#I will always be sad at the fact that fics like Warning Battery Low and His Silence Speaks Volumes will most likely remain unfinished

[master-of-wii]

Sometimes I really want deltarune chapter 3 to come out not because of the excitement, but because I miss the people who made chapter 2 so great. I just miss my favorite ol' mutuals who left after the deltarune chapter 2 excitement died down y'know? :(

[rekrappeter]

Good Enough || s.r

pairing: spencer reid x fem!reader

warnings: overthinking | cursing | low mood | insecurities |  lmk if I have missed anything ♡

word count: 1.9k

a/n: thank you for the love on my first fic, I hope this one loves up to expectations. i pretty much just wrote this in order to comfort my own insecurities so maybe other people can relate. my requests will always be open  ♡

That evening your phone had gone off every couple of minutes, blasting your obnoxious ringtone over and over again; yet it was still on your kitchen counter where you left it that morning. You refused to pick it up, not wanting to look at the numerous text messages and missed calls that were on the home page. It was Sunday and your boyfriend was due to return from work, but over the last three days that he was gone, you had fallen into an awfully big hole of overthinking. 

Seventy-two hours was a long time to have your brain constantly telling you that you weren’t good enough for the man that you called your boyfriend, Spencer Reid. Take away the few hours that you were sleeping in between, the last three days have been nothing but torture for you. Hence, the reason that you were ignoring his phone calls. He had just finished a case with the FBI, the last thing he had to deal with was you being low and insecure. It had taken six months for these feelings to start surfacing within your mind but once you started shedding the tears, there was no going back.

Spencer sighed in frustration, his phone indicating that he was running on low battery. He quickly clicked into your name again, watching the phone dial your number before the screen went completely black. Spencer hissed a number of curse words that gained the attention of his male companion, who was sitting closest to him in the bullpen. Derek’s brows creased together and he dropped the pen that he was playing with to focus his attention on the young doctor. 

“You ok, kid?” He asked, turning in his office chair to face Spencer’s desk.

Spencer looked up from his dead phone that he tossed by his pile of files, his curls hanging loosely over his face. His mouth opened and closed for a minute, reluctant to get advice from Derek before he shrugged it off. “Nothing.” He simply replied. 

Derek hummed in acknowledgement, “Very rarely do I hear Dr. Reid curse, but if you would rather me get Penelope or JJ to question you, I can do that.” 

“Please don’t do that,” The skinny brunette whined softly, weighing out the options in his head before deciding to trust Derek on this one. “It’s Y/N. She hasn’t been answering my calls all day.” 

“Ah, girl problems.” Derek teased, his pearl whites gleaming under the bright lights in the bullpen. 

Spencer groaned, standing up from his desk. “Forget about it.” He snapped, starting to pack up his belongings to head home for the night.

“Kid, I’m joking. Look, you’ve been gone for three days. Just pop by her apartment on your way home, okay?” Derek suggested which earned a grimace from Spencer, “Bring flowers, tell her you missed her.” 

“I did miss her.” Spencer sighed, his hand brushing his hair from his face.

“Exactly. You have been going out for six months, it shouldn’t be strange just dropping by.” 

“Um, okay… Thanks, Derek.” The younger boy replied, forcing a shy smile in his direction. 

Spencer started walking out of the combined offices before Derek’s voice halted him, he looked over his shoulder. “Behave, you minx.” This only resulted in Spencer rolling his eyes and stalking out of the room towards the elevators. On the way to your place, his thoughts began to linger, maybe it was a bad idea just to show up. He shouldn’t be this nervous going to be his girlfriend’s house but deep down, he knew there was something wrong. You always replied to his messages and never once sent his calls to voicemail. His thoughts started to jump to different conclusions, did he do something wrong and not realize it? 

 The sudden silence was oddly irking you; your phone had stopped ringing and you didn’t notice that you were taking comfort from your ringtone until it was gone. You couldn’t say you blamed Spencer for giving up trying to contact you, it wasn’t your intention on keeping him on the ropes all day. It was just that you weren’t sure that you were going to be able to answer the phone and pretend like everything was fine. You couldn’t pretend anymore that you lived up to his standard; he was the most intelligent man you have ever met, with a number of PhDs and BAs, and you just about got your BA degree. It was silly for you to compare yourself to an actual genius but it was more so the fact that he deserved someone that he could hold an actual factual and statistical conversation with; not someone that had to research nearly everything that he brought up. 

The empty feeling in your stomach from not eating all day came alive and you climbed out of bed, catching a glimpse of yourself in the mirror. Your eyes were puffed and your hair was a bird’s nest, the fact that overthinking caused you to look and feel like this made you even sicker. You had just reached your kitchen door when the sound of your doorbell blasted around the apartment, grimacing you knew exactly who it was going to be. You weren’t expecting anyone else to appear at your door at eleven in the evening. 

You slowly walked to the door, your sock-clad feet sliding across the wooden floors. You peeked through the peephole and your heart soared with the sight of an exhausted looking Spencer standing there, a beautiful bouquet of flowers in his grasp. 

Opening the door, you hid half of your body with it but worry immediately covered Spencer’s expression. “Hi…” He said, his voice soft and he tried to step forward but you didn’t budge the door, “What’s wrong?” 

“Spence, I just want to be alone for a little while.” You whispered, avoiding his begging honey-brown eyes that were drooping. His heart tugged at the sound of your voice croaking, and it confirmed his theory that you had spent hours upon hours crying. “I’m sorry-” You attempted to close the door but Spencer stuck his foot in the way and you sighed, knowing he wasn’t going to let this drop.

“I can’t leave here knowing that you’re hurting. Let me in, talk to me.” Spencer begged, and you couldn’t deny him entry anymore. It killed you seeing him looking so worried. As soon as Spencer stepped foot into your apartment, he wrapped his arms around you. The flowers brushed the back of your head and you collapsed into his embrace. He was warm and you were thankful that he was wearing a grey sweater, it felt soft against your skin and when you breathed in his scent of coffee and cotton detergent, you felt grounded again. His lips pecked into the side of your head, a hand coming up to caress your cheek as he pulled away. “Why are you crying, princess?” 

“I’m not crying now…” You replied, a pout evident on your face. 

“Why were you crying?” Spencer corrected himself, no hint of the worry lessening on his features. 

“I… It’s nothing.” 

“Clearly it is something. Tell me.” Spencer pushed, his thumb rubbing up and down your cheek gently. You sighed, your eyes closing which resulted in a tear escaping down your cheeks, running onto his fingers. “Oh, baby.” 

“Spence…” You started, reaching to cover his hand with yours and you peeled it off your face. “I have spent the last three days thinking and thinking and thinking…” 

“About what?” Spencer wrapped his fingers around yours, a feeling of heaviness erupting in his stomach. 

