the laptop that was sitting on it. Nines LED flickered a stark red. 

"I'm assuming you would think I'm a violent person because of how I handle things on the field?" It didn't sound like much of a question.

 "Well duh. You do tend to man-handle the hell out of the suspects." Y/n replied. Nines didn't say anything else. Instead, watch as Y/n typed into the computer. After a while. They sat back on the couch and glanced at Nines. 

"This should work out. Not to mention be a good sight for my budget." They said. Y/n turned the laptop around and showed a photo of the costume, which was just general ideas of what items they planned on looking for. 

Nines stared at the screen. His LED circling around. Once. Twice. Before turning yellow. 

"Are you purchasing these from a store?" He asks. Y/n nods. Nines nods as well. 

"Yeah. Tomorrow after work we both are going to go gather the materials to put together the costume. Oh, this should be fun! Believe it or not. Gavin is such a scary cat. I'm pretty sure you'll be able to scare the hell out of him!" They gave a laugh before setting the laptop on the table. 

"But, really Nines. Thanks for agreeing to do this with me. I promise. That when this is all over. I'll not goof around for 1 entire month." They said. Y/n lifted their hand, poking out their pinkie finger. Nines stared at their hand before looking at them.He lifted his hand before pushing Y/n's hand away with his back hand.

"I'll take your word on it, Detective." He says. 

"Oh come on. Don't be like that. Smile for once. My gosh." Y/n lets out a chuckle. Lifting one hand to pull at his cheek. Her thumb tugging at the corner of his right lip in an attempt to tug it upwards. Nines - once again, swatted their hand away from his face. A scowl interrupting his blank expression.

"Stop."

"Whatever, tomorrow. It'll be great, you'll have fun, I promise."

-

Nines watched as Y/n stated at the rack of clothes. Having trouble deciding what Nines would best fit his costume. They decided to purchase his first. The two left the station an hour ago, to get ready for the party that was only 4 hours away. And time was ticking rather quickly with Y/n staring at the rack of clothes as if they had a hard time finding what to wear. 

Nines felt his hand lift up. Rubbing at his temple. His elbow resting on his other arm which was across his torso. 

"Y/n..."

Y/n let out a hum, signalling they heard what he said but kept their gaze on the rack.

"I think this would go by much quicker, if I were to pick out the clothes, and when you get home. You can put them together." He spoke. Y/n turned to face Nines. He saw them cross their arms. 

"Are you calling me slow?" They asks. But, he could tell Y/n wasn't offended by their ack of anger that he so happened to be acquainted with. 

"More, indecisive." He corrected. He saw their eyebrows furrow. But they quickly rose up as they understood what he meant. 

"I'm not having a hard time picking...just--look, this is supposed to be a me and you thing. Partner to partner, friend to friend. You know. So we can spend more time together instead of always yelling at each other like at work."

It was true. Nines and Y/n rarely got a long at work, Nines being a reason for the constant start of an argument between him and Y/n. That being either working on a case. At the station. Or even at a stake out. He always seemed to feed the flame just to spark Y/n's anger into nothing more than a hungry flame ready to lash out at anyone. But that was because Nines wanted things done the way he wanted them done. And Y/n rarely gave him what he wanted...and that was being serious on the job. But the explanation did make sense. More time spent outside to get to know more about each other...or rather spend more time with each other, could lower their rate or going after each other's throats. 

"So, you know. Come on. Let's Both pick our stuff out together." A hint of hope was evident in Y/n's voice. Nines nods, taking several steps forward, to analyse the rack. 

"I think you can do something with this."

-

"Ow! Stop! Stop!" Y/n hissed in pain, feeling Nines peel off the face mask from their face. They tried lifting their hand up to push his hand away. But he was one step ahead. Smacking their hand away for the upteempth time that week. The two finished picking out the clothing and items for their costume, only had 2 hours left to get dressed and ready, a lady that was an entrepreneur and had a clothing line. Gracefully gave Y/n and Nines a discount on what they needed for their costumes. Finding the generous offer kind, Y/n paid more than needed for the clothes, and spent almost half an hour speaking to the woman. Which knocked off much more time than needed. And Nines didn't want any delays in getting dressed - so almost immediately once the two reached Y/n's house. He started laying out stuff so the two could get ready. 

The first step being to peel off the face mask for Y/n so once they put the make up on their face for the costume it wouldn't be mixed with any bacteria and dirt. Which also was a pain in Y/n's ass to feel the mask pulling at their skin. And how Nines didn't seem to care much, instead. Resulting in him snatching off the mask piece by piece.

"You asshole! You're doing that on purpose!" Y/n barked. They reached up to punch Nines in his chest. But was interrupted by him snagging at the mask on their face once again. Placing the pieces in a trash can he took from the kitchen. 

