#I’m glad people are late to the party in fact please welcome keep it up join us

[snailvibes]

As someone who’s been in the splatoon fandom since 2019 where it was the norm to just integrate dedf1sh into the main group, it’s so funny seeing people drawing dedf1sh with various characters that aren’t 8 or off the hook and being like “guys what if….. imagine them as friends omg..”

[imaginespazzi]

Part 8: The Toxic In Intoxication

Masterlist - Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7 - Part 9 - Part 10 - Part 11

Your mouth is poison (your mouth is wine)

(In which an all over the place writer, writes something that's a little bit all over the place)

Pairing: Paige Bueckers X Azzi Fudd

Themes: Angst, Fluff, Jealousy,

Words: 9.0K

TW: Swearing, a little bit of violence, mentions of blood, men being men

A/N: Hi lovelies :) Unfortunately, as I've been warning y'all for a while, the deadline did finally slip through my fingers. However I'm hoping y'all will forgive me for it because I am only one day late and this chapter is quite long. I do wanna warn y'all in advance that there won't be a chapter next week because I am going on vacation and my laptop is staying very, very far away from me. There's a lot going on in this chapter and I'm not sure how I feel about the whole thing but I'm hoping y'all will enjoy it anyways. I did actually edit this time but who knows how successful that was, so please let me know about typos/mistakes. As always, feel free to tell me about what you liked, what you disliked and anything you'd like to see going forward. Have a lovely rest of your weeks my loves <3

August 2025

Azzi Fudd is a spectacular liar. She excels at keeping up a façade of yes everything is perfectly fine in front of her friends and family. She’s quite good at tricking people she can barely stand into thinking oh yes i’m totally enjoying this conversation. But the person Azzi lies the most to, is without a doubt herself. As she steps out of the car into the hot Indiana air, bustling with noises from the growing crowd inside, Azzi internally repeats a lie to herself again: she did not show up to all-star weekend for a glimpse of her ex girlfriend. She’s here, as per Colleen’s managerial advice, to build connections, to further her career and to expand on opportunities in the basketball world. The fact that Paige Bueckers, who Azzi hasn’t seen in three months -the longest period of time they’d spent apart since she’d started at UConn- is definitely also going to be attending tonight’s party, is merely a happenstance. 

Taking a deep breath, Azzi puts one kitten heeled foot in front of the other, trying to ignore her heightened nerves. This isn’t her preferred scene by any means. She’d much rather be back in her hotel room, curled on her couch with a book and a pint of ice cream. It’s not that Azzi doesn’t like parties; she has her fair share of fun at Ted’s, but it’s the unfamiliarity of the environment and the lack of that once ever present comforting hand that used to tap out i’m here for you against the back of her own at big events like these, that has her yearning to crawl back into the car and hide away. 

“Azzi?” a familiar voice calls from behind her and Azzi lets out a sigh of relief as she sees Aaliyah walking towards her with a large welcoming grin, “Azeray!”

“Li-Li. Thank god you’re here,” Azzi reaches up to hug her former teammate, mentally thanking whatever god was looking out for her. She’d dreaded walking in by herself and now she wouldn’t have to. Really she probably should probably send Coach a ‘thank you’ text for having so many alumni in the league that there was bound to be a Husky she could attach herself to for the night. 

“I’m glad to see you too Az,” Aaliyah says, pulling away and looking at Azzi with a semi-concerned look, “but you seem a little extra relieved to see me? You good dude?”

“Just- just a little nervous,” Azzi admits, shuffling her feet uneasily. 

Realization dawns on Aaliyah’s face, “cause of Paige?”

“No you know I don’t like big unfamiliar places,” Azzi sighs when Aaliayh gives her a pointed look, “but I guess maybe- maybe a little cause of Paige.”

The Mystics forward shakes her head before linking her arms through Azzi’s, “I swear, I leave y’all for one year and everything implodes-," she bites her tongue, "shit was that insensitive?”

“No,” Azzi grimaces, “that’s pretty much exactly what happened.”