“You deserve someone so much better than me-” 

“Don’t start, Y/N, please…” Spencer’s head dropped, sadness radiating from the pair of you. 

“No, no, let me finish. Please.” You begged, he nodded in response and watched as you took a shaking breath in. The rant that you had created in the shower two days ago flowed off your tongue in one breath. “You deserve someone that matches your personality more than I do, someone that reads more books or watches old films in different languages. You need someone to challenge you in an intellectual way and I… I just can’t do that. I’m average when it comes to general knowledge, hell, I don’t even know what my IQ is. A… And I don’t want you to wake up one morning bored and regretting ever starting this.” 

Spencer whimpered softly, stepping closer to your shaking body. You avoided eye contact again but he reached behind you to place the flowers on the locker and he cupped your face with both of his hands. “Look at me.” He snapped softly, it was forceful but filled with love. He used his thumb to wipe the fresh tears away. 

“Spence…”

“No. Listen to me. The last six months have been the happiest days of my life.” You tried to object but he shushed you, “Listen to me.” He repeated, squeezing your face slightly and you sunk into his touch again. His lips were trembling but they remained their pink shade similar to the tint in his cheeks. “I don’t want someone to challenge me, I challenge myself enough. I want someone that makes me laugh, makes me happy, makes me feel like a kid again. You bring out a side to me I didn’t know even existed, you brought light back into my life and I enjoy teaching you things. I don’t want you to recite the whole Bible for me, I don’t need that. I just need you, I need you being happy and yourself because I love you and you are too good for me.” Spencer whispered the last sentence, and he sucked in a breath. 

“You’ve never said that before.” You replied, your heart beating rapidly against your chest. 

“I never thought I’d make you feel that you’re were not good enough.” 

Your heart sank at his words, regret cursing through your veins. “It wasn’t you, Spence. It was all up there.” You muttered, pointing to your head and for the first time that evening, Spencer shot you one of his smiles. The one that showed that he understood. 

“Just promise me one thing.” 

“Anything.” You replied, wrapping your arms around his torso. 

Spencer smiled at the gesture and brought his lips down to yours, connecting them gently. Your eyes fluttered closed, embracing every erupting feeling that he was setting off. His hand slid into your mess of hair, bringing your closer and he deepened the kiss. His tongue danced around yours, and you were melting into him with every passing second. Just as a moan escaped passed your lips, Spencer pulled away. “Talk to me if you ever feel like this again.” 

You nodded in response and he was happy with that. Spencer untangled himself from you and picked the flowers back up, he walked deeper into your apartment but you stood there, your eyes following his every move. “Spencer,” You called out before he disappeared into the kitchen, he turned to look at you, his eyes sparkling and he waited for you to speak, “I love you too.” 

The smile he returned sent your heart soaring and he shook his head, a chuckle erupting from his stomach. “I know.”

🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻 🌻

please please please let me know what you thought of this! It’s my first s.r fic so I would love some feedback!

[yanderecandystore]

Can we get some content for how the Android darling and Ms. Bright would meet?

In this [🍰🍑🤖] we get a glimpse of what their relationship is like and a lil mention of how things have worked out- But let's see how it played out from the a.is perspective.

Hi boo, I hope you're doing great, I'm very sorry for the long ass waiting- Sadly I may warn y'all that I have gone through many stages while writing this: h 0 r ny, corny, and angsty. This is actually pretty heavy, as I tried pulling some of the loose threads that I left all over Ingrid's posts (I still need to give her an bio ;-; I'm sorry y'all-)

So this is all over the place, since this is a fic I've been writing for a long time.

Also I know jackshit about robotics, and I think this fic shows how much I don't know anything XD

TW: Family issues related to: LGBTQ identity // very angsty // Ingrid is very rude, but she also struggles a lot during this- // socially distant // socially awkward // being misinterpreted/having a hard time socializing //

Tags: angy sad lady // ownership dynamic // this is basically the reader reminiscing about the past (continuing it from where Happy Lies left off) // the reader is low-key a simp at times- // master x servant dynamic, possessive behavior and a lot of yelling // just angsty really, I'm so sorry //

🍭꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍰꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖🍭

Happy birthday, mistress [Yandere!CEO OC x A.I!Reader - Short Fanfiction]

3,763 words

Whenever you remember your first day of activation, or more accurately your first day of actually being able to be activated for more than five seconds (you can't remember it fully, but you're aware that because of your complex design, you had passed through a lot of prototype phases before you could properly function-), you almost feel an odd sense of nostalgia, maybe due to the fact it was indeed the most important day of your existence as an android.

It was Ms.Bright's nineteenth birthday, when she would be handed the corporation that has been passed down by generations. And not only would she inherit the company, but also a beautifully designed a.i assistant made to help Ms.Bright's every need. You were made to be an easy communication center from Ms.Bright to the employees, as Ms.Bright's had a hard time communicating with people and expressing herself.

At first, she didn't seem to enjoy the idea very much- It was clear that she considered you to be quite annoying and useless. And- Well- It did hurt at first, after all, you were built to help her and be her friend no matter what.

So hearing her be mean towards you was… Very tough at first. Your first day as her assistant wasn't easy, you ended up getting in her way most of the time- And since she also didn't know exactly what she was doing, she got overwhelmed by so many things going down in one single day.

Ingrid has always dreamed of being in power of the company- Actually, now that you know her a little more- You can positively say she was probably just stressed at having to deal with so many responsibilities so suddenly, even if it has been her lifelong wish to inherit the company.

And even if it seems impossible at times, she would still come back strong and find a way to deal with it. That's something you really admire about her.

Your first week on the job was basically just trying to get accustomed and trying to learn everything you needed to do- While also trying to understand Ms.Bright as best as you could. Now… You weren't built to say this- And- And of course you don't think like this anymore, but…. You used to think she was really mean.

Frightening, even.

Now that you're all alone waiting for her to get back from work, you can't help but feel like replaying those moments inside your head.

"{... Replaying recorded conversation n°000050: "My second day at work"...}"

" Oh, what are you doing here?"

" Morning Ms.Bright! I-I was rechecking the files from yesterday and I was trying my best to reorganize them, a-after the incident-"

" The "incident" that you caused yesterday?"

" Well, yes, of course! I wanted to fix things up before you came back, I'm really sorry for being so reckless, I promise I won't do it again, I was just-"

"It 's fine. You don't need to worry about it."

" But… But I thought-"

" The files you had messed with weren't really all that important, and besides I'm sure there are copies all around the place. Sigh, who am I kidding- In reality, I should be the one apologizing for my behavior yesterday."

"...."

" I recognize that I shouldn't have treated you the way that I did, in a sense it's my fault you lost those files in the first place."

" … Well, it's nothing really mistress, I'm the one who should-"

" No, don't even finish it. You shouldn't have to apologize and shouldn't have spent the night wasting your battery on this-"

"...."

