#I’ll probably do the other mini bosses soon

[oneofthosenightbees]

Old doodle I did while I was figuring out Gusions design

[in1-nutshell]

Optimus Prime adopting a sparkling with reactions from the Decepticons

Continuation of last request.

Optimus adopting a sparkling reactions from Autobots

SFW, Platonic, Familial, Cybertronain reader

G1

Lately there had been more Decepticon activity than usual, meaning less time for Buddy to spend time with Optimus.

He tried to spend his free time with Buddy, but he was so tired.

“Hey Prime—Woah…”--Bumblebee

 Optimus faceplanted on a book while Buddy was watching something on the datapad.

“I should probably go get Ratchet.”--Bumblebee

Optimus snapping awake.

“Don’t do that!”--Optimus

“Prime!”—Bumblebee

Startled sparkling noises.

“Sorry about that.”--Optimus

“Oh, it’s okay Optimus. No harm done. Hi Buddy!”—Bumblebee

Buddy waving.

“But please don’t tell Ratchet. I haven’t slept in 2 decacycles and I think he’s onto me…”--Optimus

Buddy soon started to notice that everyone else was becoming more and more tired by the day. Their regular babysitters looked tired every time it was their turn to handle Buddy. Not having much energy to deal with a sparkling. Buddy regularly started spending more time with the Dinobots, which they were happy to have Buddy over.

“Hey Grimlock, I brought Buddy over.”--Wheeljack

“Hmmm… Why Tiny Buddy come so much now?”--Grimlock

“Well Optimus and some of the others are taking more patrol shifts after the recent Con activity in the area.”--Wheeljack

“So…”--Grimlock

We cant take care of them right now Grimlock. That’s why we need you guys to watch Buddy until we come back.”--Wheeljack

Oh, Me Grimlock understand now.”--Grimlock

“Thank you—”--Wheeljack

“Buddy is Grimlock sparkling now!”--Grimlock

“WHAT NO—”--Wheeljack

“Dinobot’s who say Tiny Buddy is Grimlock sparkling say ‘eye’!”--Grimlock

“This is not up for debate Grimlock! Buddy is still—”--Wheeljack

“Eye!”--Dinobots

“5 against 1. Dinobot’s win!”--Grimlock

“Oh Primus…”--Wheeljack

Meanwhile on patrol…

Optimus suddenly stopping.

“Whats wrong Prime? See any Con’s?”--Ironhide

“It’s the Buddy tingle…”--Optimus

“Is Buddy okay?”--Bumblebee

“… I’ll need to get back to base earlier than usual.”--Optimus

But then they started getting called in.

Buddy started being left alone with Grampa Sparkplug and Spike.

One morning Buddy tried keeping Optimus from getting out of the base by holding onto his servo for dear life. Optimus simply put them back into their makeshift crib and patted their helm, gently closed the door, and walked off for his morning patrols.

Prime thought he was leaving Buddy under the supervision of the Dinobots.

He didn’t know that the Dinobots had gone with Wheeljack and Hound to go see the new outdoor museum.

The Dinobots thought that Buddy was safe in the base with Ratchet and Sparkplug.

Ratchet and Sparkplug were out in town with Hoist and Grapple getting some more spare parts for the med bay and future projects for Wheeljack.

Ratchet and Sparkplug thought Buddy was with Bumblebee, Spike, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker.

The four of them were on a scouting mission that Prime had sent them on.

Which brings us back to Buddy.

Buddy for the first time since they had been found, was all alone in the base.

Buddy tried calling for anyone to come and get them.

After a while of calling Buddy started crying.

And crying hard.

Soundwave was trying to collect his thoughts.

He was on a mission from Megatron to get some more intel on Teletran one with his mini’s.

“Man, that was easy!”--Frenzy

“I know right! How many times has that loser Spike fallen for the old ‘lost casseste player’ thing?”--Rumble

“Too many to count.”--Frenzy

“Rumble, Frenzy: Quiet.”--Soundwave

“But—”--Rumble

“Comence operation: Teletran—”--Soundwave

“WWAAAAHHHHH!”--Buddy

“What was that?”--Frenzy

“Who was that?! I thought every one left!”--Rumble

“WWWAAAHHHHH!”--Buddy

“New operation: Soundwave investigate. Ravage, Frenzy, Rumble, Lazerbeak get Teletran One information.”--Soundwave

“On it, Boss!”--Rumble

Soundwave used his telepathic powers to seek the mind who was in the base.

He was hit with a sudden wave of raw emotions.

Sadness.

Anger.

Worry.

Fear.

So much Fear.

He wasted no time going and seeing who this was.

The closer he got to the room the more he could hear the screams.

The screams sounded like a youngling.

No Autobot would start torturing natives of this planet… right?

The new blast of screams caused him to nearly rip the door from its hinges.

RRRIIIIIIPPPPPP!

“Who is there? Show your self.”--Soundwave

“WWWAAAaahh?”--Buddy

“A… sparkling?”--Soundwave

Happy sparkling noises.

“Operation: Adoption in process.”--Soundwave

Sparkling reaching upward.

“Operation Adoption: Complete. Sparkling: Mine now.”--Soundwave

“Hey, Soundwave we got the—Sweet Primus! Is that a sparkling?!”--Rumble

“Rumble: Hush.”--Soundwave

“Hey—”--Frenzy

“Shhh! Soundwave has a sparkling!”--Rumble

“A sparkling!?”--Frenzy

“Frenzy: Hush.”--Soundwave

“The Autobots left them alone?”--Frenzy

“Answer: positive.”--Soundwave

“… You’re gonna take them, aren’t you?”--Rumble

Soundwave tucking in the sparkling into his chassis.

Dad mode was activated.

As soon as he was outside of the entrance, he started hearing some of the younger Autobots coming near. Quickly putting Buddy into his Chassis, Soundwave quietly ran into the night.

Soundwave made it back to the Nemesis where he took Buddy out of his chassis along with the other cassettes.

Soundwave doesn’t know what happened in there, but it turns out the cassettes had made some sort of blood oath to look after the sparkling.

Everyone is crowding around the small family trying to get a look at the sparkling.

The minicons tried forming a protective barrier between them and the sparkling.

“Hey back up Screamer! You’ll scare the kid!”--Rumble

“How dare you—”--Stascream

Ravage and Lazerbeak standing by Buddy’s side daring the Second in Command to come closer.

“Fine… I didn’t want to see it anyways.”--Starscream

“Where did you fine the sparkling?”--Thundercracker

“Autobot base. Base empty. Sparkling only one there.”--Soundwave

“Did you get the information?”--Starscream

“Information gained successfully.”--Soundwave

“Nice, but who’s going to tell Megatron?”--Skywarp

“Whose, going to tell me what?”--Megatron

Sparkling sneezing noises.

“What…”--Megatron

The crowd was parted when Megatron entered the room. Soundwave stated what happened during his mission. Leaving Megatron a bit disgusted with his enemy.

How could Prime be so irresponsible for leaving the sparkling alone.

They even have humans that can look after the sparkling.

Well maybe not Spike, but the other ones are more competent than that one!

Now Megatron isn’t that dumb.

He knows where to draw the line in his ways, especially with new Cybertronian sparklings.

But at the same time, he wants to teach Prime a lesson.

“Soundwave, you will have custody of the sparkling until the end of the week.”--Megatron

“Affirmative.”--Soundwave

“Listen, my army! This sparkling is not to be harmed under no circumstance! They will be part of the Decepticon army until the end of the week. Some of you will be looking after the sparkling, so you better plant that idea in your processors. Now any questions?”--Megatron

“Here!”--Thundercracker

“Yes Thundercracker.”--Megatron

“Are we going to have to give the sparkling a name? Because I don’t want to call them ‘sparkling’ every single time.”--Thundercracker

“Umm…”--Megatron

“Buddy!”--Buddy

“…Did—did the kid—”--Skywarp

“Buddy! Buddy! Buddy!”--Buddy

“I guess that’s their name.”--Rumble

The Cons decide to agree to one rule: No one is going to get attached.

Right?

You have Con’s who are already building up their emotional wall higher already wishing the week would be over.

Then you have Con’s like Soundwave who are already printing out copies for sharing the custody over the sparkling.

Everyone swears not to get attached.

That is the one thing they all fail to do.

As Buddy guardian during the week, he makes sure that most of his assignments are base operated.

Megatron can deal with it until the week is over.

The minicons are the primary babysitters for the sparkling.

Rumble and Frenzy try to teach the sparkling how to rough house which ends up with both fighting each other over the best way to give someone an uppercut.

Ravage likes to take naps near the sparkling.

Lazerbeak and Buzzsaw together like giving the sparkling little flying lessons.

Ratbat likes cuddling the sparkling when they are deep asleep, he’ll leave as soon as the sparkling starts waking up.

Soundwave entering back to his habsuite after some decoding.

“Rumble. Frenzy. Where is Buddy?”--Soundwave

Soundwave sees a cuddle pile of minicons around the sleeping sparkling on his berth.

Soundwave sighs softly and joins the pile.

The Elite Trine are the ones who really give the sparkling a flying lesson.

The three of them have a timer that tells them when to give the other a chance with the sparkling.

Skywarp warps with Buddy in his arms all over the Nemesis which makes them laugh loudly. He was quickly banned from doing this after he got stuck in a wall again and Buddy nearly dropped to the floor if it weren’t for Soundwave.

Starscream tries the entire time to get the sparkling to say ‘Hail Starscream’. Somehow the sparkling says ‘Hail Megatron’ and ‘Hail Optimus’. Where did they learn those two names? He blames Skywarp.

Thundercracker being the tamer one of the group takes the sparkling out of the base and peacefully flies above the clouds and careful not to fly above Autobot territory.

Buddy on the floor drawing something on a datapad.

“Whatcha drawing Buddy?”--Skywarp

“Seek! Seek!”--Buddy

“Seek? Do you mean Seeker?”--Thundercracker

“Seek! Seek!”--Buddy

“So, they decided to draw us Elite Seekers then. Quite fitting as we are the best Seekers in the Decepticon Armada. Well, show us.”--Starscream

Buddy showing a picture of them flying through the air; Skywarp surrounded by the purple crayon, Thundercracker had thunder bolt stickers, Starscream had a little crown on him. All topped with the Con logo stamped multiple times on the pad.

“That’s a weirdly cute drawing.”--Skywarp

“Yeah—Screamer are you crying?”--Thundercracker

Starscream’s optics filling with coolant.

“N-no.”--Starscream

Blitzwing and Astrotrain are set on babysitting duty one day when Soundwave and the minicons couldn’t see to it.

The both of them swear that the sparkling is going to cry when they see them and they are going to laugh.

Two hours into ‘Titanic’ the two Cons are trying to sniffle in the coolant that is dripping down their faceplates and sparkling is laughing at the humans in the funny dresses.

“Umm… why are you guys watching ‘Titanic’?”--Thundercracker

“Shut it!”--Astrotrain

“Oh C’mon! Jack obviously didn’t steal your dumb necklace, Rose! Don’t fall for that lousy trick!”--Blitzwing

“Ha Rosey!”--Buddy

“Exactly Buddy! Rose is funny to have fallen for this lousy trick! But with the power of love and plot, she’ll figure out that out!”--Thundercracker

“…”—Astrotrain, Blitzwing, Thundercracker

“…You want to join?”--Blitzwing

“…yes.”--Thundercracker

Buddy becomes nearly enamored with the sight of Devastator.

The huge bot is just crouching and lightly poking at the sparkling’s belly as it giggles and laughs loudly.

Devestator likes this.

When he goes back into the Constructicons, the adoration doesn’t stop.

Scrapper and Scavenger make little sparkling safe toys for Buddy to play around with. All in green and purple colors. Like the little Construction they are!

Bonecrusher is a little cautious to be near Buddy thinking he would accidentally hurt them. Buddy lies to sit on his lap, where he just becomes as stiff as a statue to not hurt Buddy.

Long Haul looks after Bonecrusher so nothing bad happens to Buddy. Which is mainly fixing Buddy’s posture, so they don’t tumble off of his teammates lap.

Mixmaster is not allowed to be near Buddy without Hook nearby. Hook may not be the strongest member of the Constructicons, but he also knows that there is a higher possibility of Buddy getting a scratch with Mix. As designated medic, he has his bandages ready.

Devestator holding Buddy in the palm of his servo.

Buddy giggling.

“Devestator shedding one single tear from the cuteness

Megatron tries to sneak in extra time from other Cons, but he can’t do it.

Soundwave is serious about having his kid -er- Buddy spending time with everyone equally.

But since Megatron has a lot of things to do he has his scientist build a device similar to what human’s strap on to take their younger infants on their chassis.

So many of his soldiers have to use every amount of will power not to laugh or giggle as Megatron is giving out battle plans as the sparkling strapped to his chassis is chewing on a rust stick.

“We will attack the base here. Then we shall—”--Megatron

Buddy sneezes.

“Aww!”--Decepticons

“As I was saying, we shall then—”--Megatron

Buddy laughing loudly for no reason.

“AWW!”--Decepticons

“…We shall—”--Megatron

Buddy tanks rumbling.

“Buddy: need fueling. Commence operation: Fueling time.”--Soundwave

“…Meeting dismissed...”--Megatron

The day finally comes to return the sparkling back. Megatron is already making plans with Soundwave to get the sparkling next month for another week.

Surprisingly there are some tears shed as Buddy waves goodbye to their new friends as Soundwave takes them back to the surface.

“You take care kid.”--Thundercracker

“Can’t wait for our next movie night!”--Blitzwing

“We’ll watch ‘The Goonies’ next time!”--Astrotrain

“I guess this is good-bye then. Until we meet again.”--Starscream

“I know you’re gonna miss them Screamer. Just admit it.”--Skywarp

“Shut… fine. We will see each other soon, Buddy.”--Starscream

“Good-Bye Buddy.”--Devestator

“We’ll see ya soon you little punk.”--Frenzy

“Don’t talk to strangers that aren’t us!”--Rumble

“Farewell little one. We will see each other shortly.”--Megatron

“Bye-bye!”--Buddy

Meanwhile last week at the base.

Everyone was in panic mode.

Someone had kidnapped Buddy, and they didn’t have any video evidence of who had done it.

Everyone is blaming themselves for not being there for Buddy.

But Optimus is the worst of them all.

He had tried calling the Decepticons multiple times seeing if they had kidnapped Buddy and wanted ransom. They hadn’t answered. They had gone radio silence.

Optimus was going through everyone that would want revenge on him and thinking about where they could have taken Buddy. Ratchet and Ironhide have had to sedate him into getting some sleep.

When the Dinobots found out they nearly went berserk.

They are the first out the door looking for Buddy and the last to come back from searching.

Everyone is on high alert.

Back to the present.

Soundwave was hiding behind some tall trees that were near the base. There was a path that led straight to the base if they just continued the path.

“Buddy. Go down path.”--Soundwave

“Path?”--Buddy

“Commence operation: Go home.”--Soundwave

“Home?”--Buddy

“Yes, go to Prime. Good-bye Buddy.”

Soundwave bending down to hug Buddy one last time before placing them on the ground and walks down the opposite direction.

Soundwave looked from his hiding place until he was sure that Buddy was in the clear before heading back to the Nemesis.

Buddy waited a bit then started down the familiar path back home. It was the same nature path Optimus and Grimlock sometimes used when they needed to go for a walk and to get back to the base.

They speed up their little walk as more things start getting familiar to their optics. Especially the greenery around the large boulder.

They spot a familiar red and blue figure sitting on their special boulder and squeal in delight.

“Oppy! Oppy!”--Buddy

“Buddy!? Buddy!”--Optimus

“Oppy!”--Buddy

“Buddy!”--Optimus

Optimus’s knees give out as he crashes to the ground with Buddy in his arms. He is letting a sob of relief out feeling Buddy’s little servos on his facemask.

“Oppy? Oppy no cry. Happy! No sad!”--Buddy

“I am not sad Buddy…I am happy. So happy…”--Optimus

[braxiations]

Hylics - The PoolWayne Theory

Preamble

So, I’ve never really seen many Hylics theories be shared online. Most of what I’ve found is limited to discord servers like the Hylemxylem. So, I thought I might put my foot into the ring and share one of my own!

Now, this theory is pretty out there. I’ve done quite a lot of examining of both Hylics 1 and 2 and to my knowledge nothing contradicts my theory. I believe my idea explains quite a lot of things pretty well and adds some fun subtext to a lot of plot beats and history. However, it’s not the pure result of thorough evidence and 100% rational thinking. It’s basically a fun idea that explains some things and, in my opinion, is interesting.

The Wayne-poolman connection

To start, I’d like to point out an odd association between poolmen and Waynes. This is first seen before we even know what poolmen are: back at the Waynehouse. Here, we see Waynes slapping poolmen dummies as training. 

Now, it’s likely that this is because poolmen are Gibby’s  main infantry, and this is a point I’ll return to soon. Secondly, is Gibby Redivivus’ design. Atop his head is a Wayne head… or is it? While this is also called a warpo head by some, in actuality it’s literally just the poolman model’s head colored yellow. 

Poolmen’s heads are crescent shaped, so this makes sense. My thought upon learning this was “ha, are Waynes basically just yellow poolmen?” Well… Looking at the chibi sprites for both Wayne (or Sat-Wayne as I’ll call him) and poolmen do reveal a pretty clear similarity. While poolmen’s heads flop around so much in battle it’s hard to notice them as crescents, whenever shown as static or simplified they generally are shaped as such. 

Now, all of this is to establish that I believe poolmen and Waynes to be mirrors or counterparts to one another in some way. Personally, I think this was actually intended by Mason himself. As you’ve probably noticed though, this post is far from over.

Why does Gibby look like that?

Specifically, why does Gibby R wear a Wayne/warpo/poolman-dipped-in-yellow-paint head anyway? As many know, Gibby’s design in Hylics 2 differs from his design in H1 because it originally belonged to a (probably) different character, Fuller. In-universe, however, Gibby’s body is referred to as a “vessel.” His remains were likely put into or molded into this form by Odozeir and his followers. So, why on Fingerhead’s beige Earth would he endow him with THE FACE OF THE GUY WHO MURDERED HIS BOSS? Well, it seems that Gibby has been repping this symbol since longgg before his reconstitution, just not as a face. 

In the platforming mini-games, we get our only look at the world before the Accretion. This confirms a few interesting points: 

There was at least 1 other Wayne pre-Accretion, being Sat-Wayne himself. (Likely a Waynehouse too.)

A Hylemxylem (likely the one that became the Moon) existed pre-Accretion. (Seen in the bg.)

Gibby and Odozeir were allied before the Accretion. (Their faces are on flags together.)

This last note about the flags is important as the Gibby face used is his Redivivus design. As this was being used on flags way back when, it stands to reason that Odozeir fashioned Gibby’s vessel after the symbol itself. Likewise, this would also mean that the Waynehead was being used as part of Gibby’s iconography back then too… which is strange.

Waynes as an army

The nature of Waynes is a question that dances around the edges of Hylics 2, but it never really addresses it outright. Here’s what we know:

Waynes have a huge grudge against Gibby. They seemingly spend much of their time training in the event he becomes a problem again.

They’re all equipped for combat, seemingly naturally. They do have to train and they spend much of their time doing so.

They’re seemingly all clones of one another or something analogous. They can have some differences (some are more well-trained, at least one is either fem or trans (if Decres is canon), etc,) but most are identical. 

Waynes are kind of a problem, at least in the Hylics 2 zone. Chuck, when speaking of his writing process for An Endless Cycle, stated that he wanted to invoke this feeling. With the seemingly mutant Waynes we’ve seen in the New Hylics teasers, Waynes might be growing out of control, taking a role similar to that of invasive species. Tl;dr: they probably aren’t a part of the local natural order.

Perhaps Waynes are entirely natural, eusocial organisms like ants and their soldier-like training simply comes from the fact that they’re sapient. Their contentious placement in the Hylics 2 ecosystem could merely be them being invasive. Their single-minded grudge against Gibby could be explained in a few ways. If H1-Wayne is indeed the Old Wayne from H2, perhaps he dedicated his… children(?) to keep Gibby at bay because it was his most notable accomplishment. Where this explanation might falter is the Wayne head symbol used by Gibby, which is still left entirely unexplained. 

So… what if the symbol came first?

The theory What we know of the Wayne species’ nature, as listed in the previous section, is highly reminiscent of sci-fi ideas of modified super soldiers. In the Star Wars prequels, for example, literal clones meant only for combat are a prevalent plot point. While Waynes as ant-soldiers sufficiently explains many of these traits, the idea that Gibby’s yellow crescent predates the Waynes could only leave an artificial origin as an option. Now, of course, this point that Gibby’s symbol is older than Waynes themselves can’t be proven for certain. The oldest point in the timeline we have access to shows Sat-Wayne coexisting with the symbol. If one was older than the other we’d have no idea. What strikes me as odd, though, is why Gibby would ever associate himself with Waynes. While we don’t know if they’ve always had an antagonistic relationship, Sat-Wayne (who is again, the first Wayne we know of,) spends much of his time attacking Gibby and Odozeir’s forces. The conflict between the two groups has been ongoing, and it seems odd Gibby would choose to honor a species that has constantly attacked him for so many years without strong reason.

With this in mind, I will propose my theory: Waynes are not a naturally occurring species. Rather, they are the descendents of poolmen fashioned into super-soldiers by none other than the forces of Gibby. As such, they were changed to resemble the yellow crescent used as a symbol of Gibby for so long. Now, the manner through which this was done isn’t super important. I like to think they were selectively bred, but it’s just as possible they were genetically modified or given some of Gibby’s royal goop. It’s really just speculation.

As we have established, poolmen may be some of the primary infantry used in Gibby’s armies, especially pre-Accretion. (I would like to suggest that poolmen are the koopas of Gibby’s army, and tyros are the goombas.) With their strong resemblance to Waynes, it stands to reason that Gibby, looking for more capable soldiers, would use the poolmen as a basis. While poolmen are capable of speech, they’re generally represented as animalistic. Their only gestures used are lambaste and multiply, as well as the ability allotrope. As lambaste is literally just hitting someone, multiply is clearly their reproduction, and allotrope is a reflex, it stands to reason they aren’t capable of the hand movements required to use actual complex gestures. (They don’t even seem to have hands.) Other enemies such as the noncomfornist clearly show this ability. Thus, it stands to reason that Gibby would seek soldiers capable of doing such things. In fact stronger, modified poolmen are clearly seen in the form of poolmagnes, but they still don’t achieve these heights.

Many stories of advanced combat technology involve betrayal or an uprising from the technology itself. Thus, we may be able to explain why Waynes hate Gibby so much anyways. Created as sapient soldiers, Waynes would effectively be slaves. They would have no choice but to fight and participate in the tyrant’s cruelty. It seems likely that they would have rebelled, and Gibby may have retaliated harshly.

Sat-Wayne is alone in the Waynehouse he emerges from. H1-Wayne is clearly the only member of his species in the Hylics 1 zone. Many have noticed that the redesign of the Ghost enemies bear a strong resemblance to the skulls of Waynes. Further elaboration falls into pure speculation, so I’ll let you come to your own conclusions here.

Ultimately, we’re left with the following timeline:

Gibby employed poolmen for war.

Wanting stronger soldiers, he ordered his forces to create a more powerful breed of poolman, capable of complex reasoning and the use of gestures.

These Waynes proved too intelligent and rebelled.

Gibby reacted harshly, wiping out nearly all of them.

This begs the question of why Gibby still, by the time of Hylics 2, choses to use the yellow crescent symbol. I think this could be explained as a form of denial. If he casts aside a symbol that was always his simply because rebels used it, he would essentially be admitting defeat. Besides, an NPC in New Muldul talks about wretched anarchists who overthrew Gibby, not realizing who he’s talking to. The fact that a Wayne was responsible for killing Gibby might not be common knowledge. Gibby can simply ignore the uprising and continue to use it.

Other notes and convenient ties

One of my favorite parts of this theory is that it retroactively explains some other oddities in the games. For example, Wayne heads notoriously occur throughout the world or even on jars. If the crescent is a symbol of Gibby, who we know has influence throughout much of the world, this is rather easily explained. 

It gives us an association between Gibby and the Waynes. Many have pointed out that both have names in reference to the moon: gibbous moons and waning moons. Gibby is notoriously prideful and arrogant, so perhaps he intended the Waynes to be made in his image, giving them a similarly lunar name. 

It could explain the moon soldiers and their weakness. Many have noticed their resemblance to Waynes. Perhaps, after the rebellion of the Waynes, Gibby still desired more powerful soldiers. Moon soldiers could easily just be another artificial variety of poolmen, making them basically the cousins of Waynes. Their intense weakness could be attributed to avoiding the pitfall of making soldiers that are too powerful again. Maybe he hoped someone would see the Moon covered in soldiers and simply decide to back off. (It’s worth noting that moon soldiers might not be nearly as weak as we see them. Rather, the joke might be that at this point in the game Wayne and crew have become so strong that they’re killed in an instant.)

The fighting instinct of Waynes could explain the depression, purposelessness, and exhaustion of H2-Wayne that we see explored in Absent Moon. With this theory, Waynes would literally only exist to fight. Having defeated his greatest enemy, Wayne no longer has a purpose in life. Perhaps this lack of purpose has caused unrest in the Waynehouse, and will lead into the events of the New Hylics game that features monstrous, creature-like Waynes. 

Old Wayne remarks on the “forecasts” of the stars, apparently able to glean meaning from them. Perhaps an ability to read celestial bodies is a holdover from their days as Gibby’s soldiers. While the Hylemxylem had not yet developed into the false moon of Hylics 1, this may have been planned. Perhaps the Moon could have sent or shone signals for the Old Wayne to interpret and relay to the Waynes under their command. 

Warpos could essentially be reverted to an older, primal state by their consumption of poolwine. This doesn’t make much sense biologically but whatever.

Random biology notes

Poolmen probably contain hard, spiny components akin to the spicules found within sponges. These spicules would be poked out of their bodies in their allotrope attack. Perhaps this developed into the skeletons of Waynes. The way Wayne’s flesh and muscles melt off of him upon death is similar to how poolmen melt upon their own deaths.

Poolmen multiply and reproduce asexually, likely meaning they’re all more or less genetically identical to one another (there would be errors of course.) Wayne reproduction is more or less elusive, but their status as clones and low genetic diversity could be a remnant of their poolman ancestors.

I have a theory that the “egg pods” we see in the Waynehouse basement might be the Wayne equivalent of the hylethems that produce poolmen. However the connection between poolmen, hylethems, and hylem as a whole is a story for another time.

Summary and conclusion

I believe that Waynes are a sort of poolmen. They were either genetically modified or selectively bred from normal poolmen, as Gibby wanted to employ them as soldiers capable of complex thinking and use of gestures. These Waynes proved too powerful and intelligent, rising up against their creator. He had many of them slaughtered, creating a grudge that would last countless years and influence the Wayne species for the rest of time. 

That’s basically it. Thanks for reading! If you have any thoughts, counterpoints, or additional ideas please feel free to share! I’d really like to discuss this with people!.

[just-dreaming-marvel]

LEGACY ~ 10

LEGACY MASTERLIST

< previous chapter

Word Count: 1,700ish

Summary: Ultron attacks Sokovia.

Notes: Enjoy!

You were able to get one last message through the channel before your cell door was opened and you were grabbed by two Ultron bots.

“Where are you taking me?” You questioned, not getting any response.

You were taken from the base and to a rundown church in the middle of Sokovia. The giant Ultron bot was there, waiting.

“Ah, just in time,” the Ultron bot greeted. “The Avengers have begun evacuating the city. I’m sure Stark will be here soon.”

“They will stop you,” you told him. “They always win.”

“Not this time.”

~~~

“Rogers, have you reached her yet?” Tony wondered as he flew above the city, helping with the evacuation.

“I’m almost to the base,” Steve responded.

“Boss, you might want to stop Captain Rogers,” Tony’s new AI, FRIDAY, said. “Your man’s in the church. I think he’s waiting for you. It appears Y/N is in there as well.”

“Scratch the plan, Rogers!” Tony exclaimed. “Ultron has her with him in the church.”

“You should wait for backup, Stark,” Steve warned.

“Steve, is right, Tony,” Natasha spoke up. “It’s probably a trap.”

“I don’t care. I’m going in.” 

~~~

You could hear the sound of the Iron Man suit before you could see it. You felt little relief since you were sure you were being used to pull your father into a trap. Iron Man flew through the opening on the church’s roof. Ultron had himself, you, and the two bots holding you tucked away into the darkness of the church.

“Come to confess your sins?” Ultron taunted.

“I don’t know, how much time you got?” Tony responded.

“More than you.” Ultron stepped out of the darkness, revealing his larger self to Tony.

“Where’s my daughter?”

“I’m right here,” you said as the smaller Ultron bots pushed you out of the darkness.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, Dad.”

“You don’t have time for this,” Ultron scoffed, stepping between you and Tony.

“Uhh, have you been juicing?” Tony teased. “A little Vibranium cocktail? You’re looking, I don’t wanna say, puffy–”

“You’re stalling to protect the people.”

“Well, that is the mission. Did you forget?”

