#I wrote about 500 words each of the past two days as well

[imekitty]

Today I worked on:

Disillusioned: 495 words

Last sentences written:

The sound of his door closing. Danny fell over on his bed, holding his arms and curling in on himself.

[dyaz-stories]

JUJUTSU BOYS + PDA

how the jjk boys are when you're in public with them

including: gojo, nanami, choso, yuuji, megumi, maki

word count: 3.6k (500-600 words for one character)

cw: intended as canon compliant, established relationships, fluff, tooth-rotting fluff, kissing, public demonstrations of affection, can't think of anything else tbh

a/n: been reading some fics in this format so wanted to try my hand at it again. it's been years since I wrote short pieces like that, so I hope you'll enjoy them!

GOJO

Gojo has no concept of personal space, and that is something you had to get used to since you started dating — if anything, since before you started dating. Even when the two of you were at a more flirtatious stage, he’d always be leaning towards you to talk to you, face inches away from yours, hands on your hips if he needed to move past you, arm casually around you if you were sitting next to each other. It was all the better if it flustered you.

None of this has changed, except that he’s much more extra about it now. Holding your hand while walking? Nah, that’s boring. He’ll have his arm around your shoulders, even if it’s not convenient given the height difference. He’ll also try to put his hand in the back pocket of your jeans, pout if you tell him not to do it. If you’re waiting in line with him, he has both of his arms around you, is resting his chin on top of your head, and wants nothing more than for you to lean back into his chest, relaxing into his embrace. You can both be doing totally unrelated things — you’re reading and he’s checking his phone — but you’re slotted against each other, and that’s how it is ideally for you.

You’re waiting for him to show up to your date when you feel yourself surrounded by familiar arms, and then his cheek is pressing against yours as he surveys the book you’re holding in your hands.

“Whatch’ya reading?” he asks, breath warm against your cheek.

“Just doing some research on emerging curses,” you say with a shrug as you close it and put it in your bag. “So, did you want to check out that new bakery?”

He hums in reply, and you wait for him to move so you can start walking.

He doesn’t.

“…do you plan on letting go of me?” you ask after a while, turning your head to look at him.

He pouts at you, inches away from your face.

“I haven’t even gotten a kiss yet…”

“We’re in public, Satoru,” you say, feeling your face heating up.

“So? Let ‘em stare. They might as well, if you ask me.”

You want to roll your eyes — one day, you’ll have to talk about that exhibitionist streak of his — but in the meantime, you just have to crane your neck a little to peck his lips. They’re soft, as always, and he follows greedily when you pull away, his hand coming up to tilt your chin up gently as he presses more kisses on the corner of your lips, then on your cheek.

“You’re impossible,” you say, badly hiding your laughter. “Let’s go, or we won’t make it to closing time. You’re late, by the way.”

He lets out a heartbroken sigh, but finally frees you, keeping his arm around your shoulders as the two of you start walking towards the bakery. He keeps his strides short, so you don’t have to run to keep up with him, instead allowing you to keep a comfortable pace.

“Yeah, well, what can I say? I’m just too good at my job, they can never get enough of me.”

“Aw, poor darling,” you say. You grab his hand, intertwining your fingers with his, and bring it to your lips to press a kiss on the back.

He lets out a cough that doesn’t do much to disguise the fact that he’s getting flustered, and you grin, satisfied. Two can play that game.

Fortunately, neither Satoru nor you have any intention of forfeiting any time soon.

NANAMI

Nanami is a private man. There is no reason for the whole world to know his business, and he doesn’t feel the need to put his relationship on display for everyone to see. His softness for you is still plain to see in how gentle his voice gets when he speaks to you, in how carefully he chooses his words, in how fond his eyes are when he listens to you tell him about your day. He knows you like him holding your hand, though, so he’ll indulge you, especially when you’re walking by his side through crowded streets.

That is for practical reasons, of course. First, it just wouldn’t do to lose sight of you. Second, people tend to steer clear of him, his serious expression and his broad frame, and that means they realize quickly to steer clear of you. It has nothing to do with how soft your hand is in his, or how the way you use your thumb to stroke his skin sends shivers down his back.

“That’s a lovely restaurant,” you comment, eyes drinking in the elegant decor while Nanami is examining the menu.

“It had excellent reviews,” he answers, not going into details as to the great lengths he’d gone to in order to ensure that this date was as perfect as humanly possible.

“I’ve been in the neighborhood so many times, and I had no idea this was here,” you say. The place is very small, only a handful of tables, all of them now filled. You’re sharing an alcove with Nanami, creating some distance with other customers.

“There aren’t many tables available, so they don’t advertise much,” he explains as he sets the menu down. “But they’re known for their excellent cuisine.”

You give him a smile, then lean closer to him to kiss him on the cheek. Your lips linger just a little too long, and then you move them close to his ear, which is already turning quite red.

“Thank you for planning all that,” you say sweetly. “It looks wonderful.”

He clears his throat when you pull away, avoiding your eyes.

“Of course,” he answers, voice wavering imperceptibly. “Anything for you.”

And you know he means it, too.

Under the table, his hand finds your leg, large palm easily covering your knee while calloused fingers carefully rub your calf. You bite your lip, welcome the warmth that spreads in your body. You know Kento well enough to be sure that that’s as far as he’ll go, that he wouldn’t dare to do anything more in such a public setting, and that makes you enjoy the intimacy of the gesture all the more.

Later that night, while the two of you are walking out, his jacket is around your shoulder at his insistence — “It’s cold outside” — and he’s getting ready to call a taxi.

“Kento?”

He lowers the phone to look at you, and you push yourself on your tiptoe, hand closing around his tie to pull him down towards you.

It’s late at night, he tells himself. There’s no one around, he tells himself. That’s why he closes his eyes and allows himself to melt into the kiss, regretting it when you pull away too soon and catching himself before he grabs you by the hips to get you closer to him.

“I had a great evening,” you say. “Should we take this to somewhere more private?”

How much more merciless can you get?

“Certainly,” he says. “Just give me a second.”

There is nothing he can deny you.

CHOSO

Choso cannot wrap his head around what he can and cannot do around you. The rules for what is proper, what is acceptable, have shifted so much since he was last around, and he would die before he embarrassed you — or worse, before he did something that would make you push him away. He knows that you wouldn’t, and yet the fear is like a weight that tugs on his heart every time he thinks about it. He walks by your side, glancing at your hand that’s freely hanging between the two of you, and though he brushes his knuckles against yours, he just cannot bring himself to do it. It’s to the point where it’s the only thing he’s thinking about — and he just can’t do it.

Then you see something that catches your eye and you grab his hand and pull him with you in that direction, and he thinks his heart could just fall out of his chest. You make it look so easy, so natural, being with him coming as easy to you as breathing, and he couldn’t possibly ask for more. It takes him many other tries, many other dates, before he can take your hand in his. When he does, you glance down in surprise, then grin at him, and kiss his knuckles softly — and he’s so happy he could die.

“So,” you say, sitting on the park bench, knee pressed against his while you’re leaning into him to show him your phone, your hair tickling his neck, “that’s the movies they have on tonight. Think we should call Yuuji to ask him what to watch?”

“Hm,” Choso says, not really focusing on anything you’re talking about, not when you’re this close to him, “isn’t— isn’t that the one franchise he’s always talking about?”

You burst out laughing, then rest your head on his shoulder.

“No offense, babe, but there is no one in the world I’d go see a Human Earthworm movie for. Even if this one is supposed to have romance in it,” you shudder at the thought, “I’d like to go see something actually. You know. Watchable.”

Choso’s mind is going in overdrive. You’re so close, and he knows he should have gotten used to this by now. He isn’t usually like this, but some passers-by are looking — not necessarily being judgmental, though there was an old lady earlier who scoffed and shook her head, but… looking.

“Then I don’t know if Yuuji is going to be much help,” he manages to say as you keep scrolling on the cinema’s website.

“That’s fair,” you sigh, standing up from the bench, and even if he can now think again, he misses your warmth and your smell right away. “Well, maybe we drop the movie and just go get something to eat, what do you say?

“Sounds good,” he answers, standing up after you.

Hesitantly, almost clumsily, he reaches for your hand, fingertips brushing against your thigh as he does, then tightens his grip around your palm, ensuring that it wouldn’t slip away from you. You give him a fond smile, then take a step to get closer to him, and kiss him gently. His breath hitches, and his eyes dart around the mostly empty park.

“T-there’s people around,” he says quietly, and he hates that you step back to look around.

“Oh, sorry,” you say, “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable—”

He takes your hand to pull you with him, and you follow him through the grass as he finds a more secluded spot, behind a tree.

“There,” he says, and you chuckle at how satisfied with himself he sounds.

“Oh Choso,” you coo, leaning against the tree while you grab his shirt to pull him down towards you. His mouth is warm, eager, and his cheeks remain a fierce shade of red as he kisses you back insistently.

You would have missed the beginning of the movie anyway.

YUUJI

The thing about Yuuji is that any type of public demonstration of affection feels so natural coming from him. It’s almost never meant to be suggestive, it’s not something he thinks through, it’s just something he does. You’ll be sitting with Nobara when he appears, and he just puts his arm around you while talking to her, like it’s the most normal thing in the world. You’re walking with him when he lifts his head up like he’s forgotten something, and what he forgot was to hold your hand, silly him.

If you walk by him while he’s sitting, he’ll grab your hips to pull you in his laps, fingers rubbing circles on the skin of your arms, absent-mindedly playing with your fingers as he holds your hand. After all, why wouldn’t he? He doesn’t even realize that it flusters you, and it just feels so natural for him to show his affection like that. He’ll look at you with stars in his eyes while you speak, not seeming to realize that his face is so close to him while you’re sitting in his lap.

No one pays attention to it anymore. You arrive just as Nobara is starting the movie — she’s putting on an action movie, thank you very much, even if Gojo just bought the collector edition of Human Earthworm 4 for Yuuji, with the director’s cut — and with all the students crammed in the room, including Panda, who’s taking most of the space on the couch, there’s nowhere left for you to sit.

“Come here,” Yuuji says cheerfully, waving you towards the armchair where he’s found his spot, “it’s about to start.”

You glance around the room for a reaction, but no one is paying you any mind. You walk over to him, perching yourself on one of the arms, legs over his. He doesn’t seem puzzled by it, just puts an arm around your waist casually.

Of course, you end up still sitting in his lap eventually, just slipping in it at some point in the movie. Can you be blamed? He’s warm and comfortable, and he wraps both arms around you so he can tuck his chin in the crook of your shoulder, nose brushing against your cheek when he turns his head. Not that he seems to notice how it makes your pulse quickens, eyes focused on the movie.

“What are the themes even supposed to be,” he mutters under his breath, eyebrows knitting together in annoyance.

“’Military good’?” you suggest quietly as a guy gets blown up on screen.

“The first half of the movie was about military bad,” he protests. “They can’t just act like that never existed.”

“Would you two shut up,” Nobara shouts from her spot, “or Maki will come beat you up!”

The two of you pipe down, knowing the threat is very serious and not one to take lightly.

When the movie ends, everyone gets up, stretching, but you’ve gotten comfortable against Yuuji’s chest, and you don’t feel like doing that just yet.

“That was terrible,” Yuuji comments, and you let out a brief laugh. Gojo has somehow made a cinephile out of him, and you love how worked up he gets over that stuff.

“Yeah, we should have been watching Human Earthworm 4 instead,” you say.

“Exact— oh, you’re making fun of him.”

You giggle, then tilt your head to kiss him. For a second, he freezes, eyes going wide. Kissing is the one thing he rarely initiates — but when you do, you get to see his gaze soften, before his whole body goes soft. His hold on your waist tightens — and then a pillow thrown with impressive precision hits him, and only him, on the ear.

“Not in public,” Maki shouts from all the way into the kitchen.

“Hey,” your boyfriend protests, “I’m not the one who—”

“You’re such a traitor,” you gasp, struggling to pull yourself free from his arms — but it’s no use against his strength, and he refuses to let go.

“You’re not going anywhere,” he says. “Now, where were we?”

You might have been at fault for the first pillow, but that second one is all on him, as far as you’re concerned.

MEGUMI

Megumi is a private guy. He can be affectionate in public, but there is a side of him that he only wants you to see. He especially doesn’t want any of your nosy friends, or worse, his adoptive dad to see how he can be around you. They would never stop teasing him after, and he doesn’t think he could live with that.

Or that they could live with that. Because he’d kill them.

It does annoy him that he’s supposed to deny himself because of them. If it was up to him, he’d spend most of his time alone with you, preferably in a small house in the middle of a forest with no one around, no curses, no sorcerers, no nothing. That, sadly, isn’t an option though, so he has to find his own way to do things.

“Don’t move,” he says sternly. “You have something on your face.”

You roll your eyes, but tilt your head up towards him, as he carefully runs his thumb under your eye, then over your cheek, blowing on it once it’s done.

“What was it?” you ask.

“Just an eyelash,” he says with a shrug. “You’re good now.”

You study him, waiting for him to give something away, but he doesn’t, just staring at you with the same expression he always wears.

“Should we get going?” he asks. “I thought we were supposed to catch a movie.”

“Sure,” you relent. “We should get moving.”

The streets are quite full at this time of the day, and you have to step aside frequently to let people pass, sometimes losing sight of Megumi. Eventually, with a sigh, he grabs your hand, pulling you with him as he walks, sending murderous glares to anyone who stays in his path.

“You’re going to get lost at this rate,” he mutters as he pulls you with him.

“I mean, worst case scenario we meet back at the theater,” you say, and you grin at the offended look he gives you. He notices it, but doesn’t answer, a light pink dusting his cheek as he glances away.

He hates the idea of being away from you on a day that’s supposed to be about the two of you — but since he refuses to say the quiet part out loud, you get to tease him all you want.

To be fair to him, having Megumi as your scary guard dog does make it much easier and much faster to reach the theater. He gives you a pointed look when you get there, and, to your regret, lets go of your hand quickly, though his touch lingers there a second longer than necessary.

“Should we get a couple seat?” you ask innocently as you approach the register.

Megumi glares at you once more while you give him a sweet smile.

“It’s better that way, right?” he says, clearing his throat. “Otherwise strangers might have to share one.”

“Sure,” you nod, not even bothering to hide your grin. “It’s just more practical, right?”

“Right,” he says stiffly.

Even once you are in the couple seat, he keeps a thoroughly appropriate distance from you, one that you might find a little hurtful if, at the end of the commercials, he didn’t fake a yawn to put his arm around you, in the least smooth way known to man.

“You know you can just do it,” you say quietly as the lights turn off, resting your head on his shoulder. “You don’t have to go through all that.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he mumbles.

Reaching for his face, you tilt his head towards you, and push yourself to meet his lips for a sweet, soft kiss. For the first time since you’ve stepped foot outside, his whole body relaxes into yours, and he stops trying to pretend.

“You had something on your lips,” you whisper when you pull away.

He snorts, then quickly goes back in to steal one more kiss from you before the movie starts.

“Liar,” he says.

As if he’s one to talk.

MAKI

Maki isn’t a demonstrative person as a general rule. She does compliment you without hesitation, words falling from her mouth so genuinely that it never fails to fluster you, but physical demonstrations of affection don’t come easy to her, maybe because she received so little of it as a kid. She does it sporadically, and she does very much enjoy teasing you, loves knowing that she can get those reactions out of you.

It’s the more spontaneous gestures that get to you though. She’ll kiss your forehead after a battle that left you bruised, a way of comforting you. She’ll pat your head after you managed to pull an impressive move during training. On one occasion, when you got injured, she carried you in your arms to Shoko, demanding that you be taken care of right this instant. She’d been the one to get flustered after that, hiding her face in her hand in embarrassment when it was brought up later on.

It might not come easy to her, but she does love it when you do it — when you show her your love in that way.

“You’re late,” she scolds you when you reach her for one of your dates, needing to take a second to catch your breath because you’ve been running since getting out of the subway.

“Sorry,” you say between deep breaths, “there was an emergency.”

Worry flashes on her face immediately.

“A curse? Were you hurt?”

She reaches for you, tilting your face towards her as she examines it, then study your body to make sure you weren’t injured. You let her, surprised at first, then endeared.

“Don’t look at me like that,” she frowns once she realizes how soft your gaze has become.

You grin, then push yourself closer to kiss her. You don’t care that you’re in public, and though it wouldn’t have occurred to her to do it, neither does she. The kiss is sweet, gentle. I’m alive, you’re alive, it says. No need for more.

“See?” you ask cheerfully. “All good. Now, I’m pretty sure you were going to buy me dinner…”

She clicks her tongue, but she’s grinning. It’s nice to see her so at ease, so relaxed. It’s a side of her you’d never see within the walls of Jujutsu High, nor on a mission. You’re the only one that can bring it out of her, and man do you love it.