".... You know what, do whatever- I sometimes forget that you are… Nevermind, come back to my office as soon as you can."

"{... End of recorded conversation n°000.000.050… }"

You never knew what she was going to say, but you remember not being able to ask her that- As you were afraid of her potentially getting mad at you for asking too many questions. She always seemed so ruthless at times.

You remember the time you went to a family event with her, a family party, where an incident happened and she was absolutely livid. Your relationship with her wasn't so pretty at the time, you don't know why but- Your mistress didn't seem to trust you as much as you wish she did at the time.

"{... Replaying recorded conversation n°000.001.588: "First party ever- And it was very unpleasant" ...}"

" What's the matter with you?! Why can't you follow simple instructions- I told you to stay here and not mess around."

" I'm. So. Sorry. Mistress-"

" Even your vocal module is broken- Who told you to enter that pool in the first place?? You can't tell me you did something so stupid all on your own."

" I. Slipped.-"

" Am I a joke to you? I've said tell me who gave you the order to jump in the goddamn pool while everyone else was inside- Don't you dare start lying to me."

" … One of the. Party guests. Lost something. Inside the water. I tried helping them. But I started to. Malfunction."

" … Sigh, okay. Continue."

" It wasn't. Their fault. I did it. On my own. I was just- Trying. To help."

" By throwing yourself inside a pool when you're well aware of the damage the water can cause to your inner systems?!"

" I'm sorry!"

" You could have- No, you SHOULD have called someone else to help you, I can't believe it- You could have drowned in there and I wouldn't even be aware of that since I was inside the house, [Y/n]!"

" …. But Ms.Bright. I can't drown-"

" Yeah, yeah- I know you-... I know you can't drown."

" … Listen, you could have still gotten yourself hurt okay? You could have permanently damaged your systems, and if I wasn't made aware of what happened, I wouldn't have been able to take you out of the water in time, okay?"

"... Sigh, I just realized how much I have been yelling, everyone is probably scared now that I've made such a scandal. This… Isn't really a new thing to me, I'm accustomed to ruining parties like this. I'll have to apologise later to everyone. [Y/n], please just- When I ask you to stay still, please listen to me. I was worried about you."

"...."

"{... End of recorded conversation n°000.001.588 ...}"

You can't deny it- Whenever she was truly irritated she could make any person next to her feel threatened, though the more you look at your recordings, you feel like she doesn't really want to be feared like this. Respected? Absolutely. Feared? Not ideal, but she takes it anyway.

You have a couple of different recordings here and there, your memories are separated into sections. You have recordings of events in several formats: pictures, videos, texts and audio recordings. Though the one you use the most is audio recordings, since videos take a very big space inside your mind, and pictures need context, otherwise they wouldn't be considered memories, right?

You can't have many memories at a time because most of your mind is supposed to be used to store the company's files, so you do have a couple of memories that you have deleted to make space for the Bright Vision's more secret/personal documents. Since Ingrid took you home yesterday, and said you won't be going to work for the company anymore, then maybe you can find somewhere else to store those files so you can make space for new memories with Ms.Bright.

First, you'll need to recheck some of your own memories to see if they're worth holding onto. There is probably a lot of junk in there that you won't be needing anymore, which can be a bit tedious and take some time, but you clearly have enough time on your hands to do so, considering how she is not home and- Well, you're pretty bored, you already done everything that she asked you to do.

Honestly, she gave such small tasks today, she probably didn't plan to change your work environment so suddenly.

After about an hour of research through your data you have realized that even if you have way too many files, it's kinda hard to delete them. At first you didn't mind the idea of deleting certain stuff, but now it feels a bit sad to erase parts of your memory, you just had so many good times and- And even the bad times are worth remembering, right?

It has been an hour of you just standing there, trying your best to not delete anything important while also revising each recording you have. Most files are a bit out of order, numerically speaking, but you don't mind that too much cause- Well, you can always reorganize them later.

… You never actually do that, but you like to think that one day you will, though.

After so many recordings of conversations, you found one who didn't seem to really belong in your head. You see, you always title every single thing inside your personal archives so that it doesn't get mixed with other files- All of your memories have a specific title so that you can have an idea of which is which.

The thing is- You don't remember this file, the title seems off, and it seems like it's incomplete. Oddly broken. Still, you decided to take a listen and try to remember what happened in this event.

"{... Replaying recorded conversation n°000.068.xxx: "I yell too much" ...}"

"...."

"...."

"...."

This is a very silent audio, there seems to be some background noise happening, but you can't make out what's happening. This audio sounds distorted, edited maybe. Someone tried messing with your memories but they weren't able to completely erase this file.

Maybe they were inexperienced at the time.

"...."

"...."

"...."

You think you heard something, it sounded closer to you- It sounded like someone possibly sitting down next to you. You don't know who it is, or what it is

"...."

".... I'm such a mess. Why am I doing this? Why does this feels so-"

"...."

It seems like someone is speaking, but you're not speaking back. Even in this heavily edited audio, you can still make out what sounds to be a feminine voice.

".... I'm sorry for, well, using you this way. It feels- So, so weird."

"...."

".... I just want… No, I need to vent to you for a while, even if you won't remember what I'm going to say."

This audio gives you an odd sensation. You think you're starting to recognize who this is- But then again, who else could it be, if not Ms.Bright herself?

" I never did this before, with something so- Human like- With something so human looking. I used to record my thoughts on my phone but I thought I would never need to vent with an object before- But here I am! Making a fool of myself…"

"...."

The speaker, who you assume to be Ingrid, seems to be having a lot of trouble speaking, her voice is cracking and her breathing seems uneven. She sounds out of breath, and she takes a lot of pauses to be able to speak her mind.

"...."

".... I have…. Thought about opening myself in this way because- Because I have no one else to listen to it, and I guess I can only blame myself for it. I know I'm difficult, I know I'm rude and I know I come across as a tyrant to everyone else- I- I really don't know what 's wrong with me, okay?!"

" Years, and years, and years of training, of studying, of planning to become the very next owner of this corporation as it's already not only a job but also a very painful family tradition that I felt proud of! That I gave everything that I could to be part of! I remember wanting this so bad, I remember how I used to daydream about this stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid tradition when I was a little kid who just wanted to do more, to be more!"

".… I almost lost all of this. 19 years of my life that were threatened to be thrown in the trash just because I- Because I'm not his son??! Because I- I'm not his only "son" anymore??.... Who said I ever was- Who said I ever was his son…?"

".... I- I know all about the stupid, awful and extremely unnecessary tradition of passing the leadership from father to son, and to this very day- inside the same office all of my predecessors had went through- I still think that tradition is garbage. I always thought I wouldn't make it here, I always thought something would stop me from being the next face of Bright Vision."