Something hard coils in her stomach at Aaliyah’s words. The truth is they’d been fine. Better than fine even. And then suddenly Azzi was lighting a box of matches she hadn’t even known she was holding and her whole world was on fire; an implosion of everything Azzi had once thought inflammable. She’d burned her hands trying to rescue them and all she has to show for it are invisible red hot pustules that refuse to heal. But perhaps, she thinks, that’s what a pyromaniac like her had deserved. 

Azzi cowers under the flashing lights of the cameras, clinging tighter to Aaliyah’s arm as the two of them make their way onto the orange carpet, the cameramen immediately swinging their devices to capture the college basketball player more than likely to be the number one pick in next year’s WNBA draft. She feels herself tense under their piercing gaze, anchored only by Aaliyah's strong and steady presence next to her. And as they pose for the cameras, she’s thankful for her former teammate’s company but she can’t shake the feeling that it should have been someone else. 

“And look who we have here,” Lexie Brown says excitedly as the two of them approach the interviewer, “y’all Huskies clean up nice.”

“We try, we try,” Aaliyah answers charismatically, doing a little hair flip to match her tone. 

“Aaliyah, it's your first all-star nod, how are you feeling?” 

“I feel great, you know it’s always good to see yourself being acknowledged and being an all-star has always been a goal of mine. So, I hope it’s the first of many and I’m just hoping my team gets the W tomorrow,” Aaliyah answers diplomatically.

Lexie turns to Azzi, “I bet you’re really proud of her. I mean you’ve got a couple of teammates who are first-time all stars between Aaliyah and Paige. You’ve gotta be feeling pretty proud of them”

“Y-yeah I mean,” Azzi clears her throat, trying not to flinch at the mention of Paige’s name, “It’s been- it’s been really exciting to watch them and I’m extremely proud-”

She’s cut off by the sound of excited chatter filling up the air and Azzi doesn’t have to turn around to know who’s just entered the premises. Not when she has a whole separate sensory system that flares up just for her. Azzi’s skin prickles as she registers the sound of familiar peals of laughter echoing from the orange carpet. She digs her nails into the palm of her hand, forcing herself not to turn around. 

“Speak of the devil,” Lexie says goodnaturedly, getting her hand ready to beckon the blonde over and Azzi feels panic suffocate her lungs, not quite ready to face Paige yet. 

“Oh I don’t think-” Aaliyah tries to cut in, glancing worriedly at her friend but it’s too late. 

“Paige,” Lexie calls out, beaming over Azzi’s head at the Dallas Wings’ newest star point guard. 

The world seems to move in slow motion as Azzi feels Paige getting closer and closer to her. She smells the faint scent of fresh mint weaved with a hint of citrus first. Then she hears the sound of Paige’s breathing, perfectly even to anybody else but Azzi can hear the staggered harshness hidden beneath it. And as the blonde passes over her to settle on Lexi’s other side, she feels Paige’s arm brush against her own and it hurts to breathe. The contact lasts for a second but Azzi swears it’ll last forever, tattooing itself on her bicep as a wretched reminder of a touch she’s no longer allowed to crave. 

It’s funny, there’s a hurricane swirling between them and Paige can barely look at Azzi, keeping her eyes firmly on Lexie and Aaliyah as she greets the trio. And yet, there’s a sense of calm -of peace- that seems to wash over Azzi just by having Paige near her again. The older woman seems to possess some sort of magical power that weaves itself into Azzi’s nervous system, soothing away her frazzled nerves with an unspoken promise of and if you give me the chance i’ll make it all okay. 

Despite the hectic transition from a full college season to a frantic W season, Paige looks ethereal as always. Her two piece cropped vest top and straight fitted pants match the color of her eyes and a silver chain dangles across her chest. Two strands of blonde hair hide her signature diamond studs, the rest of it pulled back into a slightly messy bun. Azzi gulps at the way the vest top parts right above her midriff, Paige’s toned abs playing peek-a-boo behind it. She lets her eyes roam over Paige’s exposed arms, trying to ignore memories of how they used to go taut under her touch, down to the blonde’s bare fingers and she feels her heart constrict. No rings. It feels wrong. But then again, nothing has felt right for three months. 

“Azzi,” Aaliyah hisses and Azzi snaps out of her thoughts, realizing she’d been asked a question. 

“Sorry,” she laughs nervously, moving a strand of her hair out of her face; Paige’s eyes intently following the movement, “what was the question.”