“I’m buying? Again?”

“I did almost just die.”

“Nice try, but you told me you were fine.”

“I’m fine now,” you insist, “but…”

“Well, I was disowned by my family, so I don’t have money. You’re buying.”

The two of you keep bickering, but, as you walk, you reach for her hand. She pulls away at first, years and years of reflexes kicking in instinctively, and once she realizes what you were doing, she’s the one who takes your hand in hers. She holds it delicately, careful not to break it — to be fair, her strength would probably allow her that.

It’s so sweet and light, being out there with you like that. So normal. She hopes it never ends.

You squeeze her hand, and she lets you guide her across the street, content with just following, knowing that she can trust you to fill in her shortcomings in the relationship, like she does it for yours.

The sky is grey, the forecast said it might run later tonight — Maki’s planned an umbrella, she’s sure you didn’t think of it — but as far as she’s concerned, the day is as beautiful as it could possibly be.

this is my first time writing for... pretty much everyone here except gojo lol. i hope you enjoyed it and that the characterization wasn't too off, but any feedback is welcome! if you want to support me and my writing, please reblog/leave a comment or send me an ask, i'd love to chat! i'll see you later for some more jjk writing ^-^

you can find my gojo x reader work here

[readychilledwine]

Odd One Out pt 2

Summary - After 500 years of friendship, the last thing you ever expected was the Inner Circle to miss one of your symphonies. But you know what they say, time changes people.

Warnings - 10 year time jump, groveling, Fluff, reader forgives Azriel, loosely edited (Liz will fix and check for mistakes she and her friend missed with fresh eyes 💕)

A/N - forgive the name picked for Kal and Vivienne's daughter. So many of you are playing with Disney princess themes I couldn't shake it.

Odd One Out pt 1

✨️ Azriel Masterlist ✨️ Master Masterlist ✨️

Dawn was beautiful. In the past 10 years, as you had toured the Realm performing, you had realized that quickly. Every court always brought you back to Dawn. Every High Lord brought you back to Thesan. Thesan had allowed you to build home here, welcoming you and your talent with open arms, and tonight was a true testimony of his love for you and your music as he paid you a high honor.  

Thesan had spent the day hosting the quarterly High Lord's Meeting, and tonight, his gift of relaxation to the other High Lords was you, your orchestra, and a night of candle lit music, champagne, and food. 

You smoothed out the dress Thesan had commissioned for you tonight. An off the shoulder tulle number with long sleeves. It was soft and buttery, flowing with every step. The top hugged you perfectly, and two long slits sat on each leg, exposing them and the heels you were wearing. The fabric was a soft white color, a stark opposite to your conducting gowns in the Night Court. Jewels were sewn into the fabric, dripping down your body like you had been wrapped and bathed in starlight. The only sign of your home was that star-like glow and the earrings Azriel had bought you many years ago. The rough diamonds set in rose gold had backs that dropped on delicate chains with another diamond sitting at the bottom. “something delicate for my gentle girl,” he had whispered that sentence to you, letting it sink into your skin and mind. 

How odd it truly felt to compare that moment to when Azriel sat there in silence as Elain lashed out against all you had built, all your hard work, studying, you're very being. 

You took a deep breath, silencing your nerves as the theater went quiet. Dinner had been served, drinks flowing left and right, and now it was time. You watched as you musicians took their places, sitting and preparing themselves as well. Most had followed you from Night, and last you tragically heard, the Rainbow had grown silent in your absence. The new musicians ranged from every court, every walk of life. You smiled fondly at what you had remade, at their outfits so finely crafted of black fabric and silks. 

Thesan took the stage next, doing something Rhysand never had, “High Lords and Ladies, faithful emissaries, friends. After a long day of tense negotiations, words said in anger and frustration, and Rhysand's horrible father jokes,” a loud “hey” came from the audience making you laugh softly, “I could not think of a more enchanting way to end our night. A decade ago, a talented female came to me, offering to exchange a week of shelter and security for her playing music nightly for my court.” 

Thesan looked so softly towards you, “An offer many of you would go in to receive as well as she traveled our lands studying our music and history. Her talent had touched my fae and myself so deeply that when the time for her to make a home base came, I was honored when she approached me and built this theater to her exact wants and needs.”

He continued after a long breath, “Tonight is her first performance and opening night. I felt it would be wrong for anyone besides all of us to see her newest pieces first. Pieces inspired by every court, by all of our stories, of our fae’s stories. She wrote a collection of 7 songs, for us, about us.”

Silence refell over the room, a quiet appreciation for what they were about to see. “Without further ado, y/n.”

Clapping began as the faelights turned off, and candles took their place, glowing and reflecting off your gown. You bowed gracefully before turning and raising your hands as soon as Thesan took his seat. You began the concert in Tamlin's court, playing a piece inspired by his own love of music and the sounds of a spring storm. The music rose before a gentle fall where everything became more gentle as if it was quiet after a hard rain. You couldn't see as Briar took his hand at the swell, the soft moment where the violin went from the jig of a fiddle to the formality was a reflection of the moment Tamlin's dreams were lost to him, but new dreams began.

Summer was a symphony to the magic of bioluminescence. The sound was heavily inspired by the night of laughter and fun you had watched Varian and Amren enjoy. It had been the ancient female's first time seeing the ocean turn to waves of stars, and Varian had hired you to play for them that night. She cried as a familiar harp solo came, one that she had turned to Varian on one knee as you played it. 

Autumn was the sound of battle and passion. Eris's rise as high lord was captured in every note, every building drum. The high lord openly smiled during the peak. The moment where drums of war faded to the sounds of peace. The sound of peace after war was shown through a soft wood flute playing. An instrument that was born in Autumn's halls.

Winter had been the most unique to compose. Kallias and Vivienne's story was so well known, but their daughter, their darling Elsa, the 10 year old princess, was an unknown and protected factor. You took a deep breath before beginning this piece and looked to the white-haired girl, “For you,” you said softly to her bright grin. Elsa had written on sheet music for you during your stay there, lyrics to accompany the notes on your page, you held out your hand, welcoming your only singer for the night. The song was a desperate plea, a singer begging to be noticed for who she was, for her talent to be noticed before her beauty. You had picked the singer based on how young and fragile her voice sounded, the way it truly felt like a cry as she begged to be looked at for who she was. 

Dawn's turn came and the music felt like taking flight, it encompassed the thrill of the air, of an early morning sunrise adventure. The piece left you breathless due to the amount of movements it took. It was intricately layered and as lively as Thesan's court while maintaining an air of class. 

The Day Court was music of love and sex. Tender moments mixed with playful notes and chords that screamed sensuality. The tone was overall seduction, but moments of tenderness came through as well. It was a tribute to the biggest flirt you knew. The biggest flirt who became the most faithful husband. 

You were left with one court. You turned to begin your thank you and took a deep breath, “Over the past several years, you all have welcomed me into your courts and homes with open arms. You allowed me to study the music of your homes, your culture, and learn to play them to perfection. For that, I will always be grateful and so humbled by the generosity and kindness shown to me.”

You took a deep breath, stilling the last of your nerves. “My story begins in Night, though. My childhood began a long friendship between myself and someone who pushed me towards my dreams. This last song is dedicated to him.”

Azriel heard as Rhysand held his breath. He watched as his brother laced his fingers with Feyre. Feyre began to cry immediately. Of all the songs you composed, this one held the most strings, a clear call to Rhysand and your humble beginnings in the streets of the Rainbow playing. Azriel watched you in awe. 

You turned and a voice you had heard countless times played through magic. It was the moment they had met and a soft purr of, “There you are. I've been looking for you," echoed before the music began.

10 years, 10 years without even so much as a whisper or note. He watched you move with grace, watched as a violin sang softly. The tune was a call to the Inner Circle, and before Azriel could stop them, his shadows began to dance. 

Every movement of your arms and body was like watching liquid starlight sparkle and gleam to the fantasy inducing tune you had created. As your hands fell to indicate the end, Azriel felt his heart stopping. 

It was the bond that drew him to you. 

It was the years of friendship, of quiet nights listening to you play for just him, or long hours with you hands over his, so soft and warm, teaching him to play piano. 

It was the fact that he was in love with you. And he realized he had been for a very long time. 

Kind, talented, beautiful, you. 

He watched as you wiped a few quick tears as you and Rhysand held eye contact. He felt his breath hitch as you bowed during your queue before walking out. 

The orchestra played a familiar tune as everyone stood to leave and feyre began to cry. You had played this song during Feyre's first Starfall, hoping the romantic tune would have been enough to make the high lord and his mate kiss. It became a song they begged you to play every second they could. Rhysand held Feyre while looking at Azriel. 

“Get. Her. Back.”

You did not attend the after party. Seeing the Inner Circle had been too much. You had hoped that after all these years, that pain would be gone. You leaned against your balcony, humming a new tune you wanted to write. A shadow caressed your skin as you moved inside and sat at your harp. “I know you want me to play your song.” The shadow swirled and began to dance as you plucked the taunt strings. 

“You spoil them.” Your breath hitched at that familiar voice. “Don't stop,” Azriel sat down in the corner of the room. “They've missed dancing for you.”

You let out a shaking breath and began again, watching with a soft smile as the shadows weaved and played. The sight always memorized you. They always memorized you. These beautiful shadows were more like children than darkness. Each had a personality, a voice, a preference in instrument. You finished and lowered your hands.

“Elain is probably wondering where you are.”

Azriel rose a brow, “Elain and Lucien are on their honeymoon, sailing the world.” 

You knit your brows. “I'm sorry. I know you loved her.”

“Not the way I love you.” Silence fell over the room, “I have loved you for so long and been blind to it. I will never get back the time I wasted in my stupidity. I will never be able to take back the hurt Elain caused you.” 

You went to open your mouth and speak, “No. I want you just to listen to me, y/n.” You nodded and looked at him. “I love you,” he stated it like a finality. “The bond snapped for me the night you left, but in your absence, I have realized I loved you long before that blessing and that I would love you long after.”

He paused and continued, “I was silent when Elain spoke to you because I was in shock, but that isn't a good enough excuse. She hurt you, and I stayed silent. I will never forgive myself for that, so I do not expect you to. I'm not even worthy of asking you for a chance to make things right, but I am here as a desperate male. A male who wants nothing more than his mate, his love.”

“Azriel-” 

“Listen,” he moved to you, getting in his knees before you and taking you hands in his. He placed one on his face and smiled. “I dream of this gentle hands, of the joy they bring. I dream of you. Of your love and light. Your heart. When I sleep, I pretend I can hear your heart dancing for me, luring me like a siren spell.” 

Your bottom lip trembled and a tear fell, his love for you poured down that neglected bond, warming every inch of your being. “Azriel..” 

“Y/n, I am so sorry I wasted so much of your time, of our time.”

You threw your arms around him, holding him tight as he continued. “I beg you to allow me to try to make this right. To show you how special you are to me, to our home, to our family. I am begging you for just a chance.” 

His words left like a healing and soothing balm on unseen wounds. “Our family is at a party just below you. Waiting for me to either come back with you or to mourn the loss of you forever. Tell me what I am doing. If I have failed us.”

The party was in full swing as Rhysand watched Nyx and Feyre dance. He held his empty whiskey glass, debating on another one when perfectly manicured hands grabbed his empty glass and placed a full one in his grasp. He grabbed that soft hand instantly, “y/n darling.”

“Rhysand,” He turned and kissed your palm, violet eyes on yours. You continued the greeting softly. “Your presence makes my mind sing the most beautiful song.”

Rhysand held back tears as he answered, “And my heart longs to hear you play it.” He nuzzled your hand. “Come home to us.”

You sighed happily as Azriel rested his hand on your back, “I believe we can negotiate that." 

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[writingwenches]

Freeform From — Beginning

notes: am I writing an original story that just shoves Targaryen royalty into it so I can have a fun audience while I write? Well, anyways, there's the last 500 words I wrote this weekend

I tried my hand at re-starting the story, tried to lead with "in the action" and explain a bit about the characters' friendships while keeping it interesting and engaging meh meh meh The map above is where the story takes place, in the cold swampy neck area, on the shores of The Bite, the bay that holds the The Sisters islands.

🤷🏻 here we go lets begin 🤷🏻

There was a boat that she carved by hand, from a sleeping cypress tree they felled together, a harvest moon past. Lyn had worked many nights and her arms showed her exertion. She no longer needed aid to carry stones and bushels of hay. 

Root said she looked a huntress, the fierce womanly warriors from her home tribe. In the orphanage, where they all rest their heads, Root was called Piety, a more proper name for a young lady, the Septas said. Root was the name of a wild thing that lives amongst the creatures and mud. Young ladies were allowed to sleep in beds, shielded from the cold night winds with warm blankets of fleece and wool. 

Root stood at the helm of their punt of a boat, a lantern held true to see their way down the spider filled hallow. Lyn was at the rear, her guiding pole pushing them along the swampy canal bed. The flickering candle of the lantern shone against the water’s surface, countless lights reflected back mirroring the creatures’ eyes. White eyes mean food, the frogs perched on the muddy bank. Red eyes mean danger, and teeth, and horror, pulling into the water and under, never to return again. 

“We should turn back,” Hanna worried, her eyes never leaving the darkness that moved behind. 

“We’re basically half way there,” Root promised.

“You said that hours ago!” Hanna yelled in a hushed tone, only to be shushed by the party. 

Hanna and Lyn had been wards of the orphanage since before they could remember, they had grown up together, much like sisters, but very much not. Hanna was a stickly girl with bones so tiny, Lyn was surprised when stormy winds didn’t sweep her away. Hanna was skilled in precise things, like brewing ale and sewing buttons back onto shirts, she could even embroider just as fine as some noble ladies. 

Lyn was her opposite, sunrise to Hanna’s sunset. Lyn’s cheeks were full when Hanna’s were hallow, they ate the same food but Lyn grew bigger every passing moon and Hanna seemed to fade into the slim figure others complimented. Hanna’s hair was yellow and as fine as the finest silk threads. Lyn had hair that coiled in and around itself, a crown of dark hair with the underglow of gold, to Hanna’s veil of soft blonde whispers of grain that blew in the sun. 

Lyn’s back was strong and able to carve a boat from a log with the sweat of her hands. Hanna could understand maths and write her name. 

They were two halves of one whole, Root would joke. Together they could form one grown woman, and apart they are simply each little girls. 

“Did you hear that?” Root asked, lowering the light.

“It’s a Karien-Bird, obviously,” Hanna answered, she had not yet offered aid the entire journey.

“Not that, dummy,” Root kicked her resting form. “That.”

They all listened.

The three were nearly woman grown, another year or two and the Septas would have no choice but to force them out of the orphanage. Root begged for that day, though Lyn was sure the Septas could find a reason to keep her around. The Septas did not like young ladies who misbehaved, and Root was everything and that. 

Root had been found, washed up after a hurricane, many years ago. The Septas took her in, whether she wanted their aid or no. Root hailed from a tribe of Crannogmen that made the swampy shores of The Bite their home. The rods and reeves that held their floating islands together broke apart and Root was separated from her tribe by miles. She has been trying to escape back to them ever since.

Lyn and Hanna had agreed to help her. Lyn had always wanted to go on a proper adventure, and Hanna had stolen Septa Glaedis’s carrot tart a few moons past and Lyn was going to hold that blackmailed knowledge over her for the rest of her days. Hanna had assured Lyn it had been worth it.

notes: WELP that's all I wrote in the first bit so hopefully I can have muse to write again tonight! If the muse so takes you, ask whatever questions you can think of! Or come chat about your stories and characters, get the muse flowing together LOL

[thechaseofspades]

I always thought “DuckTales” ended too soon. We could’ve seen more of Violet’s dad. Whatever they had planned for Negaduck, and they could’ve bought Poe (Magica’s brother) into the mix making him and Magica co-big bads of a hypothetical S4

Hey so I accidentally did the thing again where I wrote like 500 words. Apparently I have strong feelings about this, so bare with me. Or don't. Either way works. But big thanks for the inbox! I really do appreciate it.

I really try to be happy with what we have, because Ducktales is my absolute favorite show and nothing's gonna ruin that for me.

But, yeah, being critical for a moment, the show ending early really messed with everything. Suddenly the large cast was fighting for a rapidly shrinking amount of screen time, and arcs had to be rushed or minimized to fit the overarching plot. It wasn't a great situation.

Like, it's not Owl House bad, where entire concepts need to be squeezed down into one or two scenes, or even montages. But the difference is that the Owl House seems to be managing that crunch a lot better than Ducktales did.

Again, the cast being as big and fleshed out as it is, it's hard to divvy up a 22-episode season where everybody gets adequate time and also wraps up their story in a satisfying way. But the DT crew decided to just keep adding and adding and adding. This was supposed to be their biggest season ever. Several ideas were thrown onto the screen and then not followed up on because there just wasn't time for it.