".... I can't tell- If I always knew about this- I can't even imagine how I knew this considering the dumb kid that I was, but…"

".... I'm his daughter. I'm Mr.Bright's only daughter, and the only possible heir to this twisted company."

" The people outside think our only focus it's on robotics and technology of all kinds. I wish I could go back to thinking that too, it would have been so much simpler that way."

" After a very long fight about my rights as the heir to this- Company. My father thought it would be wise to move to the countryside. Far away from all of this. And to be fair, I was- So, so mad at him that I thought that him moving away from here and letting me be would be better, but every now and then I- I miss him. I miss him so much…."

"He sent me a birthday present today. After three years of absolute silence he sends me flowers and- And a gift card containing his number… And I- Called him despite everything, and even so to this day he can't even say my name- IT'S BEEN THREE YEARS AFTER HE LEFT ME ALL ALONE WITH THIS CURSED BUSINESS AND HE STILL CAN'T FUCKING. SAY. MY. NAME."

You felt scared at the sudden yelling, even if her voice was progressively getting more aggressive and louder, you still got caught up by the sudden yelling.

".... I'm- A mess- I know that now."

You can't understand what's going on, but it sounds like she started laughing… Or maybe crying? Probably both.

".... I'm just terrible at this. I always was, weren't I? I'm just terrible at these types of interactions- Maybe all of them! I just don't understand how to- How to do it?? I don't know anymore…."

".... That's why I have you, in the first place, isn't it?"

" I had such an awful time expressing myself that they gave me an overpriced doll to do it for me. When I first heard about this three years ago, I- I've felt so fucking pitiful."

" Can you imagine it? The CEO of such a big corporation is so difficult to deal with that she needs an overly glorified doll that can translate her words to the other employees! An a.i created just to help me, an absolute idiot!"

".... I've felt so angry at them- I felt so angry at him for having to build a robot just to be a comfort pet to the stressful work that I would have to do for the rest of my position as owner of Bright Vision Corp, and I was mad at you! You pissed me off to no end, and I- I just couldn't help but be frustrated at you, not for being in my way, but for being an reminder that I'm awful at this-"

"...."

Her sobs stopped her from continuing that sentence.

".... I've treated you so unfairly because of this. I- I made sure that whenever you looked at me you would feel terrified of me because that's the only way I thought I could be respected, that's the only way I thought you would listen to me, and yet you never did…. You weren't built to follow my every order perfectly, you were made to be literally my only friend, after 22 years, here you are- The only person that can get me isn't even an actual person-"

"..... And I forget this…! I forget this every time I look at your eyes, I forget how robotic you are whenever I see you helping others not because you were told to, but just because you thought you could."

"...."

".... I always forget that you're supposed to be just another robot… He really did think about everything when designing you."

".... I always catch myself being awful towards you, being- Being excessively rude, not because of my way of talking but because of my own petty feelings towards you as my assistant… As my friend, as my android, as my-"

"...."

"..... I'm so sorry for being like this, you don't deserve to have someone who is constantly being mean towards you be considered your boss- Your boss, your friend- ...Sigh, even your owner…"

" I'm sorry [Y/n], I'm really, really sorry- But it doesn't matter how many times I say that- I don't know if I can ever make it up to you. Words won't heal any wounds, they never did."

"...."

".... But maybe actions will."

"...."

" I'll stop being so harsh on you, you really don't deserve this- I was feeling weird about using your recording system to vent like this, but now that I think about it I have been using you as a venting mechanism since the day we met……. I'm- I'm so goddamn awful."

"...."

"...."

" "How can someone so in love be so cruel?".... Would you be able to answer me if you were conscious?.... I don't think you would, no one has been able to tell me the right answer yet."

".... I hope I can be better- I will be better."

"...."

" I just need to remember how to delete this file before you wake up- I hope I can do that. End recording."

"{... End of recorded conversation n°000.068.xxx …}

………….

It took you about an hour or so to be able to process what you have just listened to. And even then, you weren't able to fully comprehend what happened.

Ms.Bright- No, Ingrid- Ingrid has used your recording system while you were out, she probably tried deleting the file but because she was inexperienced with your kind of technology, she decided to just edit it and try to make it unlistenable.

It was- Barely audible but you still got to understand some of it.

Did she- Did she forget to completely erase it? Did she forget entirely??? You're not sure.

You don't know why but a sudden wave of- Something- Something feels so odd about this-

You don't know how to respond really. You don't feel mad about her ranting to you, you don't even feel bad about her ranting to you while you weren't aware- You feel bad, but not because of her but because of the emotional turmoil she has been hiding from you.

Should you do something? Should you say something?? How do you even- You don't know how respond to this-

You're programmed to comfort her, yet- This file is already old, and she didn't want you to remember this so maybe it won't be the best idea to bring it up, but what can you do??!

Maybe you just need to rethink this through, maybe you should listen to audio again, and try to figure out what's the best way to help her out when she comes back.

You're honestly baffled at the idea that someone like her had so much to confess to- You probably shouldn't have seen her as an unstoppable goddess in the first place, but then again- Even after hearing her open herself, even after listening to her insecurities- Your opinion of her hasn't changed.

She was holding this for so long, no wonder she always seems on edge.

She 's only human. Yet you never really saw her as just that.

She was always so much larger than you, so much stronger than what your fabricated body was, and she always sounded so much smarter and- And she was just always so… Terrifyingly beautiful to you.

Ingrid Bright was always considered a very good looking individual, but no one ever considered her to be much else because of her way of speaking to others (which may sound rude and occasionally condescending, causing others to avoid her as much as they could), but you always thought she was so much more than that-

It's hard to even explain it really, ever since you met you have started to understand the concept of how beauty and fear can mix together, you find her to be so beautiful, yet her demeanor and stature makes you feel afraid of her for some reason- And even worse than that, the fear she may unconsciously bring you makes her seem more beautiful in your eyes.

You shouldn't think of her as scary or frightening, she is your boss, your master and your owner, there is no reason for why you should feel this way towards her- But then again, there is no reason for you to even feel in the first place, you were just built to do so.

You don't think she means harm to anyone, after getting to know her you realize why her behavior can be misinterpreted as mean and scary- Ms.Bright always had a hard time socializing with others, even her family had a hard time understanding her, so maybe that's why she grew to have such a tough exterior.

As someone that was built to make the communication between CEO and employees easier, you've had to learn to understand her to be able to help others understand her as well, and vice versa. It wasn't easy, and you wouldn't say that you know her completely well- But you feel proud of the work you have done so far, you're her loyal companion but more importantly a friend.

Funny how much you learned not only about her, the employees, or even the business of the company- But also about humans in general in these five years of working for her, it makes you feel more whole when you remember how much you have achieved.