“I’ve moved beyond your mission. I’m free.” Suddenly, the floor between the two erupted, revealing a large Vibranium core. “What, you think you’re the only one stalling. This is how you end, Tony. This is peace in my time.”

Seemingly out of nowhere, Ultron bots began to attack the city as the citizens were evacuating. 

“Dad!” You yelled. “You need to save the citizens!”

“I’m not leaving you!” He yelled back.

“Go! I can handle myself!”

“Y/N–”

“How sweet,” Ultron commented. “But also annoying.”

“Stark, go save some civilians,” Thor said over the comms. “Vision is on his way to confront Ultron. He will distract Ultron enough for you to get to Y/N.”

“Go,” you told Tony, knowing that you’d be alright.

“Fine,” Tony said. He knew he needed to trust you and his teammates. “I’ll be back for you, Y/N. I promise.” Then he flew off.

You scanned the area, trying to find a way out of the mess. A body floating down to the church caught your eye. You recognized it as the body that was in the cradle.

“Ultron,” the voice sounded like JARVIS, which caught you off guard.

“My Vision,” Ultron replied, floating up to meet the new guy. “They really did take everything from me.”

“You set the terms, you can change them.”

“Alright.” 

Ultron and the Vision grabbed each other and flew around the church, hitting the walls. You watched as Vision grabbed onto Ultron’s head, clearing doing something to him. You tried to pull free as the main Ultron was distracted, but the mini bots only held onto you tighter. 

“You shut me out!” Ultron shouted as he threw Vision to the ground. “You think I care?” He punched Vision further into the ground before flying over to the core at the center of the church. “You take away my world,” he twisted the top, “I take away yours,” he pressed it in.

The ground around Sokovia started trembling and cracking.

“What did you do?!” You screamed.

Ultron scoffed at you as he flew into the air. You needed to get out of the other Ultron’s grips and try to stop whatever Ultron had done. You eyed a large, sharp piece of metal not too far away. If you could just get to it, you knew you could destroy the bots.

Taking a few deep breaths to ready yourself, you used your strength to yank yourself free. You bolted over to the piece of metal just in time to swing it into one of the bots heads, ending it. You pulled the piece of metal from the dead bot and slammed it into the other. You let it fall to your feet as you panted.

“Dad,” you whispered, knowing that you needed to find Tony.

You looked at the core. Despite the need to find your father, you knew that you had to stay with the core. You rushed over to the Vision, who was becoming conscious again.

“Miss Stark,” he greeted, sitting up. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, but I think the city is flying.”

“I believe that you are correct. Here,” he handed you a comms device. “You’ll need this.” You took the comms device and then he disappeared. 

You quickly put the device in your ear. “Hello? Can anyone hear me?”

“Y/N!” A multitude of voices called out.

“Y/N, are you alright?” Steve asked.

“I’m fine. I’m in the church with the core. Ultron’s currently not here. I’m going to try and figure out how to shut this thing down.”

“Currently working on that as well, sweetheart,” Tony said. “And you’re so off missions after this, by the way.”

“Really, now, Dad?”

“What have you got, Stark?” Steve asked.

“Well, nothing great,” Tony replied. “Maybe a way to blow up the city. That’ll keep it from impacting the surface if you guys can get clear.”

“I asked for a solution, not an escape plan.”

“Impact radius is getting bigger every second. We’re going to have to make a choice.”

You went up to the core, studying it. There was a key in the center that you hadn’t noticed before.

“Ah, do you think you can stop it?” Ultron said as he flew into the church.

Before you could answer, Thor came flying in, hitting Ultron.

“Y/N!” Thor shouted. “Head to the Helicarrier!”

Ultron hit Thor, before grabbing him by the neck. “You think you’re saving anyone? I turn that key and drop this rock a little early and it’s still billions dead. Even you can’t stop that.”

“I am Thor, son of Odin, and as long as there is life in my breast, I am… running out of things to say! Are you ready?” 

You noticed Vision suddenly appearing with Thor’s hammer. He hit Ultron with the hammer before throwing it back to Thor.

“It’s terribly well balanced,” Vision commented.

“Well, if there’s too much weight, you lose power on the swing, so…”

“For real, guys?” You commented. “Now’s not the time.”

You turned around and kicked an oncoming Ultron bot in the face. You could see more on their way. They were going to try and turn the key. You, Thor, and Vision began working together to fight them off. Thor and Vision were throwing around the hammer while you had found a thick metal pipe and was using it to impale the bots.

“Thor, I got a plan!” Tony suddenly spoke up.

“We’re out of time,” Thor responded. “They’re coming for the core.”

“And there’s a lot of them!” You added.

“Y/N, get to the Helicarrier,” Tony ordered. “Avengers, time to work for a living.”

“Not a chance, Dad!” You jumped on the shoulders of a bot and tore its head off.

Tony landed in front of you, blasting a bot behind your back. His helmet disappeared into his suit. You could see the fight behind his eyes, how worried and tired he was. “You’re going to the Helicarrier.”

“I am not! I’m more help here!”

“She has been holding her own–”

“I don’t care, Thor! Rhodey, I need you to the church to grab Y/N.”

“On it,” Rhodey responded.

“You can’t be serious! I can help! It’s not like anyone rescued me, I saved myself. I think I deserve— Rhodey!” Rhodey came in from behind and grabbed you quickly before flying off. “Let me go! Rhodey!”

“I’m sorry, Y/N.” 

He dropped you off on the runway of the Helicarrier. You screamed out in frustration.

“Y/N!” Fury roared over the comms. “Get inside.”

You realized the reason for his tone when you saw an Ultron bot headed for you. You turned and ran towards the entrance. The door burst open and Fury appeared.

“Here!” He shouted, throwing you a large gun. 

You caught it and turned around, shooting the Ultron bot down. You looked back at Fury. “I’m not coming inside.”

Fury nodded, understanding that it wasn’t worth the fight anymore before disappearing back inside. You stood there and watched the boats being loaded up.

“Y/N,” Tony’s voice was suddenly in your ear. “This is a private line.”

“A private line? Why would you–No.” You shook your head. “No, Dad. Please.”

“It’s just a precaution, sweetie.”

“Dad… please… Where are you?”

“I’m under the city.”

“What? There has to be another way! We–I–I can’t do this without you.”

“I love you, sweetheart.”

The line went dead. “Dad? Dad!” You ran over to the edge of the Helicarrier, looking over the floating city. “DAD!” The city suddenly began to drop. “DAD!!!!!”

“Y/N!” Steve ran onto the runway. “Get away from the edge!”

All of a sudden, the city blew up. Rocks, dust, and other debris shot through the sky. Trying to protect yourself from the explosion, you lost your footing and began falling through the sky.

“Y/N!” You faintly heard Steve yell as you began screaming.

You were spinning and flailing about, until a large piece of debris flew by and hit you in the head. Knocking you out cold.

next chapter >

[malii-the-bonehead]

The Other Woman pt6

Heres Part 6, finallyyyyy.

Slow burn

Summary: Chris, a popular hockey player at school where Y/n went, found himself falling for the beautiful, shy girl. As time went on he found out who Y/n truly was as a person and ultimately, he had to make the choice, his girlfriend, or the other woman.

Part 6

Monday came by quicker than I had hoped. When I woke up that morning I felt so sick. I had a throbbing headache and my stomach was killing me. I had been up for probably 30 minutes before I had rushed to the bathroom to vomit the acids in my stomach, since I hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday afternoon. 

Yeah, I was not going to school today. I also called work and explained the situation. My boss was understanding. She told me to take as much time as I needed.

I turned off my lights and put the mini trash can from my bathroom next to my bed. I flipped onto my side, facing the edge of my bed in case I had to lean over and puke again. I curled up and held my stomach, feeling the pain finally take over.

– 

I woke up from the sound of my door being opened harshly. I groaned and opened my eyes. My mom was standing in my doorway.

“Y/n, what are you still doing here? It’s Monday. You have school.”

I explained to her how I wasn’t feeling well. She walked out of the room and came back with some water and medicine for me to take.

“Rest up then, kiddo.” She kissed my forehead. “If you need anything, just call me.” She pushed my hair out of my face then turned to leave the room. I checked my phone to see what time it was.

It was 11:30. They had 3 new messages. 2 of them from Chris and 1 of them from my dad. I checked the one from my dad first.

When you coming visit? I miss yall. Don’t be a stranger, Y/n. Text me back when you can. I love you.

I sighed and closed out of the message, then clicked Chris’s contact. I looked at his message, soon responding after reading them. 

Why aren’t you in 3rd hour? Are you here today? Soon after his first message he had sent, Hello?? 

I typed back, Sorry, Chris. I’ve been sleeping all morning. I’m sick with what I think is the stomach flu. But I should be back by Wednesday or Thursday. 

I shut off my phone. I wasn’t tired anymore so I grabbed my TV remote and played some music. I sat up in my bed and grabbed my school bag from the floor. I opened it and grabbed my computer, checking my school work I had missed for the day. I had probably 4 assignments. Soon after starting my first assignment, my phone buzzed. I picked it up and checked the message. Chris had texted back rather quickly. 

Send me your address. I’ll bring you some food and medicine. I laid back on my pillow, smiling like a 14 year old with a crush. I practically kicked my feet at his message. To be honest, I knew I’d get to this point with Chris. Where I would fall for him. But I think a part of me had always liked Chris. Even just seeing him walk past me in the hallways would always make my heart hurt, I just never realized I actually liked him until he talked to me the first time. I sent him a message back.

No, don’t worry about it. I should be fine but thank you. He read it. I sat waiting for his message for a while before I figured he wasn’t texting back. I shut off my phone and started working on my school assignments once again.

It took me about 2 hours to do everything I had missed. By the time I finished, school would have been 10 minutes from the final bell ringing. Chris had never texted back. I was kind of bummed about it, but tried not to think about it too much. 

I got up out of my bed and immediately felt a wave of dizziness overcome me. I rushed to the bathroom, emptying my already empty stomach once again. I sat on the bathroom floor for a good 20 minutes, too scared to move. Throwing up was definitely my least favorite thing. 

My mom came knocking on the bathroom door once I hit the 25 minute mark. Not that anyone was counting, except for me. 

I flushed the toilet and pushed myself against the wall. “You can come in.”

“Are you sure? Someone’s here to see you.”

My eyes furrowed in confusion. The bathroom door opened after a few seconds of silence. I saw my mom, water bottle in hand. She walked in, sitting next to me. After she sat down she called out, “Don’t be shy, we don’t bite.” She giggled and pushed my shoulder softly. I just looked at her, then towards the door. 

“I brought you some food and things to help with your stomach.” Chris walked in. My eyes widened and I tried to quickly stand up. The second I felt dizzy, I collapsed back into the position I was in again. Mom ran her fingers through my hair. Then she started to rub big circles into my back. Chris put the toilet seat down and sat on it. He was now in front of me holding a bag of food and medicine. “I didn’t know what kind of food you ate but Alice said you liked strawberries and toaster strudels so I grabbed a few packs of everything.”

Yep, I was for sure going to kill Alice. He pulled out of the bag a packet of medicine and a sweet tea, as well as a pepsi. He left the food in the bag but placed it on the counter next to my sink. He read the back of the packet and took out 2 pills, handing them to me along with the sweet tea. 

“How did you get here? I didn’t tell you where I lived.” I grabbed the things from his hands. My face was flushed and I was hot. I probably looked like a mess. My face was pale and my cheeks were red. My hair was a mess and I was wearing fuzzy socks and some shorts with a hoodie. It was hot and I was sweaty.

“That was also Alice. She’s very helpful.” He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. My mom put her hand on my knee. I looked at her.

“Say thank you, Y/n. He came all this way for you.”

My head was throbbing. “Thank you,” I mumbled. 

“I’ll leave you alone.” Mom stood up and walked to the bathroom door. “Yell if you need anything.” She walked out, leaving only me and Chris in the small bathroom.

Chris held his hand to my forehead. “Yeah, you’re definitely sick. You’re burning up. Where do you keep your towels?” I pointed to the cabinets under the sink. He got up and rummaged through the cabinet before pulling out a small black towel and running it under the cold water from the sink. He rang it out then placed it on my head. I went to grab it but he pushed my hand away, holding his hand and the towel to my forehead. 

“Thank you, Chris.”

He smiled and sat next to me, replacing the spot mom was previously in. 

“You know, 3rd hour was soooo boring without you.” He dragged out the so, making it seem way too dramatic. I looked at him. He pushed the hair out of my face and tucked the strands behind my ears. “Can I put your hair up for you?” I nodded my head.

“Let’s go to my room first. I’ve been here way too long.” Chris got up first, grabbing my hand to help me get up. If I wasn’t in so much pain, I would have been so nervous. 

He led me out the door and to my bed. He let go of my hand and grabbed my desk chair. He pulled it to the side of my bed next to me. I turned my back to him, handing him the hair tie on my wrist. I held the towel to my head.

He gathered all my hair and pulled it back into a ponytail. He was very gentle. So gentle I almost didn’t feel it. “There, that’s better”

I felt my face heat up. I shifted and turned back to face him. He got up and went back to the bathroom, soon coming back with the bag of food in his hand. He placed it on my bed next to me. I rummaged through it, grabbing the pack of strawberries. They looked so good. 

“Here,” I handed him a strawberry. He took it and ate it. I also grabbed one and ate it. They were so sweet. 

“You have a nice room. It really describes who you are.” I looked at him puzzled.

“That is a good thing, right?”

He nodded his head at me. A few seconds passed but it felt like minutes.

“You know, you really didn’t have to come here for me. I’m grateful, but you could have been doing better things.” I looked at him. He was studying my room, looking around and messing with the trinkets on my side table. 

“I don’t mind. I wanted to see you anyway.” He looked at me, his head tilted. He had a grin on his face. My face was red once again. I kept eating the strawberries silently, offering some to Chris whenever he had finished his last. I grabbed the remote from my bed and turned off the music that had been playing for the past few hours. Now the room was completely silent. It was a comfortable silence. Something about Chris being here was making my heart calm down. My stomach started to feel better. 

He looked at me for a while before saying, “Alice is worried about you too. You should text her. Let her know you’re okay.” I smiled at him. 

“For being sick, you’re still really beautiful.” He pushed my hair back. I removed the towel from my head and put it on the empty spot next to me. I grabbed his hand from my hair. I dropped our hands into my lap and fiddled our fingers together. I played with his hand, but it didn't seem like he minded. I lifted our hands, placing one of mine against his. His were bigger than mine, only by a little bit. We both looked at our hands. I interlocked our fingers. I don’t know why I did that, but he didn’t pull away. We looked at each other. 

He’s so beautiful. So much prettier than me, that’s for sure.

I put our hands down on my bed. Our fingers were still wrapped around each other. 

“Why is it that everytime you come around, I get nervous?” I looked at him.

“I don’t know.” He responded slowly. “But, I think you make me nervous too. I get a tingly feeling around you.” His small confession caught my attention.

My eyes widened. “I get a tingly feeling too. Right.. Here.” I placed his hand on my heart. He held it there, feeling my heart beat. 

“Your heart’s racing.”

“I know.”

He looked at me and moved his hand away. He grabbed mine and placed it on his heart.

His heart is racing too. I felt my body go numb.

“Mine’s beating fast too, isn’t it.” He said that as more of a statement than anything. 

My breath hitched. I scanned over his face. His cheeks were a light pink. His hair was slicked back into a baseball hat, a little bit sticking out by his ears. He looked so good. I looked at his eyes then down to his lips. He noticed it and I moved my hand away.

I want to kiss him. God, I want to kiss him so fucking bad. 

I looked back to his eyes, his finding mine. I looked away from him. 

You’re sick, Y/n. No, that’s not important, he has a girlfriend. A beautiful and sweet girlfriend. Someone who doesn’t deserve anything less than Chris. Someone who is way better for him than you could ever imagine. 

Chris and Clairissa were perfect together. They’ve been dating since the beginning of our junior year. Everyone knew who they were and who they belonged to. It would be a sin to separate them. 

Chris spoke, pulling me from my thoughts. 

“I guess I should get going soon. I have a hockey game tonight. You should come.” I looked back at him.

“I know you aren’t feeling well, but if you end up feeling better, come watch it. It starts at 7 at the rink.” 

“I’ll think about it.” I smiled softly. He smiled back and patted my head. He stood up and pushed the chair back to its original spot. Chris walked to the door of my room, opening it. 

“If I don’t see you later, text me.” 

I looked down at my lap. “I will. Thank you again, Christopher.” He grinned.

“Anything for the pretty lady.” My head snapped up. There it was again. He called me pretty again. He turned and shut the door. Soon after, my door opened again and mom walked in. She practically skipped over to my bed, a big smile on her face. She pushed my shoulder softly again.

“He was cute,” She wiggled her eyebrows at me and giggled like a little girl. I smiled and sighed. 

“I know.”

[hotchgirlsummer]

sweeter than fiction ⤷ aaron hotchner x reader

summary ⤷ the bau decide to throw a small birthday party for hotch. the reader is tasked with baking a cake, could this be their chance to express feelings?

pairing ⤷ aaron hotchner x female bodied!reader ; mentions of jack, jess and the whole team.

warnings ⤷ food mentions. slight angst. fluff

word count ⤷ 5.5k words

a/n ⤷ hello! this is my submission for @hotch-central's Aaron Hotchner's birthday celebration 🎉 the prompt is from @creativepromptsforwriting i may have a couple more entries in line, depending if inspiration strikes, of course. as usual, feedback is appreciated. have a great day, everyone!

It’s tradition in the office that when it’s someone’s birthday someone else brings a cake. Person A’s birthday is coming up and B finally sees their chance to make a move. 

“I apologize for cutting this meeting short but I do need to go to this meeting with Strauss,” Hotch apologized as he locked the screen of his tablet and gave one last look through at the files he had prepared for his monthly meeting with the higher ups; he was having somewhat of  momentum where instead of being turned down on their requests, they asked to compromise — which may seem insignificant but, yes, that was considered as a win. “Is there anything else we need to discuss?”

“If there is, rest assured I’ll handle it from here on out,” Rossi was quick to wave off the unit chief’s responsibility from their current meeting, “Go on over to the meeting and fight for higher wage and if possible maybe aim for a fancier jet?” The rest of the team laughed at Rossi’s absurd and far-fetched request. With one final smirk, Hotch gathered all his belongings and nodded to them, “Best I can probably do is a bigger mini fridge.”

Chuckling at the rare times their unit chief cracked a joke, they all shook their heads as they watched their leader scurry off to go meet with the higher ups. Just as everyone was about to follow suit and leave the round table when Penelope held out her hands in a dramatic fashion, preventing the rest of the team from leaving their spots, “No one is lifting their cute butt until we discuss one important agenda – Hotch’s birthday is coming up soon.”

“And what exactly about it do we need to discuss, Garcia?” Emily wondered, for as far as she knew the man, he never was the type to make a huge fuss out of his birthday. Seemingly thinking the same, JJ nodded as she spoke up, “We all know how the last party that we threw out for him went, right? Like it was not some fever dream that I had?”

It was a few years back when the team decided to plan a mini-celebration for their leader; but much to everyone’s horror, it didn’t go well. A balloon popped out of nowhere which startled both Spencer who was carrying the cake and Y/N who was decorating the walls of their conference room, resulting into the decorated doctor mishandling the cake, leaving half of it devoured by the floor while the agent accidentally knocked on over two pitchers of juice right over the wrapped presents that the other members of the unit brought. The icing on the cake? Hotch walked right in the conference room a few seconds after the disaster commenced and sighed out as he quickly pieced together that this debacle was a result of his birthday. Even though he won’t admit it to himself , and most importantly to the team, his disappointed/annoyed look was just really a cover up to hide how adorable he thought Y/N looked when she smiled brightly — as if she was willing for the mishaps to go away — and extended her hands and said, “Surprise! Happy birthday, boss.”

“Maybe it’s not as bad? I mean, it’s not like he punished us that badly,” Spencer offered, Y/N nodded as she chuckled, “In my defence too, there is no reason for us to separate the gift table from the food and drink one.”

The team collectively laughed at how optimistic the two were, but the hesitation could still be felt around the team as voiced out by Derek, “But ultimately, I don’t think throwing a whole party, in general not just for Hotch, maybe too ambitious,” He threw in a sympathetic pout at Penelope’s way, “Even for the party-planning goddess like yourself, baby girl.”

“One, I do take offense in that,” Penelope said sternly as she swatted his extended hand, “And two, we still need to show him that we care about him and treasure him as our mighty leader!”

“What if we just book a restaurant somewhere? That way they can do the decorations for us and all we need to do is show up? There is absolutely no way we have an incident like the last time,” Reid proposed to which everybody nodded in agreement, finding no hole in his plan. 

“Oh I know which restaurant Hotch loves to go to,” Her mindless comment was met with smirks and teasing smiles which Y/N did not appreciate, “What? What are you guys looking at me for?”

“And how exactly do you know that?” Emily teased which was immediately backed up with Rossi’s jab, “Don’t tell us you guys went on a date without us knowing hm?”

Scoffing, she shook her head and clarified, “Or maybe I’ve babysat Jack enough times that sometimes they buy me dinner.” It was no secret among the team that ever since Y/N joined the team, she stepped up to lend Hotch a hand when it came to looking after Jack. It started when Jess had to go on a work trip and the unit chief brought his son to the office with him, the little ball of sunshine clicking instantly with the newest agent. Whether it was the way she was patient in teaching him new things that he was curious about, or the way she treated him with the utmost care and respect. And somewhere along taking care of Jack also mixed in with looking out for Hotch — by helping them prepare their meals for the day, helping Jack with his everyday routine, or even by spending time with the both of them on her day off. 

“Mhm, it’s just from babysitting Jack,” JJ also joined in on the teasing as she nudged her softly. Penelope was writing down what the whole team had agreed upon when her head shot up in shock, “We forgot about the tradition! Who’s gonna bring the cake for Hotch?”

Almost instantly, the rest of the team looked at Y/N with a grin which left the young agent confused, “What? Why are you all looking at me?”

“You know, typically the one who brings the cake for the celebrant is the one closest to or the most important to the celebrant,” Rossi winked at her. Not wanting to get her hopes despite the numerous hints that multiple members of the team has dropped, hinting that her affections weren’t one-sided as she suspected, she just rolled her eyes playfully, “Don’t you guys think that Jack is a tad bit too small to carry that big of a cake.”

“Not Jack, you dummy!” Morgan lightly flicked the back of her neck as she groaned when that spot was hit and was gonna appeal that maybe someone else could do it but as soon as Garcia put her pen down, everyone’s roles for this little gathering had been finalized, “Alright, so JJ is booking the venue, Rossi will keep Hotch occupied until we need to bring him to the restaurant, my lovely chocolate thunder and I will be taking care of the decorations so that there won’t be a repeat of last time,” A jesting glare was thrown at Reid’s way before she clarified, “While your brilliant brain will take care of sending out invitations to everyone.”

Everyone was nodding their heads, satisfied with their assignments when Y/N raised her hand up in curiosity, “Uh, hello? You kind of glossed over what I’d be doing for the party.” She was all the more confused when half the team smirked at her while the other half looked at her in disbelief. Garcia, bless her kind soul, did not have the time to fool around and instead took patience with the newest member of the BAU and clarified, “You, my lovely yet clueless little dove, will be baking and bringing the cake to Hotch.”

Just as she was about to speak up and contest it, Morgan jokingly teased as he wagged a finger at her, “Not buts there, missy. Have fun in the kitchen.” A slight pout was on her face when she realized that there was no way she could have weaseled her way out of this little arrangement. 

Deep in her thoughts, she failed to realize when Rossi slid near her, “You know, kid, this could be your grand gesture for Aaron. Let him know what you feel.”

With a sigh and a brave face on, she nodded to herself and stood up, “Alright! But if he doesn’t reciprocate them you will sign my transfer papers right?” Hiding her possible insecurity with light-hearted humor but it still didn’t settle any nerves within her. Rossi shook his head once more and patted her on the back, as if to let her know that she was worrying her head for nothing.

Upon returning back to her desk, she tried to distract herself by flipping through the pages of the reports that were assigned to her. After about an hour of mindless writing, she clicked her tongue and decided to look up some cake recipes. Just as she was about to be knee-deep in her search for a cake when she heard a little voice call out, “Y/N! Y/N!”

Swiveling her chair at the right time, she was able to open her arms wide and was able to engulf little Jack Hotchner into a hug as she greeted him, “Hey there, bud! Did your Aunt Jess drop you off?”

The boy nodded widely as he pointed at the approaching aunt who gave her a half hug, “Sure did! Buddy insisted that you were never too busy for him.”

“Because you’re my favorite and I’m your favorite Hotchner!” Jack squealed and her heart warmed and nodded as she ruffled his hair before grabbing her Jack kit which consisted of coloring books, paper, crayons and some markers and handed them to the little Hotchner, “Well that is certainly true! Why don’t you grab one of the chairs over there so you can go draw a picture, hm?”

The boy nodded and made his way through the other agents, saying his hello’s before asking them to borrow one of their chairs. Turning at Jess, she smiled at her, “I’m sorry to have to drop him off. It was a work emergency and I know for a fact that Aaron will be thrilled to see him.”

“Oh it’s all good, you know I don’t mind spending time with him,” She smiles as she watches the boy pitter excitedly beside her, “Oh which reminds me,we’re planning a small gathering for Hotch’s birthday coming up soon.”

Jess smiled at that but suddenly remembered something as she looked down at her watch, “I love that idea, we’ll talk about it more once I have the time but we’ll talk again okay? Bye Jack, be good.” With one last kiss to the top of his head, she waved goodbye and made her exit.

Smiling at the little man who was happily scribbling, just as she was about to continue on her scroll an idea popped into her head. She tapped Jack’s shoulder before showing her the different cake recipes that were on her screen, “Hey bud, you know how your dad’s birthday is coming up?”

The little boy nodded his head excitedly as he lifted the paper he was drawing on, “Mhm! I’m drawing him a picture for this picture book I’m making for him!” His excited chirp melted her heart once more as he leaned closer to share a possible secret surprise they could do for him, “Well I’ll tell you a secret, okay? Can you promise not to tell anyone — especially your dad?”

The boy put down his crayon with a serious look on his face, he held his pinky up to which she smiled as she tangled his pinky with his, “I pinky promise, miss Y/N!” At that, she pointed to the cakes on her screen, “You see, your Auntie Pen is planning a little birthday party for your dad; and she wants me to bake a cake for him. I’m gonna need your help choosing which cake to bake, okay?”

“Can I bake the cake with you?” He asked sweetly, wanting to make his dad’s birthday special while also enticed at the idea of having some sweets.Nodding her head after booping his nose, “We sure can do that, little buddy. How about I pick you up after school next week? That way we can bake the cake?”

Jack nods as he claps excitedly, “I can’t wait! We’re gonna have so much fun!” Just as she was about to get into further detail she could hear footsteps approaching — though unsure of to whom they belong to — she quickly closed the browser. “What are you so excited about, Jack?”

At the sound of Hotch’s voice, the duo turned around, trying to pass off a non-scheming team. Jack got off of the chair and jumped on his dad, the unit chief carrying him and pressing a loving kiss to his forehead, “Hi dad! Aunt Jess dropped so Miss Y/N is hanging out with me right now!”

The usually stern-looking boss was biting back a smile but ultimately made way into his soft lips, “And have you been behaving for both of them?” The boy nodded as he pointed to the art materials that were prepared for him, “Yes! I promised I’m being good,” Both Y/N and Jack knew that the little boy was so close to slipping up about how what he was currently drawing was something designed for his father. 

“Which reminds me, I was thinking maybe I can spend a day with Jack next week? I have a fun day lined up for him,” She tried to give an explanation that while vague could still provide sufficient enough details as to what their day would look like. Hotch thought about it, placing a hand on his hip, “I do have a short meeting that day, and it would be nice to give Jessica a break for a little.”

“See? Win-win! Plus, me and Jack need some little bonding time, Hotch,” She gently nudged his side which came as a surprise to the two of them, “I promise to give him back to you in one piece!”

Meanwhile the unit chief struggled to keep his composure; despite the fact that her hand briefly touched his sides, he could feel the warmth spreading all over him, causing him to be slightly flustered. With a warm smile, he nods, “I trust you completely, Y/L/N.”

Ruffling his son’s hair, he nodded his head to the direction of his office, “Buddy, once you’re done hanging out with Ms. Y/N you can come up to my office, okay?”

The boy then nodded with a toothy grin, “Okay daddy! I’ll knock on your door like we said.” Once Hotch walked away, the pair grinned excitedly amongst themselves, looking forward to making a cake for a special someone in their lives.

* “Now can I please add the chocolate chips and sprinkles?”

In all fairness, Jack has learned to space out when to ask. But once again, she shook her head as she was just at the final touches of piping the flavored whipped cream on the already scraped cake, she squeezed out the topping one more time before looking at Jack with a huge grin, “You can do it now, buddy! But remember, don’t add too much okay? We don’t want it to be super sweet!”

“But super sweet is the best!” Jack giggled as he began decorating the cake — he’d argue that this was way more fun than cracking eggs or mixing the ingredients together, perhaps because he got to snack on some of the toppings. 