"Astro B.O.Y.D." is my favorite episode of Season 3. And not to diminish that fact, but does any of it get followed up on? I don't think we saw Boyd once until the finale. We just didn't have any time for that.

Bringing Poe in for "Life and Crimes" is an interesting concept. But why are you introducing that A WEEK BEFORE THE SHOW ENDS, especially if it will have pretty much zero impact on anything else.

May and June didn't even get to exist for longer than an episode. You're bringing in pivotal characters in the series finale?

Negaduck! Where was he? Oh, they couldn't fit him in the show! My point exactly.

*deep breath in* *deep breath out*

I have no doubt that the DT crew put these elements in as a love letter to the past. It's very neat that they would do that, and it introduces a younger person like me to these great characters. But it just leaves us asking these sorts of questions. Leaves us wishing we had more than just one episode, or even just one scene.

I get that Disney is weird about shows having three seasons, but I still to this day don't understand why Ducktales couldn't be an exception to that. It's a reboot of the show that made DTVA, but better. It introduced so many legacy Disney characters to a modern audience and was well-received pretty much anywhere you looked. Everyone involved loved working on it and probably would have kept doing so for as long as possible. Not only did they have more stories to tell, but they clearly wanted to tell them. I just... I don't understand it.

Amphibia ended because the story being told was over. The Owl House is ending because it's too gay. But Ducktales ended... just because.

If Disney green lights six DT17 spinoffs for D+ covering each team's post-canon adventures, I will upgrade to ad-free Hulu.

[ratralsis]

That's all there is of that story

And that was the end of that.

A couple of years ago, as part of my short story writing classes, before I started working on my novel in earnest, I actually did write a pair of extremely short (I think 400 or 500 words?) stories that were a sort of prequel and sequel. I might post those later, just to prove that there's no sense in writing any longer prequel or sequel story. The story's told. Kevin and Marigold met, spent a year together, fell in love, and probably got married way too young.

It was an exercise. A way to keep writing between drafts of the novel without working on the novel itself. I enjoyed writing it, for all its flaws.

Here's something I said to a friend of mine who read the previous version of this story and really didn't like it:

-----

The story is still what it was three years ago. Kevin barely has a character arc: he starts off with a lot of the autistic awkwardness that I have, and he ends with it, too. I don't know if he's actually autistic or even all that awkward. It could be that he comes off as insensitive or mean. The intent was to show that he doesn't know how to react when Marigold becomes emotional or distraught about discussing her past, so he just kind of freezes up and starts thinking hard about what the "right" thing is for him to do. That's me. That's what I do. His growth is that he learns to trust Marigold more and accept her for who she is, and make more compromises in his life to suit her needs. But I don't know if that's really much of an arc.

Marigold's arc is meant to be about how she starts off as a stereotypical beautiful manic pixie dream girl, and Kevin gradually comes to realize that it's a facade and a defense mechanism and that she's very emotionally fragile when she has to lower those defenses and be herself and let others get close to her.

There are parts I'm proud of and parts I'm not. But I still don't think it's good. I'm at that point in my creative development where I can read something like Peter S. Beagle's The Last Unicorn and see a sentence like "With a flap of her hand she summed herself up: barren face, desert eyes, and yellowing heart" and think, god DAMN but that is some incredible description, but there's a world of difference between being able to appreciate someone else's art and being able to make my own at that same level.

So I write a lot about facial expressions. People smile at each other a lot. They grin. They beam. They light up. They nod. They lean one way or another way. They bend down. Sit. Walk over. Move toward. At one point, Kevin pads his way up a flight of stairs. It's a limited vocabulary, because it's how I think. It's how my head works. Blame it on years of video games with limited verbs. "Walk" is a solid verb to describe a character moving from one area to another. But nobody "ambles" or "strolls" or "leisurely makes their way" anywhere. Maybe they should.

This story was an exercise. A bit of practice between rewrites of my novel, which I find myself hating more and more with each draft and each pair of eyes that reads it.

Hopefully, you find at least a little enjoyment in it. I'm glad I wrote it, and I had some things in it that I very badly wanted to say (that loving someone is a choice you have to make every day, that loving someone and trusting them are two very different things, that trusting someone is a painful thing, that family means more than who your biological parents were, that anything can be forgiven, and that violins look like ukuleles to the untrained eye), but I'm not so vain as to think "I meant well" and "I did well" are the same thing.

-----

That about sums it up, I think.

But, as I said before I started posting any of it, I'm happy to answer any questions if anybody has any. I can say that with such confidence because I don't expect anybody to ask me anything.

That's not reverse psychology where I'm daring you to ask me something. It's just good old-fashioned self-deprecation.

[milo-hypno]

Milo, your Fanfic Q&A reblog - would you do 3 and 14 for Married AU? there's definitely some black magic happening ^^

Absolutely, I'll do my best!

3. If this work is an update/new chapter, how do you stay motivated on multi-chapter works?

I mean, a lot of things are at hand! The satisfaction of bringing an idea I had to life is certainly nothing to sneeze at - and since I like to print my works, knowing that when it's done I'll be able to hold a finished product in my hands is a nice motivator.

I also can't lie and say that the feedback I get from readers doesn't help - I do my best not to write for it, but all the same, knowing that people enjoy what I do is a nice drive.

But I think the thing that keeps me most motivated, actually, is sprinting (will touch on later) and sharing the nights work with a close friend. We both write in-fandom, and every night we sprint (well, she's certainly more dedicated to it - I do my best to be daily, but I miss sometimes) and then afterwards, we will send each other what we wrote, and then give feedback.

It gets me more excited to write every day, and gives me a gentle external pressure to work something out when I'm stuck. I can talk about my works, get advice, and give in turn - which is great for me! It also has a quicker deadline, so I can't just procrastinate and go "Ah, I have another 3 days to get it done, I don't need to write tonight."

14. Explain your writing process for this work.

I can't say I have a massive like, 12-step program, but the routine I've found works best in the past year is:

1 - initial plan, which usually involves writing a scene out that has Just Come To Me, or messaging a friend to talk about it with. For Married Au, it actually started with talking to a friend about a wholly separate AU, where we were trying to think of a reason why two characters might get married without being in love. (I had... a certain fixation to the trope at the time.) I was also juuust recovering from covid at the time.

That quickly turned into "Hey, what if Grian and Mumbo got married for like, an internal compass"

After that, I first talked about the idea more with said friend, and THEN I wrote a solid thousand words of outline.

When I outline things, I'm careful to make it more like guidelines/reminders, instead of say, "Grian breaks down in front of Mumbo in the middle of the night, Mumbo says "Hey don't worry I've got you."

My first 3 chapter outlines look like this:

Which is really nothing more than planning pacing, and enough of a reminder to jog my memory - anything too detailed, and I find that writing the scene can be exhausting - though, I do have notes with more details the further in and more plot-ridden a chapter is.

Other than that... all I do is:

Sprint (semi-)nightly - a writing sprint being a set amount of time where you write as much as you can. Discord has a bot available that allows you to do so with friends, which is very fun and a good motivator!

The habit is easy to break, but rewarding. When I was working on my DSMP fics, I used to average 100-200 words a night. Now, I average 500~, and sometimes I'll get a massive amount of inspiration for the scene, and will get up to 2k usually. (The most I've ever written in one night is 5k words - and man, my wrists ACHED at the end!)

Write consecutively - I used to write scenes like I was throwing darts at a dartboard, going to whichever plot point I wanted to at the time. It worked for me back then, but now, I've trained myself to the point where I barely write scenes before their time in the story. (Co-writing a fic with Ski helped a lot in that regard, because you're forced to keep it linear.)

I don't stop myself from doing a scene, however, if I'm in the mood - often times, I end up grateful I did so, since the scene could be a lot different with even a few hours between when I wrote it, and when I could have.

And finally, like I said above - exchanging the day's writing with a good friend, and sharing the excitement for it, is a massive motivator and key step for me.

I think the one thing that I trip on, however, is if I get to a scene where I didn't have enough planning - mentally, or in an outline. Usually, I don't improv story beats, just how it plays out exactly - but I have a vague shape in my mind for everything. So I guess my best advice is... if you have a spot in your story where it's just a "fill in the blank", maybe do so sooner than later.

[caramelcal]

stay the night [m.b]

DAY TWO OF MY 500 FOLLOWER CELEBRATION AHHH I HOPE YOU GUYS ARE EXCITED <3 TOADY IS ANOTHER CHARACTER I HAVEN’T WRITTEN FOR BEFORE, BUT I HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOY (DON’T WORRY IF YOU’RE WAITING FOR CHARACTERS I ALREADY WRITE FOR, THEY’LL BE COMING SOON ENOUGH)

also i know this is short, i’m just experimenting with marcus rn as i haven’t wrote for him before <3 

warnings: mentions of sex, drugs and alcohol

“Stay here tonight.” 

you can find the whole prompt list here. if you have any ideas for any of the prompts, don’t hesitate to message me or leave a request! i wanna hear from you guys!

Pants fell from both of their lips as they lay side by side. Her eyes were glued to the ceiling, not even feeling his glance on her as she caught her breath. It was a common occurrence for this to happen: for them to have sex. Marcus didn’t like titles, some would even go as far as to say that he was scared of them, always preferring flings.

The girls he had been with in the past didn’t really seem to like that. They wanted security, to become official. They wanted the whole three yards, the cute dates, kissing in the hallways, note-passing in class but that wasn’t Marcus’ thing. Thankfully, it wasn’t y/n’s either.

She understood why Marcus didn’t do relationships anymore. He didn’t want to get attached to anyone, he didn’t want to open his heart just to lose someone again; the pain of losing his best friend becoming far too much. y/n understood, she had been close friends with him as well.

Marcus had never talked to her before their friend’s death, and they still barely talked now. It had been a mistake, in all fairness, a high and drunken mistake, but after they realized that they both weren’t looking for a relationship they had made a deal, kind of. It was weird, a peculiar relationship the two had, they were hardly even friends, but with each smaller detail that they learned about one another, they found themselves more and more intrigued.

Their relationship was cemented though. They were nothing more than two people who had sex with no feelings attached, who always left minutes after they had sex without a single string of conversation. Of course, they would say bye to one another, but apart from that, no words were shared amongst the two teenagers.

They were at Marcus’ this time, which meant that it was time for y/n to pack up her things, get her clothes on and escape through Marcus’ window without being caught. She could have gone through the front door if she really wanted to, Marcus had given her that option, but she didn’t want to even entertain that the majority of the time, scared of the questions she would be asked or the attention that would be drawn to her.

With a sigh, she sat up, not even sparing a glance towards the boy whose eyes were glued to her back. She swung her legs out of the bed, standing up with her back still faced towards the boy as she picked up her clothes, haphazardly putting her shirt back on that had been ripped off by Marcus earlier on that night.

However, this normal occurrence which almost came naturally to both teenagers was leaving Marcus empty. Something felt as if it was bubbling at the bottom of his stomach and he had to fight the twitching in his muscles that urged him to grab her and wrestle her back into bed so he could cuddle.

That was uncharted territory for Marcus; something that would have scared him merely weeks ago. Yet, now, he couldn’t find it in himself to care, the only thing he cared about was that he somehow managed to get the girl to stay.

“Well, I guess I’ll be on my way,” Y/n twirled around with a small smirk playing on her lips. The window was open now but just before she left, she mockingly put two fingers up to her temple, saluting the teenage boy before leaving.

She was halfway out the window when Marcus practically jumped out of bed, running over to the window and grabbing her wrist. He was shirtless still, but he didn’t care if somehow his neighbors saw him, he only cared about getting here to stay.

“Marcus, what are you doing?” The girl asked in a hushed whisper, in an awkward crouching position due to the slanted roof. Her head was craned awkwardly so she could look back at Marcus’ wide eyes with her eyebrows furrowed.

“Stay.”

“What?”

“Stay here tonight.”

Silence fell between the two as they stared into one another’s eyes, Marcus’ grip still not budging off of the girl’s wrist. She knew this was against the deal that they had set down, this was too intimate for their relationship but she couldn’t deny that she did want it.

A small smile crept onto her face while she began to nod her head, “Okay.”

Soon enough, a smile erupted onto Marcus’ face and y/n is pulled back into the room. His arms were circled her waist, chin on her shoulder while she leans back against him, basking in the warmth that he is giving her. His messy hair tickled her neck, but she doesn’t make any move to get it out of the way. It’s weird to be in Marcus’ touch like this: they’ve never done it before together.

Yet, it feels good and strangely comforting. She hadn’t felt at home for a long time, and neither had he, but it seemed as if they were starting to make a home with one another.

[tumbledfreckles]

Absolutely!

She should not be doing this. She knows she should not be doing this. She'd been warned against doing this.

But really, Quidditch practice ended half an hour ago. Surely he would have cleaned up by now. Right?

Hope this works! <33

This has not been edited, and it should have been edited, but screw it, I loved this prompt, I've stayed up way past bed time to write it, I wrote 1800 words instead of the 500 I planned, so have it in it's unedited glory and don't judge me too harshly. It's late, but its shirtless James Potter May or Jumpers off for June or really, just a thirst trap drabble to get your week going well.

Lily knocked softly on the door to the locker rooms, her breath caught in her throat, a thrum of anxiety running in her veins. When there was no sound, no answering call, no bid to enter, she paused for only moments, before biting her lip and pushing on the door handle.

She should not be doing this.

Her footsteps were quiet as she made her way down the long corridor that led to the locker rooms. Doors of the unoccupied rooms were shut, her finger tips dragged against the names of each team as she went. Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and then finally, at the very end, Gryffindor. Unlike the others, this door was set slightly jar, light seen through the gaps, but no sounds emerged. The team had clearly departed.

She knows she should not be doing this.

Lily gritted her teeth, taking a deep breath as she pushed open the door, wide enough for her to slip through. It closed gently after her, allowing her to lean back against it, hands still caught on the handle behind her. She clutched the handle for dear life, knowing she should turn it and go back through. Knowing that to go further into the room was a boundary she shouldn’t cross.

She’d be warned against doing this.

As expected, the locker room was at least empty. She’d never been in here before, not being on the team, and never before having anyone she’d wanted to follow into the abyss. The reality was as bad as Lily had imagined. Likely due to the graces and actions of the house elves, it was cleaner than expected. There were no used towels piling around, no dirty, soiled uniforms discarded. The walls were filled with posters and pictures of Gryffindor Quidditch teams throughout the years. Banners and scarves lined the players' open lockers, caught on the name plates fastened above each one.

Almost as soon as she noted the name plates, her eyes caught on one in particular. A name that had fallen from her lips more often than her own had this year. A name that used to come out with derision, but was now pronounced with warmth, with feeling, with an unexplainable but inexplicable feeling of joy. The locker below it was the least orderly of them all, clothing still hung on the hooks, shoes and boots underneath the bench seat in front of it. Shin guards and pads and flying goggles still littered the bench and shelf.

The captain himself was nowhere to be found however. The sound of running water drew her attention to another doorway, at the far end of the locker room. Steam poured out of that room, leaving Lily in doubt that it was the way to the showers. Somewhere she definitely shouldn’t be going. She could wait out here for him. She only wanted to check on him, close the loop on their earlier conversation. She felt guilty for leaving him hanging, but that was no reason to follow him into the showers, surely.

But, really, Quidditch practise ended half an hour ago. Surely, he would have cleaned up by now. Right?

With that solid, solid reasoning ringing in her brain, spurring her on despite a wealth of misgivings, Lily moved forward. Her heart was racing but her movements somehow remained slow, cautious.

“Potter?” she called at the doorway.

No answer came.

Lily shook her head, cheeks already turning red as she contemplated her next action seconds before completing it.

She was only two steps in when she pulled up short.

James stood under the shower, mere metres from where Lily herself stood. A low wall hid most of his lower anatomy, but his back was on full display. Water ran in rivulets over strong, broad, tanned shoulders. It drained off his elbows as James reached to scrub at his hair, a movement Lily had seen him do a million times across their seven years of schooling, but never when he was wet. Certainly not when he was otherwise naked. His back arched, showing the muscles down his spine, lifting the beginnings of the curve of his arse into view.

“Fuck,” Lily whispered, her mouth having gone completely dry.

Of course, while he hadn’t heard her earlier call, he heard her quiet swear. Or maybe he’d felt the weight of her entranced, intoxicated stare. Before Lily could remove herself from a situation she definitely shouldn’t be in, even if it was the most beautiful site she’d seen all day, all week, all year, James turned.

“Lil- Evans,” he said in surprise, jumping slightly, before shutting off the water and reaching for the towel resting on the edge of the wall. “What’s wrong?”

“Noth- shit, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have -”Lily started, taking a step back, only she missed the doorway and landed against the wall next to instead.