You hope you can somehow help her right now, and to help her from here on out. You decide to wait for her and possibly talk about how she feels and how she deals with said feelings. Hopefully all ends well.

🍭꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍰꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖🍭

Sorry for the loose ending! I was feeling very tired ;-; but if anyone wants it I could totally make a second chapter with a better ending.

🍭꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍰꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖🍭

[anotherhamiltonblog]

Foreign Touch ch 5

Chapter Summary: No summary sorry. I LOVE YOU ALL.

Warnings: Some fluff... then pure angst. I’M SORRY but not really.. BUT I’M SORRY. Character Death. our boys cry. (i cried) UH POV jump. me being a horrible person. oh and can’t forget, cursing as well. 

Word Count: 3k (holy cow.)

Masterlist(:

AN: So i’m posting this now because. 1, i love every single one of you who read this fic and actually enjoy it. and 2, to celebrate the fact I have over 160 followers. Like what? ILYSM THANK YOU. you are all so beautiful and I write for every single one of you.

Previously

Enjoy...

September turned to October, October to November and soon enough it was December.

Things for Y/N couldn’t have been better, sure there was the tension between Alexander and her, seeing as her soulmate was the one person Alex has claimed to be his mortal enemy. Not that he made any comment when Thomas was around, especially around their parents.

It had become a normal accordance for Thomas to have dinner with the Hamilton’s, just like Y/N would have Sunday lunch with the Jefferson’s. Things were going amazingly between the two.

Her group of friends were all happy, Lafayette had found his girl, Adrienne. Or Adri as everyone calls her who was in the Drama club and even Hercules found his soulmate who was from another school but the two met at a Halloween party.

Halloween Y/N had managed to get Thomas to dress up as Aladdin and she went as Jasmine. The two being what john kept muttering as ‘couple goals’ since Alexander went with a nametag with the words “Hello, my name is ‘The person who hates Halloween costumes’ “John, having been the one to write it out since he was annoyed with Alexander.

In the end the night was amazing, ending with a bonfire with the friends all sitting around and relaxing in couples. Even James Maddison came with his girlfriend of one year.

By November, Y/N would wear Thomas’ hoodies and beanies. Claiming that they were a lot warmer than all her jackets and sweatshirts. Not that Thomas was complaining. He was happy to have his girl wear his clothes.

Thanksgiving came and went, Thomas spending the day with Y/N and her family before they went over to his house to spend the evening with his own family. The two thankfully always able to split the time between families. Especially since it was the holiday and they wanted to make sure that it was split equally.

By December, Christmas around the corner. Y/N almost cried at the start of Winter Break. Swamped with homework, college applications were thankfully all sent along with the videos of her Dancing then her playing the violin to the Art Schools, starting with Julliard. Y/N didn’t play for the school, not many even knew she played since it was something she picked up and it just stuck. So, the girl would just play in the basement of her home.

Life was perfect, at least for Y/N. She was happy and things felt like they were finally falling into place.

Date nights were her favorite, the picnics, movies then pizza, the small dinners after games. The two never went to parties, never needed to. They were happy with each other and the company of James or Lafayette every now and again with their girls for double dates.

Groaning, Y/N watched as Lafayette and Thomas were speaking in French. Glancing over at Adrienne, Y/N raised her eyebrow.

“Can you believe these assholes…” she whispered to the gorgeous Brunette who giggled and nodded.

“I say we get their attention…” she winked, and the two girls got up from the table. Not that their boyfriends noticed.

Walking over to the bar, pulling out their fake IDs, the girls managed to flirt their way to getting another cocktail and soon enough two guys came up to them to flirt.

It didn’t take long for Lafayette or Thomas to notice their girls at the bar talking to two strange men. They almost ran over, wrapping an arm around their girl and glared at the men until they backed off.

“Immigrants… we get the job done.” The two said at the same time and fist-bumping. Causing Y/N to give Thomas a ‘what the fuck are you ON?’ look.

“Thomas… you’re AMERICAN.” She laughed before looking at Adrienne who was also giggling.

The two sipped on their drinks. “Maybe next time, you’ll remember we’re at the table as well.” Adrienne teased, even though the two of them knew a bit of French. It still wasn’t enough to follow what those two were talking about.

It was a wonderful night afterwards.

Now with Christmas just a week away, Y/N was out with her parents. The three going to the post office to send the presents to the grandparents. The three laughing and singing Christmas songs, just having a good time. Alexander stayed behind to wrap up the last of his presents, though Y/N knew that John would be over five minutes after they leave the house.

Pulling out her phone from her jacket pocket, Y/N decided to message Thomas to pass the time, only to frown when seeing the battery on low. “shit….” She whispered.

“What was that sweetie?” her mom called from the front, turning her head to look at her daughter.

Catching her dads eye in the rearview mirror, the smirk he sent her way. Y/N knew he heard her and shit bit down on her lip. “Nothing mama…” she shook her head and went back to messaging her boyfriend.

When her phone warned her that there was only two percent left, she said bye to Thomas and turned off the phone screen. Listening to her mom talk about the surgery she did the other night and the teenagers parents in the waiting room.

As her dad went to continue driving, the red light turning green before the car came to a complete stop. Y/N’s head whipped to look out her window at the sound of a loud car honk and she gasped. The headlights of the car shining brightly in her eyes. But she couldn’t do anything, a truck that was making a right turn collided with their car and sending the car skidding and crashing into a bus.

Y/N head hit the window and she passed out right afterwards, screaming being the last thing she heard.

»»-————　♡　————-««

Alexanders POV:

Sitting around the living room with John, the two watching the Harry Potter marathon on the ABC Holiday Special. They were wrapped up together in the blanket just enjoying the others company without any distractions. It wasn’t till Alexander’s phone rang did he groan and pick it up, seeing it was his grandma.

“Hey, MeMa… everything ok?” he asked the women, sitting up concerned since he could tell his grandma was crying and put the phone on speaker.

“Alex, Corazon. The hospital called me. Your parents and Y/N have been in an accident.” She said in a broken voice. “You need to get there as soon as possible. Pops and I are booking a ticket and are flying out there soon.”

Alexander could barely hear what his grandma was even saying anymore, John who sat up quickly, sent out a text to the group chat and picked up Alexander’s phone, talking to his grandma. Assuring her they would be at the hospital and that they would call them with any news.

John’s POV:

After hanging up, John noticed that Alexander was still in shock, so he rushed to grab their shoes, jackets and hats. The snow started to fall again.

“Come on babe… we need to go.” He said to Alex and coaxed him into putting his shoes on and jacket after getting himself ready first.

Picking up his keys, the two made it out to the car and John started to drive to the hospital.

“I know this isn’t something you want to hear… but you need to message Thomas.” John told his boyfriend, those words causing Alex to snap out of it.