Swiping some of the chocolate chips had Jack giggling too as he copied her, “I guess you’re right,” She got some of the leftover icing as she placed a dollop of it on his nose, “You are a super sweet boy, and you’re the best!”

That made the boy grin wide as he tried to reach for the whipped cream on his nose by extending his tongue, the scene being too hilarious for her not to giggle; she was in the middle of snapping a picture of Jack when he did the same to her and revelled at her shocked face.

“I had so much fun today, miss Y/N,” Jack sighs happily after he was all done with decorating the cake. Taking this as her cue to let the cake chill properly, she carried it into the fridge and poured him a glass of milk, “I’m glad to hear that, Jack. I like spending time with you too.”

“I wish you can live with us, so we can always do something fun everyday,” He added. And she could not prevent the wishful thinking about how she would love to live with him and the man she fell hopelessly in love with, she understood that he just loved her companion.

As she was starting to wash up the different utensils they had used — she was pleasantly surprised upon seeing how Jack tried to help on his on way by placing them on the sink that was half filled with water and dish soap, another reflection of how Hotch raised him well — when she joked, “I don’t think your dad will like knowing that we have way too much fun every time we hung out.”

Shaking his head allowed his blonde locks to stray away from the earlier perfectly combed bunch of hair, “He won’t think that! Daddy told me how much he likes it when you take care of me, and he likes whenever you come over and cook for us and eat with us!”

The boy’s revelation caused hope to, annoyingly, stir up within her once more. Hotch really thought that? She had to bite down her tongue to prevent the smile that was making its way to her lips as she put on an exaggerated thinking face which once more caused the boy to giggle, “Then I guess I’m stuck with a couple of Hotchner boys, hm?”

“Your Hotchner boys, Y/N!” Jack cheered as he threw his hands up in the air in delight. She could only shake her head as she wiped Jack’s milk mustache with a napkin as she willed her imagination to not wander too far into what she wishes her relationship could be like with the said Hotchner boys; instead remaining grateful for what they already shared.

*

“Okay everybody, Rossi just texted me and said that they were a good 10 minute away so is everything ready?” Penelope was frantically walking around the reserved function room they had rented and was looking expectantly at each member to provide updates on their assigned tasks.

Derek sent everyone an “I got this glance” — which the rest of the team very much appreciated — before heading his way to Penelope, gently massaging her shoulders and whispering cooly in her ear, “Mama, calm down. Everyone’s here, no decorations popped or fell down, food’s hot and ready, everything is perfect; just like you are, of course.”

“Oh my love,” Penelope smiled as she gently stroked his cheek, “Thank you for all your help.” The sight caused Y/N to shake her head as she spoke, “As cute as they are with their banter, it’s way too cheesy for me.”

Jess chuckled as she took a sip of her wine, “Agreed, you’d think they were a married couple or something.” When they were planning this little party for their unit chief, there was no doubt that they would be inviting his sister-in-law. Not only is she the other primary caretaker of Jack, but she also provided the family and warmth he was looking for. “I heard you and Jack baked a cake for Aaron?”

“We did,” She nodded towards the cake that was sitting in the middle of the table, “Little man helped in a lot of ways, even helped me wash the dishes, you know.” Jess smiled at that, remembering when she was told she wouldn’t have to look after Jack since he would be taken care of by one of his agents.

“He really likes you, you know,” Jess mentioned and her mind went to Jack who was playing with Henry and a smile made its way to her lips as she mused, “Jack’s a sweet kid. Always so kind and warm to others. I know I may not have met Haley but I can see how much care and love she gave him, the both of them.”

No matter how many times Jess has heard people talk about Haley, it will never fail to make her feel a pang of hurt; but what comes quickly after that hurt is joy — joy in knowing how she touched and shaped the lives of others, Jack’s and Aaron’s the most. “That was a sweet sentiment, but I wasn’t talking about Jack.”

It was now Y/N’s turn to be confused as she furrowed her eyebrows and looked at Jess who was chuckling softly at her expression, “I was talking about Aaron.”

“Hotch?” She squeaked a little louder than expected because everyone frantically looked at the door and was surprised to not find the man there to which she clarified, “Sorry! We were just talking, didn’t mean for it to be a bit loud.”

Once the laughter in the room died down, Jess then nodded to answer her question, “Like I said, I was referring to Aaron. He really likes you.” That however did not clarify things for her, instead making her all the more baffled. “Well I suppose it makes sense; I haven’t really been doing anything reckless or indifferent to following his orders. That, and I have been helping him out with Jack.”

When Jess shook her head, her blonde curls moved with her which made her see how Jack resembled the Brooks side before she spoke again, “Maybe that too. But I spoke to him recently and he mentioned how grateful he was to have you in Jack’s life, as well as his. And I agreed, saying how lighter and happier he seems because of you.”

She was rendered speechless as Y/N did not have a clue how to respond to that. She did not want to seem like she was overstepping her bounds or making room for herself in their lives so she replied, “I’m touched that he thinks so, but I don’t know. I don’t wanna assume anything or make them feel uncomfortable or even you. ‘Cause it might feel weird to see me caring for Jack or something.”

Before she could fully delve deep into her insecurities and worries, Jess gently stroked her forearm and smiled, “I know Haley, and she would take comfort in the fact that you love and care for her boys the same way she does, she did. You may not see it, but you’re family to them, to me.”

Her words warmed her heart and she had to blink back her tears from falling as she lovingly squeezed back Jess’ hand and returned the smile but just as she was about to speak Penelope excitedly shrieked, “Okay they’re on their way! Y/N have the cake ready! Someone please dim the lights.”

“We’ll talk more later,” Y.N hurried out as Spencer was scrambling to dim the lights in the hall they were in. Jack ran to the agent when he saw that she was lighting the candles in the cake, “Y/N can I hold the cake too?”

“If you want to hold the cake you need to stand still on this chair,” As soon as she slid the chair, Jack stood up tall and proud as he held out his hands, “I’m gonna need you to have steady hands, okay bud? We don’t want the cake we worked hard on to fall, right?”

“Right!” Came his reply. It did not take more than a two minutes when Rossi and Hotch walked in, “Dave if this is one of your other blind dates I am telling you right now it won’t work.”

Just as Hotch finished his sentence he was greeted with wide smiles and cheers as Spencer turned the lights back on and everyone yelled, “Surprise! Happy birthday!”

The team were graced with a wide smile on their unit chief’s face as he was clearly pleased that this party did not end up like the last one. As he walked more towards the guests, his smile widened even more upon seeing the cake being held by Jack and Y/N. “Happy birthday, daddy! Make a wish!”

Standing right in front them, he took in their excited grins and smiled at Jack, “Okay bud,” He looked at Jack, thinking about how all he wished was for his son to remain safe so he could grow up to whatever he wants to be; his eyes then drifted over to Y/N — whose eyes were surprised seeing him focus intensely on her — and thought about how he wished to have her presence, comfort, and love all the time. Closing his eyes, he blew on the candle which prompted more cheers by everyone.

From there on, everything seemed like a blur since the rest of the team busied themselves by sharing laughter and stories in between bites of their meal. Throughout the night, both Hotch and Y/N kept stealing glances from each other as they were delighted upon seeing the other relax. When everyone was all done with their dinner, it came time to eat the cake. As Jack was helping Hotch cut the cake and distribute it to everyone Aaron inquired, “Is this what you and Y/N did the other day? You bake a cake?”

The boy grinned excitedly as he handed a slice to Henry and JJ, “We did bake it, dad! Did you like it? What does it taste like?” Once they cut a piece for themselves after they had given all of their guests one, Aaron fished for a piece on his mouth before feeding Jack a piece, “It tastes really good, Jack! You did great!”

Beaming at his father’s praise, he hugged him tight saying, “I’m glad you liked it dad,” He looked up at him with his puppy dog eyes and sweetly asked, “Can I have some more cake, please?” Hotch chuckled as he handed the plate to his son, “Don’t eat too fast or too much, okay? We don’t want a tummy ache now do we?” The boy nodded as he made his way over to Henry, presumably to talk more about dinosaurs.

With a shake of his head, Hotch then spotted Y/N who seemed to be having a talk with Jess, sighing shakily, he then decided to make his way over to her. Jess spotted him first and excused herself from the conversation. Shock replaced her momentary confusion when Hotch took the side beside her, “Hey, birthday boy. How’s it going?”

“It’s going good, and I think I have you to thank for that,” Came his smooth reply which flustered her as she was quick to clarify, “Oh Penelope was the main mastermind for this. So you have her to thank — or reprimand, but hopefully you won’t do that. Jack and I just baked the cake, you know.”

“And it’s very good,” He said after taking one more bite before placing the plate of cake on the table in front of them, “I wonder what’s your special ingredient?”

Amused with how her usually-seen stern boss was leading a light conversation, which was further emphasized with how a smile ghosted over his lips and not a frown, she decided to ride along with it by replying, “Well Jack’s enthusiasm did help, but really it’s nothing a little vanilla extract can’t make better.”

Another hearty chuckle rumbled from his chest as he said, “You need to stop selling yourself short, you know? You’re great.” The heat was unpreventable from spreading throughout her face. As she simply crossed her legs and shrugged, unsure of what to say, “Well so are you. Everyone in this room can attest to how great you are — whether as a father, unit chief, or you know, a friend.”

It was now his turn to blush slightly as he looked at her sincerely and thought about how he wants to lead their conversation, “And is that all that you think of me? Nothing more than that?”

“Would you fire me if I were ever too honest with you? Like on a personal level?”

Though she knew that her remark was meant to be taken playfully but could sense her hesitation and to help appease her he helped out for her hand and led them over to a secluded part of the restaurant. Pleased with the way his hand enveloped and radiated warmth over hers, she looked at him with an intensity she had never seen before, “One of the things I admire most about you is how you speak your mind; sure this is useful during cases and briefs but it’s different on a personal level. So, please, whatever you wish to say, just say it.”

She thought about it for a second, thought about the possible outcome her action or words may arise; and came to the conclusion that it was better to risk rather than regret so with a trembling breath she breathed out, “I like you, Aaron. For the longest time I tried to think that maybe it was just admiration? But it was more than that,” In a surprising surge of confidence she held his hands in hers and kissed his knuckles, “I liked that you were this tough person who still sees the good in others. Being in your presence radiates warmth and joy,” Perhaps they were both thinking the same thing, that it’s funny how he radiated joy when he rarely smiled, “I, I could go on and on about how much you mean to me, but I’m hoping that maybe this could be the start of me expressing what I feel for you? Only if you would let me, of course.”

The unit chief took in her nervous expression which to him was utterly adorable before smiling at her, “Have I ever mentioned how adorable you are?”

“No, not really, it hasn’t exactly come up in between cases,” She humored him as she still nervously wondered what was going on in his mind. “I’ll cut you a deal then — how about we remind each other how much we mean to one another?”

Taking a step closer so their fronts were touching and they could take it in everything about each other smiled, “I like the sound of that. Does that mean we’re seeing each other now?”

Wanting to make it clear for her, he untangled their hands delicately on her cheeks to pull her in, letting their lips collide softly; her hands rested on his arms to anchor herself with the intensity in which he kissed her. She could feel the relief and  delight spread to her and wishing to share it with him by fervently pressing her lips into his as she smiled into the kiss and let out a whimper when he gently bit her bottom lip. 

Snapping them back to reality was the sound of some yelling — that thankfully, did not sound urgent — they both parted ways yet still remained pressed against each other as they focused on steadying their breathing, “Can I take you out tomorrow on a date?”

Smiling at his polite question, she nodded and smiled, “I would love that, Aaron.” He pressed one last kiss to her lips before taking a step back to just look at her beautiful features before speaking, “That sounds perfect then. I’ll ask Jess if she can watch Jack.”

“How about for one of our other dates, we can take Jack too? So he doesn’t feel like he’s left out or so he can, you know, gradually get used to us.”

At that Aaron could feel his heart warm up at the thought of why he admired her, because she always looks after his son. He nods and places his hand behind her back, guiding her back in the function hall, “God, as if you couldn't be any perfect.”

Just as she was about to ask him what he meant she was interrupted by the teasing and cheers of the team who were delighted to see that the two agents now had some sort of deeper relationship. Hotch decided to give them a pass for the teasing, deciding that celebrating another year of life with Jack and his family; and even better he finally landed the person of his dream 

[wayward-dreamer]

Coffee & Chaos - Part 2

Pairing: Producer!Jensen x Fem!Screenwriter!Reader

Word count: 1,976

Summary: Y/N starts working at Chaos Machine Productions, finding joy in the work and fitting in instantly. She knows she could really thrive in the company, as long as she doesn’t fall for her boss, the executive producer and founder, along the way. Little does she know he’s trying to suppress his feelings, for the sake of professionalism, too.

Warnings: Swearing, slight angst

A/N: I’m so excited to bring this mini-series to you guys! Let me know what you think! Happy reading and enjoy! :) beta’d by my love @evergreencowboy.

Series Masterlist | This mini-series is complete on Patreon!

A couple of weeks passed as Y/N settled into the job. Everyone had been right about telling her that it was only going to get harder from the first day, but it was nothing she hadn’t been able to handle. She had fallen into a great routine with everyone in the office, finding a different rapport with each of them but still managing to make it all work within the way the company operated. She had fallen into a comfortable routine with Jensen, too, both working together on a different level, something that she hadn’t expected to happen with an executive producer of a production company. He was accommodating of her ideas, listened to everything she had to say before he gave his notes, and was just a whole lot of fun, as well.

He was really making it hard not to like him, but hopefully that was allowed in a friendly capacity at least.

When she arrived at work that morning she was hoping to see him, but as lunch time rolled around, she knew that she probably wouldn’t have time to talk to him about a few things. He had been so busy with one-on-one meetings with writers, directors and other producers on upcoming projects, that he had been locked away in his office since he came in at 9:30am.

Y/N decided that lunch was a good time to multitask, so as she ate, she worked on the script that she had been writing. She was hoping to have it done soon to add to her portfolio and start sending it out to different companies.

“Hey, you doing alright?” Sarah asked, as she stood at Y/N’s desk.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Y/N replied, leaning back in her chair as she stopped typing. She wanted to take a little walk for some fresh air, having been inside since she got to work. “Wanna grab a coffee?”

“Sure,” Sarah smiled, as she walked back to her desk and picked up her wallet.

“So, what’re you working on?” Sarah asked her as soon as they were in line, across the street at Starbucks.

Y/N pressed her lips together, looking sheepish. “Sorry, I know I shouldn’t be working on anything personal-”

“Oh, please, there’s no rule that says you can’t,” Sarah waved her off, unbothered.

“Okay, good,” Y/N sighed. “It’s a pilot, I’m hoping to have it done really soon.”

“Well, I’m here if you need another set of eyes to look over it,” Sarah offered, nudging her arm into Y/N’s.

Y/N smiled. “Thanks.”

Just as their coffee orders arrived, Sarah’s phone rang. She answered it and immediately looked at Y/N as the person on the other end spoke. With an “okay” and “yeah, we’re on our way back”, she hung up the phone and gestured for Y/N to follow her.

“Jensen wants everyone in the next meeting,” she explained, as they rushed out of Starbucks and back across the street to the office, an extra coffee in tow for the boss.

Y/N hurried back to her desk to see who the meeting was for, her mind preoccupied with other tasks and completely forgetting who Jensen was scheduled to meet after lunch. She flipped through all her files and cursed inwardly, seeing that it was on the one script she hadn’t made any pre-meeting notes on. She was really hating her past self for such a stupid mistake.

“Ready?” Sarah asked, as she drifted by her desk.

“As I’ll ever be,” Y/N replied, picking up her copy of the script, notebook and pen as she followed behind her colleague.

They made their way over to the meeting room, as other employees filed in and took a seat at the table in the middle of the room. Y/N made sure all the water jugs were full and then sat down to Jensen’s right, between him and Sarah. The writers of the script were sitting across from her to his left, their hushed tones discussing something before the meeting officially started. Jensen started speaking, and she tried to focus on what he was talking about as she wrote down specific notes that they would need later. She found herself getting distracted as she looked down at his hands, his thick fingers twirling the pen between them, causing her to bite her lip as her mind drifted off, thinking about where she’d like those fingers to be…

“Y/N?”

She shook herself out of her daydream, looking up at him to see his green orbs staring at her. He had always been pleasant around her, but she gulped slightly as she saw his eyebrows furrowed, a dark look in his eye as he looked between her and her notebook.

“You wanna check back into reality?” he asked, his voice deep and husky, his intense glare on her.

She felt her core tighten as she squeezed her thighs together, not sure how his words and his look elicited that reaction. She should’ve been embarrassed to be called out in the meeting, but she couldn’t be bothered with the way he was staring at her.

“Sorry,” she muttered, her eyes drifting back down to the page, refusing to meet his again for the rest of the meeting.

Jensen continued the meeting, Y/N’s averted gaze on her work allowing her to concentrate as he spoke and write down all the important points that he or one of her colleagues brought up. An hour later, he stood up and shook hands with the writers, chuckling at something one of them said. As she gathered her things, she looked up at him, feeling butterflies in her stomach as she saw his gorgeous smile.

“You alright, Y/N?” Caleb, one of her fellow employees, asked as he moved past her.

“Yeah,” she replied, smiling softly. “I think the last couple of weeks of just going non-stop have finally gotten to me.”

“Well, if you wanna go for a drink tonight and chill out, we can” he offered.

“You know, I might actually take you up on that,” she muttered, sighing in relief to know that there was something to look forward to after a long day.

“Great,” Caleb breathed before making his way out of the room.

Y/N was about to follow him out when her eyes met Jensen’s, his arms crossed over his chest as he looked at her pointedly. She stopped and turned back to him, standing a few inches away as she waited to hear what he had to say.

“Wanna tell me what that was back there?” he asked, his voice deep but soft. He was clearly more confused than angry.

Her shoulders dropped as she breathed heavily, shaking her head. “I’m sorry, I’m just so distracted with everything else I’m trying to do. It won’t happen again, I promise.” He didn’t need to know that she was actually fantasizing about him.

He nodded, slowly. He seemed to approve of that. “Good. So… get those notes to me as soon as you can, okay?”

“Sure.”

Y/N flashed him a quick smile before she walked out of the room, letting out the breath she had been holding since he called her over. That could’ve been much worse, but she knew that even though he could be a hard ass, he never did anything to make anyone feel inferior. She had a sneaking suspicion he could be a bit of a softie sometimes, too, but that was a side to him he rarely showed to people.

She had a brief thought that she would like to see what he was like outside of work, but she pushed it away, carrying on with her work.

Y/N stretched her arms as she glanced down at her phone, checking the time. It was close to 7pm, not too late to call it a day unlike the last couple days where she had been finishing work much later. There was still enough time to go have a drink with some of her colleagues and then get home to make a quick dinner for herself. She picked up the scripts that she had been reading and the reports that she had done for them, carrying them to Jensen’s office. She knocked twice, entering as soon as she heard his rough voice say “come in.”

“Got those reports you asked for,” she informed him, placing the scripts and other papers on his desk.

“Thanks, Y/N,” he said, smiling softly. “You outta here?”

“Yeah,” she sighed, smirking. “Caleb asked me to go out for a drink, so that’s where I’m headed before going home.”

“Really? Caleb?” he asked, his eyebrows raised.

“Something wrong?” she inquired, frowning.

He shrugged his shoulders, shaking his head as he smirked. “No, no. Go have fun.”

“Okay,” she mumbled. She wasn’t sure what caused his demeanor to change suddenly, but he looked a little upset. She was probably overthinking it, so she decided to let it go for now. “Listen, uh… I really am sorry about today. It really won’t happen again,” she promised.

“It’s okay, Y/N. Your first slip-up in the weeks you’ve been here, it’s really nothing compared to the horror stories I’ve heard,” he reassured her, waving off her concerns. “If I was too hard on you-”

“No, you weren’t,” she interjected. You could’ve been harder. She cringed at her own thoughts, feeling her cheeks heat up. She really couldn’t be thinking things like that around him. “Goodnight, Jensen.”

“Night, Y/N.”

Y/N walked back to her desk and picked up her purse, slinging it over her shoulder as she left the office, ready to unwind for the night. She wondered if Jensen was really okay, but told herself that maybe he was just tired. It had been a long day and he probably just wanted to head home like the rest of them. Being the boss didn’t always have perks.

But she couldn’t help the weird feeling that bubbled in her stomach that there was something wrong.

Jensen leaned back in his chair, letting out a frustrated sigh as he stared up at the ceiling. He was in way deeper than he was thinking he was. Before she told him she was going for a drink, he was fully intending to ask Y/N out for one himself, as a way of telling her that there were no hard feelings about what happened in the meeting. Hearing that she was headed out with the rest of his staff got to him a little. He liked them all, he wouldn’t be working with them if he didn’t, but he was hoping that they might finally have a moment to talk outside of work.

Y/N was amazing. They had a great time getting to know each other in the context of work, and the little he did know about her personal life (she was an only child, her parents still lived in her childhood home, she had a dog), was all more reason to feel drawn to her. She was hardworking, caring, insanely smart and creative, and a great addition to the production company as well as being an awesome person.

As her boss, he really couldn’t expect anything to happen between them. Anything could be misconstrued as him trying to make advances, and that was the last thing he wanted Y/N to think of him. He liked her already, and he wished there was a way to handle this without the implications of what their industry had become infamous for.

That wasn’t his intention, but as much as he had started to like her over the last couple of weeks she had been there, there was just no way anything could happen.

He had to keep reminding himself of that.

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C&C: @spnfamily-j2​

[uvobreakmylegs]

Detour

I’m excited that it’s fall but i’m also sad that i won’t be able to swim anymore

Warnings: death, graphic depictions of violence, creepy behavior, groping, mentions of smut, kidnapping

The two guys at the gas station check out counter had been there when Phinks had first walked through the sliding glass doors, and they were still there when he approached the check out himself, having only dropped in to grab another pack of beer. The gas station clerk seemed annoyed while the two guys were pulling their pockets inside out, evidently in search of any spare change that may have been hiding on their persons. There was a sad pile of jenny and some change sitting in front of the clerk while she waited for them impatiently, and she seemed ready to push all of the money back towards them as it became more and more likely that these two didn't have enough cash for the assortment of alcohol and junk food that also sat on the counter.

Any other time Phinks would've been annoyed by the situation. But seeing as he didn't have anywhere to be, he found that he didn't really care all that much. The troupe likely wouldn't meet back up for some time which left his schedule quite open, and he had found it difficult to find something to occupy his time with while he waited for the boss to bring everyone together again.

Phinks had decided that a road trip was a decent way to pass the time. It was something he'd never really done before and so far it was easing his boredom as he had hoped it would. There was no real time limit he had set on himself or any destination that he had in mind. He'd just keep doing whatever he felt like until the novelty of the trip wore off and then go home.

“Would you like to take a few items off?”

The tired voice of the clerk cut through his thoughts, and Phinks found that there had been no progress with the two in front of him.

“No no, we need all of it,” one of the men, a redhead, insisted, “we just, uh....”

Trailing off, the man glanced over to Phinks, who was still waiting with his single pack of beer. Then the man looked over to his companion and then back to the items on the counter.

Phinks could already sense what the man was going to ask of him before he spoke out.

“Hey man,” the guy said to Phinks, “I know it sounds bad, but do you think you could spot me on this? I'm bringing this stuff back for my party. We ran out of some stuff way quicker than we expected. Can't let people down, y'know?”

The redhead started telling him how much more they needed until the clerk interrupted him to tell him off for harassing other customers for money. A mini argument started between the two, with the man insisting that he wasn't harassing anyone and the clerk disagreeing with him. The man's friend joined in shortly after and it was quickly turning into a mess.

What obnoxious fucking people.

If he was in more of a bad mood he'd have probably snapped the necks of all of them. The presence of cameras stopped him from doing that, however, as it would just be too much of a pain to go to the back and destroy the footage after. Still, even though he didn't have anywhere to be, it didn't mean that he wanted to waste his time listening to people bicker. The easiest way out of this was to just give them the jenny so they'd all shut up.

After pulling out his wallet, Phinks slid the jenny across the counter.

That shut the three of them up, and the two men were quick to express their gratitude while the clerk just looked tired.

“Thank you so, so much, man,” the redhead continued after they collected their bagged items.

“Mm-hm.”

Phinks was only half-paying attention to him as he waited for the clerk to scan the beer so he could hand her the jenny owed. That transaction went much quicker and Phinks was soon making his way to the exit.

The two men seemed to be waiting on him, though.

“Hey, since you helped us out, you wanna come to my party?” the redhead asked.

Normally his automatic response would've been to give him a flat “no”. But in this instance Phinks just shrugged.

That seemed to give the redhead hope, and he began listing the reasons why Phinks should follow them back, like his “cool house”, hot women and great beer.

Given the especially cheap brand of beer Phinks had largely paid for, he had a hard time believing that last point. He also wasn't quite sure why this guy was so insistent on getting him to come along. Was it really just because Phinks had bothered to help them out?

“Name's Stu by the way. Back there is Billy,” the redhead told him, sticking out his arm to shake hands. When Phinks didn't do the same, Stu seemed a bit dejected, yet even that didn't make him back down from inviting Phinks.

“So how 'bout it, man? You wanna come?”

“.... I'll think about it,” he told him.

“Okay, but do it fast man. My place isn't that far from here.”

Phinks nodded, and Stu ran off to the car where his friend was waiting. The other guy didn't seem as keen on Phinks as the redhead had, regarding the blonde with suspicion. Phinks could hear him saying something as the two entered the car. Stu seemed to brush him off, and then their car doors closed and Phinks couldn't hear anything else.

The two ended up pulling out of the parking lot before he did, and Phinks found himself following them as they all made the same turn onto the highway.

He still had no real urge to go to some random guy's party, especially when he found him to be pretty annoying. And if it was a party filled with the friends of someone like that, he'd probably get irritated with all of them pretty quick. Better to just ignore them and be on his way.

Although the thought of just driving aimlessly through the night wasn't all that attractive, either. He'd done that several times now, and the feeling of being the only person in the world while he drove on the empty highway had lost its touch by now.

The car in front of him veered off the highway to get onto a side road.

After a few seconds, Phinks did the same, just thinking to himself 'why not?'. It would be something different, a little detour on a trip that was meant to be a distraction, and if it ended up being something that he didn't want to bother with, then he could just leave.

Although the noise level in the house wasn't quiet, it was nowhere near ear-shatteringly loud as Phinks may have expected. At least it had that in it's favor. Other than that, it was a stereotypical frat house party, with everyone talking and drinking as they got more and more shitfaced.

The two who brought him here vanished into the kitchen, and Phinks began to make his way around the house, sipping one of the cans of beer he had bought for himself since he had no interest in the shit the host had him pay for. A girl in one of the upstairs rooms noticed the beer in his hand and begged him to share with her, even going as far as to tug on the sleeve of his jacket when he told her no. He ended up pushing her away, and though he had tried to use as little force as possible, his strength combined with her tipsiness caused her to stumble back into a wall. She was still whining about him when he walked back down the stairs, going on about how mean he was.

He thought he'd been pretty nice to her, all things considered.

It didn't take long for Phinks to lose interest in this particular distraction. Not that he'd been expecting much, but after going around the house and not even seeing anything that might be worth stealing, he figured it'd be best to leave soon. With his short temper being one of his vices, he didn't want to deal with what would happen if some drunk got on his nerves and he smashed them into the wall.

With the sights, sounds and smells became grating to him and seeing no reason to stay any longer, Phinks went about trying to find an exit. Attempting to get out the same way he came in was put to a stop when he saw how congested the front entrance had become. He could've easily pushed past all of them, but since that would likely draw a fair amount of attention, maybe it'd be a better idea to find a different way out. Phinks wandered into the kitchen, walking by Stu who tried to talk to him. A patio door leading to the backyard caught his eye and he ignored the party's host as he walked by several people to get to it.

The cool air outside felt refreshing and he let out a soft sigh as the patio door slowly swung closed. Claustrophobia generally wasn't something he had an issue with, but that seemed to change a little when he was faced with a house full of drunken strangers who didn't understand the meaning of personal space. Another nice thing was the fact that no one else seemed to be out here. He didn't think it was that cold out, but it worked just fine if the people inside thought otherwise.

He stood on a deck with an assortment of patio furniture that sat in front of an in ground pool, and when he looked to the side, he saw the gate within the fencing that surrounded the backyard.

That was his way out, then.

With no more reason to stick around, he was about to head out and back to his car-

But he paused when he heard the sound of splashing water, and he looked back to the pool.

So he wasn't the only person out here.

Some of the patio furniture had blocked you from his sight so he hadn't noticed you at first, but you were now swimming out into the center of the pool and impossible to miss. It was pretty late in the year for swimming, wasn't it? Yet you seemed to be content with yourself despite the temperature and lack of company, swimming around the pool like you owned it. Maybe you did; he wasn't sure what your relation was to the party host.

Then your eyes met, and you smiled as you greeted him.

“Hello.”

“... Hey.”

He hadn't come out to look for company. He was looking to leave.

Yet something about this situation, about you, intrigued him, and Phinks walked forward, continuing with “isn't it a little late in the season for swimming?”