It really wasn’t her fault she couldn’t focus.

If James’ back with a gift of meticulously carved marble, smooth skin and muscle that Lily just wanted to sink her teeth into, then his front was a bloody work of art. Well defined pectorals sat prominently, on his chest, surrounded by curved shoulders, impressive biceps that helped his brilliant throws on the field. Pools of water had collected in the curve of his collarbones, enough that Lily could have lapped happily to ease her suddenly restricted throat.

She’d seen glimpses of his abdominals before. He was always reaching for his hair, running a hand through the beautiful, silky locks, she couldn’t help but get flashes as his shirt, or t-shirt, or jumper lifted up. Especially when he was already stretching back across the couch, complaining about the Prefect’s schedule, the points schedule, or the meeting schedule. Any schedule really, just because he knew it would rile her up. So she’d seen his stomach from time to time. Knew his prowess on the Pitch couldn’t come from someone who wasn’t totally fit. But seeing it glistening, rippling as he moved, shadows from the dimmed bathroom lighting emphasising each curve, well…

It was really more than one girl could be expected to take.

“Evans,” James tried again, frowning as he finished wrapping a towel around his waist and stepped out of the shower area toward her. “What’s going on? What’s wrong?”

Lily tried not to focus on how the twisted knot of the towel sat dead centre below his navel. How it drew the eyeline down. How the muscles in his sides pointed down like an arrow toward that knot, making her wonder what was underneath the knot.

“Uh,” Lily forced her eyes up. “I, uh, wanted to talk to you.”

She pretended not to notice how droplets collected on his eyelashes, so much easier to see without his glasses. How his face was devoid of its usual smirk, concern etched across his face instead, furrowing his brow, straightening his smile.

“Sure,” James glanced around, “I was coming back to the castle, you could have waited.”

“I couldn’t,” Lily blurted, before she could stop herself. “I couldn’t wait.”

James quirked an eyebrow, but paused in his steps, now less than three steps from her. At this distance, she could smell him. He was perfumed by that familiar scent of pine and spice, but in the heat and the humidity of the room it surrounded her, consumed her. She tried to take a deep breath in, to focus and prepare herself, but all it did was allow the scent to overwhelm her.

“Well, have at it, Evans,” he encouraged. “I’m listening.”

“Well, before, earlier.. You, uh… you asked, well and I, you, I didn’t,” Lily sighed impatiently at her stuttering, rolling her eyes before realising that meant she couldn’t look at him. Tried to remind herself not to look at him, it was clearly too much to look at such a sight and string a sentence together. Much more of her blithering and he wouldn’t care for what she had to say, mad woman that she was.

“Still waiting, Evans,” James teased now, a small curve of his lips appearing now. He seemed to be realising what had her in such a fluster, and took another step forward. Within reaching distance. Touching distance.

“Oh, fuck it,” Lily breathed, and gave in.

There was no resistance as she reached out and snagged James by the hand, then his waist, then his neck. She tugged his head down, and it came easily until, with a final push on her toes, she crashed her lips against his. His mouth moved without hesitation, giving as good as he got, pushing her back into the wall with a satisfying oof, his teeth finding her bottom lip, pulling it until her mouth opened and the punishing kiss turned into something deeper, sweeter, more satisfying.

Lily’s hands threaded into his hair, before dancing down to shoulders, stroking along his chest. She couldn’t pick a place she wanted them to rest, so she just didn’t, and touched and admired and petted to her heart’s content. James didn’t appear to mind her cheek was cupped, her waist wrapped up with one of those delicious arms she’d admired. He was still warm from the shower, still damp from neglecting to dry off, and she could feel that heat pushing through her clothes, flattening them against her, allowing his touch to burn through to her needy skin.

Without meaning too, having not consciously thought the action through, Lily’s hand landed on the knot in the towel she’d been so focused on moments earlier. The action gave them both reason to pause, and James pulled back just enough as they panted for breath and stared at each other.

She’d never seen his eyes so black, the hazel almost completely hidden dilated pupils and a blazing fire that would have taken her breath, if only his lips hadn’t done the job already. His tongue darted out to wet his lips, and Lily’s eyes followed the movement closely, her newly acquired knowledge of the feel, the taste of his tongue, making her imagine in a way that was all too real, how it would feel if he did the same to her.

“You had an answer for me, Evans?” his voice was hoarse, husky, like he’d run a marathon in the seconds, minutes, that they’d been kissing.

“I hardly think it matters now,” Lily’s laugh was almost bitter as it escaped from her, as she pushed back wet hair from his forehead, brushing her thumb softly across the scar above his eyebrow.

“Tell me anyway,” his fingers brushed down her arm, tipped her chin up, catching her lips again for a brief but perfect kiss.

Lily sighed, kissed him again to stall, cupped his face with both her hands to make sure he was paying attention. She was only going to say this once.

“Yes, I’d love to go to Hogsmeade with you next weekend.”

[the1918]

Lynne, I’m so excited to see you writing again. I’m so looking forward to reading it as well. I haven’t read a fic in over 2-3 months and yours looks absolutely perfect. I just need to claw myself back up out of this darkness and I will most definitely devour every word you wrote.

Lisa... I need you to know that I actually had tears in my eyes reading this message. No—scratch that—tears on my cheeks and snot in my nose (and I can't even blame it on allergies this time).

Though we may not even know each other outside of fandom, I feel such a visceral, bone-deep connection to you and your experience as you've described it here. I know a lot of others around us can relate as well.

Just like you said you hadn't read fic in months, I went from writing sometimes as much as 5,000 words per day on SoRE earlier this year (which, looking back, was an unhealthy avoidance behavior—almost manic—that led to poor work performance at my Actual Job, where I did experience consequences) to writing almost nothing for six months. I wanted so badly to get back to the way I was before, to that burst of creative energy and endless productivity... but I just had no interest in it. I didn't get the dopamine rush from it that I once did. I never wanted to talk to my fandom friends because I always felt exhausted (for what felt like no reason), and that led to massive guilt since I felt like I was avoiding them. I would lie awake for hours stressing over the fact that I hadn't caught up on my author friends' stories, because they have always been there to read and be a cheerleader my stuff, and I felt like I was failing them.

What's worse, none of my other interests or hobbies replaced fanfiction during that time. I cared nothing for those things either. I spent a lot of time napping because I didn't know what else to do with my brain, (and because I wanted to avoid the inevitable anxiety that would come along if I stayed awake). I'm still not really out of that deep rut, but I'm lucky enough to have been able to change my situation in a way that was conducive to recovery. I'm not past it, but I'm at least talking to friends again and getting excited about fandom things. It's a slow process.

Depression, in all its many forms, is a vile, merciless bitch. Sometimes it catches you off-guard and makes you wonder what happened to the happiness or contentedness you were feeling just weeks ago. Other times, it creeps in like this heavy, gray shroud that you're forced to watch as it slowly consumes and smothers you, depriving you of your light and vitality. Medication can help, but sometimes it takes two or three or a dozen tries to find something that works for you, which can be discouraging and add to that feeling of helplessness. It's even harder (way, way harder) if you don't have people around you (family, core friends, bosses, etc.) who understand mental illness for what it is—illness—and invalidate your struggles with classic "get over it" dismissals.

I'm so, so sorry you've been stuck in that darkness, Lisa. I am happy you feel like you can look forward to something like reading my story (and thank you for the compliment, by the way!), but don't rush yourself before you're ready, especially with new reading material. When I was trying to find a way back to enjoying fic (because I thought that would help me feel like my old self, and it did, to a degree), one thing I found that helped me was re-reading old stories I knew I already loved. I would skip around to all my favorite parts and go right for that dopamine rush I remembered having the first time I read it. I also started about a dozen stories on the days I was feeling good, but I made sure not to beat myself up if I abandoned it after 500 words. My experience writing it was more important than my productivity.

Also, don't forget that whatever you find that finally makes you happy/interests you again may not be the things that used to make you happy—including fanfic. I'm happy to hear you're not forcing it on yourself and waiting to see if the urge to read again comes naturally. Recovery has to happen at your own pace and on your own terms.

Thank you so much for sharing this ❤

[mrstaeminlee]

Mission Complete Ch. 1

You had two goals in life. One: Complete your squad training without dying. Two: Fuck Levi Ackerman

Pairings: Levi/f!reader

Warnings: Swearing, eventual smut, lmk if I need to add anything~

You really had no idea what the fuck prompted you to join the military. Maybe it was to find some redeeming grace in the eyes of your dying mother, maybe it was because you wanted a life with as much stability as one could muster, maybe it was because you just fucking hated farming.

Whatever it was, you wished to any God that would listen that you would have buried it in the ground along with the countless friends and family members you had lost to the Titans.

The first week of the cadet corps was everything you knew you would hate and more. Between the foul smelling breath of the commandant threatening to make you puke up the bread you had managed to steal, to working your body to the point of sneaking away from one on one combat to puke behind the bushes, after seven days you had almost decided that maybe digging in the dirt for the rest of your miserable life wasn't so bad.

There was only one thing stopping you from making your own walk of shame to the wagon of regret.

Levi Ackerman.

AKA the man you fantasized about every night when you managed to find enough strength to finger yourself below the covers.

He was a couple of inches shorter, true, but you were willing to break your rule of not fucking anyone shorter than you for him.

You had only see him twice in your life by complete chance, the first had been when you happened to be by the gates in time to see the Scouts returning from what was undoubtably another failed mission, and you decided that what the hell, might as well have a look at Humanity's Strongest in the flesh. Granted, it hadn't been his best day; his green cloak was splattered with what could only have been the blood of his comrades as it didn't look as if he had a single scratch on him, but he looked like a god, albeit one that had just gotten his ass kicked out of heaven. His eyes seemed to be sunken in, and even from how far away you were you found yourself shivering from the intensity of his dead gaze. You weren't sure what possessed you to lift your hand as he eyes moved through the crowd, looking for whom, you didn't know, or what possessed him to raise those eyes to you, but you found yourself lost in haunted silver as you gave a soft wave. The way he seemed to look straight through you, not even seeing you even as you stared at each other, was enough to convince you that you needed to do whatever it took to see this man again.

You enlisted the start of the next week.

The second time was completely by chance.

Everyone was desperate for military recruits, and desperate times called for desperate calls to important people to make appearances in front of people that were well, not very important.

Erwin Smith, Dot Pixis, Nile Dawk, Levi Ackerman, Hange Zoe, Rico Brzenska, and even Darius Zackly graced the entrance ceremony of the new Cadets, and you thanked whatever bone in your body made you a teacher's pet because you had a front row seat to the man that had plagued your thoughts every single day in the past week. His appearance was brief and he didn't speak, just stared at the fresh faces, some cocky, some blank, but mostly terrified new recruits, and you could have sworn that you saw a tinge of sadness hidden in the silver, as if he could already foresee the deaths of everyone in front of him. He followed after Erwin immediately after the blond gave his speech about thanking you all for making the decision to serve humanity and you fought the urge to roll your eyes. 'I'm not doing this for humanity, I'm doing this for dick,' you thought as you signed your life away to this shit camp for the next two years.

How one man who was fucking shorter than you managed to convince you to trade the next 728 days, 14 hours, 37 minutes, and 15 seconds of your life for physical and emotional hell was beyond you, and yet here you were, standing proud and slightly hungover from the pre-graduation celebrating you did with Eren, Mikasa, and Armin the night before. They hadn't initially been your first choice in friends, but Armin was nice to you from the start and once you very quickly learned that flirting with Eren in front of Mikasa was not in your best interest, you had decided that they were alright; especially when Eren's Titan form had been revealed. If anyone was going to have to get close enough to keep an eye on Eren, it would be Captain Levi.

The very man you were thinking of walked on the stage along with Nile Dawk, Dot Pixis, and Erwin Smith as the three took turns giving their pitch. You hadn't made the top 10 but were happy for your friends that were, you were content with your place as 13th. In a class of over 500, you still considered it a win, and if your parents were still alive you knew they'd be proud. As the remaining members of the top 10 who had opted to join the elitest MP's went off to talk to Nile and the other scared fucks ran off to sign themselves to the Garrison regiment, you and around a hundred other members stayed where you were and you licked your lips, forcing your heart rate to calm itself. 'Calm down, you can't work your way up to fucking the strongest man in the world if you die of heart attack before-'

"Listen up you little shits."

Oh my God he was speaking you've never heard his voice before it's so fucking-

"Most of you are going to die. Are you prepared for that?"

Ah, so Humanity's Strongest was a sweet talker.

"Erwin is making me come up here and talk, so we're all going to pretend that I'm saying some meaningful bullshit. But here's the truth: If you aren't strong, you will die, and it will be painful. Imagine the thought of seeing your childhood friend's entrails being slurped up like spaghetti by a Titan, while the entire time he's conscious enough to reach his hand out for you, and you are able to do nothing for him because you spent exactly one second hesitating, or you were a moment too late to draw your blades, or react to the threat. If that scares you, then do us all a favor and put down that half assed salute and sell your soul to the Garrison where you'll spend your days fucking the best whores for a discount if you're in uniform and getting drunk on the clock."

After his touching speech you and your now dripping panties decided that you had indeed made the right decision in selling yourself to the Scouts.

One month later

It was moments like these, where you weren't quite trashed but definitely more than tipsy, that you had never been happier to be part of the survey corps. I mean, you were in peak physical shape (you still couldn't believe you had abs. Abs!), you were hot, you were fit, and you knew Sasha Braus, who had managed to steal a few bottles of top shelf liquor from the higher ups.

You were also horny as fuck. It had been over a year since you'd gotten laid, and you were using the dildo you'd bought on your first trip back into town as often as you brushed your teeth (twice a day, you didn't fuck with cavities). You briefly thought about enlisting the help of one of your current drinking buddies but after seeing your choices you decided to leave it to old faithful hidden in your pillowcase. There was Jean, who albeit was pretty hot even with the long face but was so in love with Mikasa it made you want to vomit. Marco, who you were almost one hundred percent sure was gay; Connie, who held the sexual appeal of a pile of horse shit, although he was super nice. Reiner almost looked promising but you knew underneath those stocky muscles was a shitload of emotional baggage you didn't want, and Bertholt was head over heels for Annie of all people. That left Armin and Eren. Eren you already knew was out, while your slut senses told you he'd be a great lay, you weren't quite ready for your life to end at the hands of Mikasa. That left Armin. You tilted your head, staring at him as you sipped on your god forsaken concoction and debated fucking him or not. He wasn't outright sexy, but he'd filled in well during the two years of training and you had seen glimpses of his surprisingly impressive muscles under his white shirt. He might actually do. He'd be shy as hell and you would have to lead everything, not to mention he'd probably cum in less than a minute, but it just might-

“Did you guys know that Captain Levi is a virgin?"

You spit the mix of vodka, rum, and whatever mixer Reiner had put in all over the face of the person you had just considered fucking.

"I'm sorry, what?" You turned your attention to Christa, apologetically handing Armin a napkin and patting his cheek.

Christa blushed at the attention and scooted closer to Ymir, who threw an arm around her shoulders and gave Reiner her customary 'If you even look at her weird, I will gut you' look. "W-Well, recently I started helping out in the infirmary because they've been short handed. You all know, it's that time of year where everyone has to get looked at and they give us that sheet of paper to fill out with all of our personal information to keep track of potential diseases. I was in charge of filing the paperwork the day they brought all of the officers in, and on the paper they ask you how many sexual partners you've had and Captain Levi wrote 0. But you guys, you have to promise not to tell anyone! This is private information, if it somehow gets out that I told you this I'll get into a lot of trouble!"

Ymir chuckled, placing a sloppy kiss at the top of the blonde's head. "Don't worry about a thing sweet cheeks, if any of these miscreants here says a word I'll kill them for ya. But we don't have to worry about that at all, now do we?" She glared at each person in the room, who all looked as if Christa were a ghost, and slowly shook their heads.

Your life was changed.

Captain Levi Ackerman.

The strongest man in the world.

Rumored former thug of the Underground.

The person responsible for killing as many Titans as a hundred soldiers.

The person whose squad every scout dreamed of being on, was a virgin.

You screeched out a laugh before you could help it, the alcohol doing nothing to try and make you quiet yourself as you fell onto your back laughing, cup long forgotten as it rolled across the floor. The person who initiated your drive to join the military in the first place, the person you literally dreamed of fucking, had never gotten his dick wet.

Clearly, you had your work cut out for you.

If you managed to live through the sight of Ymir reaching over to punch you in the face to shut you up.

[uponrightful]

So, I love possessive, jealous Crosshair 🥵 Tell me about this scene (please?):

“Trouble doesn’t suit you, doll.” He murmured lowly, soft voice contrasting the slight pressure over her pulse point and the swell of her hip. Crosshair was all-consuming and Dutch was weak to do anything but try to stay silent under his pressing weight and commanding presence at her back.