"It shouldn't hurt that bad, stop whining. Or else this will take much longer than needed." He finally spoke up. Y/n sneered slightly as they felt him tilt their head so he could get the rest of the god-forbidden mask that seemed to be glued to their skin. 

After finally getting the pieces peeled off and placed in the trash. Nines stood up to take the trash back to its original spot in the kitchen. Y/n rubbed at their face. The skin feeling somewhat smoother, her pores finally able to get air comfortably. 

"Okay. Happy? The horrible dreadful part, as you quoted, is out of the way." Nines said. As he spoke Y/n mumbled a 'fucking finally' - and stood up. 

"Okay, we have plenty of time, Oh my god, this is going to be fun. Okay!" Almost immediately, Nines saw the excited expression overtake their expression again. Watching as they grabbed one of the bags and tossed it over to Nines. 

"Get dressed. I'll come back in here when I'm done."

Y/n was surprised with how their costume came out. The idea in their mind wasn't as exciting as they once was thinking. But seeing the white knee length apron. Black dress shirt, the tattered jeans that were tucked into the dark rain boots showed that the costume was supposed to resemble some sort of butcher. A few things are missing here and there. But was still proud of how it came out. 

Deciding on going back in the living room to get the last back on the coffee table they remembered leaving on the table. Which contained the makeup and fake blood for the costumes...which of course was supposed to be added last. 

Walking down the hall and into the living room. Which was empty, in which Y/n didn't seem to take surprise. Thinking Nines went off somewhere in the house(such as the bathroom) , go get dressed. They didn't bother calling out for him. Instead, picking up the bag on the table to look through it. Seeing the many items in the bag, having a hard time choosing what to use first, they stared at the back in contemplation. Unaware of the sauntering figure that was creeping up behind them.

Deciding on finding it to be best, wait for Nines to come back and help with choosing what happens next. They places the bag on the table once again. They turned around to go and look for Nines. Only to quickly pause in their movement upon seeing the figure behind them Y/n jumped slightly. Their calves hit the coffee table. 

It was Nines, dressed in the costume, the black apron tied to his waist tightly, instead of a dress shirt that Y/n sported, Nines had on a black turtleneck, which really fit with the costume. Y/n could see the chains wrapped around his wrist, the sound of the metal clanking against each other. 

They saw the pig mask, the one Y/n picked out because Y/n found it oddly suiting Nines. The boar's head seemed pretty realistic, the blemishes and red markings on the facial area wavered Y/n's sense of security. They could barely see his eyes through the mask...where the eyes are of course.

"Jeez. You scared me there for a second." Y/n mumbled. 

But, Nines didn't say anything. The feeling of his form towering over Y/n, made them realize how some suspects the two brought in everyday had to face his wrath in an interrogation...or just a simple ass kicking. From what Y/n remembers. Nines never lost in a single fight. 

"Is this your way in trying to scare me? If so. It's not working." They let out a chuckle, which was half-heartedly. Nines - instead of replying. Let out a grunt. Which Y/n could deem animalistic. Y/n flinched. Shooting him a glare in a way to get him to knock off whatever he was pulling. 

"The hell? Did you growl at me?" They spat. Instead of - once again. Not replying. Nines turned around to walk off down the hall where the bathroom was located. 

"Where are you going?" They asks. There was no reply. Only the sound of the chains clanking against each other and the squeaking of the rainboots answered them question. 

"..." Y/n felt their eyebrow twitch. Almost a second letter. Nines came back out the hall. Looking the same, except holding the boars mask in his hand, which he didn't seem to have any interest in wearing. 

"Dude, what the hell?" 

Nines looked at Y/n. His LED flickering to yellow almost instantly. He raised an eyebrow; "is there a problem?" He asks. Y/n scrunched their nose up and nodded. 

"Uh, yeah. You were just out here - not even a minute ago. You just walked off. Not to mention, growled at me." They answered. Y/n saw the LED on Nines temple slowly circled to the stark red, his eyebrows furrowed. 

"I was in the bathroom all this time." He said. Y/n only gave him a blank expression. Which only remsebled an expression that they didn't believe what he said. 

"I was--"

"Anyway. Come on. Let's put this last bit of stuff on so we can leave."

-

"You're getting blood everywhere." Nines informed. Watching as Y/n drove down the ride they tried sitting themselves in the seat comfortably so the fake blood on the apron wouldn't smear on the car seat. It would be a pain to get it out. 

"I know that, Nines. Shut up, pighead. Besides, it's not even real." They muttered. Nines lifted the corner of his lip in a way to sneer. 

"Hilarious. I almost forgot to laugh at that one."