“That's what everyone seems to think,” you said, “it's going to be drained tomorrow, so I wanted to swim one more time before that. It's the last chance I'll get for this year.”

“No public pools around here?” he asked.

“I don't really like public pools,” you told him, laughing a little bit as you continued “the ones around here are never clean, and I don't wanna swim around in nasty water.”

Phinks couldn't say if he really had an opinion one way or the other. He tried to avoid situations where he'd need to be shirtless in public, as the spider with the number 5 on his ribs would've been a dead giveaway for anyone who understood it's meaning. He just shrugged at you as he said “fair enough.”

Phinks now stood at the edge of the pool while you swam up to the edge.

“I don't think I've seen you before. You new around here?” you asked him.

“No. Just passing through. Helped out the host at the gas station and he invited me as thanks,” Phinks explained, “I was expecting this to be taking place at some shitty apartment; didn't think a guy like that owned a house.”

“He doesn't, it belongs to his older brother Jed. Stu just lives with him,” you responded.

“Ah.”

That made a bit more sense to him. Since he hadn't been able to buy beer from a gas station on his own, it didn't seem likely that the guy would've had his own house. So he was just leeching off of his brother.

Despite being ready to leave just minutes earlier, he found that he now had a reason to want to stay here longer. But standing and talking to you was getting a little awkward, so Phinks sat himself down on the concrete next to the pool. So far you weren't annoying compared to some of the others. And despite being by yourself beforehand, you seemed pretty open to talking with him, resting your arms on the edge of the pool.

“You friends with them, then?”

“Jed is in a few of my classes, so I'm friends with him. Not Stu, though. He's kind of an asshole. Likes to play a lot of stupid pranks.”

You rested your chin in your hand as you thought back.

“He's destroyed two of my phones so far, both times by dumping water on me,” you said, “although I guess he did repay me for both, but it's still such a hassle to go through.”

“You're nicer than I am. If some guy like that fucked up my phone I'd kill him.”

You laughed at him, not taking his words seriously.

“You seem nice enough. You helped him out, right?”

“Only because it was the fastest way to get outta there. Stupid bastard started an argument with the clerk.”

“Yeah. That sounds like something he'd do,” you said, tiredness lacing your voice.

A cheer then sounded from inside the house, and though the doors and windows were closed, it was loud enough that the both of you could hear it from outside.

“Things must be ramping up in there,” you commented.

“Guess so,” Phinks said, taking a swig of his drink after.

“Isn't it kinda weird that you're keeping to yourself with an event like this? Don't see the point in going out if you're going to avoid people,” he added.

“But isn't that what you're doing by coming out here?” you asked.

“Nah, I was getting ready to leave.”

“What stopped you?”

“I haven't done much out here beside sitting here talking to you. What do you think?”

You seemed a bit taken aback and a little embarrassed as you realized the reason, but gave him a small smile.

“Oh wow. Are you saying I managed to be charming enough to keep a guy from leaving?” you asked him.

“No. You're just not as annoying as the others I've met tonight.”

Your expression was rather blank as you took in that information.

“..... I'll take that as a compliment, then,” you said, “so what do you do?”

“What do I do?”

“For a job, or just anything in general.”

“I do a couple odd jobs here and there, I guess,” he answered, “every once in a while a bigger opportunity comes up, and I just do whatever I need to.”

It was an oversimplification of his criminal activities, and he hoped that he'd been vague enough without sounding suspicious.

It appeared that he had as you didn't seem to think it was strange.

“You mentioned earlier that you were just passing through. Are you on your way to a job or something?”

“Nah. I'm currently off-duty. And I had a lot of time to kill, so I decided to take a road trip.”

“Oh, that sounds nice,” you said, “I work on campus, so I don't really get to do vacations for now. Can't remember the last time I went on one.”

“Job at least worth it?”

“Kind of? Although the other week I needed to go through something stupid.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I got screamed at by a lady.”

Your tone made it seem like that was something happened on a regular basis.

“For what?” he asked.

“Something with her daughter's textbooks. She ordered one that she didn't need on accident but didn't want to admit that she made a mistake, so she just let her mother yell at me for forty minutes and claim that we were the ones who fucked up.”

You sighed a little after the explanation. Evidently that situation still made you frustrated.

“.... Did she apologize after?” Phinks asked.

With a slightly wistful smile, you shook your head as you said “people like that don't apologize.”

“Sounds rough.”

It went without saying that Phinks wouldn't have tolerated anything like that. If it had been him he'd have killed them both and tossed their bodies in the trash. But he kept that rather violent thought to himself.

“Sorry you needed to deal with that,” he added.

“It's okay. It's little things that keep you going,” you said, “I've been looking forward to swimming for a while, so I'm pretty happy right now. Although I guess I'm kinda doing a job right now.”

“How so?”

“Jed's at his job right now, and since he doesn't trust Stu, he asked me to make sure nothing happens to the pool. The last time Stu had a party there was a bunch of trash in it the next morning, and it was a pain to clean up. So in exchange for using the pool, I have full permission to snitch on anyone who tosses anything.”

“Yeah? What's snitching gonna do?”

“Jed's a scary guy. Nobody wants to make him mad.”

If Phinks had felt like being more of an asshole, and if you'd been unpleasant during your conversation with him, he probably would've taken his half-finished beer can and thrown it into the pool just to upset you and also to see if your friend was as scary as you were making him out to be.

But so far he'd been enjoying himself, so as fun as that thought might have been, he decided against it.

You pulled one of your arms off of the rim and back into the water. Evidently you were getting cold, but you held on to the edge to continue speaking to him.

“So how long have you been on your trip?” you asked.

“A few weeks.”

“A few weeks? You must have been all over the place, then. Did you go anywhere in particular?”

“Not really,” Phinks answered, “didn't have any real plan when I set out. Just drove to wherever I thought would be interesting.”

“That's kinda cool,” you said, “must be nice to be able to go wherever you want without any real plan.”

“You can't?”

“Nope. Classes and work means I can't just run off whenever I feel like it.”

“Too busy getting screamed at?” he asked jokingly.

“Yeah, something like that,” you answered, laughing a little after.

You pulled your other arm back underwater and just kept a hand on the side of the wall.

“Cold?” he asked.

“A little.”

“Probably why most people aren't swimming this late.”

“I don't care; it's worth it,” you said, “honestly, the thought of being able to swim was what kept me going this week.”

That.... Was a little bit sad, Phinks thought to himself. That all you had to look forward to at the end of the week was a few hours to swim by yourself in the cold. There were much sadder circumstances in the world – he was certain that anyone from Meteor City would be more than happy to switch places with you – but your life must have felt empty. Although Phinks was technically in the same boat at the moment, at least being with the troupe gave him purpose. What did you have besides a shitty job and presumably a fair amount of college debt? Just the 'little things' to keep you going?

Maybe he was presuming too much; he'd only just met you after all. But it bothered him regardless.

“What are your plans for after college?” he asked.

You seemed a bit startled, and you looked away from him for the first time.

“Not really sure, actually. I'm still undecided on my major,” you admitted, “I need to figure out soon, though. I'm going to run out of the basic coursework that I need to get through, and my family is getting mad that I haven't made a decision yet.”

So you didn't have any direction and were being pressured by others. Still not the saddest circumstance ever, but if it had been him, Phinks was certain he'd have been miserable.

You clearly didn't want to keep going on about that particular subject, as you began to ask him questions about his trip, wanting to know where exactly he had been so far and how much longer he planned to drive for. The change in topics was obvious, but he decided to go along with it.

As the night grew darker while the two of you talked, he decided that he liked you. You could hold a decent conversation, even if the things you two talked about weren't all that meaningful.

You were pretty cute, too.

The party behind him still seemed to be going strong, but it was largely going ignored by you both, in part by the fact that you were still the only ones outside.

Your face lit up as a thought came to mind.

“You should come in!” you told him.

“No thanks.”

“Come on! It's really nice!”

You grabbed at his free hand, tugging on his arm lightly as you tried to encourage him to get into the pool.

“If you get my suit wet I'll drown you,” Phinks said told you.

You giggled, once more not taking him seriously. Though he was only half-serious about it at this point.

“Then take it off and come in,” you insisted.

“I don't have a swimsuit.”

“That doesn't stop most people.

“Good to know,” he said flatly.

Though you'd stopped tugging on his arm, both of your hands remained on his wrist as you looked up at him.

“Can you not swim?” you asked.

“I can swim fine,” he said, “I just don't feel like it right now.”

You seemed a bit disappointed, but you had yet to let go of his wrist.

“Should you really be that surprised with the temperature being what it is?” he asked you.

“It isn't that bad. And the pool is heated,” you insisted, “didn't think a bit of chill would scare off the most interesting person at this party, though.”

The corner of his lips curled a bit at that. He wasn't one for meaningless flattery, but he didn't mind hearing you say things like that.

“Is that why you're not letting go of me?”

“You don't seem to be doing much to shake me off.”

“I could if I wanted to.”

“So you don't want to?”

You were teasing him. And while he could tease you back, he went for a different approach.

He yanked his wrist out of your grip and grabbed your own wrist just as fast, and lifted you up until you were eye level with him. To say you were flustered by the action would've been an understatement, and your free hand grasped at the arm that held you up to lessen the weight on the arm that he had trapped.

With you partially out of the water, Phinks allowed his eyes to travel over your form, following the trails of water that dripped down your skin and imagining exactly what you looked like under that swimsuit. His grin got wider when he saw your body reacting to the cooler temperature and the way your nipples showed through the material. It hadn't been on his mind when he first approached you, but after spending time with you he found himself liking the idea of fooling around with you. Probably not in the house, and he doubted you would want to do anything in the pool due to that friend of yours you had mentioned. Maybe there was some dark corner around here where he could take you to do what he wanted.

You were squirming a little, trying to free yourself from his grip.

“It's cold,” you whined.

“Yep,” was his reply.

“Come on, let go. I'm only in a swimsuit.”

“You weren't letting me go,” he pointed out.

“Yeah, but I didn't pull you into the water.”

“Because you're too weak to do that.”

“That's not fair!”

“Don't think this is a situation where fairness matters, sweetheart.”

With that he let you go, and you dropped back down into the pool. You pushed away from the wall after, giving him a slightly sour look.

“Problem?” he asked.

“It's cold,” you repeated.

He just smirked.

“You're gonna need to deal with it at some point,” he told you.

“Yeah, but I wasn't ready for it then!”

You had to have noticed the way he looked at you, right? There was no way you were so oblivious to have not seen how he had blatantly looked you over. Yet you weren't mentioning it.

By now you were more at the center of the pool, pointedly out of his range.

“You done talking?” Phinks asked.

“No, but I don't want you pulling me out again.”

Then you looked away like you were embarrassed.

It clicked for him. You must have liked it, but you were too shy to say anything about it.

Your reluctance was cute, though Phinks knew he'd get tired of that game pretty fast.

“Come back over,” he told you.

“Why?”

“Because I want you to.”

You shook your head.

“You're going to do that again, right?” you asked.

“Maybe.”

“Then no. I don't wanna get out yet.”

“How long are you gonna stay in there?”

“Until I feel like getting out.”

“And if I want you out of there now?”

“Then you'd have to come in and get me.”

…. Oh

That's what it was.

A ploy by you to get him into the pool.

That's what you had to mean by those words, right?

“.... What the hell,” he said to himself as he stood.

It got your attention when he began to remove his clothing, throwing them over to a few neatly folded articles of clothing that sat next to a bag on the patio, which he assumed belonged to you. You were watching him closely, and he could sense a growing interest in you when he removed his shirt. Your eyes lingered a little when you caught sight of his spider tattoo, but there was no hint that you recognized what it meant, which was preferable.

“Enjoying the show?” he asked.

“You were looking at me earlier,” you answered defensively, “you're not allowed to get mad when I do the same.”

“Didn't say I was mad.”

You acknowledging the way he had looked at you then just reaffirmed in his head that you hadn't minded, and after stripping down to his boxers, Phinks jumped in. The water felt just as nice as you had said, but he didn't take much time to focus on it as he was quick to approach you. Within moments, he had wrapped his arms around you and pulled you in close, lifting you a little so you were at eye level with him. You seemed flustered again, but you didn't make any move to get away, and were resting your hands on his chest.

“I don't think you told me your name,” you whispered to him.

“Phinks.”

“Phinks,” you repeated, smiling afterwards, “I like it. It's cool.”

“Thanks,” he replied, “and how 'bout you?”

You gave him your name, which he also repeated to himself.

“Not as cool as 'Phinks', I guess,” you said.

“It suits you,” he said.

You smiled at him, then shifted slightly in his grip.

“Are you just gonna keep holding me?”

“You said I needed to come in and get you.”

“And what did you want to 'get' me for?”

Despite the question, you clearly had an idea of what Phinks was after as you began to move in closer to him. Phinks did the same, and slowly, the gap between the two of you was closed as your lips met together in a kiss.

With the heavy scent of pool chemicals that surrounded you two, it was hard to smell much else, but your lips were soft against his. The kiss was a bit tame for his liking, but he let you do what you wanted for now as you readjusted your arms so they were wrapped around his neck.

One of his hands slid down your back to reach down and squeeze your ass, and you gasped into the kiss. He slipped his tongue into your mouth for a brief moment before you pulled away, your hand over your mouth as you looked away in embarrassment.

“I'm not sure we should do much more here,” you said, glancing up at the house behind him, “there are people watching. I'm not into that.”

“Where do you wanna go?” he asked. It didn't surprise him much that you two might have attracted an audience, and when he heard the door to the patio open from behind him, he chose to ignore it.

“I don't think we'll get much privacy here, so how about my place?” you asked.

“Do you usually bring home strangers?”

“Only the really cool ones.”

He grinned.

You were leaning in to kiss him again when you suddenly froze and turned your attention to something behind Phinks.

“Don't do that!” you yelled.

Phinks turned his head just in time to see his and your clothes land in the water, with the guy who'd invited him – Stu, he remembered – pointing and laughing after having thrown them. The annoying woman from earlier, the one who had whined at him for his can of beer, was also there, standing behind Stu and running off with him towards the gate in the fence.

Phinks saw red.

He let you go and swiftly exited the pool, following after the two even as the chill of the night air nipped at his skin. He barely felt it, and he didn't give a shit that he was running around barefoot either. All of his focus was on catching up to those two assholes who'd dumped his clothes in the pool.

He was angry enough that he didn't notice the sound of feet following after him.

The two perpetrators were in an alleyway between two rows of houses, drunkenly laughing their asses off. Their demeanor didn't change when Phinks caught up to them. The woman actually began to laugh harder, probably because Phinks was still wearing only his boxers.

Stu was trying to contain himself a bit, and put his hands up as an offering of peace.

“Hey man, it wasn't anything personal. Just a prank,” he said, “you can use the dryer, and I'll lend you some clothes-”

His sentence was cut off when Phinks grabbed both sides of his head and twisted it completely around, the cracking of his broken neck ringing out in the empty alley.

The sight of Stu falling to the ground with his head facing the wrong way had the woman instantly sober up, and she looked to Phinks as she opened her mouth to scream.

Barely a whisper of sound was able to escape as he did the same thing to her, and now Phinks was standing half-naked in an alley with two dead bodies.

“Obnoxious fucking people,” he muttered to himself.

Then there was noise that came from behind him.

Phinks turned and saw the other guy who'd been at the gas station on the ground, his arms barely supporting himself as his eyes were wide at the sight of his friends dead before him.

His eyes widened even further when he spotted the spider on Phinks' ribs, clearly recognizing what it meant as he whispered “oh my god.”

Make that three bodies, Phinks thought to himself as he rushed forward to snap his neck as well.

Three bodies that he needed to get rid of. If anyone else from the party came out here and found them, the police would be called immediately. He had no intentions of staying here any longer, but it'd be best to put a bit of distance between himself and the crime scene before the police were inevitably called.

He was dragging the other guy by his ankles and in the process of collecting the woman's body when someone walked out into the alley through one of the other entrances. An older woman, who was definitely not from the party and had come from another house, carrying a bag of trash walked out in front of Phinks, and like the guy right before, her eyes grew wide as she saw the sight of the dead before her.

She made a move to run back to her house, but Phinks picked up a pebble that he infused with nen and launched it at her head. It traveled through her skull and the fencing beside her, and blood sprayed out from the exit wound and splattered onto the fence as well as she fell to the ground.

This was turning into a goddamn mess, and after Phinks had thrown now four bodies over into a different backyard, he heard a voice calling out “mom?” from the direction that the woman with the trash bag had come from.

Fuck this. He needed to go.

When he returned to the backyard to retrieve his clothes, he found you on the patio. You were holding his jacket over the concrete, desperately trying to wring out the water that had soaked it completely. You were visibly shivering as you did so, with goosebumps running up your arms and your teeth chattering. He noticed his pants hanging off the fence that surrounded the patio, and while they weren't dry by any means, you had clearly done your best to get the water out of them. Meanwhile your own clothes laid in a soggy heap by your equally soaked bag.

You noticed him when he walked closer.

“I'm sorry,” you told him. You looked guilty for some reason.

“You didn't do it,” Phinks said, considerably calmer now.

“No. But I made a big deal about you getting in with me, and with Stu around I should've been paying attention. I'm really, really sorry.”

He was about to tell you to stop apologizing when he heard a shout coming from the direction of the alleyway.

Fuck. He forgot that he needed to leave.

Luckily you were the only one who noticed, as the rest of the party goers still had the doors and windows securely shut. He pulled on his pants and his sopping wet tank top, and the sensation of wearing those wet clothes was just as unpleasant as he had anticipated. At least his shoes were still dry.

You were still holding his jacket, looking confused as you looked off in the direction where you'd heard that voice. Phinks was about to just take it from you and leave, but when he looked you over again, he thought over the things you two had talked about, the things you had said and how you'd acted around him, and he came to a split second decision.

Grabbing your clothes and bag, he shoved them into your hands before he grabbed one of your arms and pulled you after him. You seemed startled, but you didn't question him as you were too surprised to think of anything to say. He led you out through the backyard and down to where he had parked his car, opening the passenger side door and pushing you inside. He then walked around to the driver's side, and within moments you both were speeding out of the neighborhood.

By the time he came to the highway there was a strong smell of pool chemicals that filled the car, and both of the front seats were slowly soaking up the excess water that dripped off of the two of you.

You seemed to be in a mild state of shock, as you had yet to say anything. You just sat in your still wet swimsuit looking rather confused while you still held onto the soaked clothing Phinks had forced onto you.

After a while you shuddered and finally spoke up.

“Do you think you could turn up the heat?” you asked him.

“Oh. Sure. Sorry.”

Phinks turned the heat up all the way, and after a few moments you seemed to relax a bit, though now you were glancing over at him while smiling nervously.

“Uh, so, there's a lot that I should probably be questioning,” you began, “but I'll start with if you knew why there was yelling?”

Should he lie? No, that might be weird if he pretended not to know.

“I punched that guy in the face. I think I broke his nose,” he told you, “that was likely his friend after he saw him.”

“Ah. Okay,” you said, “that's..... Not very good, but I think I get why you did that. You're gonna get charged with assault, though.”

Fat chance.

“I'll deal with that when I come to that,” he answered, “sorry if I put you in a tough position.”

“It's okay. Well, not really. But Stu's pranks have always been pretty bad and what he did was shitty, so I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later.”

“Think you can forgive me?”

“... Yeah, I think so. Just promise you won't do anything like that again.”

“I promise.”

“Okay,” you said as you nodded, “so second question: where are we going?”

“.... Not sure. Didn't have much of a plan besides getting out of there and going back to what I was doing,” Phinks admitted.

“So you're just back to driving around going wherever?”

“Seems like it.”

“Why did you bring me along?” you asked.

“.... Didn't want that to be the last time I saw you,” he said.

“Oh.....”

His answer ended up making you flustered again, and while you did seem to be holding some reservations about him with his admission of violence and the fact that he really had just kidnapped you, he could see you rationalizing everything in your mind and convincing yourself that this wasn't all that bad.

It was preferable if you did that. It made taking you with him a lot easier.

“Luckily for me I don't work tomorrow,” you said, “and since the day after that is Sunday and the campus store isn't open then, I also have that day off. So I think it's okay if I drive around with you for a bit. Just get me back by Sunday night, alright?”

“Don't worry. I'll get you back safe and sound,” he told you, and you visibly relaxed at his words.

You were a little naive, a little too trusting. But that was fine. Phinks liked that about you.

“Okay so third question,” you announced as you looked down at the wet clothes in your lap, “what should we do about this?”

“Right. Let me pull over.”

He stopped the car beneath a streetlight, and you sat sideways on the passengers seat while you held the clothes out of the car and wrung the water out of them as best you could. Phinks took the opportunity to change after you handed him his jacket, and he threw the mostly damp clothes in the backseat.

Glancing over at you, he did appreciate how much your swimsuit showed off while you tried to dry out your own clothes. But while he liked the idea of you staying as you were for the rest of the trip, you probably wouldn't be as big of a fan of that. Going over to his trunk once more, he dug around through his bag before he found what he was looking for.

“I don't have anything that will fit you well,” Phinks said as he made his way over to you, “but this should cover you up.”

What he handed you was the long white robe he wore on occasion, usually for combat or missions.

You seemed a bit surprised when you saw it, but you accepted it gratefully. Your gaze went to the jeweled eye that hung near the neck of the garment, and he heard you mumble about it being pretty.

He wondered briefly what you might think of the snake headpiece he usually wore with it, but the time for that would come later as you were currently slipping his robe over your head.

“Thank you,” you told him again as you threw your clothing in the back as well.

Then your attention went to your bag, and you frowned.

“What's wrong?”

In response to his question, you tilted your bag to the side and water began to pour out of it.

“Ah.”

“How much do you wanna bet that my phone is dead?” you asked as you reached inside.

As was expected, your phone screen stayed black when you hit the power button, and you sighed.

“And that's phone number three that Stu has destroyed.”

“Don't worry. It won't happen again,” he told you.

“You sure?”

“Positive.”

You tossed the now useless phone into your bag and looked back up to him as if to say “so what now?”

Phinks had an idea for that.

“Wanna go to a motel?”

“A motel? Wow, you sure know how to treat someone,” you said sarcastically.

“You really think I can get you into a nice hotel with you looking like that? You don't even have shoes,” he said.

“I didn't get a chance to grab them,” you responded, though you seemed to concede a bit.

“Could we stop somewhere tomorrow so I can get shoes or something?”

“I'll buy you a whole new wardrobe if that's what you want.”

You laughed at that, shaking your head and saying that you didn't need that.

Before too long, Phinks was back in the drivers seat while you watched the streetlights as the car passed them by, your fingers idly playing with the jewel on his robes as you did so. He had turned down the heat and turned on the radio, and though it still felt strange to be sitting in the wet seats, it wasn't bothering either of you as much anymore. The smell from the pool was mostly gone after driving a bit with the windows opened just a crack.

Except for the occasional car that drove in the opposite direction, you were the only ones on the highway.

“How far are you gonna drive?” you eventually asked.

He wanted to get out of the state at least. Phinks didn't want to deal with a confrontation with the law while also taking you along with him. He wanted to get as far as he could while you were still cooperative, and whenever you realized that there was no chance he'd be taking you back, he'd go to more extreme measures of keeping you with him. Your phone being dead was a good thing for him; you wouldn't be able to try and get help as easily.

“I think we've passed by three or four motels already,” you added, “was there something wrong with them?”

“No. Sorry. I got a bit distracted,” Phinks replied, “I've come to really like the highway at night. There's something soothing about it, I guess. Wanted to stay like this for a bit longer.”

You nodded in response and looked back out the window, your fingers still playing with the jeweled eye.

“Can I borrow your phone at some point tomorrow? I need to call someone just so everyone back home knows I'm okay. Don't want them to worry,” you said to him.

“Sure,” he said.

Arguing with you over that would seem strange. He'd just need to avoid that subject tomorrow.

He noticed when you yawned.

“Getting tired?” he asked.

“A little,” you said, laughing a little as you added, “this wasn't how I was expecting my night to go.”

“Same here.”

“I hope you decide to stop soon. I might not be up for it tonight if you're planning on continuing where we left off at the pool when we reach that motel.”

“That's fine. We'll have all day tomorrow, right?”

His words made you embarrassed again, and you shyly answered with a yes as you smiled to yourself.

So that was the plan, then. Drive as far as he could tonight, fuck your brains out tomorrow, then get away further before you figured things out. You would likely object, not liking the idea of being taken away from everything you'd ever known. But he was certain that after spending enough time with him, you'd prefer it. Your current life wasn't any good, but he was prepared for you to not understand that at first. And if he needed to tie you up and shove you into the trunk to keep you compliant, he could do that. Seemed like a pretty fool-proof plan.

You were yawning again.

“Get some sleep if you need to,” he said, “I'll wake you up when I find a place I like.”

You nodded. Soon after he saw you settling back into the seat and closing your eyes as you attempted to get some rest.

He liked the sight of you next to him, sitting in his clothes while you nodded off in his car. And when he turned his attention back to the empty highway, he was once again hit with the feeling like he was the only one in the world. A feeling that only came with seeing an area that was typically full of people seem completely abandoned.

But this time, though, he wasn't alone.

[luci-in-trenchcoats]

Bring It On Home

Summary: After one of her regular customers catches her boss stealing her tips, the reader gets a job from Jensen. She figures he’s just being a nice guy but after a run in with a stranger they both learn exactly what they really are to one another...

Pairing: Jensen x daughter!reader

Word Count: 10,500ish

Warnings: language, angst, mention of death/drug use/smut/scary situations, fluff

A/N: Felt like putting a little spin on this one! Enjoy!

______

“Mr. Ackles,” you smirked as he wandered up to the counter with a big smile. “I thought you told me not to sell you anymore donuts. I thought you were slimming down for your next role.”

“Oh, I never said such a thing,” he smirked. “You got any of those maple cinnamon creme filled ones left?”

“Looks like we got one left,” you said. He set his starbucks cup and sunglasses down on the counter and pulled out his wallet. “Anything else?”

“Yeah. I’ll take a butterscotch for De and a dozen of the minis for the kiddos,” he said.

“Anything in particular?” you asked as you started to put together his order.

“Surprise me,” he said.

“I’ll go with glazed and chocolate to be safe,” you said. You set the bag and box down, ringing him up. “Oh and I gotta say, I really liked the new album. You guys were really good.”

“Well thank you very much, Y/N,” he smiled. He stuffed a big tip in the jar like he always did and you gave him a look. “Oh I know you saved that donut for me. Don’t pretend.”

“The fact you come in here every single Thursday at 10:07 in the morning when you’re not working and order the same donut every single time? Oh I don’t know who thought to do that,” you said. 

“Mhm. See ya next week, kid,” he said as he headed out.

“Bye, Mr. Ackles,” you said. You saw your manager give you a side eye and you pouted.

“I thought I told you to stop bothering him,” she said.

“He’s nice. It’s a small place. He comes in every week,” you said. She took the money out of the tip jar and shoved it in her pockets. You sighed and heard the door open again, Jensen shaking his head.

“Sorry, left my sunglasses,” he said. He picked them up and paused, staring at the jar. “I just put twenty dollars in there.”

You looked at your manager and she pretended to have to go sign for something. You wiped down the counter and saw him still standing there.

“Can I get you anything else?” you asked. You straightened up and his lip was pursed. 

“Does your boss take your tips?” he asked.

“We pool tips here, Mr. Ackles. You know that,” you said.

“Yeah but you make minimum wage. She doesn’t. Does your boss take a cut of the tips?” he asked. You didn’t say anything but apparently you did. He grumbled and pulled out a twenty, sliding it across the counter. “That’s yours, not hers. While I’m at it, I’m gonna say what I’ve been thinking for like, the entire time you’ve waited on me and just go to school. You are way too smart to be working a job like this the rest of your life.”

“Mr. Ackles you don’t-”

“You don’t ring people up. You do the math in your head. You always give me a total before it pops up on the screen. You got a brain. Use it for something better than this, kid,” he said. 

“Not everyone is fortunate enough to do that,” you said. 

“How old are you?” he asked.

“Twenty two,” you said.

“You got a car?” he asked.

“Yeah?” you said.

“Congratulations. You’re the newest bartender at my brewery. Starts at fifteen bucks an hour,” he said.

“Is that in the morning?” you asked. 

“It’s probably evenings, afternoons. Why?” he asked. 

“I have another job,” you said. “I can’t work later than noon.”

“You can work in the brewery in the morning then. We got a deal?” he asked. You nodded and he pulled a card out of his wallet. “Call me when you’re done with work today and we’ll get you set up, okay?”

“Thank you. This is gonna help so much,” you said. He smiled and nodded. 

“Just hang in there for now. It’ll get better.”

Three Weeks Later

“Good morning,” you heard as you dropped a sack on the floor. You were panting and sweaty, Jensen smiling as he saw you. “Whoa, what are you doing moving those by yourself.”

“My boss said they need to get moved. I was getting started without him was all,” you said.

“Okay your boss is my business partner so I’m like your boss too and no we do not move seventy pound bags by ourselves, understand?” he asked.

“Sorry,” you said, wiping your hand over your face. 

“Are you okay?” he asked. “It’s just a bag on the floor.”