Also, I’d love to know what Echo was thinking once Cross went to the fresher after Dutch.

You’re the best! 😘

Commentary Track for Coriolis Effect

Copy 500 words -or more- of any of my fics and I'll give you my thoughts/rambles on what was going through my head -or the character's- when I wrote it!

*send one in here anytime!*

My oh my! 😍 What spicy scene we have here. I'll start with what's going on with Crosshair first, then I'll come back for Echo and the rest of the Batch. haha

***

Crosshair is fuming with rage during his conversation with Echo: It's that kind of bodily energy you get after watching a action-movie, where your whole body feels tired, but it's twitching with adrenaline that can't be spent or released. That kind of feeling you can't get rid of no matter what you do to ignore it, or work through it. Your mind feels like it working so fast that it's in slow-motion, overanalyzing the smallest details until your grinding your teeth because there's nothing else that helps relieve the pressure.

But the second he enters the refresher all of that energy snaps from anger and fear for Duchess, into dead calm. His inner voice stops screaming and evens out in tone and his hands stop shaking. His breathing slows and the second Cross sees her standing there, it's like he's been meditating deeply for hours. This kind of concentration is only present in Crosshair one other time... And you guessed it. When he's shooting.

Note: This is the epitome of Crosshair's ability to manage impulse-control in unfamiliar -and stressful- situations. Key-word here being "unfamiliar." I firmly believe that Cross is painfully terrible at monitoring and expressing his emotions. He has so many of them all the time that from a young age he had to learn how to turn them off in a moments notice, simply so he could survive. Think about it... How can a sniper worry about his brothers dying right before his eyes and still make clean shots? Not even Crosshair can do that. So the second he's certain Dutch is safe -by visually proving her health- that well-trained nature takes over to protect him like it always does.

Crosshair -at this point- isn't sure what he wants. He needs to touch her though, remind himself that she's tangible and within reach. Not that he isn't aware of his effect on her, but this moment isn't about sexual appeal or attraction. This is desperation, and Crosshair knows that; He's just banking on the hope that she'll let him, because she's always done so. He feels safe with Duchess, and even though this feels/looks sexy, Crosshair feels completely vulnerable right now.

Note: I will say it now; Once and for all. I have never subscribed to the idea that Crosshair is a typical Dominant/BDSM/Sadisim kind of guy. And the distinction is all to do with motivation. I've spent a lot of time trying to figure out why he acts the way he does, and how that manifests itself. So when I planned this scene, I wanted to focus on just how strong his desire to have security is. Not prowess, or control. It's all to do with the desperate need he has to prove how he feels about her. That kind of vulnerability just comes easier to him physically than it does emotionally. Duchess gives him a sense of stability -in and out of the sexual sense- that makes his characterization insanely complex and difficult to balance.

The moment he finds his words, it's a compulsory need to cover his own jealousy. Crosshair is undoubtedly unhappy knowing she went out with Regs... but what's really bothering him is how easy it is to feel so strongly for Duchess. Every time he speaks, it's intentionally driving attention towards someone else, and away from his own desire to be the focus of her attention. Cross uses his fear of her being unsafe to mask the jealousy that constantly compares himself to the others who can give her attention more freely than he can personally. Duchess sees his calm nature as patience and precision, but it's really Crosshair planning out what he's going to say because he knows one wrong move will reveal just how desperate he is to have her acceptance of him.

Note: I've never struggled to balance possessiveness and love like I have with Crosshair. He's so intense that if I'm not careful, he comes off like a walking red-flag. Word choice is essential when getting Cross' character and reactions right. Whether it be the way he talks to her, or the way he naturally falls into a protector role. That's why when I'm writing for him, it takes double the time it does to write anything else. Every movement, every word he says, needs to be written like he says it in the moment. That's the only way to show his softness... because the love that he gives is best felt in person. You can't describe Crosshair's love with words easily.

Now for sweet, sweet, Echo.

Let me preface this by saying: Echo is his brother's keeper. There is a relationship there that goes far deeper than the ones Crosshair holds for his other brothers. It happened slowly, but it wasn't until the two of them were too far into it that either recognized what had happened. Their personalities are something that wouldn't really mix on first glance, but for some reason or another, they just get each other. It's natural, and they gravitate towards each other.

That being said, Duchess and Echo are their own kind of dynamic. I see them as the "platonic-soulmate" kind. She has an intensity that Echo marvels at, and Dutch knows she could take any problem to him and he would do anything to help her. They both see something in the other that they wish they still had, or could develop. It's probably the purest friendship Duchess has ever had, and Echo can't help but harken back to Fives when he sees her attitude -in future chapters.

Note: From the first moment I created Duchess, I just knew in my heart she was meant to be something special to Echo. To me, it was only right that Crosshair's doll would feel strongly connected to Echo as well. Add in their common feeling of loss for brothers, and that just made their relationship that much stronger. She's such a force, and the ARC trooper can't help but find a enamorment with people who have such a strong will and fiery personality. (See Fives)

The moment Echo sees Crosshair, he's already preparing to do anything necessary to protect Duchess from incurring another possible hit to her bruised emotions. Echo trusts Crosshair, but he's highly attentive to Cross and how raw his emotions are. Their interaction is based in Echo's desire to save the couple from losing the chance to do things the right way. Intuition and experience guide Echo through the whole conversation; He really is flying by the seat of his blacks here... But he's so well-versed in reading Crosshair that none of the other Batcher's even think about offering to be the first one Crosshair faces when he comes in the bunk hall. Echo has unmatched faith in Cross, and this was something both of them knew would happen.

Note: Writing this scene was challenging for a number of reasons. For one, neither Echo or Crosshair really talk a whole lot. They say what they need to, and that's the end of it. So I spent days watching Echo and Crosshair's interactions. Trying to figure out what I could based off the -very little- examples I was given. In that, I found that the two of them hardly ever stand next to each other, but they're constantly sharing glances and looking at each other. Echo and Crosshair have silent conversations all. the. time.

Had Echo not allowed Crosshair to go and see Duchess, their sexy scene would have never happened. (And I played around with that idea very seriously...) Ultimately, Echo's intuition was the deciding factor. That conversation, and Crosshair's attempt at honesty was the reason Echo felt confident in letting him speak to her. And although Echo could sense Crosshair's patience running thin, he'd already told the rest of the Batch to be prepared for any fight. Echo wouldn't put it past Cross to stun him, but a gut-feeling kept him from mentally preparing to do the same thing.

Additionally, it was Echo who made everyone leave the bunk hall. The second Crosshair and himself reached an agreement, Echo was the first to step away. His next move was to shove the rest of the Batch out the doors and give Duchess and Crosshair the privacy needed to work through their shit. And although he expected it to end in sex, the desire to keep their business between them alone was Echo's main motivation to empty the bunk room. Neither Crosshair or Duchess really trust the Batch at this moment -in Echo's mind at least- and risking their privacy wasn't something the ARC would stand for. In the back of his mind though, Echo was terrified that Crosshair would fuck her and leave it at that. He's seen the sniper at his best and his worst, and although his best is wonderful, his worst can be miserable to endure. Echo was praying that Crosshair wouldn't be too harsh -physically and mentally- on Duchess.

When Hunter finally decided enough time had passed, Echo was on edge to see just where the two of them would be. The image of them sleeping in separate bunks: Crosshair pretending to sleep -like always- and Duchess laying quietly and pretending like nothing happened shook Echo to his core. But the second he saw her bunk in a disarray, and her not in it, Echo couldn't help but fucking grin. He was proud of his brother for doing the right thing. For doing something for himself, and not worrying about how it would make him look for once. Add in the way Crosshair reprimanded Tech, and how deathly serious he looked with her sleeping peacefully against him...?

That was the moment Echo knew for certain that Crosshair was never coming back from this. He saw a visible change in his brother, in the way his attitude changed. The way Crosshair wasn't worried about himself, or attempting to hide behind sneers and sarcastic comments. Echo noticed how attuned he was to her in that moment, putting her comfort above all else. For a man who pretended to not care about anything, Crosshair did a terrible job of hiding his true personality when Duchess was curled up into him. And Echo couldn't be happier, knowing that his trust in Crosshair hadn't been for nothing. Not only was his brother experiencing love in a way that all of them desired, but Duchess was never going to live with the question of whether or not someone truly cared for her.

***

I hope this was what you were looking for in-terms of answers 😅. I had a great time writing this for you, and I hope you'll feel comfortable doing this again whenever you feel like it! I love sharing the behind-the-scenes stuff with you! It makes the cuts and editing feel a little less sad knowing I might be able to share some of it with you anyways!

[unadulteratedbeardpeanut]

Bucky Drabble #3

Bucky x Pregnant!Reader (female)

A/N: Still haven’t got any further on my Uni essay, but I wrote this! This drabble came to me in the early hours of the morning and I ran with it. I honestly think this is the most I’ve written creatively at one sitting in my entire life (go me).

Warnings: Angst, Bucky is the Winter Soldier, so anything associated with that, but not super descriptive, sorta fluff? All the things associated with my writing, so poor writing, mediocre grammar, not beta read, not edited (I might fix that in future idk), Author herself is worth warning you about.

Word Count: 1394 (wow I surpassed 500 words; I even broke 1K!)

---------------------------

It was still dark outside when you opened your eyes, the moonlight sneaking through the gap in the curtains. The urge to go to the bathroom to relieve your bladder was the catalyst for waking you from your slumber. Your left-hand slides across the sheets, reaching out for your husband in comfort, only to meet his empty and cold side of the bed.

‘Where is he?’ you thought. He wasn’t on a mission; he would have told you if he was leaving for one.

You push yourself up by your arms and shuffle towards the edge of the bed, feet meeting the cold floor before gliding into your fluffy slippers. You walk towards the ensuite bathroom to relieve your bladder, rubbing your bump along the way.

‘you sure like to play with mummy’s bladder little one. Let’s go find where your daddy has wandered off to once we’re done, hmm?’.

You were finished in the bathroom quickly, keen to find out where your husband had gone. You first checked his study that was a few doors down from your shared bedroom. Bucky hated doing paperwork and often shoved it to the back burner until he was forced to do it- so it was possible he had some that needed completed by the morning. That idea was soon shot down when you entered his study for it only to be just as empty as the rest of the upper floor of your house. Breathing a sigh through your nose as you turn around and make for the ground floor, opting to check the living room to see if he is watching TV- again not an unusual thing for Bucky to do during the middle of the night when sleep evades him. Unfortunately, he was not to be found in the lounge either, the couch not even having any signs of being disturbed.

There was only one other place in the house that he could be and that was the kitchen, ‘maybe he was peckish and decided to make himself as sandwich… and decided to stay there…’. Yeah, you weren’t even convincing yourself with that one. 

The kitchen was just as dark as the rest of the house when you entered, no signs of life to be found. Now that you were here you were just as well to make yourself something though, maybe said sandwich that Bucky ended up not making for himself. You flicked the light switch, the sudden brightness blinding you momentarily and causing you to close your eyes on reflex. Only when you open them you are met with the beautiful blue eyes of your husband, your Bucky. Except he is looking at you with a blank expression. No recognition passed through is blue orbs as he looks at you.

‘’Bu-Bucky? What are you doing down here? Why were you sitting here in the dark?’’

He makes no to move to answer your question; just continues to stare at you with his empty eyes. You walk closer to him, slowly and in trepidation.

‘’Bucky? Sweetheart, are you alright?’’

‘Again nothing. It’s as if the lights are on but no one is home. It as if- oh. Oh no. Oh no no no, not this.’

You stop dead in your tracks, an arms width away from your husband- the love of your life, the father of your unborn child. You close your eyes and take a deep breath in through your nose and out through your mouth, hands covering your bump both protectively and for comfort. You open your eyes again, feeling somewhat calm but equally dreading the next words to leave your mouth.

‘’Soldat?’’

His reply is instant. ‘’Ready to comply.’’

A quiet sob leaves your mouth at his words, grief overwhelming you. It felt as if your heart was following the same fate as the Titanic- sinking into a deep abyss of darkness; never to see the light of day again.  

You are lost for a few minutes in your grief, leaving yourself completely defenceless in his presence. However, the Winter Soldier makes no move. He just continues to sit there. Waiting. Waiting for his orders; for his next mission.  

Determination soon fills you, coupled with your unwavering love and desperation to get your Bucky back.

‘’Soldat, your orders are to go into the living room and sit on the sofa- the big one in the middle of the room- oh and please turn on the lamp just next to it too? I will join you shortly and give you your next orders.’’ Each word feels like acid as they leave your mouth, praying for Bucky’s forgiveness for doing this to him. The Soldier simply nods and- as silent as a panther stalking its prey- leaves the room, following his orders. You breathe a sigh of relief, rubbing your bump absentmindedly. You move forward to the counter and pull out all the necessary ingredients to make two sandwiches -Bucky’s favourite- and turn the kettle on. Hot chocolate and a sandwich, comforting food to try and help him remember himself. You would have liked to make proper hot chocolate- with warm milk rather than water- but you already have a long night ahead of you.

Putting everything on a tray (a baking tray that you have repurposed for the moment) once made, you turn and leave the kitchen, noticing the dim light leaving the living room as you walk.

He is sitting stiffly on the couch when you enter the room, his face and eyes staring directly forward and awaiting your next instructions.

Walking further into the room, you gently place the tray of goodies onto the coffee table before walking away towards the welsh dresser at the back of the room. You pull out a series of large folders and some journals, piling them on top of one another in your arms before shuffling your feet across the floor- struggling to keep a grasp of the deceivingly heavy pile. You place them onto the coffee table with much less grace than you did the tray, but the Soldier didn’t so much as spare you a glance during your fumbled movements.

‘Direct eye-contact and showing curiosity or interest in anything that wasn’t his orders got him in trouble before’. You remembered his words sadly. He didn’t like sharing what he had gone through with Hydra to anybody, but least of all you. He didn’t want to taint you with those ugly stories, instead sharing hundreds of others of him and Steve from when they were growing up and from his time as an Avenger- before he met you anyway. Stories that are now the key to bringing him back to you.

‘’Soldat, eat with me. And drink if you’re thirsty too.’’ You say gently, hoping that he will accept your orders despite holding no authority in your voice. He glances at you briefly before locking his eyes to the food on the tray, the movement so quick that you almost didn’t see it. He seems to look at the food warily, as if trying to figure out if it was poisonous. You lean forward and take one of the sandwiches, biting into it quickly in an attempt to show that it was safe to eat. He mimics your actions shortly after, not wanting to face his handler’s wrath for not complying with their strange orders.

A minute passes in silence between the two of you, as you try to figure out if this will work and how you’re going to bring him back if it doesn’t.

‘’Soldat, I’d like you to review some files with me. Please?’’

He seems to relax somewhat, your order being one that is more reminiscent of his past handler’s. You open the first folder, a vast array of black and white photos of a dark-haired boy with light eyes- the exact colour lost by the monochrome image.

‘’Soldat, this is a collection of photos. It is of the Barnes Family, specifically of James Buchanan Barnes.’’

The Soldier peruses the photos with confusion, his brow furrowed. This continues for hours, the night lost to photo albums and leatherbound journals, all detailing the long life of James Buchanan ‘Bucky’ Barnes. At the break of dawn, you hear the words the liberate you heart, cleansing all grief and cutting away the weights that held it down.

‘’Thank you for bringing me home, Doll.’’

[vemuabhi]

Kaku, Lucci and Jabra - First Meetings and Kiss

Annyong Haseyo!! This was requested by REDFRLegend (Wattpad)

This is my first time writing for these 3 members. I hope its not too OOC. I made these in Modern Universe.

I hope you like it!

Pairings :

Kaku X Reader

Lucci X Reader

Jabra X Reader

Word Count : 5.8K (I promised you, I will do justice for your request)

Warnings : Not Proof read, so please forgive me for any mistakes.

A/N : I absolutely enjoyed writing for these three. I thought I'd hardly be able to write 500 words but... when I first wrote Kaku I didn't even notice the word count in the beginning. But it reached 1K words and I was shocked. I thought I couldn't beat this count for Lucci and I was definitely sure that I wont be able to write that much for Jabra. But Lucci beat Kaku's word count and it was 1.9K words. I received another shock when Jabra's story word count surpassed these two's. Jabra's was  2.6K words. I was speechless when I noticed that. Now to think of it, I am now in love with these people. I didn't like them because of Robin chan arc. But now... these people stole my heart. Please help me. I can't...

Kaku - 1K

Warnings : None

A/N : The meeting of this was so weird but the rest of the story is not that weird. Please read it.

You were so excited to watch the new movie which you waited so long to watch. By avoiding many posts and people who spoil everything, you went to the theatre and took the ticket. You were alone and thought that you could spend some quality time with yourself. You wanted to check your makeup so, you went to the restroom. As soon as you walked into the washroom, you saw a man with a long nose staring at you. His eyes were open wide as well as his mouth and his cheeks were flushed pink after seeing you.