Lexie smiles, “I was just asking about your thoughts on Paige’s amazing rookie year so far?”

“Oh um-” Azzi hesitates, shivers inching up her spine as she feels Paige drinking in the sight of the her body like she's a woman parched, “I’m just-” their eyes lock with each other’s and everything else seems to vanish until it feels like it’s just the two of them floating in between remnants of what they used to be, “I’m just really proud of her. I always knew she’d be amazing. She’s just doing what she always does. Being the best player she can be. So yeah I’m just- I’m just really proud of her.”

And Azzi doesn’t know how they got to this point where Paige seems almost shocked that Azzi could be proud of her, to this point where there’s droplets threatening to spill over both of their water lines and they no longer have the right to wipe each other’s tears away. 

“Aww,” Lexie coos, oblivious to the tension, “well on that sweet note, off y’all go and we’ll see y’all later.”

The walk into the party is kept alive with Aaliyah’s attempt at keeping a conversation going. While Paige tries to at least entertain some of, Azzi finds herself completely zoning out until they finally make their way inside into the cacophony of music and laughter. 

“Y’all wanna get-” Aaliyah begins.

“I see Jewell and Téa,” Paige cuts her off immediately, her legs already moving in a rush, “I’ll see y’all later.”

She gives Aaliyah a tentative grin but barely looks at Azzi as she practically trips over her pant-sleeves trying to get away. It feels like something’s biting against her skin, sharp teeth indenting you did this to yourself as Azzi watches Paige walk away. She watches as the tension slowly leaves the blonde’s muscles as she’s pulled into a hug by Jewell and then by Téa. The fake smile that she’d politely kept on her face the last couple of minutes for the sake of the cameras and reporters is replaced by something far more genuine. Azzi watches as Paige is absorbed into the warmth of the growing crowd, embraced by a league that adores her, and she feels the ice cold pinch of she belongs somewhere without you now start to freeze her own heart. 

***

Azzi’s doing fine. She’s gotten through the night with Aaliyah by her side, making small talk with a bunch of different players and she’s managed to keep a friendly smile the whole time. She’d even danced for a little bit, letting loose with some of the other college basketball players that had made the trip to Indianapolis. Sure, she’d occasionally been distracted by her eyes flickering over to the bar and finding a new pretty influencer batting their fake eyelashes at Paige but really she’s doing fine. Her head’s a little dizzy and maybe the third shot of tequila, influenced by a one leggy brunette that had gotten a little too handsy, wasn’t her brightest decision of the night but really, Azzi’s doing fine. 

Until she’s not. 

And it’s Paige's fault. She had to know that it would be Azzi’s last straw. She had to know that Azzi could live with watching a thousand girls flirt with Paige as long as the blonde in question stood rigidly by the bar doing nothing but smiling politely at them. She had to know that Azzi, after having spent most of their college life watching girls fawn over her girlfriend, could deal with the flirty hands that lingered just a little too long on Paige’s bicep. But it’s when Paige leans into this one girl -whose dark curls and tanned caramel skin are just a little too reminiscent of her own- when Paige’s lips graze just a little to close this one girl’s ear, that Azzi realizes she’s decidedly not fine. 

“I need some air,” she manages to bite out, ignoring Aaliyah’s concerned look as she marches out the back door, heading towards the deck. 

Azzi buries her face in her hands as she leans back against the brick wall. She knows she’s being unfair; knows she has absolutely no right to feel this way but something burns within her anyways and the light breeze does nothing to cool it down. 

“I’m not cheating on you,” a harsh voice interrupts her pity party and Azzi sucks in a sharp breath, “We’re not together and I can flirt or kiss or fuck-” she flinches, “anyone if I want to.”

“I know.”

“Do you?” Paige’s voice is laced with accusation, “because the way you just stormed out says otherwise.”

Azzi continues to keep her head in her palms, refusing to look at the blonde, “it’s hot and stuffy in there. I just needed some fresh air.”

“Don’t you ever get tired of lying,” Paige spits out. 

“Well what do you want me to say instead?” Azzi finally looks up, her even cadence in stark contrast to Paige’s fiery tone, “I know we’re not together-”

“Because that’s what you wanted-”

“I know,” Azzi yells, and then quieter, “I know. I know I- I know I did this. But that- that doesn’t make it any easier to see you with someone else,” she swallows, “doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt. Doesn’t mean I don’t miss you.”