“Yeah. I just don’t want to screw this up,” you said. “I really need the money.”

“Well relax. It’s only your second week,” he said. You nodded and he squatted down, hoisting the bag over his shoulder. He walked it over to where they were being moved and tossed it down. “Come here.”

You scurried over and he crossed his arms, looking back at the pallet of raw hops and the bag by his feet.

“Figure out how to make this more efficient,” he said.

“What?”

“I didn’t hire you because I felt sorry for you and I didn’t do it because you’re stronger than the grown men here. You got a brain and I want you to use it. Figure out a way to make this process better. Tell your boss when you got something,” he said.

“Yes sir,” you said.

“None of that sir shit, kid. Just Jensen, okay?”

“Yeah, sorry,” you said. He rolled his eyes and walked away, a pit forming in your stomach. You were so getting fired. You should have just sucked it up and stayed at the donut shop. You’d quit there and your pizza shop job went away when they closed up last week. You knew you could squeak by until you found another part time job. “Jensen?”

He spun around halfway across the room and you swallowed.

“I’m available in the evenings now. I can bartend too if you still need that,” you said.

“I can give you two shifts a week. Same pay. That work?” he asked.

“Yes that’s great,” you said.

“Good. Figure out the bags, Y/N,” he said before he went off. You felt a little better at least. You stared at the bags and pallet, trying to figure out the best way to get the bags over with all of the equipment in the way.

One Hour Later

“So you figured it out,” said Jensen with a knowing smile after you’d told him about your idea to use the forklift to drive around outside and then back in through the other smaller door to bring the bags over to the other side of the equipment. “Took a little longer than I was expecting.”

You frowned and he chuckled.

“Relax. It was a test,” he said.

“A test?” you said and he hummed. “For what?”

“I think your talents would be better suited for stocking management at the moment. You’re gonna track orders as they come in, manage storage, help the workflow stay on track. Sound good?” he asked.

“Yes. Definitely,” you said.

“People are around to help but I think you’ll do just fine,” he said. “I gotta run. Don’t forget to take a lunch break at some point.”

“Jensen. Thanks for the job. Really,” you said.

“You go to college and then you can thank me,” he said. “See you around, kid.”

One Month Later

“Mmm,” you hummed at the end of your shift tending bar. You were sipping on a can of beer and eating a slice of pizza on the quiet patio, a few people finishing up with their drinks before the place closed up for the night.

“Excuse me,” said an older man, probably in his fifties. You stopped mid-chew and he put on a friendly smile. “I’m sorry to bother you. You just look a lot like someone I know. Well I didn’t know her but…”

“Howdy,” said Jensen as he wandered out from the taproom. It wasn’t lost on anyone how he put himself between you and the man. “Enjoying your night sir?”

“Yes. I was just chatting to the young lady here. I thought I knew her from somewhere…” he trailed off. Jensen looked back at you and you swallowed down the pizza in your mouth.

“She must have one of those faces,” he said. “We’re closing up for the night soon sir.”

“I’m not trying to bother her,” he said.

“I know you’re not,” said Jensen. The man didn’t leave though and he stiffened up. “Sir. The young lady doesn’t want to talk to you. She doesn’t know you. Please return to your table.”

“I do know her though,” he said.

“I’m sorry, I don’t…” you said. 

“Y/N, go inside,” said Jensen. 

“Okay, this is a very awkward situation. But I need to talk to her in private,” said the man. Jensen chuckled but you heard the dark edge to it.

“I need you to leave,” said Jensen.

“I’m a cop.”

“I don’t care if you’re the Easter bunny. You are making my employee uncomfortable,” said Jensen. The man stared at him and then you. Jensen grabbed your arm and started walking inside with you when the man grabbed your hand. “Get your fucking hands off-”

“Y/N, I know your mom,” he said. Jensen kept pulling on you but you shook him off.

“You’re a cop?” you asked as he nodded.

“You’re Y/N, aren’t you,” he said.

“What the fuck is going on?” asked Jensen.

“Y/N, sweetie, we need to call up the Dallas police department right now. There are things you need to know.”

“Things like what?”

Four Hours Later

“Hey kid,” said Jensen as you sat at a conference table in a police station. You stared blankly at the shut file, Jensen setting a candy bar down in front of you. “Didn’t know if you were a chocolate kinda chick.”

“Thank you Jensen,” you said quietly. You didn’t touch it and he bumped your arm.

“You okay?” he asked.

“No,” you said. “Thank you for coming with me to the station and staying. You didn’t have to do that.”

“Yeah well no offense but I was serious about what I said. I wasn’t leaving you alone with some random dude,” he said. “Eat something.”

“I thought I had shitty parents before,” you laughed. “Turns out they fucking killed my mom and took her toddler and pretended I was theirs. What the fuck.”

“I’m not going to pretend to know how you remotely feel right now,” he said. “It’s fucked up. It’s so fucked up.”

“I know,” you said as a detective came in. 

“Y/N, this is the file we worked up on your mom,” he said. He opened a page and you saw Jensen stand out of the corner of your eye.

“That’s her mother?” he said. 

“Abigail Leandry? Yes,” said the detective. Jensen shook his head. “Mr. Ackles, what-”

“Kayla. Kayla,” he said.

“Mr. Ackles, why do you know the deceased’s middle name?” asked the detective. Jensen was practically white now and you stood up, holding onto him.

“Did you know my mom?” you asked. “Jensen, did you know her?”

“Who’s her father?” asked Jensen.

“There’s no father on record. Mr. Ackles are you-” said the detective as Jensen ran his hand over his face. “What is your relation to the victim, Mr. Ackles?”

“I had a one night stand when I was twenty years old,” he said as he looked at you. “She said her name was Kayla.”

“What?” you said. The detective looked at the both of you and stood up. “Where are you going?”

“I think we need to do a paternity test as soon as possible.”

Two Hours Later

“I…” started Jensen for the fifth time as you sat in his passenger seat. You stared at the dashboard, Jensen opening his mouth again. “Y/N...if I knew…”

“I know,” you said. “Can you drive me back to my car now. I want to go home. It’s been a long day.”

“It’s after midnight. Why don’t I drop you off and we can swing by to get your car in the morning,” he said.

“Whatever.” You rested your head on the glass and shut your eyes. He started the truck but it didn’t move.

“We used protection. I wasn’t…” he said.

“It’s not a guarantee. Dude, you’re my dad. Whatever. Just take me home. Please,” you said.

“Where do you live,” he asked quietly. You gave him the address and twenty minutes later you were outside of your apartment, Jensen looking around. You put a hand on the door and he sighed. “Wait.”

“Jensen, I’m tired.”

“I know. I’m about to have a very fun time telling my wife about this. I just...this is not a safe neighborhood for a young woman to live alone in,” he said. “There’s stabbings and shootings around here all the time.”

“I grew up with methhead parents. That was kind of par for the course,” you said. 

“I’m a stranger. I understand. Would you consider…” he said and you opened the door.

“I’m fine, Jensen. Go home. You have a long night still,” you said.

“I’ll pick you up at nine,” he said. You hummed and he leaned over. “Wait. Can I have your number?”

You gave him your phone and he put yours in his before putting his in yours and handing it back.

“Hey,” he said as you started to head inside. You groaned and turned around. He took a deep breath and swallowed. “I’m sorry.”

“Goodnight, Jensen,” you said. You went inside your unit before he could say anything else and locked the door shut. You wandered into the kitchen and opened the fridge, nothing in there but a six pack of beer from the brewery. You shook your head and looked in the cabinet, half a bottle of vodka still there. You took it out and poured yourself a glass, wincing as you drank it down.

Maybe you’d be lucky enough to wake up in the morning and find out it was all a nightmare.

“Y/N,” said Jensen as you started work the next morning. You saw Danneel talking with her brother across the room, both of them glancing at you. “Can we talk?”

You nodded and he wandered out back to the employee area, taking a seat at a picnic table. You sat across from him, Jensen bouncing his leg like crazy.

“I thought I should at least tell you...I met Kayla at a club when I was twenty. I was home visiting family and went out with some friends. She was from Houston. We talked, flirted a bit, she was...forward with what she was interested in and being young and stupid like I was, I felt as though I should have at least one one-night stand in my life. I wasn’t...comfortable with it at first but it happened. We used protection and I left and I never really thought of her ever again. Until now obviously.”

“What’s your point, Jensen?” you asked. He bit his bottom lip and stilled his leg.

“We both learned some things last night. We know your mom got involved with drugs. We know that’s why she was killed. The people that raised you probably did it. She has no family left. The people that took you weren’t good and they’re dead and you have no family out there, anywhere. I know you were in a group home when you were sixteen after they died. I know you bounced around a bit and wound up in foster care until you aged out last year. I know your home isn’t safe and your car is older than you.”

“Jensen.”

“I’d like the chance to give you a real dad. I’d like to be there for you the way I should have always been. De and I both do. We can give you everything you need or want,” he said. 

“I understand,” you said. He smiled and you rolled your eyes. “This would look horrible for you if it got out that you have some stray, wouldn’t it. Your grand idea is to pay me off?”

“What?” he asked and you stood up. “Y/N, that’s not-”

“I did just fine my whole life without a real dad. I don’t need one now,” you said. You headed back towards the entrance and he caught up to you grabbing your shoulder.

“Stop. Wait a second. I-” he said as you spun around.

“Leave me alone. I shouldn’t even exist. I will do just fine without you like I always have.” You started walking again and headed to your car, sliding behind the wheel before you knew it. You drove home and sat in your apartment, expecting a call that you’d been fired.

Five minutes after being home you heard a car pull up out front. The doorbell rang and you ignored it. A text came in on your phone which you also promptly ignored.

“Y/N. It’s Jensen,” he said as he knocked on the door. “Kid, I...we don’t gotta be the fucking Brady Bunch. You don’t have to do anything. Just let me try. I’ll do all the work, I swear. I just...I just gotta know you’re okay. I know you’re not. This is so fucked up. You should have had a better life. You should have had me. I would have stopped you from living through all the shit you have. I’m sorry this happened to you.”

You stared at the door and pursed your lips.

“I want to know my daughter. I want to be part of her life. I don’t want to hide you from anyone,” he said. “Let me give you what you deserve.”

You walked over and slowly opened the door, Jensen wearing a worried smile.

“I’m not calling you dad.”

“You don’t have to,” he chuckled. “Can I come in?”

You swung the door open wider and he stepped past you, pausing in the hall as you closed up behind him.

“You live here?” he asked.

“No, I stay here for shits and giggles. Yes I live here,” you said. He stepped past the kitchen and into your family room where you took a seat on the old couch, Jensen spinning around. “Yeah, it’s shitty. I get it.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s in violation of health codes,” he said. He took a seat on the couch and made a face. “Can I push my luck and convince you to move out of here?”

“I don’t need charity, Jensen. You’ve given me enough already,” you said. 

“Parents put a roof over their kids' heads. I’m a few years late so sue me but we gotta get you somewhere better than this,” he said.

“I drink. I swear. I walk around in my underwear and I have adult friends sleepover so there’s no way in hell I’m moving in with you.”

“I have a guest house,” he said. “It’s private. You’re not a child and I’ll do my best to not treat you like one. But it’s safe and nice and you can have your own space...just forty feet from where I live is all.”

You crossed your arms and he put on a pair of sad eyes.

“You’re milking it a bit don’t you think,” you said.

“I’m not acting,” he said. “I’ll leave you alone if that’s what you want. I’ll give you money for food and gas and pay for the rest if you don’t want to talk to me. Just give me this. Let me get you out of this shithole.”

“I don’t need saving.”

“I didn’t say I was going to save you. I want to protect you. There’s a difference.”

He set a hand on his leg, turning it palm up. You watched it and after a moment set your hand in his.

“Don’t fuck me over,” you said.

“Not gonna happen,” he said. “Why don’t we run to the store to get some boxes and we can pack up your stuff?”

An hour later you were following Jensen in your car down the driveway of a very nice house. You parked behind him and got out, staring at it and the yard and turning your head to see the multiple cars in his garage.

“Y/N,” said Jensen. He was standing closer, giving you a smile. “We can move the boxes in a minute. Why don’t I show you the guest house first?”

“Okay,” you said. You followed him around a path that went behind the garage, a two story building back there.

“It’s only one bedroom. But it’s got it’s own office on the first floor,” he said. “It’s not that big. You can always stay in the house with the rest of us if you change your mind but I understand wanting your privacy.”

He unlocked the door and you stepped inside, Jensen mentioning something about dust but you were still floored by how nice it was. The kitchen was beautiful and open to the family room. The large wood dining table sat in a cute breakfast nook. There was a fireplace and big windows with a staircase in the back heading up to a second floor.

“...I know it’s a bit plain,” he said and you turned your head, Jensen smiling back at him. “You haven’t heard a word I said, have you.”

“This is too nice. Jensen this is way too nice. I gotta pay you rent for-” you said but he shook his head. “Jensen.”

“I have some contingencies for you staying here. You follow those and I’ll pay for this place and your food and gas. Okay?” he asked.

“What are they?” you asked.

“No big parties. You want to have something small that’s fine but no big blowouts,” he said.

“Do I look like I have a lot of friends?” you asked. 

“I want you to go to school. You can keep your job at the brewery but you’re gonna go to school. I will pay for it but I want you to have an education.”

You pursed your lips but nodded.

“I’m getting you a new car, one much safer. Lastly, if you see the kids, please try not to swear in front of them. They’re young and we do our best to not do that around them,” he said.

“Fine,” you said. “Don’t expect me to start having big family dinners or that kind of thing.”

“I understand. I’ll move the boxes and um, maybe you can make up a list of things you need for me to get at the store.”

“I have everything I need in the boxes,” you said.

“You have one pan and like three plates,” he said.

“Yeah?” you asked. 

“Y/N, that’s not normal.”

“You realize this isn’t normal right?” you said as you looked around. 

“If you change your mind...I’m gonna get your things, let you unpack,” he said. He left and ten minutes later you had four boxes by the door, Jensen excusing himself away. You unpacked your kitchen items, knowing he might have had a point. But he was buying absolutely everything for you and it was a little ridiculous. 

You took your bag of clothes upstairs, swallowing when you saw the bedroom and bathroom up there. It was like it was out of a magazine. There was even a small balcony off the room. You stepped out and looked around at a yard and saw a pool off in the distance. 

There was no way in Hell you belonged in a place like that.

That Evening

You were cooking dinner for yourself with the over abundance of groceries Jensen had left at the door earlier when you heard a knock. You moved the pan off the heat and opened up, Jensen standing there with a smile.

“Can I help you?” you asked.

“We’re about to have dinner if you’d like to join us,” he said. 

“You said I don’t have to talk to anyone if I don’t want to.”

“I know. I just wanted to offer. It’s your first...are you cooking?” he asked as he saw into the kitchen.

“Yes. I appreciate the offer but no thank you,” you said. 

“I literally just gave you some extra pantry staples for the night before I can run to the store in the morning. You’re making dinner out of that stuff?” he asked.

“Yes?” you said. “You gave me pasta and olive oil. I will survive for the night.”

“You’re making pasta in a pan?” he asked.

“Yes. You put water in the pan and put in some pasta. It’s like magic,” you said.

“Alright. I’ll see you in the morning then,” he said. You shut the door on him and went back to the stove. You stared at the messy pan and turned the stove off. You sat down on the couch with your head in your hands.

He had never, never been anything but nice to you when you were a complete stranger. Of course he was going to go overboard since he found out you were his kid. You were being bitchy for no reason and he was still being nice.

There was a knock at the door but you saw him walk past the window. You got up and opened the door, a large pot sitting on the small bench by the door. He was halfway across the grass and you swallowed.

“Jensen?” you called out. He spun around and smiled.

“Keep it,” he said.

“What...what are you having? For dinner?”

“Pork roast with mashed sweet potatoes and roasted veggies. S’pretty good,” he said. “We got ice cream for dessert.”

You bit your bottom lip and he walked over to you, frowning as he stared down.

“I don’t blame you for not having much faith in people or being cautious of me. I really don’t. But I am your dad and you are my daughter. To you that means nothing. I understand. But you’re one of the most important things in my life now. It can be one sided if you want that. It can be that simple if you want that. Like I said, you can ignore me the rest of my life if you want and I would never blame you. But I can give you more than a place to stay and money. There’s shit a lot more important than those things. You can have it if you want it. Just come on inside if you decide you do.”

You crossed your arms and looked down. He didn’t leave yet and you took a few deep breaths.

“I’ve never really trusted anyone before,” you said. “I’m not...I do want a family, Jensen. I do. But my life isn’t like this. I dropped out of high school and got a GED. I have hookups most nights. I’m probably going to get pregnant, marry the guy, have another kid, get divorced, live in a small old apartment while working two jobs and that’s my life. That’s gonna be life, Jensen. I’ve known that’s gonna be my life since I was a kid. I don’t have goals or dreams. I’m just here because you feel guilty and I can take advantage of that right now. I’m gonna push back and push back until you throw me out or I leave because I’m not gonna trust you. I’m never going to trust you, Jensen. You don’t have to feel bad about this situation. You don’t. You did nothing wrong. I’m not supposed to even be here. I think it’s better if you just gave me some money and I’ll leave and you never have to think about me ever again.”

“I’m gonna think about you everyday for the rest of my life,” he said. “You deserve a better life than what you described. You deserve a good job and to fall in love and have children because you want to. I want you, Y/N not out of guilt. I only feel guilty I wasn’t there for you. I want you because you’re my daughter and I love you. It’s all there is to it.”

You sighed and heard thunder in the distance. 

“You can stay in the house. You can live with us. We’d love it if you did,” he said. You looked back at the guest house. For the first time you noticed the bags of concrete stacked up on the side. 

“You were gonna tear it down, weren’t you,” you said.

“We didn’t need it. It was gonna be an extra garage space. But that’s-”

“Will I have my own room?” you asked quietly. “In the house.”

“Yes. Your own room, bathroom, big closet. Your own part of the house.”

“...How do I know you’re telling the truth?” you asked.

“You don’t. Have dinner with us. Talk to your siblings. Maybe they can give you some insight,” he said. You walked past him as a light rain came down, Jensen showing you in the back door and up a set of stairs. There were a pair of toddlers at a table, an older girl in the kitchen with Danneel as they dished up some plates. “Y/N’s going to join us.”

“That’s great,” said Danneel as she handed the girl a plate. “JJ, would you give that to Y/N and get her some silverware?”

“Sure,” she said. She walked over to you and you took the plate. “Are you mom and dad’s friend?”

“She’s your sister,” said Jensen as he helped in the kitchen. He put down a glass at an empty chair and you took a seat, JJ returning quickly with a fork and knife.

“You’re kinda old,” she said as she set them down.

“You’re kinda short,” you said.

“Am not,” she said as she went to her seat.

“Yeah you are,” said the littlest girl. Jensen had brought her in to get donuts a few times and you saw her recognize you. “Hi!”

“Hi Arrow,” you said with a smile.

“JJ, Arrow, Zepp,” said Jensen as he leaned over the back of her chair and poured a glass of water for you from the carafe. “This is Y/N and she’s gonna be around quite a bit more we hope.”

“Okay. Who’s your favorite princess?” asked Arrow. 

“Hm. That’s a tough one. I don’t know if she qualifies as a princess but I always liked Rapunzel,” you said as Jensen and Danneel carried over their plates. “Who’s your favorite?”

An hour later you were still discussing Disney characters with the kids, Jensen scooping up the twins under each arm.

“Daddy,” groaned Zeppelin as he was spun upside down. “We were playing.”

“You two and your sister need baths, stinkers, and then a bedtime story. How’s that sound?” he asked.

“Can Y/N read it?” he asked as he looked at you. 

“Sure,” you said.

“Yay!” he said.

“We’ll be about half an hour with these guys. If you want to come up I can show you your space,” said Jensen. You nodded and followed them all upstairs. Danneel went off with JJ down a hall, Jensen nodding towards one end. “That’s me and De over there. Kids are down that hall and the guest suite and loft is to the right.”

“Thanks,” you said. You wandered down the hall and found a large open space with a couch and TV, more of an adult hang out space from the looks of it. There was a door nearby and you opened it, walking into a large bedroom with a canopy bed. “Holy shit.”

It was nicer than the guest house and you walked around, stepping into a beautiful on suite bathroom with double vanities, a separate shower and a giant ass tub. The walk in closet was huge and you were absolutely in love with the wide window bench and bookcases.

“Hey,” said Jensen behind you. You spun around and saw him sporting a partially wet shirt. “You like it?”

“It’s warm,” you said. 

“Well feel free to move some clothes and stuff in for the night. There’s a few raincoats in the front hall closet downstairs. I gotta try and get these three washed before the storm hits,” he said.

“It’s no problem,” you said. He smiled and started to leave when you took a step forward. “Jensen?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m sorry about before, how I acted and what I said. No one’s ever taken care of me and not wanted something in return,” you said. 

“Apology accepted. All I will ever want is you to be happy. We’ll get there eventually,” he said. He left and after exploring the room for a few more minutes, you took a raincoat from the front closet and went outside, packing up most of your things and bringing them up to your new room. You’d just set a box down when a toddler in a pair up pull ups ran into your room.

“Y/N, can I have a story now?” asked Zeppelin. 

“Zepp...Zeppy…” you heard Jensen call from somewhere else. 

“You wanna show me your room and then I can tell you a story?” you asked. He grabbed your hand and pulled you out, Jensen sighing as he found you in the hall. “I got him.”

“Well someone needs his pajamas on,” said Jensen. Zeppelin grumbled but he did tug on his shirt at least once you were in his room. Jensen tugged his pants on and Zeppelin rushed over to his bookcase, picking out one and handing it to you. He crawled up in bed and you sat on the stool nearby, reading and showing him the pages for about ten minutes before you watched him close his eyes and huff quietly.

“Night, little guy,” you said. You put the book on his nightstand and set the stool back. Jensen smiled and flicked the light off by the door, a nightlight keeping the space dimly lit. He shut the door and you were quiet as you saw Danneel duck out of a room. He nodded and you followed the two of them to the loft area, taking a seat on the end of the couch as he settled into a chair, Danneel sitting close by.

“I think Zepp’s a fan,” she said with a smile. “I think they all are.”

“Kids don’t tend to be the problem in these situations,” you said. You looked at her and she nodded. “Are you...okay-”

“I would much rather have you stay in this house than out there by yourself. You’ve been on your own enough,” she said. 

“What was your reaction?” you asked as you quickly glanced to Jensen.

“A bit of shock. But I saw the test results and he has…” she said, Jensen nodding. “He mentioned once when you first started working at the brewery about feeling protective of you. We both assumed it was because you were young and on your own and trying to get by. I’ve never been quite that bad but when he first started out after he left home, things were tight for him. We understand struggling a bit. Not to the same extent as you obviously but we get it. Now with what you know, I think there was some paternal instinct coming out he didn’t quite see.”

“In my experience, parents aren’t good things. My life got better after them,” you said. “But I’m willing to try if he is.”

“All of us will,” said Jensen. “It’ll take time which will be the hard part probably but if you allow us, we can be parents to you too. We won’t make rules for you. You’re an adult and we’ll treat you like one. But we’ll treat you like our child too. De and I will probably screw that up sometimes so all I ask is that you let us slip up from time to time and hopefully this can turn out the way we hope it does.”

“Do I have to go to college?” you asked. Jensen glanced to Danneel and back at you. “I don’t have the best grades and I literally dropped out my senior year. Does a community college even take a GED?”

“I was thinking more like UT,” he said. You laughed and he raised an eyebrow.

“You’re serious? I didn’t even take SATs or ACTs or…” you trailed off as you turned to Danneel who shrugged. “I can’t.”

“Yes you can.”

“No, I can’t,” you scoffed. You gripped the corner of the armchair and he sighed. “I can’t-”

“Shh,” he said as he got up. He squatted down in front of you and smiled. “Don’t be scared. We’ll figure it out together, all of us. That room over there? That is your bedroom now and no one will ever kick you out of it. I don’t want you leaving until you’re ready and I think we all know you’re a long way away from that. I believe you can go to school and do anything you want to. I’ll believe for the both of us right now, okay?”

“I’m too stupid. I don’t fit in aside from with sleazy guys,” you said.

“I disagree with that,” he said. “Trust me?”

You sighed but gave him a nod. 

“I know it’s been a long day and you didn’t get a lot of sleep last night but there is a bowl of ice cream downstairs with your name on it if you’re interested,” he said. 

“Maybe. I’d like to wash up,” you said. “I know today was kind of busy but I still have work in the morning right?”

“Don’t worry about work right now. We go it covered,” said Danneel. “I can show you where stuff is in your bathroom.”

You swallowed but nodded, following her back into your room and the bathroom. A part of you was expecting her to say something about wanting you gone. After all you technically weren’t hers. You were barely Jensen’s. 

“There’s a bunch of stuff like soap and shampoo and that kind of stuff in here,” she said, opening up a tall cabinet door. “Towels are up top. There’s not a hair dryer in here but I can just drop mine off outside on your bed if you want?”

“Air dry is fine,” you said quietly.

“Honestly I do the same most of the time,” she said. “There are some pads and tampons under the sink but I gotta run to a few stores in the morning anyways so maybe you can come with and we can get whatever brand you like.”

“I don’t…” you said as she cocked her head. “I get all my supplies from a free clinic. I can’t...I couldn’t afford that brand name stuff before.”

“Oh,” she said. She made a strange face and shook her head. “Well we can try them out until we find one you like.”

“Okay,” you said. 

“If you need anything just let me know,” she said. She walked past you but you heard her pause in the doorway. “Y/N a bit of advice.”

You turned around and waited for her to drop the nice act. 

“Yeah?”

“Stay away from sleazy guys. They just want sex. They don’t care about you.”

“I know that.”

“Then do me a favor and the next time you spend the night with a guy, do it cause you feel a connection with him. There’s a difference.”

“I get that too.”

“Then why sleep around?”

“Because I’ll take a fake connection over no connection.”

“You don’t need a man to be happy,” she said. “Jensen and I spend a lot of time apart.”

“What is your point?” you sighed.

“Don’t fuck random guys cause you’re lonely. You might not realize this yet but you’re never gonna be alone ever again. Get used to us cause you’re fucking ours and we want better for you than a random fuck. You got that?”

“You don’t talk to me the way Jensen does,” you said quietly.

“Because he’s in pain right now and he is so scared of setting you off. I on the other hand know what it’s like to be a young woman. I won’t tell you not to have your fun. But have it with somebody special. Good guys do exist. Good dads exist. He’s not gonna hurt you. You said you’d try out there so please try.”

“Do you wish I would go?”

“I wish someday you realize what a silly question that is to be asking,” she said. “I might barely be old enough to be your mother but you didn’t just get a dad with this. You have him and you have me and three half-siblings and a whole shitload of other people. So the next time you’re lonely, you come to one of us and maybe the next guy you sleep with you can do it cause he’s a good guy. Understand?”

“Yes,” you said. She nodded and started to leave when you cleared your throat. “Danneel?”

“Yeah?” she asked as she turned around.

“Where do you meet nice guys? I haven’t had much luck,” you said. 

“You’re young. Don’t worry about it, sweetie,” she said as some thunder shook the house. “Wash up at the sink. Jensen gets a wee paranoid about showers in thunderstorms.”

“I’m the same way,” you said.

“You two must be related or something,” she smirked.

“Seriously,” you said.

“Aw, you got his bitch face too,” she laughed. “Come down when you’re ready. We’ll save you some ice cream.”

“Thanks,” you said. She shut the bedroom door after herself and you took out a few things from the cabinet along with what you’d brought along. Fifteen minutes later your face was washed and you’d changed into pajamas, a pair of old sweatpants and a free shirt you’d gotten from the brewery. You threw your hair up in a bun and took a deep breath. 

You wandered out of the room and down the hall, getting mixed up for a moment before you found the stairs down. Danneel was sitting on the countertop with a bowl in her hand, Jensen busy decorating his own with crumbled up cookies.

“Hey,” he said. He slid the bowl across the counter and stuck a spoon in it. “Prepare to be amazed.”

“Mhm,” you said. You scooped up a spoonful and took a bite, tilting your head. “Is that...whiskey?”

“Just a smidge. That, vanilla ice cream and some cookies on top? So good,” he said as he started to make himself a bowl. “We were away once back in De’s neck of the woods and had it at dinner once. Obviously my version is superior…” he said as he got a whack from Danneel. “It’s a pretty good knock off.”

“Jensen always manages to pick out the best desserts. Meanwhile I always pick the weird ones,” she laughed.

“Oh next time we’re in New York we gotta take her to that hole in the wall place,” said Jensen. 

“New York City?” you asked.

“Mhm,” he hummed. You sat up on the counter across from Danneel and sucked on your spoon, Jensen taking a spot near you when he’d finished. “How’d you end up down here. You were in Dallas up until last year weren’t you.”

“Yeah. A couple friends were gonna move down here so I went with them. I thought a new place might be good for me. They turned out to not be great friends so I wound up in an assisted place,” you said.

“Well I’m glad you came,” he said. “You been a lot of places yet?”

“Not really,” you said.

“You ever been to Franklin’s?” asked Danneel. “The barbecue place?”

“I’ve never been out to eat,” you said.