'What the!?', you thought as you took a few steps back and then another man came into the restroom. You saw him and then again you looked at the long nose man. Then your legs worked their magic and you ran away. You ran towards the girls restroom which was on the floor above without even caring who was looking at you. You were completely embarrassed to walk into the men's restroom like that.

You looked into the mirror and noticed that your cheeks were also red from the embarrassment. You placed your hands on your face and whined. 'It's okay. Just forget this and watch the movie', you thought and you looked at the mirror again.

After heading to the movie hall with your tickets and popcorn, you sat in your seat and tried to concentrate on the movie. You watched the movie as you ate your popcorn. The movie didn't even finish 30 minutes at least and you noticed how terrible it was. Completely different from the plot you imagined after watching the trailer. Everything about the movie was so bad. Your frown didn't fade away as the scenes kept going.

"Do you hate it too?", whispered the person beside you.

"Omg, its... its totally different from what I expected. I really don't like it", you whispered as you still kept looking at the screen and kept eating popcorn.

"I really had high expectations about this movie. I never thought the plot would go like this", you said and then looked to your side. Then you saw the same long nose person, who you saw in the men's restroom. You blushed and hung your head low as you looked at him. He noticed that you were still upset about it and said, "Its okay. Everyone makes mistakes like that once in a while", he said and you slowly looked at him. He cheeks turned red as you looked at him. He averted his gaze to the movie and said, "Its their fault for not constructing extra washrooms", you chuckled as you heard that. He gave you a side glance and smiled. After more 10 minutes of discussing how the movie was getting annoying you sighed in defeat. "All my money is wasted on this, and now even my time"

He gave you a side glance and asked, "So... if you also feel like that... wanna go and grab a bite?"

Your heart skipped a beat. You didn't expect this but... you really wanted to go. A faint blush was visible on his cheeks as you nodded yes. The two of you went and sat at the restaurant and talked about movies and music. It seemed like your tastes matched and you were really happy to have a new friend.

"I'm Kaku by the way. We kept talking and didn't introduce ourselves", he chuckled and you realised that he was right.

"OMG! I didn't realise that. I'm Y/N" you replied. As you both finished your food, you decided exchanged numbers before you left.

Every day you two kept talking about stuff you both liked and slowly, the conversations turned to daily routines and then meme war at each other. You didn't knew how time passed while you both talked. You both decided to meet again for another movie and this movie was good than the previous one. For some reason you didn't feel awkward with him at all. After the movie you both strolled in the park. You felt so happy beside him. With him the conversation was never dead.

After a few more movie meetings, you were talking to him on the phone as usual.

"So, yeah... I heard there was a new pet café opened and people are loving it. Wanna go on a... date with me?", he asked as your cheeks turned red. You said yes and then you both discussed on the time and place of your meeting. Your heart was beating faster and you couldn't stop this excitement for meeting him. Actually you were even happier for every time you met him. 'This time... it's different. It's a date', you thought as you placed your hands on your cheeks.

The day of your date, you wore the new clothes and applied some makeup then went to the café. He stood from his place as he saw you enter the café. You approached him and he still was still standing without moving an inch. You smiled at him and shook his shoulder. He then blinked and chuckled nervously. Your date was really cute with him blushing as you both played with the animals. After you decided to leave, he took you home as it was dark. He blushed as he linked his hand with yours and with the free hand he gently tugged a strand of hair behind your ear.

He looked into your eyes for permission. You just smiled back at him and nodded. He leaned down as you slowly closed your eyes. Your lips touched with his and you felt so happy at that moment. His hand slowly caressed your cheeks and the other trailed to your waist to pull you even closer. Your hands tugged the back of his shirt as you just tilted your face to deepen the kiss. You both parted for air and looked into each other's eyes. It felt right with him. You were truly happy to be with him and he was feeling the same. You two were falling in love.

XOXOXOXO

Lucci – 1.9K

Warnings : Mention of alcohol but mostly fluff

A/N : I really loved this story too. Yeah, its a bit awkward but trust me, you will get past it.

The week was completely trash. Not one good thing happened and as if your problems were not enough, your boss dumped so much more work on you and your weekend almost went to waste. As you were so determined to complete your work, you had some free time and went to the new bar. The bar looked so beautiful and neat. People were drinking and singing. You ordered a drink for yourself and were trying to forget the shit week you had.

‘I need to buy new shoes/heels. These are about to get ruined’, you thought as you sipped your drink looking at your shoes/heels. Then suddenly you saw your asshole ex enter into the bar with another person. ‘That Dick, he is already with someone new’, you thought. You really wanted to leave but you didn’t want to seem single if your ex sees you. Your gaze landed on the person beside you, who was minding his own business. He had interesting beard. He was actually cute. You saw that he paid for his drinks and got up.

You stood before him as you blocked his way. He looked confused at your actions. You gulped. He was pretty tall, had sharp eyes and was having a serious expression. You asked him, “Are you leaving?” to which he just gave you a weird look and nodded.

“Good! Let’s go together, please”, you said as you held his hand. If weird and confused could be one expression, he had that. As he was about to protest, you stopped him and said, “Please. Don’t ask anything. I’ll answer your questions. But please come with me”.

He stayed quiet for a couple of seconds to think and then sighed, giving his permission. You linked your arm with his and smiled happily as you made your way out of the bar and YES! Your ex saw you with a guy way too handsome than him. Your ego boost increased X100 with that expression on your ex’s face. You laughed as you walked. Suddenly you felt a tug on your arm and you then noticed that you were dragging that stranger for a while now. You face turned red because of embarrassment. You let go of him and said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t notice that I was dragging you along with me. I just wanted to get out of there because of my ex. And I got to leave with a handsome guy like you. You should’ve seen his face”, you said and laughed again thinking about that jerk ex. “So, thank you”, you ended as you looked at him.

He just nodded and left. ‘Huh… it… looked like he didn’t even care’, well to be honest you would’ve been happy if he was interested. ‘Well, its fine. My ex saw me with that handsome guy. It’s all I need’, you hummed to yourself and went to your house.

The next week, you had a new contract from a client and you had to visit the client at his office and talk about the project with your boss.

“So, Rob Lucci is our client and I hope you know that atleast… we should meet him now”, said your boss looking at you. You nodded quickly and followed him behind. Mr. Jabra was a strict man but, he was a good person.

Mr. Jabra led you into Mr. Lucci’s office and you both were waiting for him to come and meet you. Apparently that person Lucci was a very busy man and could only afford this day to talk about the project. As the door swung opened you and Mr. Jabra stood up. Your eyes widened as you looked at him. He was the same person who you met at the bar a few nights prior. He and Mr. Jabra shook hands and then you two sat in your chairs. He sat in front of you two and talked about the project. He seemed like, he didn’t even remember you. So you let that thought go away and started to listen to him. This was the first time you heard him speak. He had a deep voice and was really good. He was very particular and you noted them down just for future references. After the meeting you both thanked him and you followed your boss but as you were about to exit his cabin you fell on your face.

Your boss gasped and asked, “Y/N! are you okay?” with worry. Then you felt an arm on your shoulder. You looked at the owner of the arms, and it was Mr. Lucci. He was beside you. Your face turned red as you saw his handsome features so close. He helped you up and you thanked him. You then noticed that one of your shoe/heel was actually ruined. The client and also the boss noticed that.

“It’s ruined. Wait here. I’ll send my secretary”, Mr Lucci said. You looked at Mr. Jabra and he nodded. Then Mr. Lucci and Mr. Jabra went ahead. You didn’t know why he told you to wait there but you obliged. Then a beautiful lady came where you were waiting. She was wearing delicate specs and had silky blond hair. She had brown paper bag with her.

“Hello! You must be Y/N. I’m Kalifa. Mr. Lucci told me you were here”, she introduced herself and you nodded.

“So, if you don’t mind we only have these here. But, I’m sure you can wear them for temporarily”, she said as she handed me the brown paper bag she held. You looked inside and saw a new pair of shoes.

“Thank you so much!!”, you bowed to her and she left. You took the shoes out and wore them. Coincidentally, when you wore them, they were a perfect fit for you. ‘And then the prince and Cinderella stayed happily ever after’, the sentence suddenly popped into your brain and you chuckled. Then you noticed if someone was watching you. Luckily no one saw you laughing to yourself. You placed your ruined pair into the bag and headed towards the exit. There you saw your boss waiting for you. You quickly dumped your shoes bag in the trash can and headed towards Mr. Jabra.

He smiled widely as he looked at you. “Y/N!! You are here! Lets go”, he said and went towards his car as you followed him. Apparently, the the contract with the company was also made for another project if this was going to be successful. You also were happy that the company was getting more contracts.

As you and your team made the project, you and Mr. Lucci had to meet a few more times. His seriousness was really captivating to you. The passion towards work, really inspired you too. Slowly you found yourself reading about his company and his articles. You really started to like the man and your respect also grew.

After the project completion, luckily everyone liked it and it was a huge success. So, the client company held a party and invited your company too. You all were very happy for your work to be successful. The party was held on the terrace of the building. But there were security to take care of people, if they get too drunk.

You got yourself a second drink and leaned on the wall. Then you saw that Mr. Lucci was leaving the place. You followed him and now you saw that he was heading towards the elevator.

“Hey! Please wait!”, you said and sure he waited for you to come. “Thankyou”, you said as you also got in. He pressed the button for the ground floor.

“Sir, you can at least enjoy in these times. It’s ok to be carefree once in a while”, you said as he turned to look at you. You sipped your drink and continued, “Everyone is really happy and really admire you. If you join them they would be even more happy”, you said and he averted his gaze from you. If you weren’t drunk, you would’ve noticed his cheeks dusted pink.

“Yeah, but… not everyone likes me. Some people find me gloomy. So, I don’t want to let their sprits down”, for once, he talked about himself and not about work.

“NO WAY! Heck, even I too like you. You are so passionate and inspiring”, you being drunk said it casually but he stared at you with his eyes wide open and cheeks completely red. “You sure are serious about your work but you aren’t gloomy. You are really kind. I heard that you even take care and donate for the wildlife sanctuary. I really appreciate and admire that”, you smiled at him and exited the lift. He followed your steps and said, “How… are you going to go? You can’t drive in the state you are in”, he said as he looked at you.

“You looked back at him and replied, “I’ll call a cab”

‘Ofcourse, you’ll call a cab. Why did I even ask the most stupid question’, thought Lucci.

“I think you forgot but, we both met in a bar. I stopped you from leaving and tagged along with you”, you said.

“I remember”, he said making you stop in your tracks. You turned and looked at him. He came closer and stood before you.

“I never forgot you, or that time”, he said as you gulped.

“I thought you weren’t interested in me”, you said as you chuckled.

“I… wasn’t.”

“Ouch! That hurt”, you said as you placed your hands on your heart. He chuckled at your actions and it was the very first time you ever saw him laugh.

“Let me rephrase it, I wasn’t interested at that weird stranger who dragged me to an unknown location”, you were embarrassed at what he said. ‘Of course who would be interested in a person who did that’ your head hung low. But he continued, “But… I remembered the drunk person, who called me handsome. That clumsy person who fell down, the hardworking one, who made the project successful”, he said and he came closer and whispered, “I’m interested to know more about that person”, your face turned red at what he said. Now he was the one who walked first and you followed him. He stopped at his car and said, “Let me drop you”

You obliged and sat in the fancy car. He suddenly leaned closer to you and you closed your eyes. Then you heard a click. You opened what was that sound and saw that he placed your seatbelt. You got embarrassed and he chuckled.

After sometime you reached your house and again he leaned in closer to you. He removed the seatbelt but he stayed still looking into your eyes. You leaned towards him and captured his lips with yours. You placed your hands his raven hair and he placed one of his hand on the back of your neck and the other on your cheek. Your make out session with him lasted for a while then you smiled at him and looked at your lap. He smiled and pecked your cheek. You got out of the car and waved bye to him. He did the same but then he told you to come closer. As you were close to the window of his car, he again pulled you close and kissed you. After that he smiled and left the place. You went to your room and changed your clothes. You plopped on the bed and thought about the kiss you two had. It was so intense and passionate. Little did you know, a new beautiful story really was awaiting for you.

XOXOXOXOXO

Jabra – 2.6K

Warnings : Angst, hurt, comfort, TW! sexual harassment 

A/n: The story for writing him came to me and I was so in love. I hope you enjoy it.

You get ready as usual and get on the train to go for work. It was an everyday routine for you. You tended to go early to avoid rush hours. Anyhow, you couldn’t avoid the evening traffic and people, so you at least tried to be early. This was peaceful and quite with just you and a few other people on the train. You had your book in your hand to pass the time while you went to your stop. You then saw a new face get on the train. He was a tall man with different kind of beard.

He sat opposite of you and put on his headphones. He was quiet for a while but suddenly, he started to sing out the song he was listening to. You looked at him and saw that he was really immersed in the song and didn’t realise that he was singing out loudly.

You smiled to yourself at his actions. He wasn’t singing amazingly but, he was singing with his heart and you really admired that. He wasn’t horrible too. Just in between. After one song, he started to sing another song. You stopped reading and listened to him sing. You soon reached your stop and got down. He was still humming and singing. You went to work and started to work, but as you worked, the songs he sang were playing in your head. You shrugged it off and started to work, but the songs still played in your head.

The next day, you saw the same man enter the train. After a few minutes, he started to sing again. You listened to his songs till you reached your stop.

This became a routine to you every day and you never once, didn’t fail to stop listening to his songs. Eventually you started to like his singing and his voice. You didn’t finish that page of your book ever since he started to sing. You once noticed that he was singing the song that you liked too. You jammed to that song inside your head.

One day as he was giving you his free concert, another man got on the train and sat beside you. The new person, told the man before you to stop sing. That man got embarrassed and apologised. He didn’t even hum the entire ride. You came back to your book and noticed that you forgot what the story was so, you had to come back a few pages and read it again. To be honest, you felt bad for the singer. The entire ride was really quiet and… dull. You got down at your stop and looked at the man one last time and headed to your office.

The next day also the singer stayed silent and the new man sat beside you. You didn’t even hear the man hum. He was silent that day too… and the day after… and after… he stopped singing.

One day, you were on the same place as usual and the singing man sat opposite of you. The stranger sat beside you like always. You really didn’t mind but… then you felt his shoulder touching you. You noticed that he was sitting closer to you than before. You carefully moved a bit till your shoulders weren’t touching. But after a few minutes, your shoulders brushed again. You didn’t like how a person was touching you. You moved again and after few minutes you noticed the person touching you again! You gulped and you followed your instincts.

You sat beside the man opposite to you and he noticed you now. He didn’t mind you sitting there until he noticed that the other man also made his way towards you and sat real close to you. Now, you don’t have place to move. You frowned at how that jerk kept doing that. You were about to say something but then you saw that the singing man, stood abruptly and glared at the other man.

“Don’t you have shame? She doesn’t like it. Stop it or else do you want me to break your hand?”, that man clicked his tongue and left the train as soon as the doors opened. You smiled at the singer and said, “Thankyou so much”. To which he just smiled and took his spot.

Things were silent and then he said you, “I… I am sorry, I didn’t notice it first”.

“No, its not your fault”, you replied as you smiled at him. You continued, “I really don’t like the rush hours because of people like this. But I guess, for them, the time really doesn’t affect”.

“I’m sorry to hear that”, he said and you indicated no.

“You aren’t the one who did that. Don’t apologise”, you said as you got up and continued “Its my stop. I’ll go. bye”

He watched your form leave. Just like every day. You didn’t knew. But he also noticed you. But only when you left.

The next day, you sat in your spot and waited. The singer came and sat opposite to you. He smiled at you and you returned the same.

“You know”, you said and he looked at you as he listened carefully. “You sing well. Don’t let that person’s words get to you”

He gasped and his eyes opened wide. His cheeks turned red.

“So, you didn’t knew you were singing out this whole time? You sang from the first day you started to take this train”, you chuckled as you said that.

“Oh noo… I really didn’t knew I was singing every day. I’m sorry I did that. I must have disturbed you”, you whined as he held his head by his hands and placed his elbows on his knees.

“But… I did enjoy the free concert”, you said as he blushed even more.

"Oh god.... it so weird", he said looking at you.

"Why? How is it weird. Many people tend to sing like that", you closed your book and placed your elbows on your knees as you looked at him.

He covered his face and replied, "No... not that...", he sighed and replied, "you saying you liked my singing... its weird. Everyone says I suck at it. But... this is different"

"Owh! So rude... you aren't so bad. They just... need to listen to you more", you told him as you leaned back.