"You forget to laugh everyday." They quickly shot back. Nines only rubbed his temple with a sigh. "You truly are a mess." He sighs. Y/n laughed, keeping their eyes on the road. 

"You're damn right, a hot mess. Trust me. Tonight will be fun! Don't worry, really!" Nines didn't reply. Instead watched the road and the many buildings that passed by. His gray optics flickered over to Y/n. Spending an entire day with his partner did have its ups and downs. But it wasn't as life-threatening as he thought it would be. 

"So. Are you enjoying yourself so far? You know. Being costume twins and all. I think it's fun." Y/n asked. Nines tapped his index finger in his knee. 

"Rather childish. But if it can get you to stop quiping me about dressing up with you. I guess this won't be too bad." He responds. Hearing Y/n tap the wheel with their fingers. 

"Thanks for doing this with me, really. Maybe tonight you and I can go and get something to eat."

"I don't eat."

"....I mean. You could at least act like you do. Like jeez, what the hell." They muttered. Once again, complaining. Mumbling about. "Just stuff the food in your mouth and spit it out. Make it seem like you can or something--"

"Alright--okay. I'll take you out to dinner tonight. Is that what you wanted to hear?" Nines finally spoke up. Interrupting her from her charades of complaining. Almost quickly, a smile replaced their frown. 

"Yes, sir. That's exactly what I want to hear. You. Nines. My partner. Taking me to get dinner." They quipped. Nines glanced at them. Shaking his head slowly. 

"Holy shit!" Gavin stared at the two. Watching as Nines was busy behind Y/n speaking to Hank from behind the boar's mask. A smile graced Hank's lips. His hands on his hips. He didn't dress as anything like the majority of the people did. Instead...well...showing up in his casual clothes. 

"Wow. Next year. Me and you and dressing up together." Gavin nudged Y/n's shoulder. Causing them to chuckle. 

"I mean. I was going around the office asking people. And they either were dressing up as something already, or were dressing up as something already. Same thing. I know." They grinned, already knowing what Gavin was about to say. 

"You didn't ask me you little shit!"

"Oops?"

Gavin rolled his eyes. Swatting his hands in a way to shoo the conversation away. "Nines look terrifying as hell." He looked over at their partner who was still speaking with Hank. Y/n nods. 

"I'm not surprised. You're scared of everything." She said. Gavin shot her a look. 

"Hey, plastic-prick. Over here!" Gavin snaps his fingers. Y/n saw Nines look away from Hank. And over to Gavin. Hank looked over as well. Nines walked over to the two. Once in earshot he turned his head away from Y/n to look at Gavin. 

"Yes?" He asks. Gavin flicked the boar's snout.

"Sup." 

"I don't know what I expected wasting my time walking over here." Nines muttered. Gavin laughs. Almost immediately, Nines jumped towards Gavin. Which also startled Y/n. The two shrieked at the sudden action from Nines. Hearing Hank laugh in the background was what pulled Gavin from his pose. Which he moved to grip Y/n's shoulder. In a pose like he was hiding behind them.

"You Jackass!" Gavin shouts. Hank howled with laughter. Walking over to give Nines a pat on the back. 

"Good one!" 

Y/n felt their heartbeat in their chest like drums. They couldn't find an exact reason why they got jumpy. Letting out a sigh as they placed a hand on their chest. Hearing Gavin bicker in the background along the lines of "I'll fucking end you!"

Meanwhile, Y/n stared across the street. Which had a good view of an alleyway. Seeing two figures facing each other. Once being noticeably shorter than the other.  The short figure...which the two really resemble the silhouette from the lack of light in the area (considering the sun had set) the short figure seemed to be pointing its finger at the taller figure's chest. From the body movements the person seemed to be angry. As on the other hand the taller figure - standing still and stiff as a plank just stood there. 

Y/n watched for a few more moments. Whatever commotion they were hearing on their side of the street was muffled to them.

Soon, the short figure head turned towards the direction Y/n was in - across the street. Which the taller figure took notice of. The two stared at them. The tall figure seemed to tap its leg. Causing the short figure the scurry off somewhere in the shadows of the alleyway. 

Raising a hand. The tall figure that was left in the alleyway waved. Y/n furrowed their eyebrows. 

Who the hell was that?

"Y/n! Come on, get your ass in here before you freeze!" Y/n heard Hank shout from the door. Y/n quickly snapped from their clouded reality. Looking at Hank who was holding the door open. Shoot a gaze back at the alley, only to see nothing. 

-

"And I said. Give me my shit. Or I'll put a foot up your ass." Gavin said. The booth that was placed in the back of the room, either chuckled, laughed or said commented on his story. Which was Chris. 