“Ever?” she asked.

“Sometimes we’d sit in McDonald’s,” you said.

“Well we’re definitely going out to dinner tomorrow,” said Jensen. “We can get whatever you like.”

“That sounds good,” you said. You took a few more bites and watched the lights flicker. 

“Uh oh,” he said just as the power went out. You stilled as he slid off the counter in the dark. They both moved around as you sat still, a lamp turning on nearby. You jumped and Jensen chuckled. “Ah, there we go. That’s…”

You jumped off the counter when he ran a hand over your head.

“It’s-“

“I don’t like the dark,” you said. You set the bowl down and started to walk around, bumping into him and then Danneel. “I don’t…”

You stepped over to the lamp on the table, taking a seat and a few deep breaths.

“Jay.”

Jensen went off into another part of the house, returning with two more camping lamps. He turned them on and the room got brighter.

“There we go, that’s better isn’t it?” asked Jensen. Danneel brought over your ice cream and you took a deep breath. “You okay?”

“Yeah. Just don’t like the dark,” you said. You squeezed your leg and relaxed, Jensen wandering off, returning with a flashlight. He sat it next to you as you picked up your spoon and began eating again. There was a flutter of feet upstairs for a moment and you heard a whimper come from the top of the steps. Danneel got up and went over to the bottom, looking up with a frown.

“How about you sleep in your sister’s room tonight?” she asked as she went up. You finished with your bowl, Jensen leaning back in his chair.

“He’s scared of the dark too,” said Jensen. 

“I’m not scared. I said I don’t like it.”

“Alright. It’s not an interrogation,” he said. He ate from his bowl, keeping a side eye on you. “You know we have a security system and protection here.”

“You’re rich, of course you do,” you said. You stared down to an empty hall and he grabbed the flashlight. He clicked it on and pointed it down there. You rolled your eyes and sat back. Jensen set the extra cookies on the table, adding more to his ice cream as you stared down the dark hall again. 

“Y/N. There’s nobody here,” he said. 

“I know that,” you said. 

“It’s okay to be scared of the dark you know.” He popped a cookie in his mouth and you gave him a glare. Thunder cracked and you jumped in your seat. He moved over to the chair next you and you shut your eyes. “Can I give you a hug?”

“What?”

“Is it okay if I give you a hug?” he asked.

“No,” you said. 

“Okay.” You got up and flinched when it thundered again. You started to wander around the kitchen, Jensen watching you like a hawk. You found a seat at the counter and stared down the hall, pouting when you heard him get up. “Don’t kick my ass for this.”

“Kick your ass for what?” you said just as he stopped by your seat and wrapped his arms around you. You took a deep breath and he turned you so you weren’t facing the hall. You looked up at him and he smiled.

“Come on,” he said. He pulled you out of your seat and walked over to the couch with an arm around you. You sat down next to him, Jensen pulling a blanket draped over the back onto you.

“Don’t…” you said when he hugged you again. He leaned back and you took a deep breath. He nodded and moved his arms away.

“I think I understand why you don’t like the dark,” he said. 

“I just...I don’t know you either.”

“I know but I’m your dad.”

“That doesn’t mean jackshit to me.”

“In my world it does. If you want a hug and me to sit with you while we wait for the power to come back on, that’s up to you.” 

“Fine,” you mumbled. You turned to him and groaned. “I said fine, you can hug me.”

“I see you’re just as stubborn as I am sometimes,” he said. He moved closer and pulled you into his side. After a few minutes you relaxed, watching the lightning outside the windows. “Feelin’ better?”

“There was a drug dealer my parents owed money to once. He took me when it was storming one night as collateral. They didn’t pay him back on time but he felt sorry for me or something so he dropped me off at a fire station. I said I ran away.”

“How old were you?”

“Five, six. Somewhere around there,” you said. 

“He took you from your house?” asked Jensen.

“I mean, we never lock a door. It was a roof and four walls. I’d barely call it liveable,” you said.

“Did you tell the police?”

“Jensen,” you said, tilting your head up at him. “My parents were big druggies. We didn’t call the cops. That sort of thing just didn’t happen in our environment.”

“Have you ever…” he asked. 

“No. I mean...I’ve had a hit or two off a joint before but no, no drugs. I didn’t like the weed that much either to be honest,” you said.

“You said you drink earlier today.”

“Like a beer a night, not even.”

“Just getting to know you...and see that there must have been someone that taught you not to be that way.”

“I had a grandma. She was nice. She was normal. She tried to get custody of me a few times but my parents threatened to stop letting her see me. I guess they weren’t really my parents, were they.”

“No, not really,” he said. He ran his hand over your head and you saw Danneel come back down. She took a seat in the corner with the package of cookies and set a lamp down on the coffee table. “How’s the boy?”

“Tuckered out in lil sis’ bed,” she said. “The battery on his nightlight was dead so he woke up in the dark.”

“Well the dark can be scary. I guarantee at least two of them wind up in bed with us by the time the night’s through.”

You were quiet as they talked about plans for tomorrow, who was going to do what chores, talking amongst themselves about where to take you for dinner. Jensen nudged you and you glanced up, a smile on his face.

“You want to go shopping with De tomorrow?” he asked.

“Sure,” you said. You listened to the rain come down harder and breathed deeply. You tensed up when Jensen shifted but he put his hand back on your head and shushed you. “I’ve kinda always wanted to try brisket.”

“I think we’re getting barbecue for dinner then,” he said. The lights turned back on and you let out a sigh, Jensen rubbing your back as you sat up. “Go ahead and keep one of those lamps and the flashlight in your room in case it happens again.”

“Thanks,” you said as you stood. “I’ll uh, see you guys tomorrow then.

“See you in the morning, Y/N.”

Six Months Later

“Jensen,” you said as you leaned back against the outdoor grill. 

“Y/N…” he said as you scooted over more towards the countertop. “Yes honey?”

“Who’s that guy, the young one,” you said as you nodded out to the yard where a few tables were set up, people standing around.

“Baby face over there is Alex. He worked on the last couple seasons of the show with me. I’ve been meaning to have him and the rest of the wacky nutjobs over for awhile now. You’re a big girl, you can say hi to my friends if you want,” he said as he flipped a burger.

“Mhm,” you hummed, looking over your shoulder. You saw him talking to Jared with a beer in his hand. His head turned and he saw you, flashing you a quick smile. You returned it and heard a grunt.

“He’s six years older than you,” said Jensen as he sipped from his can.

“I literally dated a like forty year old last year.”

“Gah, why, why do you tell me things like that, I…” he trailed off when he saw you giggling to yourself. “Okay you little shit, how about this?”

“How about-”

“Hey Alex! Y/N wants to talk to you!” shouted Jensen out to the yard so just about every person there turned in your direction.

“I’m eating your brownie now,” you said. You grabbed the chocolate square off the plate nearby and popped it into your mouth as he put his hands on his hips.

“You’re making me more later, missy,” he said. He ruffled your hair and messed it up just as you caught Alex walk over.

“I am so sorry for him,” you said as you tried to fix the strands.

“You have to live with him. I feel sorry for you,” he laughed. “Alex.”

“Y/N,” you said. You took your beer and walked over towards the pool, Alex smirking to himself. “What? How bad did he mess up my hair?”

“Oh you’re perfect. It’s just nice to have someone to share the pain with,” he said. “He was really excited to find out about you you know. Like obnoxiously excited.”

“He’s alright,” you said with a shrug. You turned and looked back at the grill where he was working, Danneel coming out with Arrow on her hip. “They’ve grown on me. You must be an actor then if you’re at the first annual SPN whatever he and Jared are calling this.”

“They told me free beer and I was sold,” he said. “But yeah, I act. Kinda model every once in a while but that sounds really douchey so I try not to talk about it much.”

“Legit both Jay and De did it so my shock of all things Hollywood has kind of wavered by this point,” you said. “What’s California like? Is it as hot as here?”

“Not as bad. I’m from Canada actually,” he said. “The not too cold part which is nice.”

“I would take a cold day every once in a while,” you said. “How long are you here for?”

“About a week. I was gonna roadtrip down to a place called Galveston one day. Apparently it’s a beach town on the gulf. I thought that’d be fun,” he said.

“We went last month. It was so cool. I’d never been to a beach before or seen the ocean. There’s this place with amazing chili cheese fries. You gotta try them at night when it gets a bit cooler out,” you said. “My dad knows the name. I’ll have to…”

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah. I’ve never called Jensen dad before is all,” you said. You bit your bottom lip and Alex smiled.

“Between you and me, he’s really grateful you guys found each other. He loves you a lot. I know it’s gotta be a thousand kinds of weird but he is really, really proud of you. He brags about you all the time in the group chat.”

“Of course he does. He’s a dork.”

“Oh I one hundred percent agree with that,” he chuckled. He took a sip of his beer and tilted his head. “I know this is like super spur of the moment but would you want to like, go to the beach with me? Some of the guys were gonna come that were sticking around here but if you’re free…”

“I don’t know,” you said as you rubbed the back of your neck. “Like I would totally hang out with you. It’s just like the adult trip, you know? It’s for you guys. Besides I was supposed to watch my siblings that day,” you said.

“Well of course you can come,” said Jensen as he popped up behind you. You flinched and he had two plates with burgers on them, handing you each one. “She loved the beach. Turned into a little kid. She made a sandcastle that-”

“Jensen,” you groaned, your face hot as he cleared his throat. 

“We’ll get a sitter. You can ride with Alex,” he said. He patted your back and walked off as you sighed.

“Oh my God,” you said. Alex just laughed as he took a bite of his burger. You knew you were blushing and prayed that he didn’t notice.

“So how’s school?” he asked.

“You see that one up there? That’s Leo,” said Alex, hours and hours later. You were sitting on the edge of the pool with your feet in the water, everyone else hanging out on the other side of the house around the bonfire.

“If I ever take Astrology as an elective I’ll be sure to call you to help me study,” you said. You leaned back on your palms, Alex laughing.

“You’re the one smarter than me,” he said. 

“When I apply myself it turns out I actually am,” you said. “Mostly. A business degree isn’t very fascinating though.”

“No but it’s security which I think is really good thing for you.”

“Why?”

“Sounds like you grew up rough was all. It’s not a bad thing to have something solid to fall back on, something safe,” he said. 

“This is very true. There is a guy that runs one of the food trucks that comes to the brewery, he keeps trying to convince me to open up a restaurant with him once I get my degree.”

“Do you want to?”

“No but he’s sweet so I try to let him down gently.”

“He your boyfriend?”

“No. Don’t have one,” you said.

“Cool.”

“Was that your subtle way of seeing if I was single?” you asked.

“Seems to have worked,” he smirked. You moved closer and he did the same until you paused. “Sorry. I read this wrong.”

“No, you didn’t. I just...you’re the kind of guy that takes someone out on dates and waits and is slow and nice and...you’re a good guy, right? I can’t deal with a-”

He pecked a soft kiss to your lips, lingering for a moment before he pulled back. He smiled and kicked his feet in the water.

“You’re cute when you blush,” he said. You bumped his arm and he bumped yours back. “You are.”

“Loser,” you said.

“Gonna push you in the ocean for that,” he smirked. He gave your hand a squeeze and pulled his feet out of the water. “Let’s hang out by the fire. It’s getting cold over here anyways.”

“Okay,” you said gently. He pulled you to your feet and you giggled. “I don’t know why I just did that.”

“It’s alright. I like that sound,” he said. He let go of your hand as you got closer to the fire, Alex stopping with you at the table with some leftover desserts still out. “I uh, I’m not perfect...or have a degree...or am tall.”

“Don’t really give a shit about that stuff,” you said. 

“Good,” he said. You swiped some cookies for yourselves and found an empty pair of chairs together, the group getting quiet when you sat but Jensen shockingly not using the opportunity to tease you. 

“That it?” you asked as you came back inside from taking out a bag of trash a few hours later.

“Yup. Thanks for helping us clean up,” said Jensen. You stretched and headed upstairs, hearing a tut from him along the way. “He’s a good friend. Just go slow, okay?”

“I know,” you said. “Goodnight. Dad.”

“Goodnight, Y/N,” he said with a smile.

___________

[tarosin]

The great adventures of y/n tubbo jack niki and george

requested:yes/no

pairing: platonic y/n,tubbo,jack,niki and george

summary: minecraft cave in real life

content warning: cursing

an: the word love is used a couple times but this is all platonic <3 i still don’t know how to add read more on mobile i am sorry about that, part 3 to great adventures series

it was around 4 am when the heat became a problem, unable to sleep you grabbed your phone and decided to facetime ranboo just as he was ending stream

“hey boo...you look like you’ve seen a ghost what the fuck were you doing”

“fnaf vr”

“I’m sure it’s not that bad you’re being dramatic”

“okay we shall see how you like it when I make you play it when I’m in the UK”

“okay bet I’ll add it to our list of videos and stream ideas anyway I can't sleep it’s too hot and I’m so confused as to why Tommy keeps asking me if I like and I quote being high”

“tubbo was telling me about that he keeps teasing him about planes you never know maybe you’re all going on an international adventure... or being pushed out a plane”

“doubt it there’s no way Tommy would pull something as crazy as jumping out a plane it would be pretty cool, I was thinking about doing it for my birthday”

“with a parachute? I hope”

“eh with or without, either way, is fine for me”

an hour passed you and ranboo sat talking about what was happening tomorrow and how you wished he was going to be there with you, after all, you knew how it felt to be watching people you care about making plans and doing things without you.

“didn’t you say you were going to a cave tomorrow? Minecraft in real life, nice”

“I’m begging please touch grass”

“I’ve already done that it made me want to become an engineer now get some rest y/n you’ll be getting up in a few hours, I’ll call you tomorrow goodnight”

“see you tomorrow I love you”

*y/n has ended the call*

•••

when you woke up at 9 you couldn’t shake off the awful feeling you had, today just didn’t feel like a good day you needed some time to yourself to recharge however you knew you’d be okay later on

Niki: good morning y/n!! would you like us to pick you up now or do you need a bit longer

y/n: don’t worry about it I’ll make my own way!! :]

Niki: okay see you soon!!

George: we will pick you up in an hour and a bit

Tommy: wait what are you guys doing

tubbo: following jack and Niki around

y/n: what he said

Tommy: have fun then guys without me

y/n: don’t you have work to do big guy

Tommy: don’t you have to get ready

y/n: leave me alone

•••

soon enough you saw jacks car pull up outside so you grabbed your bag from the other day as it still had everything you needed except this time you decided to bring along a mini first aid kit as you knew your clumsiness and a cave wouldn’t mix well. now you were fully awake you couldn’t wait to go explore the caves, you sat next to Niki who decided to play with your hair and spent half of the journey on a call with an unhappy Tommy who was in college waiting to go to lesson the other half of the journey was spent singing along to the radio

•••

jack started recording and turned around to see you Niki and tubbo leaning over looking down at the floor

“oh hi jack” you waved at the camera “so what’s the plan of action”

“we’re going up there”

you loved heights so hearing that you were going to go on a cable car made you pretty excited once you all got into the car you and George tried opening all the windows whilst tubbo complained

“stop trying to open things”

“it’s a window”

“scared you’re going to get pushed over the edge hmm? scared you’ll have to free fall? it’s not that high you'd probably survive the fall, it’s not like I'm trying to open the door on a plane”

“y/n I mean this in the nicest way possible I’m never going on a plane with you”

tubbo laughed and joined the conversation “we shall see about that”

you tilted your head to the side and blinked a few times trying to process what he just said

“heh?”

“tubbo if we fell we would die right”

“you know jack I've done a lot in my life”

you took the phone from jack and began filming him and George

“why is it slowing down”

“we’re going to die”

“I didn’t bring enough food”

you sat laughing at your friends' reaction before explaining that it’s slowing down for a reason

“they’re slowing it down so you can jump out, what I didn’t tell you is there’s actually a parachute underneath where you’re sat, good luck gamers”

“We could probably climb out the window”

“NO, where do we go”

you just sat shaking your head laughing whilst your friends sat screaming about it stopping

“y/n we’re going to die”

“oh no.. let me just text ranboo to start planning our funerals”

eventually, the cable car began moving just very slow you then ended the recording after jack made jokes about it moving as fast as a George video comes out, you all then spent the rest of the time enjoying everyone’s company.

•••

tubbo noticed a park and ran to the ropes giving you time to update your community a stream will be happening later on

y/n has tweeted: I am outside, stream with ranboo when we get home :]

you laughed as you posted that as all the comments started rolling in questioning if ranboo had come to the UK. you walked back to your group and wrapped your arms around jack and Niki making them both jump out of shock

“Sorry about that ahah now if you don’t mind I want to play in the park”

they laughed as you ran to the rope trying to swing without falling that’s when you gave up and started climbing the net close to Niki.

“that’s not a swing George”

jack ran towards them “I’m getting on the swing with George”

Niki laughed as she recorded what was happening in front of her, she looked to her left expecting to see you stood next to her however she heard you laugh and run towards your friends

“I’m getting on the swing with tubbo”

a few moments later George pointed out a castle and tubbo mentioned the ‘wet rocks’ you just stood with your arm around Niki's shoulders enjoying the view of the castle that was until a dog caught your attention and you walked off to go ask if you could pet it

“Niki where’s y/n they were with you last”

“with the dog”

“tubbo when they come back just follow the path towards the castle, me and Niki are going to record”

“got it, boss man”

•••

after a few minutes, you walked back to tubbo and George realising jack and Niki weren’t there you tilted your head shrugged then sat next to tubbo on the swings as George began recording

“jack and Niki have left us but we’re having fun on the swings..”

“maybe we’ll lick some rocks”

“YEAH”

•••

“if we’re quiet we can sneak up on them”

the three of you ran down the path towards the start of the castle steps looking at the cameras that allowed you to see the top of the castle

“there they are”

“they’re vlogging”

“We can just see them through the castle cameras they have no idea we can see them”

you stood leaning against George until you all noticed they were about to make their way back down the steps so all ran off to hide

“there they go”

the three of you ran back down the path ignoring the stares from strangers and comments about how your hair was obnoxiously bright, the three of you scared the pair who were looking for you all

“I’ve never been less displeased to see George”

the five of you continued walking around after joking about the green water and questioning George on how he could tell what colour it was

“I’m a genius”

a few fans can over and took photos with you all and George began questioning them

“George you’re really self-promoting right now”

“George I am disappointed in you”

•••

“dude it’s boiling”

“ice cream?”

the five of you stood inline

“I’m dying to tubbo”

“I’m not going to ask questions, I love how you just accepted defeat”

“you’re next y/n” tubbo let go of George and began walking towards you

“FUCK OFF NO” you ran behind George and used him as a shield

“y/n George isn’t going to protect you”

“I will y/n don't worry tubbo fuck off” the three of you stood laughing not realising jack was walking towards you all with the ice cream

“thank you”

“you’re welcome how’s the ice cream”

“great thank you”

you laughed at jack who somehow managed to get ice cream on his nose

•••

you and tubbo noticed a wishing well and walked over to it

“wanna make a wish”

“yeah but we have no money”

you both looked at each other then at jack them looked back at each other and nodded

“what are you two doing”

“We wanna make a wish”

“come on give me your money”

everyone stood laughing at you and tubbo determined to make a wish whilst jack argued he had no money however tubbo noticed a £20 note and grabbed it

“y/n quick make a wish”

the pair of you held the note and then dropped it into the well

“yay!!”

“We made a wish”

the pair of you walked off whilst jack stood telling you both how he can’t believe you and the pair of you had stolen over £100 from him today making you both laugh

“tell me the wish”

“We can’t or it won’t come true”

•••

“right cave time”

“we’re going to die”

“well thanks for that George”

you stood next to tubbo trying to ignore your friends as they made comments about there being mobs like creepers in the cave

“you two really need to go outside more”

everything was going well for you until the worker said to everyone

“I think we do have some kids here who are doing a vlog”

you could feel your cheeks heating up from embarrassment although you loved your job you still weren’t used to people pointing it out

•••

“This cave has a door”

“naturally formed door”

“y/n tubbo were in the caves, where are the diamonds”

you pointed in a random direction then continued walking whilst tubbo kneeled examining the rock claiming there were diamonds, as you all kept walking you had to put up with tubbo jack and George making Minecraft jokes whilst Niki followed behind them staying rather quiet, everyone’s as focusing on the cave not saying much till George spoke up

“it’s turned into a horror movie”

“why’s the cave so low why can’t they just dig up”

“y/n did you really just ask that”

“yes I did my neck hurts from ducking under the rock”

“so sorry to hear that”

“thank you for your concern George”

“I’m not concerned”

“oh-“

the tour continued and you were genuinely having a good time, you found all the different rocks and information given to you by the worker fascinating and slowly stopped listening to what your friends were saying behind you

“so this little tunnel up here is where they would send the kids”

“off you go tubbo and y/n”

“please no”

you all continued for a while till you were told you were going in the dark despite the fact you were excited you were also very afraid of the dark so stood closer to tubbo who instantly noticed and pulled you into a side hug

“we’re going dark”

“oh wow that is the only source of light”

a minute or so later they turned on some softly coloured led lights so you could all look at the geode

“holy shit that’s beautiful”

“I thought a geode was a small animal”

“that’s a pokemon dude”

you were all given time to go for a wander however rather than walking with the others you decided to stay with the geode and started a group call with ranboo and Tommy

“hi guys can’t stay long break is almost over”

“that’s okay Tommy but look at this giant fucking rock”

you flipped the camera so they could see and went around showing them parts of the cave

“holy shit”

“looks great y/n”

“cool right I have to go the worker wants us to get ready to leave see you all soon”

“wait y/n one last question, how are you with heights”

“oooh I’m great I love them we went in a cable car earlier”

“awesome see you all later”

*Tommy left the call*

“I’ll call you when I get home boo I’ll see you soon!!”

“bye y/n stay safe”

*ranboo has left the call*

*y/n has left the call*

as you all left the cave you and tubbo noticed two rocks and went to pick them up

“hey look our wish came true”

“yeah we wished for a weird looking rock when we left the cave”

“you paid £20 for a rock”

“yes”

a few minutes later you and tubbo just started walking away only to be later followed by everyone else

“where are you going”

•••

you all got the cable car back at this point you were exhausted you used all your energy running around the cave determined to show Tommy and ranboo everything

“What did you all think of the cave”

“loved it”

“you lost your rock tubbo?”

tubbo pulled out the rock and smiled at jack

“no, I didn’t”

“but you chucked it”

“told you we wished for a magic rock”

jack finished the recording and you all just sat talking about your day and any future plans

•••

the journey back home was extremely quiet you and tubbo sat next to each other, you fell asleep with your head resting on his shoulder, Niki sat in the front with jack quietly singing along to the radio and George and tubbo quietly spoke to each other trying not to wake you up.

when you finally got home you woke up on your couch confused as to how you got there it was only when you checked your phone you got the answer

Niki: you looked exhausted we didn’t want to wake you, hope you don’t mind. your keys are on the table next to your bag!! see you soon it was lovely meeting you <3

you decided to reply thanking your friends for today.

•••

*incoming call: ranboo*

you accepted the call

“hey y/n tell me all about your day whilst you get ready to stream I'm already set up”

“oh they’re gonna be so annoyed I've joined in with making jokes about you being in the UK anyway so my day was pretty good but I did end up asleep on my couch and had no idea how I got there”

“heh?”

“let me explain”

[five-rivers]

Management

For @phandom-phriend

.

“I want to see your manager,” declared Karen.

The employees’ laughter cut off instantly. Ha. Served them right. These giggling teens didn’t know anything about her, didn’t know what her day had been like. Didn’t know what it was like to be her, with three screaming brats at home and only three days of vacation time.

This stop was supposed to be short. It was supposed to be a rest stop. A place to refuel and pick up her supplements. A ten-minute detour on the way to her spa retreat in the countryside.

But as soon as she’d driven into this town everything had gone wrong. Immediately. It was like the place was cursed. Nowhere more than this garbage hole mini mart. This mini mart which was both too large to easily transverse and too limited in selection.

“Ma’am,” said one of the teens, a girl with an incredibly unprofessional haircut and dye job. Not to mention her piercings. “You really don’t want us to do that.” She licked her lips and some of her cheap black lipstick came off.

Didn’t this store have any kind of dress code? Any kind of professional standard?

“You either get me your manager, or you get me what I asked for.” Drawing a line in the sand was the only way to get things done. The only way to keep people from walking all over you.

The teens exchanged nervous looks.

“Ma’am,” said the other, a boy. “We would, but we’re out.”

“Then you shouldn’t have advertised them,” said Karen, venomously.

“That was last week,” he protested. “It was a sale to make room for new products. We don’t—”

“Unless you’re treating me the way customers should be treated, I don’t want to hear it,” snapped Karen.

The teens exchanged a glance. “Fine,” said the girl. “I’ll get him.”

Karen huffed and crossed her arms, satisfied. About time.

She let her eyes rake over the dismal little store while she waited for the girl to come back. God, it was disgusting in here. She’d be glad to be back on her way.

Three employees, if she could call them that, in this tiny store and it still managed to get this bad. Not to mention the rest of this pothole-ridden town.

If her car didn’t have new tires by the time she got back, oh, there would be hell to pay.

The overhead lights flickered.

The girl jogged back. “He’s coming,” she said.

“Is he too busy to come with you?” asked Karen. Of all the inconsiderate things…

“He has health issues,” said the girl. The lights strobed again, the darkness lasting longer.

“Do you not pay your power bills or something?” asked Karen, annoyed. The flickering was giving her a headache.

“Look,” said the boy, “when your town’s been through as much as ours has, then you can complain.”

“Excuseme? Is that how you talk to a paying customer?”

“You haven’t paid for anything yet, lady—”

“You little—”

“Excuse me. Are you harassing my employees?”

Karen jumped. The young man had, somehow, managed to appear behind the teens while the lights were out. As the lights blinked again, he loomed above her and—

No. He was shorter than she was. About the same height as the teens, in fact. A trick of the light? Whatever. It didn’t matter.

What mattered was getting something to make up for the time she was wasting here. Honestly. This stupid town owed her.

Not that these children would be sympathetic to her plight. No, if life had taught her anything, it was that she had to fight for what she deserved.

So, she presented her case to the manager—And if he knew what was good for this place, he’d let her win. She could and would write an absolutely scathing review and she was in half a dozen Facebook groups that would support her in writing them, no questions asked. There was this one woman on the opposite coast who was practically a genius when it came to reviews.

“Are you listening?” she snapped halfway through, when the manager had failed to respond at all. Usually, by this point they’d tried some kind of spineless, stuttering appeasement.

“Yes,” he said, without any emotional inflection. “Please continue.”

Karen shivered. “Your AC is on too high, too.”

“This is how I like it,” said the manager, voice still flat. “This is how our customers like it.”

“What customers?” sneered Karen. “I’m the only one who’s been here for the past half an hour.”

The manager shrugged. “You should get your prescription checked.”

The lights flickered. The other two employees were gone, nowhere in sight. When had they left? Had they edged out of sight while she was discussing their abysmal performance with the manager.

“You should leave.”

“Excuse me?”

“You should leave. Ma’am.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“Dead serious. You’re upsetting our customers. Also, I have real work to do.”

“You don’t have any customers.”

For a long moment, the manager simply stared at her. Then he grinned, the expression not reaching his eyes at all. His teeth… bothered Karen. It wasn’t that they weren’t clean… maybe they were too clean?

She felt herself taking a step back, sweat prickling the back of her neck.

“We don’t have any customers that you can see.”

The lights went out, this time for long enough for Karen’s eyes to adjust. Over a dozen pairs of glowing eyes stared back at her.

She jumped, and the first split second of a scream made it past her lips before she realized the prank being played on her. She scowled.

“I’ll be bringing you and your unprofessional conduct to the attention of your superiors, I’ll have you know,” she said.

“Good luck with that,” growled the manager, looking down at her. “I own this place.”

Growled. Looking down at her.

His eyes burned neon green, brighter and more real than any sticker or glowstick Karen had ever seen.

“Let me spell this out to you, Karen,” rumbled the thing in front of her. “You are not welcome here.”

She ran.

.

“That was kind of mean, Danny,” said Tucker, tone entirely judgement-free.

Danny, who was telekinetically reshelving the stuff the woman, a particularly annoying and non-perceptive out-of-towner, had knocked down in her haste to get away, shrugged. “She probably didn’t even pick up the details,” he said, sadly, shaking his head. “Some of my best work, gone unappreciated.”

“I think she appreciated it all right,” said Tucker, an edge of glee creeping into his voice. “Did you see how fast she ran?”

“Yep,” said Danny, inhaling deeply and drinking in the last lingering dregs of the woman’s fear. “Y’know, I think her name might have actually been Karen, considering her reaction.”

“Oof, that almost makes me feel bad.”

“Eh,” said Danny, shrugging. He stood on his tip toes to get a few extra inches over the shelves. “Hey, Sam, you good on the register?”

Sam shot him a thumbs up, not even looking away from the blob-like ghost she was currently ringing up. Danny dropped back to his heels.

“Okay, then, if you’re both good out here,” he said. “I’m going to go finish that negotiation for the ectoplasm cookies.”

“Good luck,” said Tucker.

“And if someone is like that again, call me right away, okay?”