"Tha...thankyou. you are so kind", he said as he smiled. You asked about some of the songs that you liked while he sang and he answered everything to you. Then you got down at your stop and went to office.

The talking about music then changed to movies, then books. He wasn't much of a reader but he heard about the stories and stuff from his other friends and was really interested while you were talking about them.

After some days, you both sat beside each other while you both listened to music while you shared headphones.

You recommend him a few songs and he instantly got hooked on all of them. Exchanged phone numbers made you guys even closer and the meetings on the train while you went to jobs were becoming even more special.

One morning as usual you talked but... he seemed a bit restless.

"What happened? Are you okay?", you asked him as he just stayed silent. He looked down at his shoes and avoided to look at you.

"Jabra, if you wont tell me, I can't know. Tell me if something is bothering you", you said as he straightened his back and looked at you.

"I don't feel so good today... I feel like something bad is going to happen and I just... can't get rid of this feeling", he confessed.

"Oh no! Why? Don't worry. Nothing will happen to you. You'll stay safe. I'll pray", you assured him but he shook his head no.

"I'm not... talking about myself.... I'm talking about... you, Y/N", he looked deep into your eyes.

You chuckled and said, "Me? Don't worry. Nothing will happen. I'll be fine", you said assuring him.

He smiled weakly and said, "Yeah... maybe I'm over thinking"

You patted his shoulder and got up. You got out of the train and waved bye to him. But... even if you said you were going to be fine, Jabra just couldn't get the uncertain feeling out of his heart and mind.

That evening, as work piled up, you had to stay late and work a bit more. Jabra messaged you a few times and you replied saying you were fine.

That night at 11 pm you started to go towards the station alone. The streets were a bit too empty and you felt like the traffic would be much better than this. You then got an idea and opened your phone.

'CALL SINGER', Your phone displayed and you hit the green button. He almost immediately picked it up and asked you whether you were okay or not. You giggled and said you were fine.

"So... did you eat?", he asked

"Nope... i actually am leaving the office now-"

"WHAT! NOW! Y/N. I told you the area where you were working isn't safe after dark. Why didn't you listen?", he didn't let you finish and started to worry about you.

"Jabra, listen. My boss gave me work, while I was about to leave. So I had no choice. It's not like I didn't listen to you", you pout as he clicked his tongue.

"Tsk... I really want to talk to that stupid boss of yours. How could he make you stay so late"

"Just let it be... I... just wanted to talk to you", you said as you gulped hearing footsteps... getting closer to you.

"Y/N what happened?", he sensed your distress and asked you.

"I... it might be my imagination but... I thought I could hear... footsteps?", you whispered as you kept walking.

"Y/N... listen to me carefully. Don't turn back. Just keep walking and make use of your senses and don't turn off the phone. Keep it on even if you aren't talking to me", he said.

"I am not able to hear them anymore but... Jabra... I'm scared", you told him the truth.

"Y/N don't be. Don't cry. Put on a brave front. I'm coming", he said as you heard his door closing. He was really coming for you now and this time... you were sure you heard the footsteps again.

You reached the station and noticed that someone was definitely following you. You told jabra and he said to quicken your pace and get on the train. You did as he told you and you heard the footsteps running after you. You ran towards the train and just as you made it in then the doors closed. Then you saw the person who ran after you.

Your eyes widened as you saw his face. He was the same guy who harassed you on the train a few weeks ago.  He had a sinister looking grin on his face as he indicated an indecent hand gesture.

Tears slid down your cheeks as you kept eye contact with him and the train moved forward.

"Y/N! Y/N! Y/N! TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED? DID YOU GET ON THE TRAIN? Y/N PLEASE ANSWER! PLEASE", you noticed that you didn't answer Jabra and he was having a panic attack.

"Jabra... I got on the train but I ... I saw him", you said between sobs.

"Who was it?"

"That pervert from the other day. You also saw him. He looked so sinister Jabra... I can't even explain", you cried as you told him.

His didn't know how to feel. Was he supposed to be relieved that you escaped for now or was he supposed to feel sad that you were crying.

He knew one thing for sure... He was hella angry at that asshole for making you so scared and cry.

After travelling alone for a few minutes and crying on the phone, you then saw that Jabra was waiting on a stop for you. You ran out of the train and hugged him tight as he also held you close. He wasn't going to forgive himself for letting you experience that alone. He was mad at himself for not being there for you, when you needed him the most. He held you as if you were going to disappear if he let you go.

Jabra then dropped you at your home on his bike as you still hugged him. The adrenaline was still making your hands shiver even after you reached your house. You let him stay at your place for that night. But you couldn't sleep for a long time. That experience was terrifying. But as he soothingly caressed your hair, you fell asleep.

He didn’t had a small crush on you. It was already love for him. He wanted to take you out on dates and dinner. Wanted to see you smile. Wanted to come to your house and hug you while you slept… But he didn’t wanted that to happen like this. This was heart breaking for him.

The next day, you took the day off and curled in your blanket. Jabra already left, after leaving a note. You were alone in your house. Then you got a message from Jabra, with a link. You opened it and saw that, a killer and rapist was arrested and sent to jail. Tears rolled down your cheek as you saw that.

Then you pressed the call button and in a few rings, Jabra picked up.

“Y/N! I’m sorry, I had to leave but-”

“Thankyou! Thank you so much”, you didn’t let him finish his sentence and thanked him.

“Don’t cry my dear. It’s okay now. He is in jail and… he will never ever hurt you or anyone else again”, he said as you sniffed.

Actually, after you fell asleep, Jabra left the house and searched for that man. After finding him, he beat him up and handed him over to the police.

You called him over to your place and as he reached the door you wrapped your arms around his shoulders and squeezed him tight. He blushed hard at your sudden hug but still he embraced you. You pulled him into the house and closed the door.

You took his hand and said, “I love you”, his eyes widened at your words. “And don’t mistake it for gratitude or something else. I really liked you from a long time. But the way… you”, your tears returned to you as you continued, “Prioritize me and give importance to me is just… truly beautiful”, you got closer to him and added, “I… love you. Will you go out with me?”

“YES! YES! YES I love you too!” he also exclaimed and hugged you tight. Then you pulled back a bit to see his face then placed your hand on the back of his neck.

“Can I?” you asked him as he turned like a tomato and nodded. You brought him closer to you and kissed him gently. He wiped the tears on your cheek with one of his hand and the other stayed between your shoulder blades. You ran your fingers in his hair as the other caressed his back. Your actions sent shivers up and down his spine. You two broke the kiss for air and looked into each other’s eyes. You pressed your foreheads together and smiled as you pecked his cheek. This felt magical. With him, it was always different and beautiful. You thanked your stars for making him meet you.

XOXOXOXO

OMG!! I am so in love with them now. Please help me. I hope you enjoyed these One shots. Like I promised, they aren't just a few lines or scribbles.  Comment your favourite among these?

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[homeformyheart]

bucket list - all pairings (twc)

author’s note: i woke up one morning with the thought of what would each UB RO do if they found out the detective had a bucket list because they thought they might die soon from all the supernatural activity, and we’ll all have to thank @pearlsandsteel, @kelseaaa, @wayhavenots, and @ohnobbwhatisyoudoing for bullying encouraging me to do this (if you don’t like it, blame them; if you like it, thank them). hope you all enjoy!

copyright: all characters, except the oc detectives, are owned by mishka jenkins @seraphinitegames. series/pairing: the wayhaven chronicles – all pairings (6 detectives) rating/warnings: 14+; minor angst based on/prompt: inspired by the movie a walk to remember word count: ~3.5k words in total (~500-700 words per pairing) summary: the detective has a bucket list of things they’d like to do before they die (these are all canon stories). each pairing is featured in a ~500-700 word drabble.

1. adam du mortain x detective lyra kingston x nate sewell (LT) 2. mason x detective ria knight 3. nate sewell x detective cassie knight 4. felix hauville x detective harley bishop** 5. adam du mortain x detective regina bishop** 6. mason x detective brooklyn kingston**

** the ones with asterisks have little easter eggs / connection to other prompt fills / fics i’ve written for those pairings. bonus points if you can figure out what they are before you get to the end of those!

and tell me which one you liked best / least 👀 (i need to know your angst thresholds for research).

bucket list

1. adam du mortain x detective lyra kingston x nate sewell (LT) (~600 words)

lyra rummaged through the drawer of her nightstand, tossing out old receipts, rubber bands, and other random knick-knacks that she really didn’t need but kept anyway “just in case.” her fingers finally wrapped around a thick card-sized envelope and she yanked it out of the drawer triumphantly, instantly recognizing the pale yellow color and her name written on the outside.

a knock on the door made her spin around and instinctively hide the card behind her back. nate opened the door, leaning casually against the doorway, and smiled gently at her in a way that made her forget she was supposed to be annoyed with him for how secretive he was.

“did you find what you were looking for?”

lyra nodded before walking out into the living room and sitting down on the couch. she patted the seat to her left and nate obliged, sitting close enough that their thighs touched. she did her best to ignore adam from where he was standing just a few feet away. he had insisted on coming with them to retrieve lyra’s belongings, for added protection and since nate couldn’t drive.

“it’s the card my dad wrote for me when i was born,” she said quietly, her usual energy tempered. “it’s been a while since i’ve read it.”

her fingers trembled as she opened the flap of the envelope and slid the plain white card out, the only embellishment being a simple watercolor of a few hydrangeas on the front.

nate hesitantly wrapped an arm around lyra’s waist, moving slowly and watching carefully for any signs that it would be unwelcome in the moment. he relaxed when lyra instinctively leaned towards him, the subtle shift in her body language not going unnoticed by a certain commanding agent from his station by the window.

“will you tell me about it?” nate asked softly, seeming to have forgotten they weren’t alone.

lyra opened the card and ran her fingers down rook’s scrawl-like handwriting. she swallowed heavily to keep the tears stinging her eyes at bay.

“nothing to tell really, he wrote stuff about how much he loved me already and couldn’t wait to show me the world,” she said quietly, her voice breaking. she cleared her throat. “he wrote a list of things he wanted me to experience.”

she grabbed a pen from her purse and proceeded to cross out items on the list, stopping only to circle the last one.

fall in love

nate leaned in closer, running his finger down the list of crossed out words before pausing on the last one and looking up at lyra quizzically.

her throat was suddenly dry. she dropped her gaze towards her lap. “bobby doesn’t count,” she whispered. “that wasn’t love. my dad would want me to be with someone who loves me for me.”

nate tilted her chin up with a finger so she was looking into his eyes again. “i hope one day i could be that someone,” nate murmured, tucking a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.

lyra’s breath caught in her throat and she blushed under his intense glaze. “well, you’re certainly, um,” she paused and glanced away to collect herself, making eye contact with adam inadvertently. her body tensed subconsciously, warring with itself to stay in nate’s warmth and ignore adam’s magnetic pull.

she tore her eyes away from the pained look on adam’s face and forced a smile.

“you make it easy, nate,” she said, her own smile growing genuinely in response to nate’s, despite the soft bitter edge in her voice and how it cut through adam like a knife.

* * * * * 2. mason x detective ria knight (~560 words)

ria clutched a crumpled up note in one hand and a lit cigarette in the other, the thin paper disintegrating rapidly as she inhaled deeply, letting the smoke burn the back of her throat and lungs until she couldn’t take it anymore. her head fell back against the gate as she exhaled, the cloud of smoke stinging her eyes since she refused to close them.

just tell him.

“tell me what?” a gruff voice broke through the haze and made her blink. she hadn’t realized she said anything out loud.

she carefully schooled her features with a look of indifference as she crushed the cigarette under her foot.

“bold of you to assume i was referring to you,” she shrugged, turning to walk the short distance to the warehouse.

mason fell into step beside her, an easy silence settling over them both. ria kept crinkling the paper in her hand with her thumb, crumpling and uncrumpling it over and over again, glancing at it every so often until they were in the living room.

if mason was curious about what was on the piece of paper, he didn’t show it.

“what do you have there, ria?” felix’s eager voice brought ria’s attention back to the present and she inwardly groaned.

felix was the last person she wanted around right now. he was too observant for his own good.

“a bucket list,” she muttered, crumpling the paper inside a tight fist.

“what’s a bucket list?” the younger vampire asked.

ria sighed. “it’s a list that people make of things they want to do before they die,” she said, her voice so uncharacteristically soft that mason almost wondered if he had misheard. “i know my life is in constant danger, so i thought it might help to make sure i write down what’s important to me.”

felix’s mouth parted in surprise, but mason interrupted before he could say anything. “what’s on the list?” he asked gruffly, though not unkindly.

ria gave him a long, hesitant look. “i wanted to show you my dad’s grave. catch him up on everything,” she said, her gaze dropping. “it’s been a while since i’ve gone to see him.”

“name the time and place, sweetheart,” mason said quietly, the weight of his words washing over her and softening her features. he stepped closer to her, even though felix would be able to hear everything he said anyway. “you’re not dying on my watch.”

she swallowed the snarky, defensive retort that sat on the tip of her tongue. “thank you,” she mouthed silently instead.

“is there anything else on your list?” felix asked, stepping closer to ria.

she quickly pulled her hand behind her back and walked past him. “nothing important,” she snapped, tossing the crumpled ball of paper into the trash before heading to her room.

felix exchanged a knowing look with mason and dug the ball out of the trash, carefully uncrumpling it.

“this isn’t much of a list, there are only two things on here,” he said, trying to smooth out the paper so he could read her handwriting.

mason snatched the paper before felix could read the rest of it, skimming over the words himself, brows furrowing tighter before he let it drop to the floor. felix picked it up as mason stormed out of the warehouse, reading the only other thing that ria had written on her bucket list:

tell mason i love him.

* * * * * 3. nate sewell x detective cassie knight (~600 words)

cassie grabbed a tissue from the box on her coffee table, wiping her tears furiously as the credits of the movie they had finished watching began rolling on the screen. nate turned off the television with a smile, wrapping an arm around cassie and pulling her closer until she was practically in his lap.

“i thought you’ve seen this movie before,” he teased, rubbing his hand soothingly up and down her arm.

cassie elbowed him playfully. “don’t judge me. i love the book but the movie always gets me, especially when he helps her finish her bucket list.”

“i can honestly say i prefer the book,” he said, genuinely surprised to see this side of cassie.

he hadn’t seen her this at ease in a long time, maybe ever. she looked comfortable and content, despite her puffy eyes and red nose, all of which he found absolutely endearing.

“the nathaniel sewell, connoisseur of historical tomes and vintage novels, read a nicholas sparks’ romance novel?”

it was cassie’s turn to be surprised.

things were still relatively new between them, but not for lack of effort. the steady stream of missions and supernatural activity in wayhaven kept them both far too busy for comfort. and when they weren’t on missions, she still had a lot of work at the station and nate always had mission-related paperwork and research to do.

it shouldn’t have been a surprise that there wasn’t much they knew of each other when it came to personal quirks and guilty pleasures, but nate wanted to know more.

nate’s gaze dropped at cassie’s inquiring look. “i—um, dated someone a while ago who really enjoyed his books and i thought reading them would help.”

he could almost see the gears turning in her head as her eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

“i could see why you might think it would make someone fall in love with you,” she said finally, a wistful distance settling into her eyes. “bobby liked to compare himself to noah calhoun from the notebook.”

nate felt his entire body tense and he had to clench his jaw to keep from violently flinching. just the thought of that reporter and how he had mistreated cassie was enough to make his blood boil.

“you said you liked the part where landon helps jamie with her bucket list. do you have one?” nate asked, trying to turn the conversation back to a safer topic.

cassie’s eyes widened slightly in confusion before she realized what nate was doing and gave him a grateful smile. “i do, actually. i’ve been meaning to update it,” she said, reaching for a leather-bound journal resting on the coffee table and flipping to a page in the back.

“may i?” he asked, noting the flicker of hesitation darkening her green eyes for a fraction of a second before she nodded.

nate took the journal from her and skimmed the list. it mostly comprised of things he thought were consistent with how thoughtful cassie was, but the second-to-last item stole the breath from his lungs in a painful way.

live to 30

he put the journal down before grabbing both of her hands. “i will do everything in my power to keep you safe, i promise. you will get to live beyond thirty,” he said, his eyes flashing with a seriousness that was rarely directed at her.

“then i will look forward to the day i can cross that one out,” cassie said, giving him a warm smile.

nate felt his breath return to him as cassie settled against his side once more, her warmth reminding him to cherish these rare moments they shared.

* * * * * 4. felix hauville x detective harley bishop (~500 words)

harley scanned the legal pad in front of her, two-thirds of it filled out with various experiences and things she wanted to do sooner rather than later. it took meeting felix and the rest of unit bravo for her to realize that she had become very content and complacent with her life. felix’s enthusiasm for this world made her want to explore and experience things.

but more than anything, hayley wanted to feel alive.

the trappers had become more brazen and the number of close-calls in the past few weeks didn’t sit well with her. she never really had any personal ambition or dreams, but she knew now that she wanted more moments with felix.

she looked down at the list that seemed to keep growing by the hour.

show felix the grotto

take felix camping

learn how to cook one dish

a knock on her door, followed by the sight of felix’s head peeking around the doorframe made her look up.