“Why the FUCK would I do that? I need to focus on the fact that my SISTER and my PARENTS are in the hospital!” He almost yelled and John just remained calm.

Taking a deep breath as he stopped at a red light. John turned to look at Alex. “He’s her soulmate babe… he needs to know. I know you don’t like him, that’s fine. But he loves your sister. He deserves to know and to be there.”

Seeing that the words were sinking into Alexanders brain, John turned his head forward again and drove a few seconds after the light turned green.

Upon arriving at the hospital, John held Alexanders hand the whole time and watched as the man messaged Thomas. Rolling his eyes with a sad smile at the contact name. ‘Jeffershit’

Once the messages were sent and they were told where to go, being told to wait for a doctor to come out to speak with them. John held Alex in his arms as they waited.

Thomas’ POV:

Forty-five minutes, that’s how long he had been waiting for Y/N to message him to go do the neighborhood tour of the house lights. He knew she was serious about it; he just didn’t know why it was taking so long to call him. Not that he was worried, Thomas was sure that Y/N was probably eating out with her parents or something.

Though he couldn’t help but feel a weird ache in his chest, but shrugging it off, he grinned at the small ‘ping’ coming from his phone. Indicating he had a message.

“Fucking finally babyg...” but he stopped muttering to himself when he saw it was Alexander. Seeing the messages, Thomas felt like all the air from his lungs left and he couldn’t breathe.

Jumping up from his bed and rushing to pull his sneakers, coat, gloves and hat. Thomas rushed from his room.

“Son, where’s the fire?” his dad chuckled from the living room, seeing his son in a hurry. But the laughter died when he saw Thomas close to tears. “Thomas? What happened?”

“I… I don’t know. She was just talking to me… now she’s in the hospital.” He said and looked from his mom to his dad and the two quickly got ready as well. Knowing that Alexander would be alone in the hospital waiting room.

“Give us a few minutes, we’ll go with you.” His mom said softly and pressed a kiss to his head and went to put on proper clothes.

Soon the Jefferson’s left their house and made it to the hospital in under 20 minutes due to the roads being fairly empty.

Once at the hospital, Thomas already knowing where to go thanks to John Laurens who messaged him where they were. They arrived and saw the waiting room already filled.

Lafayette with Adrienne and his uncle and aunt. George and Martha Washington. Hercules with his girl Meg, Alexander with John and when they saw Thomas, Lafayette was the first one to reach the boy. Who hadn’t been able to cry properly. His mind racing with what could have happened.

After an hour, a doctor appeared. Everyone waiting holding a cup of coffee thanks to Peter and Jane Jefferson who bought it for all the teenagers.

Alexander was the first one to jump up with John. Thomas wanted to go over and see. But he overheard that they were talking about Alexanders parents. An ache in his chest hearing the words ‘We did everything we could… I’m sorry son.’

“I’m not your… What about… Y/N? How is she?”

At that question, Thomas sat up and watched the doctor.

“She’s still in surgery. As soon as I know more. I’ll come talk to you all.” With that, doctor paid his apologies once more and left. His pager going off and he rushed.

That’s when Thomas felt it, the ache on his neck. Grabbing his phone and using the camera, he gasped. Catching everyone’s attention.

That’s when they all saw it. The mark on his neck, a small almost dainty handprint. But as quickly as it appeared, it was gone.

“What? Did she… did she die for a minute there? Is that what happened?” he asked standing up now panicking. Breaths were uneven and Thomas felt like his heart was going to burst out of his chest. He couldn’t stand still. He couldn’t cry. He could only worry about the women he loves.

“I- I can’t lose her. I need her… fuck. She could have done so much better than me. Yet I was blessed to have her as my soulmate… I can’t fucking lose her.” He said and hung his head, squeezing his eyes shut. His shoulders starting to shake and that’s when arms wrapped around him.

Realizing it was Alexander, the two men hugged and cried as they waited news on the girl who was hanging on to her life.

After another hour, another doctor came back over to them. “Any relatives of a Y/N Hamilton?” she asked and looked over everyone. A. Schuyler written on the white coat and Both Alex and Thomas stood up.

She raised an eye at Thomas, only to nod when Alexander explained that the man was Y/N’s soulmate.

“So, I’m guessing you felt that she flatlined. I’m sorry about that.” And with that Thomas went to listen about what was wrong with his girl. “She hit her head against the car window pretty badly, she has stiches on the side of her head, that area is shaved. Her neck is in a brace, nothing broken. Simply cause she suffered whiplash and the brace Is to prevent her from moving her neck and letting it heal.” She sighed. “Her leg, that was broken pretty badly. Practically crushed from being stuck. We were able to put the bone back in place and there are some screws... She’s gonna need treatment once the cast comes off. To help her use her leg again. I hope she wasn’t a dancer. Because, it’s likely she won’t be able to put too much force on it.

“Now… the reason she flatlined was because of a broken rib that caused her to have some trouble breathing. But we got her back and she’s being transferred to the ICU now.” With a sigh, she looked between the two. “Once there, visitors will only be one at a time. Then everyone goes home and returns tomorrow. We can’t have anyone here. We need to keep a close eye on her to make absolute sure we didn’t miss anything.” With that, the doctor informed them she’ll come get them when Y/N was in her room.

Thomas felt like he was going to pass out. How could this even happen? Now Y/N and Alexander were orphans. God, how were they going to tell Y/N about her parents when she wakes up?

Walking away from everyone quickly, Thomas went outside and leaned against the brick wall of the hospital.

With eyes closed, he tried to control his breathing. Which Thomas found to be very difficult to do.

“Thomas?” a soft voice came from beside him and he turned to see John there. “Deep breaths… we don’t want to put you in a room from passing out before seeing Y/N now do we?” the freckled face man smiled sadly.

“How could this happen?” Thomas asked quietly. Almost not hearing his own voice. “We were talking about… about seeing those stupid Christmas lights in the neighborhoods ya’know?” he scoffed. “I wanted to say no, cause we’ve seen them three times before. But I could never say no to her. What Y/N wants; she gets.” He looked down at his hands. Reaching into his jacket pocket, he showed John the small silver ring with a double hearts.

“Was gonna give this to her, promise ring that once we finish college, that we’ll get married and have the perfect life together.” He sniffled. “Now she can’t dance anymore… she’s going to be so broken.”

John looked at the ring in shock. Only to frown and pat Thomas’ shoulder. “If she’s broken, you need to be her rock. She’s gonna need you more than ever now Thomas. She’s gonna mess a LOT of school, physical therapy, no more cheerleading. No more tutoring…” sighing, John frowned. “She… they lost their parents. You gotta be strong, but don’t shut down on your emotions. Ok?” he said and looked over to the door.