Paige scoffs, rubbing her face as she begins to pace, “you miss me? I was at Mohegan when y’all had summer camp. The whole team showed up to the game except for you and you want me to believe that you miss me?”

“I didn’t think you’d want me there,” Azzi confesses in a whisper, “you were so mad at me after-after everything- and I just- I didn’t want to ruin coming back to Connecticut for you.”

“For me,” Paige lets out a laugh devoid of any emotion, “god Azzi there you go again with this fake ‘selfless’ bullshit.”

A thousand and one retorts die on the tip of Azzi’s tongue as she shakes her head and pushes herself off the wall. She can smell the alcohol on Paige, can tell the blonde is itching for an argument but all she feels is pure exhaustion. 

 “I don’t wanna fight Paige. I’m tired and I just-” she bites her lip, fighting the urge to caress Paige’s cheek, “believe it or don’t but- I really do miss you.”

Sparks of electricity dance their way through Azzi’s veins when Paige curls a hand around her wrist, stopping her in her tracks from going inside. And suddenly she doesn’t feel so cold anymore. 

“Dance with me,” Paige whispers. 

“What?” 

Paige shrugs, tugging on Azzi’s hand to pull her closer, “you said you don’t wanna fight and I- I don’t want you to go,” the confession hangs between them as Paige’s hands fall to Azzi’s waist, “so- let’s just- let’s pretend.”

“What are we pretending?” Azzi asks quietly and despite the warnings ringing in her head, she wraps her arms around Paige’s neck. It feels like coming home. 

“We’re pretending that we’re okay,” Paige says softly, holding Azzi’s hips as she begins to sway them gently, “we’re pretending that three months ago you said yes.”

“Paige-”

“Close your eyes Azzi,” the blond waves her hand gently across Azzi’s face, willing both of their eyelids to flutter shut, “we’re pretending that we’re not here- we’re in Minnesota or DC or I don’t know just- anywhere. And our families are here, laughing and talking and some sappy romantic song is playing. It's the best day of our lives and we’re both- we're both dressed in white-”

“Paige,” Azzi lets out a sob, as she begins to understand the picture Paige is painting for them; a picture drawn on a canvas that Azzi had torn up before any color could touch it

“Sshhhh just- let me have this okay,” Paige’s voice trembles as she leans her forehead against Azzi’s, “if I can’t have it for real, please just let me pretend.”

If they were both just a little bit more sober, maybe Azzi would fight Paige’s tightening grip. If they were both just a little bit more sober, maybe Paige would let go. Instead Azzi lets Paige play pretend, lets them keep their bodies pressed against each other, moving from side to side in rhythm with the wind. 

It isn’t until she hears footsteps approaching them that Azzi hurriedly moves away first and she can see the betrayal of if only you’d just let me hold you in front of the world written all over Paige’s face. They’re both quick to swap their tears for smiles that don’t reach their eyes as they turn to face the intruders. And Azzi wonders if Paige wishes she’d drank a little bit more too. Because maybe if they were both just a little more drunk, then tomorrow they wouldn’t have to remember just how right it had felt to play pretend tonight. 

April 2033 

“You look so pretty Mama,” Stephie gushes from where she’s perched on the bed as she watches Azzi put the finishing touches to her makeup

“Thanks baby,” Azzi smiles, blowing a kiss in the mirror. 

“Miss Buecks,” Stephie flips the running facetime call, skipping over to her mother with the phone in her hand, “doesn’t Mama look beautiful?”

Sixteen years later, and maybe it’s because of all the time they’d missed in between, but Azzi can’t help the bout of shyness that flushes across her features when Stephie places the phone, Paige’s face illuminated all over it, against the mirror so the blonde can get a proper look at Azzi’s outfit.

“You look-” Paige clears her throat, eyes dilated as they rake over Azzi’s whole body, “you look phenomenal.”

“Big word Bueckers,” Azzi teases, trying to disguise her blush, “did you just learn it?”

Paige rolls her eyes, “can’t even give you a compliment without an insult Fudd.”