"Honestly. I wouldn't be too surprised if she got a restraining order on your crazy ass." Chris chuckled. Gavin only shot him a large grin. Chris's wife smiled at the two. Shaking their head. The majority of the party dressed up. Either it being werewolves, vampires, zombies. It was something...despite the fact that one of the officers came with a macaroni box. 

The booth sat, Connor, Hank, Nines, Y/n, Gavin, Chris and his wife. Drinks were passed, and also laughs. (Will except from Nines of course)

The night was smooth. And not to mention fun. 

Y/n, still kept tethering back and forth from the odd altercation at home with Nines. And from what they saw in the alleyway. 

Nines sat next to them. Listening to Gavin speak. On and on. 

"So. Are you two still together or not?" Chris asked. Gavin's and his significant other had...somewhat of a toxic relationship. Constant fighting, either it be verbal or...from what Gavin didn't want to admit. But it was obvious. Physical. From both parties. But, Y/n never really intervened. It wasn't their business. So they didn't care much about it. Though the stories were funny. 

Digging into their pockets in search of their phone. They didn't feel it. Taking note they must have left it outside in the car. 

"I'll be right back. I have to go get my phone."

-

Sitting in the driver's seat. Y/n checked to see if the device was at a proper percentage. She closed the car door and sighed. Scrolling through it sees nothing new. They turned around to face the building to return. They stopped and looked up. Seeing a figure by the light pole in front of them The figure had the same costume as Y/n. The apron. The boots. Pants. Looking up they saw...the same face. It was Y/n!

The dark circles under the eyes were much noticeable. The blue surgical mask covered the lower half of the person's face. But Y/n wasn't stupid. They saw themself many times in the mirror to tell who it was. And every strand of hair on the person's head. Could tell that certainly was Y/n. 

The e/c eyes stared at Y/n's form. Boring into their face. A feeling they similarly got only from Nines.  But the gaze coming from..them, made Y/n freeze.

Staring at the person. It was like an exact replica, a doppelganger. 

Y/n could hear the sounds coming from the person. A muffled purr of some sort, scuffling shoes. It couldn't seem to stand still.

"...who are you--" Y/n was cut off by the doppelganger launching itself towards them - gripping the side of their face. It's nails digging into their skin. Y/n let out a surprised scream. Hearing the strained grumbles and grows coming from the thing on top of them.

Y/n felt themself land on the ground. The concrete knocking the wind from their body. Y/n was more surprised than scared. Of course they had many hand to hand combat on the field. But this didn't feel right at all.

Acting quick and raising an arm to shove off the doppelganger. Switching sides as they were now on top of the person, straddling it by the hips, Y/n felt it shift and swing an arm. Y/n quickly backed off of the person in an attempt to not get hit. It had a knife. Making it clear that it was meaning to harm Y/n. Y/n quickly backpedaled and stood up.  The sound of their huffing and puffing. And both of their shoes scuffling on the pavement. The person stood up. Shaking itself as if to remove the dirt that collected on its shirt from the pavement.

"Y/n. What's ta-"

"Okay, so Nines! There's some weird shit going on!" Y/n jogged over to the door that Nines held open. He was now staring at Y/n's doppelganger who quickly had stood up staring at the two. Once it made eye contact with Nines. It seemed to stop in its former actions and stare, before scurrying away down the sidewalk. 

"Who was that? What's going on?" He asks. Y/n shoved Nines into the building as he spoke. 

"I don't know! But we have to do something!" She shouts. The LED on Nines temple was flickering from red to yellow. Y/n was already making their way towards the booth. 

"Hank. You would not believe this. But I just got attacked by my own self. We need to find out what's going on." Y/n interrupted whatever conversation he was having with the group at the table. Connor was the first to look over. 

"Yourself?"

"Yes! Now come on. This is serious." Hank could tell whether or not Y/n was joking or not. Which...truly wasn't that hard to tell if they were. He stood up from the booth, luckily he was seated on the outside. 

"What's going on?" 

Nines soon made his way over to the table. 

"I was attacked by someone who looked exactly like me. Which, that can explain what happened earlier today. But! I have a crazy ass doppelganger!"

"Oh Christ." Hank muttered. Crossing his arms and looking at Y/n and then at Nines. And back at Y/n.

Gavin soon stood up.

"Oh, I have to see this." He spoke up. Hank ignored the man and looked back at Y/n. "Where did you last see this person."

"When I was outside. It attacked me--"

"The hell? Did you go after them?"

"No. They ran away before I can even do anything." Hank nods. Snapping his finger and pointing towards the exit.

"To the car. Let's go. Connor. Come on." Connor stoop up and stood next to Hank.

"Looks like we got some searching to do."