Thomas also looking up at someone clearing their throat. “We can go to her room now.” Hercules said to the two and the three men made their way back inside and everyone quietly walked down the corridors to the area where Y/N was laying in the bed in a coma induced sleep. Just so she could recover a little easier.

One by one, Thomas lets the boys go first. It was only right, they knew Y/N for years. He could wait to see her a little.

By the time it was his turn, Alexander stopped him. “There’s… lots of machines. Beeping, tubes attached to her… Her leg… I covered it up with a blanket.” His voice broke and Thomas nodded. “Just thought I’d warn you.”

With that, Thomas walked into Y/N hospital room and he felt like the floor disappeared from beneath him. Seeing Y/N in the bed attached to machines, hell. Alexander tried to warn him and still it was like he was punched in the gut.

Walking over to a chair, he sat down and softly grabbed onto her hand. Behind careful with the needle taped to the back of her hand. Small cuts covered her body, the stiches and small part of the side of her head that was shaved. Her left leg was held up but covered like Alexander promised. The hand without the needle was wrapped in a bandage.

Thomas felt like his throat closed up and he squeezed his eyes shut.

“I can’t lose you sweetheart… I’ll be with you with each step of the way. Ok? No matter what. I’m with you. I love you babygirl.”

Kissing her forehead, Thomas left the room after the nurse informed him his time was up. With a promise to visit Y/N every day. Thomas left, giving the guys a ‘bro hug’ they all parted ways.

Alexander going home with John so he wouldn’t be alone, at least until his grandparents arrived to help with funeral arrangements. Parting ways, everyone left the hospital with heavy hearts.

                                                                                                    Next Chapter

*goes into hiding, shouts from under the bed* please tell me if there are any mistakes! This was a rollercoaster to write. omg.

Don’t forget to Like, Reblog and send Feedback! My asks are also opened and so is my IM! 

Much love from me to you!!  ♥(ˆ⌣ˆԅ)

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[scones-and-texting-and-murder]

Your Move

Written for the lovely @jojodacrow and part of a collection of art and fics created in her honor entitled (of course) BOOM: Penises. Check them all out! 

(ao3 2450 words)

Dean had never spent all that much time in the coffee shop across from his apartment building before now. It’s always been there, convenient and open late, but when he still lived with Lisa it was just a place he walked past on his way home or maybe stopped by for coffee and muffins on a lazy weekend morning.

It was there, handy when he needed it, but otherwise he didn’t give it a lot of thought. Maybe he took it for granted, to use the words Lisa had flung at him the day they’d finally called it quits.

Now that she’s moved out, Dean finds himself in the cozy coffee shop a lot. He likes to set up in the end seat of the little counter that overlooks the espresso maker. There’s an outlet right there to plug in his laptop and Charlie, the barista, seems to sense when he wants to chat and when he needs his coffee cup slid to him without a word.

God knows he could make coffee for a whole lot cheaper up in his apartment. Lisa had thoughtfully left their coffeemaker since Matt already had one, but even though he knows they are better off apart, better as friends than anything else, he still hates coming home to an empty apartment. Many days, the coffee shop serves as a buffer between his busy day at work and the loneliness at home. It's a respite, almost like a rest stop, where he can sit and gather himself and, if he's honest about it, kill a couple of those long hours before he can call it a night.

Maybe it will be easier when she retrieves the last of her belongings from the space they'd shared.

Dean had methodically collected her things from closets and shelves and drawers. He’d had to shut off a piece of his brain so he wouldn’t get wrapped up in remembering the beach town where she’d bought that sweater or how her old umbrella stuck and she always had to ask Dean to close it for her. He packed her things into boxes which he stacked in the second bedroom, putting them safely out of sight behind a closed door. She said she didn’t need their bedding, but he’d stripped it off anyhow and washed it before boxing it up as well. He’d gotten himself a plain set of sheets and a solid blue comforter and he has vague plans to rearrange the bedroom so it no longer looks like a sadder, emptier version of theirs, but so far he hasn’t mustered the energy to do that.

Sam offered to come help his brother, to keep him company as he sorted all of this out. He even offered to let Dean move in with him and his wife Eileen, a gesture that Dean appreciates but firmly refuses. Dean doesn’t need to make his old life disappear. He just needs some time to get used to the way things are now.

It stings that Lisa has found someone new, but he’s not heartbroken by it. He loves her enough to want what’s best for her and he knows that he was never going to be there for her in the way that she needed. But he’s not meant for living alone. He needs someone to cook for and someone to hold tightly during the long, cold winter nights. Knowing Dean well, Sam keeps encouraging him to move on. Hell, so does Lisa, for that matter. He wants to move on, but trying again with someone new feels like climbing a mountain. He thinks he could manage it, though, if he could just get his feet underneath him and take those first few steps. Right now he’s stuck in some sort of liminal space, still living with their belongings but without her.

It’ll be easier once she picks up the rest of her things.

In the meantime, the coffee shop helps. He can stop in there when he isn’t quite ready to face the apartment alone or he can come down in the evenings after he’s fed himself and washed his sad, single plate. Even if he doesn’t talk to anyone but Charlie, he can feel like he’s a part of something simply by not being closed up in his apartment.

Today, he needs every bit of familiarity and comfort the coffee shop holds for him. He needs the chime of the bell when he opens the door and the hissing sound of the espresso maker. He needs to settle in at the end of the counter with a hot cup of coffee and his laptop and let the hum of conversation surround him. But today when he comes in, there’s someone sitting in his seat.

*

Cas looks up when he hears a loud sigh. A man has entered the coffee shop and approached the counter where Cas sits. With an oddly resentful look at Cas, who is merely sitting with his book and his cup of tea, the man drops heavily onto another stool, leaving an empty seat between them. Cas can see right away that he’s a nice-looking man, in fact, that may be a bit of an understatement as Cas finds his gaze lingering on the man’s face. He looks a little harried, though, fidgeting in his seat before sighing again and opening up his computer.

Cas goes back to reading his book, only half-conscious of the typing and clicking from his neighbor. A few minutes later another loud sigh catches his attention and he looks up to find the man shifting over to the stool next to him.

“Could I…?”

From where he sits, Cas can see the warning pop-up on the man’s screen, flashing red with a low-battery alert. The man jiggles something and Cas realizes he’s holding his charging cord and gesturing toward the outlet on the wall.

“Of course.” Cas leans back as the man reaches across him to plug in his charger. From this close, Cas can see he has freckles scattered across his skin. It also gives him a vantage point to admire how the henley he’s wearing clings to him, showing off nicely rounded muscles. He jostles Cas’s tea cup with said muscled arm and there’s a brief, awkward scuffle as Cas tries to right it before it spills.

Apparently this is Castiel’s fault because the man heaves another sigh. “I usually sit there.”

Tea cup rebalanced, Cas spares him a long look. Apparently he’s one of those guys used to getting what he wants simply by being attractive. “I wasn’t aware there were assigned seats.”