“You guys argue too much,” Stephie says exasperatedly, shaking her head at the two adults who laugh. The younger girl sometimes seems far wise beyond her age. 

“We’re not arguing Stephie, we’re just-” Azzi struggles to think of a word. 

“Foreplaying,” Paige mutters under her breath and Azzi immediately glares at her. 

“Paige!”

Stephie scrunches up her nose at the screen, “what does that mean?”

“Nothing,” Azzi says shrilly, “Miss Buecks is just making up words.”

“Why would Miss Buecks do that?” Stephie asks, looking back and forth between her mother and the screen. 

“Why does Miss Buecks do anything,” Azzi babbles, as she begins to usher Stephie out of her room, “go grab your things Stephie-bean. Mama’s almost ready to drop you off at Nana and Pop’s house.”

Stephie pouts, “I wanna go to the party with you and Miss Buecks. It’s no fair you both get to go and I don’t,” she picks up the phone, looking at Paige with wide guilt-tripping eyes, “don’t you love me Miss Buecks?”

Azzi has to hand it to her daughter. She’s a smart one to choose Paige as the victim of her emotional blackmail, knowing her wiles had long stopped working on her mother. 

“You know I’d take you with me if I could Stephie,” Paige says, “but I’ll make it up to you tomorrow I swear.”

Stephie smiles and Azzi shakes her head at how quickly the five-year old’s plan had worked, “you’ll take me to the park and then we’ll get fries and then get ice cream?”

“That’s a lot of junk food Steph-”

“Ssshh Mama,” Stephie chides, “this is between me and Miss Buecks.”

“The park, then fries, then ice cream it is,” Paige concedes and Azzi rolls her eyes. 

Stephie grins brightly, puckering her lips to kiss Paige through the phone and eliciting a laugh from the older woman when she cheers, “you’re the best-est-est Miss Buecks. See you in a little bit. Don’t hang up without saying goodnight.”

“I promise I won’t,” Paige calls out after the little girl as Stepehie hands the phone back to Azzi and starts skipping towards her room. 

Azzi gives the blonde a look, “we have got to have a conversation about you learning to say no to her.”

Paige shrugs unhelpfully, “I don’t want to learn how to say no to her.”

“You’re a lost cause,” Azzi remarks, hands on hips, “and foreplay? Seriously? Us bickering is not foreplay.”

“Well it could be if you’d just let me fuck you after,” Paige grumbles and Azzi’s mouth falls open at the bluntness of it. 

“You say the most romantic things to me Paige Bueckers.”

They’re both quiet for a second as Azzi moves around her room, collecting her wallet and keys and to put into her purse. 

“You know there’s still time for me to come pick you up,” Paige says finally.

“Paige,” Azzi sighs, not wanting a rerun of the same argument they’ve been having for the last week. She knows it’s a touchy subject for Paige; that it veers a little too close to insecurities that stem from their past but she’s not quite ready to take this step yet. There isn’t quite any rhyme or reason to her logic except well, she’s haunted by memories of the last time they’d let the personal mix with the professional. Her phone still holds invitations to countless team reunions that she’d actively avoided and a group chat that she’s long muted. Azzi hasn’t stepped foot in the state of Connecticut since she’d entered the draft; she refuses to lose California too. 

“Teammates can carpool,” Paige explains vehemently, “it’s easily explainable.’

“I know-”

“Is this about Clémence?” bitterness tinges the edge of Paige’s voice as she chews her bottom lip. And there it is, the other subject they’d been tip-toeing around since it had been brought up at breakfast a week ago. Paige and Azzi are both excellent at avoiding talking about the harder topics but they’ve never quite managed to let anything go forever. 

“Why would this be about Clémence?” 

Paige narrows her eyes, sitting up from where she’d previously been lounging against her pillow, “maybe you don’t want her to see us together? Maybe you’re trying to spare her feelings I don’t know.”

“Paige-”

“You know what it’s fine,” Paige huffs, “I’ll see you at the bar Azzi.”