“Got it, boss.”

“Gross. Don’t call me boss.”

“Boss. Boss man. Chief. Mr. Manager. Head honcho.”

“Okay, that’s worse. Seriously. You and Sam are on the deed, too.”

“Ah, but you’re the one our ghostly suppliers will negotiate with. Better get back to that, by the way.”

Danny sighed. “I’m promoting you.” He walked away.

“You- No, you can’t do that! Danny! Wait! You can’t promote me! Danny!”

[tremendousmiraclecherryblossom]

Forgery-Zero Concept Art!

(I’m just referring to anything 18+ years before the current timeline as “Zero” now to save myself from having to specify where exactly it is in the timeline each time) Unfortunately some more things came up this weekend so I only found time to scribble up one concept doodle. But I’m very happy with how it came out. This will probably be Charlie’s hair for the majority of Zero (She and Molly will probably get more alternate hair/outfits than any of the other characters) and I plan on making her look as painfully 2000s as possible so the punk tie and stupid mini-hat are a very likely possibility. XD My only hang up on Boss’s Dominic’s outfit is whether or not I want to make his collared shirt Hawaiian-floral-print. It’s a mafia classic at this point, plus I coincidentally happened to wear them a lot as a kid, and it would foreshadow his gardening business. But I’m not sure I’d be able to draw it consistently and I’m also worried about it blurring his silhouette. Dominic having a clear silhouette is pretty important given how action packed most of his scenes tend to be. ...Although I could go even MORE cliche and have him do a dramatic yakuza-esque coat-throw before a fight... ...still have to find a way to make them look younger. I’m deeply regretting not giving the older characters more wrinkles in the current timeline. I want to nail down Charlie, Dominic, Mimzy, and Angel’s zero designs soon because it’s very likely I’ll need them for some flashbacks in the next major arc.

Anyway hopefully I’ll get a chance to draw more concept art this weekend. Hoping to draw some promos for the next major arc. On that note “Guess Who’s Coming Over” still isn’t finished, so that may be a while. Production will resume in September!

Thank you for Reading! And thank you for spreading around the comic! ^w^

Charlie belongs to Viviziepop.

[jungshookz]

kiss me at midnight; myg

➺ pairing; min yoongi x reader

➺ genre; ceo!y/n x secretary!yoongiverse!! sfw!! fluff!! the title says it all!! this is the moment we’ve all been waiting for!! 

➺ wordcount; 8.1k

➺ summary; y/n finally musters up enough courage to tell yoongi about her i-know-i’m-your-boss-but-i-have-non-boss-feelings-for-you feelings. 

➺ what to expect; “careful, secretary min… i might have to give you a raise if you keep sweet-talking me like that.”

                                      »»————-　♡　————-««

“let’s see… the decorators are coming at 2, the caterers are coming at 6:30, the DJ is coming at 7…” yoongi reads out loud as he goes down his checklist, “the bartender sent over the special drinks menu which i emailed to you this morning, and- ah, right, the caterers mentioned that they were able to switch the mini hot dogs to sliders instead-”

“oh, that’s great! mini hot dogs just don’t carry the same level of class as teeny little hamburgers…” you narrow your eyes slightly as you clasp your hands in front of your face, tapping your fingers against each other, “what about the chocolate lava cakes?”

“mhm, don’t worry, those are on the menu as well, as per your request,” yoongi pauses, “ah- the people bringing the photo-booths are coming to set them up at 5 - we’ve already cleared out the space for them, so that should be good to go… also, are we putting a limit on photos?”

“a limit?”

“yes, a limit,” yoongi looks up at you and shrugs, “there’s only so much film and it wouldn’t be fair for one person to take ten photos and for another person to not have any at all.”

you immediately scoff before dismissing yoongi with a flick of your wrist, “silly yoongi, you can’t put a limit on fun. just tell them we’re willing to pay for extra film and for one of their workers to hang out at the party and wait until the booths need refilling.”

“there.. is no limit… on fun…” yoongi mutters to himself as he continues to scribble notes down in his notebook, “and… that’s it!” he clicks his pen before tucking it back into his shirt pocket, “pretty much everything has been taken care of. if all goes well, this’ll be a fantastic new year’s eve party.”

“yay!” you throw your hands up into the air before leaning back against your chair with a giggle, “this is so exciting. i love throwing parties!”

“and i love planning parties...” yoongi hums absentmindedly, looking back down at his list, “so i guess we make a pretty good team...”

“teamwork makes the dream work, right?”

“mm.” 

a couple seconds of silence ticks by as you scour through your brain for a new topic of discussion

you could... talk about the weather? 

or maybe ask him what he did over the weekend?

ask him about what he did on christmas day?? 

“so…” you clear your throat, smoothing your skirt down before folding your arms on your desk and leaning forward slightly, “you bringin’ any... hot dates to the party tonight?” 

wow

that was... not an ideal topic of discussion 

also, way to sound like a creep! 

“me?” yoongi glances up at you and tilts his head slightly, “well, i’ll be with you.” he pauses, dark brows knitting together, “did you… want me to bring a date?” he shifts in his seat, “i’m sure i can arrange for someone to accompany me if that’s what you want.”

“no!” your eyes widen and you shake your head quickly, “i mean- no, i was just- you know, i just- usually you have a plus-one that you bring to parties and, like, i’m sure that you probably had other new year’s plans that didn’t involve being at the party your boss is throwing- i’m just saying that perhaps, if you were planning on actually bringing someone, i just wouldn’t want to be a cock-block-” 

you’re cut off (thankfully) when yoongi’s phone suddenly starts to buzz on your desk

he extends his arm and catches it right as it’s about to fall off (which, admittedly, shouldn’t have been as hot as it was, but yoongi could be sitting there doing nothing and you’d still find it attractive) 

he holds a finger up pardon himself and you nod before leaning back a little

“hello? …oh, perfect. yes, i can come and pick them up now…” yoongi trails off, sandwiching his phone in between his ear and his shoulder before pushing his sleeve up a little to check the time on his watch, “i can be there in… roughly half an hour? yes. alright. perfect. see you soon.”

he hangs up with a beep before looking back over at you, “sorry about that! your dress and heels are ready for pick-up. what were you saying before my phone went off?”

“hm?” you clear your throat, “oh! uh… nothing. i was just- you know, small talk. but you can go now if you want to- i mean, obviously you need to go and pick up my outfit for tonight so i’ll just let you go-”

“alright, perfect-” yoongi nods and gets up from his seat, “i shouldn’t take too long but if anything comes up, just call me-” 

“yep! you got it, homie-” you shoot finger guns at yoongi before quickly forcing your arms down and shoving both your hands in between your knees so that they won’t do anything like that again 

your face flushes bright red as soon as the door shuts behind yoongi and a quiet groan slips past your lips before you smack your forehead down on your desk 

jesus

that... was rough, to say the least! 

sure, you fumble over your words whenever you talk to yoongi on a regular basis, but it’s never usually this bad... 

what’s gotten into you today?!

maybe it’s just the pre-party jitters! 

“get it together, y/l/n.” you mutter to yourself, patting your cheeks lightly before pulling your laptop towards you and opening it up 

if there’s anyone who can get you get your shit together, it’s hoseok

Y/N Y/L/N (10:12AM): help me

you perk up when hoseok responds almost immediately, your laptop letting out a little ping! from his message

you have half a mind to scold him for not doing work and being on the company’s messaging system but you dO need to talk to him right now so 

Jung Hoseok (10:12AM): What did you do this time

Y/N Y/L/N (10:12AM): nothing!! idk what’s wrong with my mouth today i’ve never called anyone homie in my entire life 

Jung Hoseok (10:13AM): ?

Y/N Y/L/N (10:13AM): you had to be here to understand :-//

Jung Hoseok (10:13AM): Okay well

Jung Hoseok (10:13AM): I don’t know what I’m supposed to say now

Y/N Y/L/N (10:13AM): can you just come to my office because it’s too much to type out

Y/N Y/L/N (10:13AM): and bring me an iced coffee from the vending machine while you’re at it because yoongi left to pick my dress up

Jung Hoseok (10:14AM): Let me get this straight

Jung Hoseok (10:14AM): You want me to stop working and you want me to go to your office so we can gossip about Yoongi

Y/N Y/L/N (10:14AM): gossip sounds bad

Y/N Y/L/N (10:14AM): ‘discuss’ sounds more professional

Jung Hoseok (10:14AM): …

Jung Hoseok (10:15AM): See you in ten minutes lmao

                                     »»————-　♡　————-««

“you asked him if he was planning on bringing a date to the party?!” hoseok laughs, leaning back against the chair before folding his arms over his chest and shaking his head, “wow. what, are you going to help him plan his wedding too?”

“don’t say that!” you groan, rubbing your fingers against your temples in tight circles, “i was just trying to start a conversation… i don’t know...”

“start a conversation? about what? about encouraging yoongi to be with someone who isn’t you?” 

“keep up the attitude and i’ll reduce your lunch break from one hour and fifteen minutes to one hour and fourteen minutes.” you raise a brow in warning, hoseok gawking before wagging a finger at you 

“i’ll report you to HR for abuse of power!” he jokes, his smile faltering when he notices that you still have that mopey, kicked-in-the-gut look on your face, “okay, think about it this way: this party couldn’t have come at a better time, you know? because now you know exactly what you have to do!” 

“huh? oh, right.” you nod slowly, “yeah, of course i know what i have to do at tonight’s party.” you snort, pulling away from your desk and sitting up straight, “but... you know, just to make sure that you know what it is that i have to do, would you mind telling me what exactly we’re saying i have to do?”

“y/n. come on.” hoseok presses his lips together before leaning forward, “what do people usually do at new year’s eve parties?” he asks gently, in that infuriatingly condescending tone that people usually use when they’re talking to children

“people share their new year’s resolutions with each other?” you hum, thinking back to the new year’s eve party you were at last year where you ended up talking to a very friendly bartender about all the plans you had in mind for the new year 

hm

you can’t help but wonder how he’s doing 

“well, yeah, but not quite what i had in mind-” hoseok shakes his head, “what else do they do?”

“they... sing karaoke really loudly?” you frown before letting out a gasp, “oh no! i didn’t think of that! do you think it’s too late to rent a karaoke machi-”   

“wow, i really have to spoon-feed this to you-” hoseok slaps his hands against his thighs before letting out a huff, “a new year’s kiss, y/n. does that ring any bells?”

“oh, right! i forgot about that part,” you chuckle lightly, tilting your head back against the top of your chair to look up at the ceiling, “but what does that have to do with-” you pause, head snapping back down to look at hoseok with wide eyes, “oh, you’re saying that i should- with yoongi- hoseok, i can barely look at yoongi for five seconds without breaking eye contact-” 

“why not?! its new years! you have to have someone to smooch when it’s midnight. even i have someone to kiss!”

“wait, who are you kiss-” 

“and you know what the best part is?” hoseok grins, “you have an excuse to get super drunk tonight! and a drunk y/n is a slightly more confident y/n-”

“oh, i can’t- i can’t ask him, no.” you chuckle nervously, your hands suddenly feeling a little clammy at the thought of asking yoongi to kiss you, “because then he’s going to feel like he has to kiss me because i’m his boss, and the next thing you know, i’m being called up to HR-” 

“you’re overthinking this again, y/n,” hoseok sighs, “don’t forget the fact that i caught him checking you out at the halloween party. you have to admit that he’s slightly interested in you.”

“that’s different!” you argue, your brows furrowing, “i was dressed as a sexy friggin’ bunny, for god’s sake!”

“and tonight, you’ll be dressed as a sexy friggin’ boss! the only difference is that you won’t have a little cotton tail and two bunny ears-”

“i don’t know…”

hoseok rolls his eyes at your doubt and resists the urge to get up and slap you across the face to get you to come to your senses

you can’t expect anything to happen between you and yoongi if you’re not willing to do something about it in the first place

he can’t even list out how many times you guys have had similar conversations that always end in you chickening out and changing your mind

you were supposed to make a move at the halloween party but you ended up bailing on the plan at the last minute and hoseok had to listen to half an hour of you whining about it over the phone 

he adores you but sometimes he just wants to grab you and yell at you for being such a wimp when it comes to yoongi 

“okay, you know what? forget yoongi. i’ll be your new year’s kiss!” hoseok teases, leaning forward before wiggling his eyebrows enticingly, “maybe if people see me canoodling with the boss i’ll finally get the street cred i deserve-”

“you know, i don’t know if i’ve reached that level of desperation quite yet-”

“i’m a great kisser, so it’s your loss...” hoseok kisses his teeth, raising his hands in defense, “anyways, just try not to overthink it. take a deep breath, relax, and hopefully you won’t point any more lame finger guns at yoo-”

“-ooou’re fired!” you stand up and slam your fist down on the desk the moment yoongi steps into the room, hoseok jolting at the sudden announcement, “you are fired, my good sir! you heard me loud and clear!” 

yoongi’s eyes widen slightly and he presses his lips together before stepping aside and lowering his head  

“what the hell are yo-” hoseok glances over his shoulder and it dawns over him when he spots yoongi standing by the door, “oh! oh. uh, okay. yes... i am... devastated...” he clears his throat as he rises from the chair slowly, “please... give me a second chance? i... won’t do it again?” 

you blink, pulling down your blazer slightly before giving him a curt nod

“...okay, but this is your last chance. next time, you’re really fired.” you clear your throat, sitting back down before gesturing towards the door, “you may leave now, mr. jung.” 

yoongi nods in acknowledgement when hoseok walks past him and he waits a couple of seconds before speaking up 

“sorry. i didn’t realize you were busy because the door wasn’t closed all the way.” he smiles sheepishly, raising the garment bag in his hand, “i just wanted to put your dress in the closet for you.” 

“yes! go ahead.” you smile, gesturing towards the closet before sitting back down in your chair 

“by the way, i passed by that breakfast place on the way to the laundromat-” yoongi pauses, glancing over at you on his way to the closet, “you know, the place that makes those BLT bagels you like so much?” 

“ooh, with the spicy mayo and the avocado?”

“mhm-” yoongi smiles, shutting the closet door gently and turning to face you, “they do chocolate chip waffles now and i thought maybe that’d be something you’d be interested in for future breakfasts.” 

“oh, no way!” your eyes widen in excitement, “i’m very interested in chocolate chip waffles for future breakfasts!”

“that’s what i thought.” he chuckles, making his way back towards the doors, “anyway- i’ll be out there if you need me, boss.” 

“mhm!” 

you immediately get up from your chair as soon as yoongi leaves the room 

you told yourself that you were going to wait until tonight but you’ve been thinking about your dress all week and you wanna see it now!! 

“dress, dress, dress-” you murmur to yourself like a maniac, your heels clicking against the floor as you jog over to the closet 

you push down a squeal of excitement after unzipping the garment bag and getting a good look at your outfit for tonight

you spent hours searching for the perfect dress and it was totally worth it now that you’re looking at it  

it’s a navy blue midi-length dress that sort of cinches in at the waist but the skirt itself is relaxed so you don’t need to worry about your legs being constricted 

there’s also a high slit in the skirt which is exciting (you had to shave your legs yesterday which wasn’t as exciting) 

and it’s a long sleeve dress but the sleeves and sheer and billowy but cap around your wrists 

it’s classy but also a little sexy but not like your halloween playboy costume level of sexy

you’re still not sure what possessed you to dress up as a playboy bunny but even you have to admit that that little black dress looked great on you 

you zip the bag back up before pushing it aside to sneak a peek at the suit that yoongi will be wearing to the party 

he asked if he could keep his suit in your closet and obviously you said yes because it’s yoongi 

your eyes light up when you notice something peculiar about his outfit 

it’s navy blue as well!! 

the corners of your mouth lift in a wide grin, your heart skipping a beat at the thought of you and yoongi (unintentionally, but still) wearing matching colours tonight 

heh 

                                    »»————-　♡　————-««

“c’mon, stupid thing...” yoongi frowns to himself as he struggles to tie his tie

he’s been at it for the last ten minutes and it seems like his gummy worm fingers aren’t going to be useful anytime soon 

and it probably doesn’t help that he’s using his phone camera as a mirror instead of going to the bathroom to use the actual mirror

he doesn’t know if it showed this morning but he’s been a nervous wreck all day! 

he practically zipped out of your office as soon as he had the chance to and he just hopes that you’re not suspecting anything 

it’s just that as each day goes by, he gets more and more conflicted over what to do about his feelings for you 

this wasn’t supposed to happen!

when he first realized that you liked him, he was flattered and admittedly it was a nice stroke to his ego knowing that his boss was interested in him, but he didn’t know it’d turn into this 

he didn’t know he’d end up liking you back 

this is a disaster! 

he’s not supposed to like you back!

he already tried forcing himself to stop liking you but if anything it’s made things worse

he thought your schoolgirl crush was sweet at first and then one day he found your poor excuse of asking him to stay after hours to help you re-organize your pens was cute and ever since then it’s gone downhill 

like the other day when he was eating lunch with you - you took the paper sleeve that holds the chopsticks and you folded it into a makeshift chopstick rest and gave it to him to use and,,. he’d have to be crazy to not find that wildly endearing

yoongi lets out a huff and leans back against his chair as he looks at himself on his phone screen 

“good going, moron.” he grumbles to himself before lifting his hand and flipping himself off, “you and your feelings.”

of course, it’s not technically a... bad thing that he likes you back, right? 

...but what’s everyone going to think?

he knows that he’s on the list of people getting the christmas bonus (because he helped you type it out) but what if people think he just slept his way to the money?? 

oh, god

that’s not who he is!

this is too much to think about right now 

he just had this suit pressed and he’s not about to ruin it by nervously sweating in it 

he’s just going to enjoy this party with you and then deal with his feelings later!  

future yoongi can handle it

present yoongi is just going to enjoy the ride B-) 

“whatcha up to?” 

“-!” yoongi jumps and scrambles up from his seat when he hears your voice all of a sudden, “y/n! sorry, i didn’t hear you come out of... your... office...” he trails off, voice softening slightly as he takes in how beautiful you look in your dress 

obviously he already knew what you were going to wear because he was the one who picked up your outfit from the dry cleaner’s but... it’s a different experience actually seeing you in it 

beautiful 

there’s really no other way to describe it

you look... beautiful. 

“i don’t know why on earth you’re wearing a tie to a party.” you snort, eyes flicking down to the tie hanging loosely around his neck, “this isn’t a business meeting, yoongi.” (you decided it’d be best to take hoseok’s advice. no overthinking - just relaxing! and it seems to be going well...) 

“oh.” yoongi snaps himself out of his daze before shaking his head, “i… i don’t know why, either. i guess i’m just used to wearing a tie.”

“well, i say ditch it - you know, let loose a little! it’s new year’s eve, after all.” 

before yoongi even knows it, you’re stepping towards him and sliding the tie from his neck in one swift movement before tossing it onto his desk

ᵒ ᵍᵒᵈ

you even smell pretty 

he freezes when you reach up to undo a couple of buttons on his shirt, his hands gripping the edge of his desk so tightly that his knuckles are stark white 

“there we go!” you smile, fixing yoongi’s collar before nodding to yourself, “much better. also, do you think you can help me with my heels? i put them on already but the little buckles are flimsy and i can’t do them because of my nails.” you raise both your hands before wiggling your fingers 

“mhm, of course.” yoongi steps aside and gestures towards his chair, “take a seat and i’ll take care of them for you.”

yoongi’s chair squeaks slightly as you sit down on it and you make a mental note to get him a new one 

...maybe you should get everyone in the office new chairs to make your crush on yoongi less obvious

hm

lots to think about

“so, do you think anyone’s going to have fun tonight?” you ask quietly, leaning back against the chair, “i’m nervous.” 

“i’m sure everyone’s going to have fun, y/n,” yoongi lowers himself onto the ground so that he’s down on one knee before raising your leg so that your foot is pressed against his chest, “they get free food, free alcohol, and there are fun 2021 party hats and stupid 2021 glasses to match. what’s not to love?”

“me. i’m the part they don’t love.” you snort, propping your elbow up on yoongi’s desk before leaning against your fist, “i’m gonna take one step onto the rooftop and immediately ruin the party somehow. i bet the dj will stop playing music and his records will make that awkward scratchy sound.”

“don’t be so harsh on yourself…” yoongi scolds, tucking the thin strap into the buckle and giving it a little tug to make sure it’s nice and secure before lowering your foot gently, “besides, if anyone looks at you weirdly, i can just call security and have them escorted out of the party.” he tuts, smiling up at you as he lifts your other foot 

“ooh. careful, secretary min… i might have to give you a raise if you keep sweet-talking me like that.” you joke, pushing the ball of your foot gently against yoongi’s chest teasingly

“oh, yeah? i wouldn’t be opposed to that, boss…” the corner of yoongi’s mouth twitches in a side smirk as he slips the other strap into place, “alright, there we go! heels are nice and secure.”

he gets up from the ground, dusting his knee off before extending his hand to help you get up from his chair, “ready?” 

“as ready as i’ll ever be...” you reach for his hand only to pause, your nose scrunching slightly as you pull away, “i don’t know. let’s think this through. do we have to go to the party?”

“well, you are the host.” yoongi points out, “and i planned the whole thing! do you know how hard it was to arrange for a karaoke machine on new year’s eve?” he frowns playfully, “you can’t bail on me like this.” 

“i guess...” 

“listen- whenever you want to leave, just let me know and i’ll grab the entire plate of sliders, a crisp bottle of champagne, and then we’ll head back down here to eat, drink, and watch the fireworks from your office window.” yoongi tilts his head, his hand still out for you to take, “deal?” 

“...throw in the chocolate lava cakes as well and we have a deal.” 

                                   »»————-　♡　————-««

“wow! you really outdid yourself, yoongi.” you nod in approval as you look around, “look at this place!” 

you never even knew the rooftop had the ability to look like some trendy upscale bar that sells cocktails for $30 each 

“hey, if this secretary thing doesn’t work out, maybe i could become a party planner.” yoongi jokes, lifting his glass up with a smile

“you know, i really think you could.” you clink your glass against his before taking a sip of the bubbly champagne, “by the way, you don’t have to hang out with me all night. you’re allowed to go and mingle with your coworkers.” 

“i know.” yoongi hums before his nose scrunches slightly, “but every time i talk to them, they’re always gossiping about something and i think gossiping is unproductive.” 

“wha-” you gawk, your lashes fluttering, “you’re telling me that you’ve had access to juicy office gossip this whole time and not once have i ever heard any of it??”

“i mean...” 

“you have to tell me something. i’ll take anything!” 

you grin excitedly when yoongi gestures for you to come in closer 

“jungkook and tzuyu had sex on the photocopier by the supplies room.” he blurts out quickly, clearing his throat before taking a sip of his own champagne, “but you didn’t hear it from me!”

“they- what?!” you gasp in shock, jaw practically dropping to the floor, “they did?? during work??”

“no, it was after work!” yoongi shakes his head, “i think you had a meeting across town that night which is why we weren’t here... otherwise we... probably would’ve heard it but- it’s on the CCTV security cameras and everything. of course, since the photocopier is kind of out of frame, you can only see their lower halves-”

“well, then how do you know it was jungkook and tzuyu??” 

“their shoes! and jungkook’s socks. he’s the only one who wears bright purple rubber-duckie socks to work.” 

the two of you turn to look at jungkook across the rooftop and you blink before looking back over at yoongi with a pout 

“that’s my favourite photocopier.” you mutter, “i hope they didn’t get any... fluids inside of it-”

“gross! why would it be inside of the machine?!”

“i don’t know! people go crazy during sex sometimes!” you raise your hands in defense before clearing your throat quietly, “okay, but seriously, i feel like having vigorous sex on a piece of office equipment is definitely violating something so i might have to bring them in for a little chat-”

“ooh, can i be there when you scold them?” 

“absolutely-”  

“miss y/n?” you jump in surprise when someone taps your shoulder gently from behind

you glance over your shoulder to see joy before smiling politely, turning around fully to face her, “joy! what’s up?”

“i’d like to talk to you about something, if that’s alright - do you have a moment?” 

“oh! um, of course-” you pause, turning to hand yoongi your glass, “let’s head over there for some privacy. what’s on your mind?” 

“it’s just... you know, regarding past comments i may or may not have made about you-” she chuckles uneasily, “seeing as you still have to figure out who’s getting christmas bonuses this year, i thought that-” 

yoongi bites back a grin when you turn back to look at him with pleading eyes and he shrugs helplessly before raising his own glass at you and downing the rest of the champagne 

                                  »»————-　♡　————-««

yoongi’s never been a huge fan of parties mainly because he’d much rather enjoy a bottle of champagne and full-sized burgers in the comfort of his own home 

he really only started going to parties once you became CEO of the company and he wasn’t left with a choice because he was worried that you’d fire him if he didn’t attend any of these festive celebrations 

he likes to think that you’ve opened him up to new experiences, helping him become a better human being overall 

:-) 

“hey!” yoongi chokes on his tiny burger patty when someone gives his back a hearty slap, “i’ve been looking for you everywhere! i have a bone to pick with you, min yoongi.”

yoongi’s brows furrow in confusion when it’s hoseok that plops down on the bar stool next to him 

“what-” yoongi swallows his bite before giving his chest a couple of pats to help get the masticated chunks of meat down smoother, “what did i do??” 

hoseok opens his mouth to say something before pausing, eyes flickering to the side as he reconsiders what he’s about to say 

he’s a little tipsy thanks to the open bar so he didn’t really think this decision through but he’s here now so it’s a little late to back out 

you explicitly asked him not to meddle but he feels like if he doesn’t do anything, then you’ll never do anything and you’ll just go to the grave keeping your feelings for yoongi a secret 

does this count as meddling? 

he just has to find a way to steer the conversation towards the topic of you and yoongi and romance 

this might be meddling, now that he’s thinking about it

...

it’s fine! 

he’ll do it in such a subtle way that yoongi won’t even notice! 

“it’s not something that you’ve done. it’s something that you haven’t done.” hoseok clears his throat, narrowing his eyes at yoongi suspiciously, “do you like y/n? because she likes you.”

(not very subtle, but hoseok never likes to beat around the bush.) 

“woah-” yoongi’s eyes widen in surprise and he lets out a nervous chuckle before looking around, “ha, i- um- where did you get that idea from?” 

“you didn’t deny it.” hoseok grins in success, “so you do?” 

“i...” yoongi pokes his tongue against the inside of his cheek before he lets out a huff and his shoulders droop in defeat, “yeah. yeah, i do. ...but what does that have to do with you?” 

“oh, it has everything to do with me!” hoseok chirps, clapping his hands together excitedly, “i’m here to give you advice!” 

“yeah, okay,” yoongi immediately scoffs and rolls his eyes as he turns back to pick up his drink, “no offense, but i don’t think i should be getting advice from the guy who was almost fired today-”

“oh, please, i wasn’t getting fired when you walked in.” hoseok raises a brow, “we were talking about you before you barged in so y/n obviously panicked and changed the subject to make it look like she wasn’t going all goo-goo-ga-ga over you-” 

“what? you were- y/n was talking about me?” yoongi perks up, his interest in the conversation suddenly reigniting, “really?” 

“she’s always talking about you,” hoseok points out, “don’t get me wrong - i love going to her office to talk about you instead of doing my work, but it’s exhausting! which is part of the reason as to why i’m willing to give you advice to get this show on the road.” 

“i don’t need advice, though.” 

“of course you need advice. if one of you finally made a move, i wouldn’t need to give you advice, but here i am.” hoseok gestures to himself before shrugging, “so... what’s wrong with you?”

yoongi scoffs in offense

that’s a little ruDE

“what’s wrong with me?”

“yeah. why haven’t you made a move yet if you like y/n back?” hoseok emphasizes as a reminder that this crush goes two ways and that yoongi can be blamed for the lack of action just as much as you 

“because... i can’t! it’s not that easy, man.” yoongi shakes his head, “i can’t just ask her out. she’s... like... she’s miss y/n.” 

“yes. and the sky is blue.” hoseok frowns, “i’m sorry, what’s the problem?” 

“she’s the boss!” yoongi snaps, glaring over at hoseok, “she’s our boss!”

“exactly! she’s the boss! if you’re going to date someone in the office, it might as well be the person signing off everyone’s paycheques at the end of each month-” 

“but you can’t- the rules!”

“what rules??”

“there are no rules! that’s why i’m so confused! i’m used to rules! that’s how the world works in my head! what the hell am i supposed to do now? go rogue?! i’ve never gone rogue before!”

“oh, god, who do you think you are? some secret agent? all you’re doing is asking someone out-”

“i can’t date y/n-” 

“give me a legitimate reason as to why you can’t date y/n.”

“i’ll be penalized!” 

“who’s going to penalize you?!”

“the boss of our boss!” 

“please!” hoseok groans loudly, throwing his head back in frustration, “you don’t think he’s goofed around with any of his secretaries?”

“okay, but this isn’t me goofing around with y/n, this is me... being serious with y/n!” yoongi presses his lips together, unsure of what to say next, “yeah. i wanna be serious with y/n.” 