The response he gets is not at all the cocky attitude he’s expecting. Instead, the man lowers his eyes and runs a hand through his hair. “No, of course not. Sorry. Just not having my best day.”

He goes back to his computer and Cas goes back to his book. It’s a little distracting having him sitting so close. Not to mention the annoying way the cord trails across Cas’s place at the counter, especially when he realizes that the guy has gone to all that trouble to plug in his laptop and now he isn’t typing anything. A quick glance up shows he isn’t even looking at the screen, his eyes instead fixed somewhere out the big front window that faces the street.

Cas feels the strangest urge to ask him if everything is alright but before he can, the redheaded barista approaches, greeting him with a bright smile. “Hey, man.”

“Hi, Charlie.”

“The usual?”

Cas wonders what it would feel like to be the kind of person who frequents a place, showing up often enough that a friendly barista would anticipate his order. He knows he should spend more time out and about, getting to know people other than his co-workers, but the thought of it intimidates and exhausts him. Still, to be such a regular, a familiar face, a fixture somewhere other than his own living room couch...there’s something appealing about it.

“Yeah,” Mr. I-Have-A-Usual says, then quickly corrects himself. “No, wait. I’ll have the pumpkin spice with an extra shot and extra whip.”

Wondering how that differs from his regular order, Cas glances up to find Charlie staring with narrowed eyes at the guy. “What’s up with you?”

He doesn’t mean to eavesdrop, but they’re having this discussion right next to him.

The man slams his laptop shut. “Lisa’s picking up the last of her stuff this afternoon. She and Matt are up there now.”

Cas pretends to read but he’s been on the same page for quite some time, scanning the words without taking any of them in. Nevertheless, he flips a page. Totally not eavesdropping.

Charlie’s voice is sympathetic as she begins to prepare his order. “Sorry, dude. That’s rough.”

Resting his chin in his hand the man says, “Yeah, well, I’m gonna sit here and drown my sorrows in sugar and caffeine.”

Cas bites his lip to keep from smiling at that. It’s nice, though, that a guy this attractive isn’t railing about how he’s been done wrong or how he can do better.

“I mean…” Charlie ventures, once she’s presented him with his cup. “It’s not like you’re still pining for her.”

“I’m not,” he agrees. “We’re better off as friends.” He takes a sip of his coffee and, out of the corner of his eye, Cas can see him lick a bit of whipped cream from his upper lip. “I’m tired of getting that sad look from her, though, like I haven’t moved on.”

Charlie polishes the steam wand with a cloth. “Have you moved on?”

“I’m moving on. Ish.” He fiddles with the cup a little bit, running the pad of one finger along the rim. “I just don’t have a lot of time to, you know, get out and meet people.”

Looking around exaggeratedly, Charlie points out the obvious. “You’re out right now.”

“Yeah, but...this doesn’t count.”

Cas can’t help his smile this time. Charlie catches his eye before he can pretend to be absorbed in his book and smiles back. “More hot water?” she offers, and Cas slides his cup toward her.

While she goes to get him a refill, Cas feels eyes on him and turns to see the man looking at him. He can’t quite read the look on his face. The man isn’t glaring or inquisitive he just looks...thoughtful.

“I didn’t mean to overhear,” Cas starts, then clears his throat. “It can be hard to meet people.”

There’s a long moment when Cas worries he’s overstepped, but the man nods his agreement.

“I’m not really one for the club scene,” he says. “My brother wants me to go on one of those online sites but...that’s not really me.”

“I think our brothers would get along well,” Cas says with a laugh. “I know mine is looking out for me but…”

“Gotta do it on your own terms,” he finishes.

“Yeah.” Cas smiles his thanks at Charlie when she returns with his tea.

The other man holds out his mug. “Here’s to not meeting people.”

Carefully, so as not to spill the hot liquid, Cas toasts with his mug. “Amen.”

The man stops with his coffee halfway to his mouth. “Shit.”

Charlie and Cas both follow his gaze. A couple is crossing the street, holding hands. The woman has shiny dark hair and she’s smiling at her tall, handsome companion.

“That’s them?” So much for pretending he hadn’t been listening.

“Yeah. They’re gonna come over here and make big, pitiful eyes at me.” The man sets his mug down despondently.

“Because you haven’t ‘moved on’?” Cas makes actual finger quotes before he can stop himself.

They’re getting closer now, clearly approaching the coffee shop door.

“Well,” Charlie says, “I’d pretend to be your girlfriend but Lisa already knows I don’t swing that way.”

Impulsively, Cas puts a hand on the man’s shoulder. It’s just as firm as he imagined it would be. Startled by the sudden touch, he turns in confusion, looking first at Cas’s hand, then at his face, eyes lingering on his mouth. Cas gives a questioning lift of his eyebrows and receives the faintest nod in response. In the next moment Cas is leaning over and kissing him. He hears a soft noise of surprise from Charlie, and then there’s nothing but the man’s mouth, soft plush lips against his own and the whisper of stubble on stubble. The kiss deepens and Cas realizes the man has put a hand to Cas’s face, cupping his jaw gently with his warm palm.

“Hey.” A female voice causes them to pull apart. Lisa is standing there and Cas catches his breath as he gets a good look at her. She’s pretty, bright dark eyes looking between the two of them with a hint of amused curiosity.

“Oh hey, Lis,” the man says. He licks his lips slowly like he’s still tasting Cas. Come to think of it, Cas can taste cinnamon and sugar and the sharpness of coffee. He wipes a hand over his own tingling mouth.

“Were you going to introduce me?” She’s got one eyebrow arched and Cas can see instantly why this guy likes her.

“Uh…”

Cas gets to his feet to shake her hand. “I’m Cas. You must be Lisa.”

“I am. And you are apparently a well-kept secret. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Well, you know.” The man has gone a little pink. It’s a good look on him.

Lisa reaches to pull him into a hug, smiling at Cas over his shoulder. “I’m happy for you.”

The four of them stand there chatting for a few moments longer and Cas can’t resist placing a hand at the small of the man’s back. Casually, the man reaches back and Cas goes to remove his hand as subtly as possible but instead he finds their fingers threaded together. Cas tries to make appropriate small talk but he’s distracted by the way his heart is pounding and the confident grip of the hand in his.

When Lisa and Matt leave, Cas looks down at their joined hands. When he raises his eyes, the man is looking at him, his green eyes wide and curious. After a moment of stilted silence, they separate and sit back down.

“Uh, thanks. You didn’t have to do that but that was cool. And um nice. It was nice.” He’s full on blushing now and rubbing a hand at the back of his neck.

“It was very nice,” Cas confirms, and then something occurs to him. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Dean. Dean Winchester.”

Cas smiles. “Hello, Dean.”