“hey babe, what are you up to?” he asked, clambering on top of her bed to get as close to her as possible.

“i’m just putting together a bucket list of things i want to do while i still have the chance,” she replied, trying to keep her voice light.

felix lifted his head from her shoulder so he could study her face. she made a point of avoiding eye contact as she held up the legal pad.

“these are some of my favorite spots in wayhaven,” harley said, her finger running down between the numbers three and ten. “i want to make sure that you get to see them.”

“and i can’t wait. but we have plenty of time for that babe,” felix said, wrapping his arm around her waist and tugging her closer. “i promise.”

“but what if we don’t?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “i want to make sure you don’t forget me.”

truthfully, that was what really had been bothering her the past few weeks. harley worried that compared to felix’s eternal life, hers was not only insignificant, but also incredibly boring.  

he gently cupped her face in his hands. “i would never want to forget you. and we’re going to be together for a very long time, okay?”

she nodded and mustered a small smile. “okay,” she said, a warm flush spreading from the touch of his skin on her face through her body.

he gave her a soft kiss before grabbing the legal pad from her hands. “i want to add stuff to the list too. things i want to do with you,” he said, his cheerful energy rubbing off on her as she handed him a pen.

she rested her chin on his shoulder this time, so she could watch as he scribbled a few things near the bottom. they were mostly ideas for different types of date activities, but the last thing he wrote made her lift her head and freeze.

tell harley i love her.

harley looked at felix, stunned, to find him smiling softly at her. “one day, really soon,” he murmured, his eyes shining before his lips enveloped hers in a kiss. and she knew that day couldn’t come soon enough.

reference fic: camping.

* * * * * 5. adam du mortain x detective regina bishop (~570 words)

regina watched adam play with their children from where she was sitting on the porch, pretending that ten-year-old jacques and seven-year-old cecilia were able to pin him to the ground. she smiled as their youngest, four-year-old philip, waddled over and placed a fistful of daisies on adam’s face, before sitting down and rearranging them with a look of concentration on his round face.

she let herself bask in the moment of happiness that she knew would be fleeting, before looking down at the journal on her lap. she pulled out the worn sheet of paper tucked away in the middle, covered in hasty scribbles and crossed-out words on each layer of sticky notes, a bucket list she made years ago and continued to update.

tell adam i love him

get married

build a house by the sea

revive the du mortain line

raise our family together

regina smiled as she quickly skimmed over the crinkled pile of notes, sifting through them carefully so as not to further wear down the adhesive before she got near the bottom and pulled out a bright green-colored sticky note with only one thing written on it. all the other notes in the pile were pink and blue because she had wanted this one to stand out so she could easily find it.

turn?

don’t turn?

decide whether to turn

her smile faded. it hadn’t taken long to work through everything else she put on her bucket list. even the ones that took considerable effort (and really, it was mainly getting adam to come around to having kids), she was able to accomplish through sheer stubbornness and determination. but this last one was different.

regina was afraid to bring it up with adam and she knew he wouldn’t bring it up first. she knew him well enough by now that he would insist that this needed to be her decision and hers alone and refuse to influence her either way. but because she understood him better than he understood himself most days, she also knew that her death might break him and return him to an even darker and more repressed version of himself than before.

a sudden darkness brought her attention back up to meet a pair of wavering green eyes. her gaze flicked past him to note the children still playing together in the yard before meeting his again as he sat down next to her, reaching over to clasp his hand over hers.

“your bucket list?” he asked, with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

when he first found out she had created one, under the assumption that she could die at any moment, he was unsurprisingly fearful, and remained simultaneously distant and protective for a long while. it did, however, help spark the conversation between them about having children.

regina nodded. “i still can’t believe i managed to accomplish all the things i’ve written down over the years. i just really have one thing left to figure out.”

adam intertwined his fingers with hers and stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. the small circles he drew seemed to relieve some of the tension in both of their shoulders.

“whatever you decide,” he said finally, a noticeable strain in his voice. “i will respect it.”

“thank you,” she responded quietly, a thick tension sending a chill over them both despite the bright and warm sun and the laughter of their children surrounding them.

reference fic: cottage by the sea.

* * * * * 6. mason x detective brooklyn kingston (~530 words)

mason leaned against the side of brooklyn’s desk as they turned off their computer and pulled out a loose sheet of paper.

“what’s that?” he asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

things had been relatively calm in town and even though the quiet made adam tense and stern, mason enjoyed the reprieve. especially since it meant that he got to spend more time with brooklyn. they had threatened to quit the team and move out of town not that long ago, but had yet to follow through.

he wasn’t going to question them on it. he had already made it clear that he would follow them to the end.

“a bucket list,” they replied distractedly, not even bothering to look up at him. “a list of things i want to do before i leave wayhaven.”

mason raised an eyebrow. so they were still planning to leave. he leaned over and let his finger land on the sheet, pinning it to the desk.

“this is an ambitious list,” he remarked as he scanned the list of thirty things or so, most of which had been crossed out.

they lifted his finger and swatted his hand away before smoothing out the page. “are you doubting me?”

“i’d never do that, brooks,” he said, pulling a cigarette from his pocket. “come on, i’ll take you home.”

“i’m going to dinner at verda’s and he’ll take me home after. i’ll see you tomorrow,” brooklyn said quickly, grabbing the cigarette from his fingers and tossing it into the trash can under their desk.

“i should make you start paying for those,” he growled playfully.

brooklyn chuckled. “or you could stop buying them. now get going so i can finish up here.”

he smirked and leaned in close enough that they could trace the freckles on his face with their nose if they leaned forward just a little.

“do i get a kiss before i go?” he asked with a smirk on his face, his gaze focused on their lips.

their eyes flicked down to his lips and back up to his grey eyes, the playfulness simmering behind a seriousness that made their breath catch. they tilted their head slightly and leaned forward to press their lips to his, letting his wrap around theirs for a brief second before pulling away.

“goodbye, mason,” they murmured, smiling gently at him, hoping the ache in their chest wasn’t visible in any way.

mason’s eyes fluttered open and his heartbeat thudded in his ears, the sound becoming more familiar each time they kissed. this time, however, brooklyn’s lips felt different and not in any way that he could pinpoint. mason’s eyes searched theirs, confused but unable to figure out exactly why he felt so uneasy.

after a moment, he shrugged and got up from their desk, turning back to nod at them once before heading out. brooklyn’s smile faded and they looked over their list one more time. the few they had left were ones they had planned on knocking out that evening, starting with verda and his family.

they just hadn’t expected to complete the last item so soon:

say goodbye to mason.

reference fic: menage

* * * * * permatag: @kelseaaa; @kat-tia801; @anotherbeingsworld; @crackerdumortain; @pearlsandsteel; @gloynporslen; @writer-ish; @sosolenoo; @alyssalauren; @fhauvilles; @wayhavenots; @gingerbreton; @takemyopenheart; nate x detective: @missameliep;

[tiffdawg]

Two Halves | A Javier Peña x Reader Oneshot

Gif: @bestintheparsec​

Pairing: Javier Peña x Reader (fem; no y/n)

Word Count: 2.1k

Rating: T | Warnings: A dash of angst but only to make the fluff sweeter. Alcohol. 

Request: Part of the 500 Celebration! @jigglemiwa requested 49 (You’re the best part of me) or 42 (You keep that photo of us in your wallet?) from this list with Javier Peña. I thought these were great prompts so I used both! Thank you for the request – this was so much fun to write!

A/N: This is so soft y’all. I was blushing while I wrote it. 

Read on AO3

My Masterlist

… . …

Two Halves

It was like any other night after a long day of work. You were at the usual bar a few blocks away from the embassy apartment complex with a warming glass of tequila cradled between your hands. Javier sat next to you, his discarded jacket thrown over the back of his barstool, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and tie hanging loose around his neck. He looked as tired and disheveled as you felt.

It was a quiet evening, both in the bar where a few other patrons milled about, nursing drinks and chatting idly with whoever would listen, and between you and your partner. Or, former partner. That was what made that night unique: it was your last night together in Bogotá.

Now that the Cali Cartel had folded in on itself, the DEA’s presence in Colombia was downsizing and most attachés were transferring elsewhere. You had a lucrative offer for a position in Mexico. And yet, you were wavering as an inexplicable bout of indecision kept you from making a final call about your future. You’d thought that the last day of work would bring some sense of closure or light a fire under you that would make your decision easier. But it hadn’t. Even then, as you traced the rim of your glass, you couldn’t make up your mind. You were much too busy stealing glances at the man sitting next to you.

As for Javier Peña, his job was done, and he was going home. When he asked you to grab a drink with him that night, you’d expected he would be in a bit of a celebratory spirit. Instead, he was in one of his introspective moods, preferring to sit quietly next to you as he lost himself in his own mind. You doubted he’d ever admit it, but you knew he preferred to have someone by his side, even in moments like that. And if you were being honest with yourself, so did you – especially if it was him.

So, the two of you fell into an old, familiar silence broken only by a deep baritone crooning in Spanish that crackled softy through an old radio behind the bar. You weren’t paying close enough attention to make out the lyrics but if you had to guess, he was probably singing about love. They always were. 

Javier sighed at the last sip of tequila in his glass before downing it. As if he’d been waiting for his cue, the bartender appeared and asked if he wanted another round. Javier turned to you with a raised brow.

You finished off the last of your drink and set your empty glass next to his. You’d had a couple of drinks over as many hours. You could get away with one more. “Why not?” 

While the bartender made your drinks, you watched Javier as he leaned against the counter, head held in one hand as he traced the veins of the wood with the pad of his finger. He’d been contemplating something the entire night and had yet to work out a solution to his problem. And it weighed heavily on his mind. You couldn’t figure out what was bothering him so much. His job was over. That heavy burden he’d been carrying around for years had been lifted from his shoulders and he was free from the DEA. Even if he’d never said it out loud before, you knew that was what he wanted deep down. He should’ve been happy.

Just as you opened your mouth to ask him what was wrong, a pair of drinks were placed in front you. You thanked the bartender and pulled your glass toward you. As always, Javier reached for his wallet to pay the tab. And, as always, you tried to stop him.

“Javi, you don’t–” 

“I want to,” he insisted, cutting you off before you could protest, “It’s our last night out together, cariño.”

Your cheeks warmed at his favorite name for you. It never seemed to lose its effect on you. Of course, you would’ve preferred it if he meant its true sentiment. And while you didn’t want to admit to yourself that it was the last night you would spend with him, he was finally talking, so you tried to make light of the situation. “Can you believe that? That it’s all over?”

He only shook his head, his face pinching in a slight scowl, as he counted out the correct payment and a generous tip. As he sorted through his cash, something fell from between two crisp bills. You recognized it immediately: it was a photo strip from an old camera booth. The film was faded and bent, well-worn and maybe even well loved. As if It had been hidden away in his wallet for a while, but repeatedly handled. In fact, you could’ve guessed just how long he’d been carrying it around down to the day.

“You keep those photos of us in your wallet?” you asked, your voice not quite hiding your disbelief, as you gently picked up the photo strip. It was a lost memory from one drunken night out when the two of you were trying to unwind after a particularly bad day. In each of the two frames, the two of you were grinning. First, happily at the camera – or, at least, in the general direction of the camera – and then at each other. 

“I just– I like to look at it sometimes. When, you know–” Javier stumbled, clearly caught off guard. “It’s stupid.” 

“No, it’s not,” you assured. You tore your eyes from your smiling faces in the photos to look at him, silently pleading for him to continue with a careful hand on his arm.

He faltered for a moment, his mouth opening and closing a few times before he finally spoke. “It helps when you’re not around. I don’t know what I’m going to do without you keeping me in line all the time. Sometimes I look at you and I– I know what I need to do.” He finally looked at you, his dark eyes shining with some new emotion. “You make me want to be better. Hell, you’re the best part of me.” 

“Javi,” you sighed as you blinked away the unwanted tears blurring your vision. 

“I know I shouldn’t say that–”

“No. No, you don’t understand.” The two of you regarded each other for a drawn-out breath. He watched you carefully, waiting for you to explain, as you racked your brain for the right words. Coming up short, you swallowed hard and tried a different approach. “Can I show you something?”

His brows furrowed adorably at you and you resisted the urge to laugh. Reaching for your purse, you took your own wallet and shuffled through the crumpled bills until you found what you were searching for.

You gingerly set the last two frames of the photo strip on the counter, aligning the torn edge perfectly with Javier’s photos to complete the picture. “I like to keep you close too,” you said softly. “Sometimes I– I need you.” 

Javier’s expression shifted into some mix of shock and awe that looked rather foreign on him as he considered your statement and the completed photo strip laid out before him. In the back of your mind, you’d always wondered if the torn edge on yours matched with a second set of photos. Together, the four frames told the story of one stolen moment as it unfolded between the two of you. In an almost reverent gesture, he picked up your half and ran his thumb over the last frame. It was a blurry black and white photo of him cradling your face as he pressed his lips to yours.

“I kissed you?” he asked breathlessly.

“Apparently,” you said with a nervous laugh that was more of a sigh. “Don’t feel bad. We’d had a few too many that night. I don’t remember it either.”

“I wish I did,” he mumbled. When he faced you again, he almost looked hurt. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I was scared,” you answered with a shrug. “I didn’t know if you remembered. And if you did, you never said anything about it, so I thought you might’ve wanted to forget.”

“Cariño, I don’t think you understand,” he sighed, running a hand over his mouth as he placed your half under his again before turning his body toward yours. “I’ve been sitting here all night trying to figure out how to tell you that I love you.”

The chill that ran down your spine was followed by the sweetest warmth spreading from your chest throughout your body. And the tiniest oh escaped past your parted lips at his confession. “I think you just did.”

“I guess so,” he beamed as a look of relief washed over him. “I love you,” he said easily.

“I love you too, Javier,” you promised, finally speaking those words aloud to him you’d felt in your heart for so long.

You both moved at the same instant, leaning in to crash your lips together in a long-awaited second kiss. One neither of you would forget. As his hands cupped your face to hold you near, your lips came together and pulled apart again and again, you smiled into his kiss at the thought that the two of you must’ve looked just as you did in that photo you cherished so much.

“What?” he asked, leaning away just enough to look at you.

“Nothing. I’m just really happy,” you said wetly. You’d wanted that – wanted him – for so long. You’d all but resigned yourself to the idea that the photo of a kiss you didn’t remember was the closest you’d ever get to the real thing. But the real thing was so much better than you ever could’ve imagined. “I’m always happy when I’m with you.”

“I know what you mean.” When he spoke next, his tone shifted to something more serious. “Wherever you go next, I’ll follow.” Javier knew about your job offer. You’d attempted to solicit his advice about it on numerous occasions. Only then did his reluctance to help you make sense. “I just want to be with you, mi amor.”

You knew he was sincere. You heard it in his steady voice. Saw it in his determined eyes. And felt it in your heart. There would be no separating the two of you now. As you took in the tired lines of his handsome face, you knew exactly what you wanted the future to look like for the both of you. All of your doubt and indecision faded away as you finally allowed yourself to ask for what you wanted most. 

“I want out,” you admitted with an exhausted exhalation. “I don’t want to go to Mexico or anywhere else they might try to send me. I want to go home, Javi. I want to go home with you.”

Without another word, he picked up the two halves of the photo strip and tucked them both safely in his wallet. For some reason, you doubted you would get yours back. Then he stood and held out a hand to you. “Let’s get out of here.”

“That’s not what I meant,” you teased, rolling your eyes even as you slipped your hand into his.

“I know what you meant,” he scoffed as he led you out of the bar and toward. “We have plans to make. Together.”

“I like the sound of that,” you said around a smile as you leaned into his side.

“Although,” Javier drawled as he stopped walking and pulled you into him with two strong hands on your hips, “We definitely need to make up for lost time.” He nuzzled his nose against yours before capturing your bottom lip between his plush ones. It was a kiss so soft and slow it made you dizzy. He was intoxicating in a whole new way. Better than the finest alcohol. And you’d happily drink him in as long as you could.

“I think we can multitask,” you quipped, in between heated kisses. He hummed his agreement but made no move to part from you. The two of you stayed like that for a long time, kissing under the golden beam of a streetlight on a quiet road in Bogotá. It would’ve made for a lovely photograph.

In the end, you never got your half of the photo back from him. But it didn’t matter. Years later, that photo strip sat framed on the nightstand next to your shared bed with a single piece of clear tape forever mending the two halves.

... . ...

Thank you for reading!

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