“i promise you that no one cares about relationships as long as work is handed in on time and bags of money are being made.” hoseok hums, gesturing for the bartender to fix up another drink for him 

having this conversation about you with yoongi is just as exhausting as having this conversation about yoongi with you 

...

he doesn’t know if that sentence made any sense but all this alcohol is making the words jumble up together 

“well, okay, but-” yoongi chuckles nervously, turning and setting his glass down on the bar countertop, “then we’d have to make a file with HR declaring the status of our relationship, and then we’d have to talk about whether or not we want to keep things private or let the whole office know- oh, god, and what if it doesn’t work out? what if we break up? it’d be embarrassing after having declared our love for each other in front of everyone! and favouritism! don’t even get me started on favouritism! people are going to bag on y/n if they find out that i’m on the list of people getting a bonus! ...but, in my defense, even if we weren’t together i would probably still be on that list because i’m hardworking-” 

“yoongi-” hoseok interrupts, slapping both his hands down on his shoulders before letting out a sigh, “do you like y/n?” 

“yes.” yoongi answers without missing a beat, “i like y/n. a lot.” 

“okay. then that’s all that matters, right?” 

yoongi opens his mouth to respond but he pauses

huh 

that... is a fair point... 

it shouldn’t matter what anyone else thinks about his relationship with you 

what is it about alcohol that makes some people so wise?

“do you know what kind of a person you’d be if you just repressed your feelings and pretended that they didn’t exist at all? a coward, that’s what you’d be. because y/n is a fantastic woman and you need to hurry up and make a damn move before she realises she’s wasting her time on you and moves on to someone else who isn’t afraid to show their true feelings for her.” hoseok shakes his head gently before pulling away from yoongi with a nonchalant shrug and a snort, “but, you know - i’m drunk as hell and i’ve had nothing to eat so all the things coming out of my mouth righ’now could be complete and utter bullshit!” he hiccups, giggling to himself, “who knows!”

“well… what do you suggest i do?”

“what else do you do at a new year’s eve party?” hoseok’s head flops to the side, the over consumption of nothing but champagne suddenly hitting him like a brick wall 

“…share new year’s resolutions?”

“wha- god, you guys are truly the perfect pair- no, dumbass, you kiiissss someone at midnight.” hoseok slurs, “you already know she’s into you. and now i know that you’re into her so she’s definitely not going to oppose giving you a big ol smooch!”

“well, it’s-” yoongi pulls his sleeve up to check his watch, anxiety bubbling in his stomach when he realizes there are exactly twelve minutes to midnight, “oh, god.” 

okay

that’s fine!

it’s fine, he can work with twelve minutes!

all he has to do is 1) find you, 2) start a casual conversation, 3) somehow transition the casual conversation into a not so casual conversation about his feelings for you, 4) transition from the not so casual conversation to asking if you’d like to be his new year’s kiss, 5)- 

“i can’t pull this off in twelve minutes. i don’t know how i’m going to do this!” yoongi swallows thickly, turning to look at hoseok (who’s starting to doze off), “how the hell am i going to do this??” 

hoseok picks himself up off the counter, turning to face yoongi before a wide smile spreads on his face and a little gasp of excitement slips past his lips, “hey! i’ve been looking for you everywhere. i have a bone to pick with you, min yoongi-” 

“okay, buddy-” yoongi quickly reaches out to keep hoseok from toppling over, “you’ve definitely had one too many-” 

                                  »»————-　♡　————-««

ding!

yoongi steps off the elevator with a huff, quickly checking the time on his watch for the millionth time tonight 

he spent two minutes running around the rooftop like a headless chicken in case you were still up there somewhere 

luckily jungkook told him that he saw you leave the rooftop and there’s really only one other place that you’d be 

he makes his way down the hallway towards the double doors of your office, smiling in success when he sees that one of the doors is slightly ajar 

bingo! 

maybe it’s because he’s now confident about his true feelings for you, but he feels like there’s a spring in his step right now! 

(it could also be because of the liquid courage, but that’s neither here nor there.)

he pushes the door open a little to stick his face in, giving himself a mental high five as he sees you leaning against your desk with a flute of champagne in your hand, staring out the window 

“hey!” yoongi clears his throat, knocking on the door gently, “there you are.”

“hm?” you turn to glance over your shoulder, “oh, yoongi! yeah, hey.” 

“i didn’t realize you’d disappeared... i would’ve brought the sliders with me if i knew you were in here.” he jokes, shutting the door behind him with a quiet click, “everything okay?”

“ah, well. maybe next time.” you smile stiffly, turning away from him to look back out, “yeah, everything’s fine. joy practically talked my ear off up there so i just felt like i needed to get away from the party for a little while.” 

“you know, the fireworks are starting soon...” yoongi points out as he makes his way over to you, “you’re probably going to get better pictures of them up there than down here in your office.” 

“yeah, i know… but it’s also going to be very loud up on the rooftop and i’d prefer to start the new year off with working eardrums.” your nose wrinkles as you let out a chuckle, “also, i…”

“what?”

“i… i don’t know, i just don’t really want to start the new year awkwardly standing in the middle while everyone else is getting new year’s kisses.” you reach up to scratch the back of your neck before chuckling awkwardly, “that… makes me sound like a very bitter single person and i swear it wasn’t supposed to come off that way-” 

“no, i totally get it.” yoongi shakes his head as he wipes his hands on the side of his pants, “as a matter of fact, i kind of wanted to talk to you about something-”

“hold on, hold on- before you say anything, i-” you interrupt him, turning to set your glass down, “i, um- i have something that i wanna say to you as well. can i go first?”

“oh! yes, okay….” yoongi cowers down a little, pressing his lips together tightly, “is... everything alright?”

“yeah!” you nod quickly before pausing, “i mean, sort of. kind of. i’m… not sure if it’s going to be a good idea or not, but i just want to let you know that if you… you know, if you feel uncomfortable or something after i tell you this, you’re free to pack up and leave, you know? i mean, i actually already have a letter of recommendation written for you so if you wanna go off and work for someone else, i’ve already put in a lot of good words for you-”

“woah, woah-” yoongi raises his hands before letting out a chuckle, “i- while i definitely appreciate the gesture, you know i’m… not planning on going anywhere, right?”

“yeah, well… things change!” you clear your throat, gaze averting as you reach up to scratch the back of your neck, “things... change. i… don’t mean to sound so elementary school about it, but i…” you trail off, the little voice in the back of your head reminding you that this is your last chance to back out and not tell yoongi about your feelings for him

you’ve chickened out more than a handful of times, so what’s going to different about this time around?

you look up at yoongi and he blinks twice before offering you a soft smile, “you…?”

oh 

how are you supposed to back out when he’s looking at you like that?

and maybe it’s just because he looks particularly handsome tonight in his suit or because you’re all riled up on cocktails, but...

“i like you.” you blurt out, trying your best not to cringe or make any faces, “like… in a… romantic? way?”

yoongi’s eyes widen and the smile fades from his face, though you don’t have much time to process whatever reaction that was before he’s speaking up 

“you like me.” yoongi repeats, swallowing thickly before nodding, “in a romantic way.”

“yeah.” you shrug, “and i have for a while, but i just never said or did anything about it because i thought it was inappropriate - you know, because i’m your boss and around the time i started liking you was when we held that seminar for workplace harassment and i didn’t want to make you feel like i was harassing you or creeping on you or anything - a-anyways, at first i thought i was attracted to you solely because you’re hot in that broody, college skater-boyfriend kind of way and i thought it’d go away on its own, but then the feelings never went away, and then i thought that maybe this was just a more serious schoolgirl-type crush that would take time to go away, but then a lot of time went by and it still didn’t go away, so… here we are now, at the end of the year, and i… still have a huge, huge crush on you-”

“-i like you too.” 

“okay, cool, but i’m not done talking about-” you pause, your eyes flickering upwards, “wait, what?” 

“i like you, y/n.” yoongi breathes out with a smile, his shoulders visibly relaxing, “actually, i’ve known for a long time that you liked me and at first i was just flattered and admittedly i was a little cocky about it but then i... actually started to like you one day and- well, i didn’t want to say anything because- woah-!”

yoongi yelps when suddenly a paperweight is hurled in his direction and nearly whacks him in the face, “what the f-”

“are you kidding me, yoongi?!” you snap, slapping your hands down as you glare at him across your desk, “are you kidding me?!” 

“okay, i-i-” yoongi stammers, “i wasn’t expecting this reaction so i’m not entirely sure how i’m supposed to-” 

“you knew that i liked you this entire time-” you groan, reaching up to pinch the bridge of your nose, “and you knew that you liked me this entire time... and you didn’t say or do anything about it?!”

“well, why didn’t you do anything about it first?” yoongi exasperates, “you- you’re just as much at fault here as i am!”

“because i-” you laugh lightly in disbelief, “because i thought that if i told you that i liked you, that you would feel pressured into saying that you liked me back because i’m your boss! how would i know if your feelings were genuine or if you were just playing along? of course i couldn’t tell you!” 

yoongi chews on the inside of his cheek anxiously as you let out a huff before stepping away from your desk and heading over to stand by the window again 

“i...” he trails off, bending down to pick up the paperweight before setting it down on your desk gently, “i’m sorry that you... struggled with that... but... i think the important thing is that i do like you, y/n. i genuinely like you, and i was an idiot for not saying anything earlier... i let my doubts get in the way and...” he sighs, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck, “i’m not good at- i’m not good at dealing with this kind of stuff and usually i just brush it aside and hope the problem goes away but i see you almost every single day so i couldn’t just brush it aside-” 

“yeah, well-” 

both of you freeze up when you suddenly hear the countdown chanting echo from up on the rooftop and yoongi feels his heart plummet to his stomach when he realizes he didn’t even ask if you wanted to be his new year’s kiss 

shit 

shit!

“i’m just-” yoongi shakes his head furiously, “i get nervous when there are no rules and there certainly isn’t a handbook for what to do when you’re attracted to your boss-”

10!

you let out a scoff as you turn to face him, “-and you think there’s a handbook for what to do when you’re attracted to your secretary?!-” 

9!

“i was a total coward for not saying anything sooner and i wish i did! i wish i kissed you at the halloween party!”

8!

“you- you wanted to kiss me at the halloween party?” 

7!

“of course i did, dumbass!” the name slips out of yoongi’s mouth before he even realizes it and he smiles sheepishly when you give him a warning look, “...miss dumbass.”

6!

“anyways,” yoongi coughs, “i-if you’re still interested, i’d really like to kiss you tonight if that’s okay-” 

5!

“wait, did hoseok put you up to this?” you narrow your eyes in suspicion before pointing to yourself, “because he told me to ask you to kiss me tonight-”

“yeah, he put me up to this because we both know that you certainly weren’t going to make the first move-”

4!

“how dare you?” you scoff, crossing your arms stubbornly, “i could make the first move if i really wanted to-” 

3!

“what?! that’s bullsh- oh my god, can we agree now to kiss first and then argue about this later?!” yoongi snaps, eyes full of panic at the thought of not making it on time, “please??” 

2!

“fine, but-” 

1- HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

you don’t get a chance to say anything else before yoongi swoops in swiftly to lean in and kiss you, warm hands quickly reaching up to cup either sides of your face 

the sound of people cheering and fireworks going off in the sky is nothing compared to the erratic thumping of your heart and the high-pitched ringing in your ears 

oh, wow

your lashes flutter as you feel yourself relax, your fists uncurling against yoongi so that your hands rest on his chest

you can feel his rapid heartbeat through his shirt and that’s all the confirmation you need to know that yoongi really, truly likes you back 

yoongi’s hands leave your face so that he can reach down to grasp your hips and pull you towards him, only for his arms to snake around your waist a second later 

your hands slide up his chest before your arms wrap loosely around his neck, feeling as though nothing else matters except what’s happening right now 

you’ve dreamt about this moment for so long but it’s so much better than you could’ve possibly imagined it to be 

and you’re not sure if it’s the copious amount of champagne that you consumed tonight but you just feel so warm inside 

yoongi pulls away (far too soon for your liking), his eyes lidded and hazy as he smiles fondly down at you, “happy new year, boss.”

you can’t fight back the wide grin on your face when he leans down to nudge his nose against yours, both of your hearts undoubtedly beating in time   

“happy new year, secretary min.”

❄️christmas with cee 2020 masterlist 🎄

help me help you make your wishes come tru (aka send me a request)

why don’t you explore the rest of the library while you’re here?

or perhaps you want something shorter to read?

[vvideonasties]

I’m in love with your drabbles!!! If you’re still taking requests plz consider: jmart in 11? Have a lovely day!! 💕

aww yay i’m so glad you’re liking them, i hope your day is going well!!!

things you said when you were drunk

“They did this on purpose.”

Jon puts down his glass and raises an eyebrow. He’s on his third drink - the first he bought himself, the next courtesy of Martin. That’s the reason he decided to stay longer in the bar, in the beginning. Martin bought him something, so it was only polite to stay. But after that was drained, he had an out, an excuse to leave. Instead, he decided to bring in the next round. To return the gesture. Which makes the initial offer moot, of course, but wine makes him a bit fuzzy headed.

At that point he decided to stop pretending that he was staying because of silly courtesies. He’s here because, despite it all, Martin is very good company. They’ve rarely associated with each other outside of work, and have certainly never done so alone. This night wasn’t supposed to be an exception - Tim and Sasha were on their way, but as soon as he arrived at the bar Martin received a text telling him that they wouldn’t be coming. Their reasoning as to why must have been strange, considering the way Martin glared at his phone afterwards. 

Outside of that, he hasn’t thought of the two of them much. At all, in fact. He’s been too busy sucked into conversation with Martin all night. Or, rather, the other way around. Panicked upon realising he’d be alone with him without any buffers, Jon had started rambling about whatever he could first think of to fill in the awkward silence. He then discovered how good a listener Martin is. He asks insightful questions and nods in all the right places, making the appropriate oohs and ahhs when necessary for the topic. It’s been pleasant.

“Who’s they?” Jon asks, feigning ignorance. 

“Tim and Sasha.” Martin polishes off his (fourth) mojito forlornly. 

He’s quite drunk. He never thought Martin was a heavy drinker, but he’s been gulping down cocktails all night, becoming more relaxed with each one. God, those things are brutal. He can smell the rum from across the table.

Is he drinking like this because Jon makes him nervous? The way he seems to catch his eye often then look away quickly as if he’s committed some great sin would suggest that could be a possibility. That makes him sad, actually. He’s been quite harsh on Martin, he’ll admit that, but he doesn’t want to be a source of discomfort for him. 

“Why would they do this on purpose?” He prompts, trying to make his voice softer and kinder. The alcohol helps. 

Martin puts his head in his hands and sighs. “Because they know.”

“Know what? That’s awfully cryptic.”

“Oh, like you can talk,” Martin hits back, and the edge to his voice makes Jon laugh. He’s been like that for most of the night. Less afraid to call him out on things. 

Jon sets down his glass and nudges Martin with his free hand. He doesn’t miss the way Martin sits up a bit straighter with it, his face getting redder than the alcohol could ever manage before.   

“They know that I...likeyou.” He says the last few words in a rush. 

“Oh. Oh! That’s- I’m glad you do. It’s good to have camaraderie between co-workers. I can still be a friend, even though I’m your boss.”

He seems to have completely missed the mark on that one, as Martin’s face immediately crumples, and he flops on the table. 

“Noooo,” he groans into the wood. 

“Martin,” Jon says, bewildered, “are you quite alright?”

Martin pries his head off of the table and points a finger at him accusingly. “Jon. Jon. Jon. Jonathan Sims. You are so oblivious. I can’t believe I’m- fuck, I’m so drunk.” He hiccups. “I like you.”

He stops. Takes a sip (gulp) of his wine. “Like...like like?”

Christ, is he ten? Jon wipes his suddenly sweaty palms on his trousers and decides that eye contact would be the worst possible thing to happen to both of them right now. He...doesn’t know how to feel about this. There’s mostly just confusion bubbling up inside him. So, he asks.

“Why?”

"Ha! Do you want a list? Wait, no, that’s a joke- but I think I made a list at one point. It’ll be in my notebook somewhere. Should probably burn that, now. Oh, god. You know when you’re that kind of drunk where you consciously know you’re ruining a kindling friendship with your boss but you can’t stop bloody talking about the massive crush you have on him? Also, you’ve kind of had the shame burned out of you with the sheer power of alcohol?”

Jon doesn’t know. He nods regardless, baffled, then has another sip of wine. His mouth stays dry.

Martin slumps and looks at him, eyes wide and pleading. "Please don’t fire me.”

“Wh-why would I-” Jon sputters, “I wouldn’t! This is...this is...”

Thinking back on it, it really shouldn’t be all that surprising. He’s been a willing subject to Martin’s care and attention. He’s liked it. A lot. But he's tried not to think about it much. It would be improper, unprofessional, not very becoming of the new Head Archivist-

“This is not exactly unwelcome, I suppose.”

Red wine is a menace.

“What?!” Martin exclaims, voice far too loud, even for the rowdy bar.

“Shush. What I mean is, I wouldn’t be opposed. To you. That’s- christ, that’s an awful way of putting it. I mean that you’re nice to talk to, and I’ve enjoyed your company very much tonight.” And you’re very pretty, his brain supplies unhelpfully, but he waves it away, “So I would like to talk about it. Us. At some point.”

He’s being stared at suspiciously. Martin leans back into his seat. “Has someone spiked my drink? Is this real?”

“Oh, it’s real. And no one has. I’ve had my eyes on your drinks all night.”

“How noble of you,” he teases, and there’s this fondness in his eyes and smile that are obvious now Jon is searching for them. He tries his best to dampen the wide smile that is threatening to take over his own face and drains the contents of his glass. 

“Right. Well. Tonight probably isn’t the best time to discuss this. Let’s wait until we’re sober. On Monday, perhaps? Around lunch time?”

"...Are you scheduling a meeting for us to talk about our feelings?”

Jon rolls his eyes. "Just get your coat, Martin.”

The look he gets in return is nothing short of captivating, and it makes him quite excited to see what exactly he’s gotten himself into. 

send me a ship and a prompt and i’ll write a mini fic!

[liighty]

Guzma babysitting Reader’s Niece

(A/N): BACK ON MY BULLSHIT AGAIN! BUT THIS TIME IT’S NOT ALL THAT SELF-INDULGENT AND MIGHT POSSIBLY BE TURNED INTO A SUPER FIC IF I FEEL LIKE IT

In all honesty i’ve thought about making another largeass super self-indulgent Guzma x Reader mega fic, but I’m not sure if I want to? I don’t know if anybody would read it, so that’s what this post is for!!! If you like this and want to see actual Guzma x Reader with plot and not just fluff drabbles lmk!! I have a bunch of asks to address so maybe i’ll get to that too soon

Anyways, back to the fic.

Mini Summary: (Y/N)’s niece needs to be babysat while (Y/N) is interviewed, so they turn to Guzma and crew to help out for a bit. Chaos ensues.

Rating/Triggers: UH drugs are mentioned but not really? THE KID DOES NOT DO DRUGS!!!! but yeah if that makes you uncomfy i’d be careful with it??\

Pairing: Guzma/Gender Neutral!Reader (I used the honorific ‘Titi’ which is gender neutral for ‘Tia’ or ‘Tio’ [extra thanks to Ocha_Bocha for helping me with that one <3] and tried to make it as gender neutral as possible. Originally this was written with a male reader, and then I went female, and ultimately attempted to eliminate gender completely. [Following the footsteps of Splatoon teehee])

Fic under cut!!!!!

"Are you sure this is a good idea, honey?" You clutch your niece's hand as you approach the large walls that separate Po Town from the rest of Ula'Ula Island. It's not that you don't trust the man who you're leaving her with- in fact, those two have been acquainted previously and seem to get along fairly well- It's his friends who you're concerned about.

"..." Her silence is expected, as the kid isn't all that talkative. Recognizing the young girl's silence, you frown. 

"You can stay in the office lounge if you really want to. I know you aren't the biggest fan of crowds, and um- Guz has some pretty loud friends-" Your explanation of what to be expected is quickly interrupted by a blue haired young man decked in black and white clothing. "Yo yo, what's with the kid?!" 

You arch a brow. You knew that Guzma worked with kids, but this guy couldn't be any older than 15! "I could say the same for you. I'm here to talk to Guzma-"

"Ya mean the boss? Why would some random chick want anything ta do with the leader of the Team Skull, huh?!"

A pink haired girl dressed in the same outfit walks up to the boy, crossing her arms. "Shut it, ya clod. Don't you remember the conversation we had with Boss yesterday?"

Hearing this, the blue haired boy's eyes light up in an epiphany. "Ohhhhh shit- Right-"

"Watch yer fuckin' language around the kiddo." She lightly smacks the back of Dansei's head. "She's in good hands, ma'am."

Another pink haired woman, this one being someone you finally recognize, walks in and smacks both of the delinquents in the head once more. "You say that after cussing, Reese?" 

Thank God. Plumeria. "Hey Plumes-" You smile weakly, waving politely with your free hand. Your niece does the same. Another young man, this one much shorter than the first and with green curly hair scrambles after Plumeria, jumping up and down to be seen. "Sorry about these numskulls. I'll lead y'all to the big boss man, yo. No worries at all, so you can chillax!"

I'm regretting this more and more by the second.

The crew starts whistling some hip hop tune as they make their way to the Shady House, the smaller boy beatboxing. You've taken this time to offer a piggyback ride to your niece, who's politely declined. Are all kids like this? Or is it just her?

Once they approach the boss, Guzma immediately jumps out of his chair, his signature shit-eating grin plastered on his face. "Eyyyyyy! (Y/N)!!! Kiddo!! What's up, homeslice?!" He hops down the stairs and crouches so he can get at eye-level with the young girl, offering his fist for a pound-it.

She bumps her fist against his, smiling just a bit. It's more of a reaction than you expected, at least. "S-sup, Uncle Guzma-" 

Looks like his slang is rubbing off on her. That's cute.

"Thanks for droppin' by, Doll. No need to worry about Little Miss Troublemaker over here, I got it all under control." He picks up your niece and walks over to you, pressing a looooooooongass smooch on your cheek. The other Team Skull members all make mini comments, like "Ewwww-", "Grosss-", and "Cooties-", causing Plumeria to once again smack their heads together. 

You roll your eyes, unable to stop the smirk on your face from growing any further. "Not in front of the kids, Guz." "Ah, right, right- My bad." His shades slide onto his face, hiding the bright red blush that had crept onto his cheeks. "Well, you should probably get goin', ey? The Aether Foundation's one lucky company to have you interviewin' for a position."

"Dork." You boop his nose, then your niece's. "Call me if you need me, okay honey? I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Okay, Titi (Y/N)-" You smile at the nickname while the others snicker. 'Titi' sounds an awful lot like 'Tittie', and considering three of the 7 people in the room are immature teenagers, there's definitely some laughing going on in the background. Plumeria looks very tired. How does she deal with these kids all the time?

"Alright, I'll be back. Don't light anything on fire, okay?" You yell as you walk off, feeling a slight hint of unease at the idea of leaving your young niece with so many delinquents, even if it's just for a few hours. It'll be fine, though. Guzma's there to keep them from doing anything stupid.

You laugh at the thought. Who am I kidding? He's probably gonna be the one who explodes something first.

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

The interview itself wasn't all that bad. You're fairly certain that you either aced it or put yourself up for consideration, which in itself helped your confidence just a bit. With the absence of Lusamine and the arrest of several of her chairmen, the foundation was very antsy and in need of someone who could handle the Pokemon Observation department. With your background in medicine and PR, you were rationally on the list of potential replacements, and despite your initial resistance, learning that the company would be run by somebody that WASN'T the manipulative little bitch Lusamine gave you enough comfort to accept the offer for the interview. Was it just an offer or an invitation? You weren't quite sure, but Wick was very insistent on you showing up.

Either way, you're pretty certain you got the job. Good on you. 

You can't help but wonder how your niece is doing, surrounded by so many troublemakers. As you make your way to the entrance of the Shady House, you can hear loud music, causing you to feel a small tint of anxiety. She'll be fine.

You walk up to the door and creak it open, the smell of burnt… whatever the fuck that is flooding your nostrils. Of course. They lit something on fire.

"Guz??" You call out to the empty room. "Plumes? Anybody home?" As expected, there's no response. You start to feel more and more anxious the more ground you start to cover. Where are they? Peeking your head around the corridor, your anxiety comes to its peak when-

"And that's why you should never do drugs, aight?"

H-Huh?

Your niece sits on Guzma's knee as he bounces it up and down, his signature shit-eating grin plastered on his face like usual. Awfully burnt cookies sit on the table, explaining the smell from earlier, and Plumeria seems to be asleep with the other team skull grunts. Are they… napping? Seems like it. 

She nods enthusiastically, taking a bite of a charred cookie and grimacing shortly after, causing the two to both laugh in unison.

"Doesn't matter if it's just for recreational purposes, you could still get hooked, and that's the last thing we want!" Grinning once again, Guzma pokes her forehead.

Hypocrite. You're reminded of the first time you two had kissed, which happened to be shortly after you both had blazed a couple of joints. It's enough to get you laughing, though.

"Huh?! What're you doing here so early? Don't tell me ya flunked THAT bad!" Guzma's eyes widen, a genuine look of bewilderment painted on his face.

"I did not flunk! I think I did great!" You huff, crossing your arms defiantly. "It's suuuuuuuper comforting that you thought I failed, Guz."

"Nononono I was joking!! Right, kiddo??" Your niece quickly nods. "See???? No harm, no foul!"

Arching a brow, you walk up to the two and pick up the young girl. "Mhmmm. Did you have fun, honey?"

She nods again, unable to contain the grin on her face. "Uncle Guzma told me about his Pokemon training! And I got to ride on Golisopod's back!" 

The large bug type pokemon bops up and down upon hearing its name, prompting a smirk from Guzma. "Yeah, I told ya I'd take care of her. She's welcome back anytime, okay?"

"Thanks, Guz." You peck his cheek, and your niece sticks her tongue out, closing her eyes. 

"Icky cooties!!" Where the hell did she hear that? The only people you can think of who'd say such a thing are in the other room snoozing, so- Yeah, actually, you know exactly who taught her that word.

"Well, I'm gonna getchu with my cooties! And my tickles!" You raise a hand menacingly, wiggling your fingers with one eye closed. She immediately curls up, not out of fear, but out of excitement. It's nice to see her so happy again.

After a very long tickle session, you quickly glance at the large grandfather clock, noting the short hand of the clock slowly approaching the number 8. Shit. "We gotta go, kiddo. Your dad isn't gonna be all that happy if we get home any later than 8:30. Besides, it's past your bedtime."

"I bet Uncle Guzma stays up past his bedtime-" She yawns. "Can we stay for a little longer?"

How can I say no to that face? You find yourself incredibly conflicted. Do you tell her you have to leave anyways? Or do you stay and risk getting in trouble by your brother-in-law?

"Eh, as much as I'd love to have you over for longer, kiddo- Look at your Titi (Y/N). They look exhausted."

You smile gratefully at the comment, glad that it doesn't have to be you to tell your niece to go home. "Yeah, I'm beat. We can hang out some other time, okay? I promise." You pat her head and get ready to leave.

"Aww… okay. Bye, Uncle Guzma!! Bye Golisopod!" She holds your hand, and the two of you eventually walk your way back to the car. As you drive away, one thing lingers in your head. You can't think of anything else, in all honesty.

Guzma's great with kids. I should've expected as much, but… I'm glad he gets along with my family.

Your stomach rumbles at the intersection. I'd kill for some malasadas right about now- 

Okay, maybe you CAN think of something else.

[the-crypt-of-randomness]

@freebirdyance  @asterius-of-crete   @the-actor-himself   @rosetintedgunman   @blueheartedmayor

When Random steps out of the Moonlight Roller and back into her room, her gaze goes to the business card in her hand.

The mayor... I barely remember the last one. This Damien must’ve gotten elected while I was in Happy Trails. Hopefully, he really doesn’t mind all of this... I can’t believe Wilford didn’t tell me I’d be staying with him right away!

She huffs and shakes her head, then glances at the clock. Seeing that it’s late, she forces herself to try and sleep but wakes up only a couple hours later. She can’t decide if it’s because she’s nervous or excited...or both. 

So, Random starts packing her things. It seemed like all she was doing lately was packing and unpacking. Still, a vacation really was a good idea, and while she had told herself staying away wasn’t necessary, a break would probably do her some good.

It’s nice to know Wilford’s also got my back. He’s a good friend. Although, I guess he'll soon be my boss too? Eh, well, I’m sure he’ll be one of the better ones I’ve had.

Knowing Yancy, Mark and Asterius will need time to patch things up between themselves, she decides to just write up a note rather than disturb them. Once that’s done, she grabs her suitcase, sneaks downstairs, and places the note next to the cookies she’d baked. The note is short and sweet:

Hey guys, Wilford suggested I take a mini vacation for myself in the city, so I’ll be away for a few days. I will be back, though, so don’t worry about me. Take care of yourselves in the meantime. See you soon!

~Random

She thinks she hears movement in the house, but she forces herself to quickly and quietly leave before she can run into anyone. Wilford was right - they needed to sort themselves out, and she needed to put herself first for once (not that she minded looking after others, of course). Clutching her suitcase firmly in hand, she heads off towards the city to find Damien’s home.