She hangs up before Azzi can say anything and the brunette lets out a litany of curses under her breath, annoyed with Paige’s ability to go from A to Z by skipping everything in between. There’s a part of her that knows Paige deserves an explanation about Clémence, a chance to have her lingering doubts confirmed or denied, but amidst the egoistic thoughts of well she married someone else and the self preservationist urge to prevent a potential fight, she hadn’t been brave enough to approach the topic just quite yet. Azzi’s about to step out of the room, when her phone pings with a facetime call from Paige again. 

“Are you calling to apologize for hanging up?” Azzi asks with a frown. 

“No,” Paige replies stubbornly, “I called because I hung up without saying goodnight to Stephie and just because I’m mad at you doesn’t mean I’m gonna miss saying goodnight to her.”

Something wonderful and warm blooms in Azzi’s chest as she silently walks over to Stephie’s room. This is a new chapter in Paige’s storybook that she’s slowly beginning to read; one scribbled with the blonde’s devotion to Azzi’s baby girl. Azzi still has every other chapter memorized; had thought nothing could be more beautiful than the words within the one that had been dedicated to her. But she’d been wrong. Because every day that she watches Paige and Stephie fall more and more in love with each other, she finds herself falling in love with how much they love each other. 

“Miss Buecks,” Stephie squeals, practically snatching the phone from her mother’s hand as she goofily grins at the screen, “you didn’t hang up.”

“I promised I wouldn’t,” Paige says, the hardness that had existed in her voice while talking to Azzi, dissolving into adulation, “you be good for Nana and Pops okay?”

“I’m always good,” Stephie says matter-of-factly, “can you come over really, really, early tomorrow?”

Paige laughs, “I’ll be there as soon as I wake up.”

“Good,” Stephie claps contentedly as she grabs Azzi’s hand to start walking towards the car, “good night Miss Buecks.”

“Good night Stephie-bean,” Paige echoes, blowing a kiss through the screen. 

“Paige,” Azzi says urgently, trying to stop the older woman from hanging up, “can you just hold on a second while I buckle Stephie in.”

“Az-”

“Please.”

“Fine,” Paige says, averting Azzi’s gaze as she sulks. 

Azzi lifts Stephie onto the car seat, fastening her seatbelt and pressing a kiss to her daughter’s cheek, before she closes the car door and uses it as a stabilizing structure to lean on as she pulls her phone back in front of her. 

“Hey,” she whispers. 

“Hi,” Paige says back begrudgingly, “you wanted to say something?”

“I-” Azzi swallows, “don’t go the bar-”

“Oh fantastic,” Paige cuts her off, her voice furious as she glares daggers at Azzi through the phone, “not only do you not want to go to the bar together, you don’t want me to go at all. Fine. Okay. Whatever. I won’t go. You have the time of your life with fucking Clementine or whatever-”

“Yet,” Azzi says loudly, trying to speak over Paige’s angry rant, “don’t go to the bar yet.”

“What?” 

Azzi licks her lips, “don’t go yet. I’m gonna drop Stephie off at my parents-”

“What does that have to-”

“Will you just let me fucking finish?” Azzi almost bangs her fist on the car in frustration and she’s glad to see that it makes Paige look just a little bit sheepish, “as I was saying. I’m gonna drop Stephie off at my parents and uh- your house- it’s um- it’s on the way to the bar so I thought,” she shrugs with fake nonchalance, the edge of her mouth turning upwards, “I thought maybe- maybe I could pick you up on the way.”

Paige stares blankly at the screen, eyes blinking as Azzi’s words slowly register, “you- you wanna go to the bar together?”

“I didn’t say that,” Azzi teases, eyes twinkling as she basks in the thrill of eliciting that Azzi smile from Paige’s lips, “teammates carpool right?”

“Teammates definitely carpool.”

April 2029 

“You invited Clémence to our movie night?” Jana asks in a whisper, as she walks into the kitchen where Azzi’s making popcorn. Her Saturday nights have gotten rather boring since she’s had Stephie, consisting of alternating between movie nights with Jana and dinner with her parents. It wasn’t the most thrilling of times but she looked forward to them all week, excited to not have to spend a night in solitude.

“She asked what I was doing tonight and I told her we were having a movie night and then she asked if she could join and well I couldn’t just say no,” Azzi explains, sticking the bag into the microwave. 

Jana cocks an eyebrow, “do you want me to leave?”

“Why would I want you to leave?” Azzi asks, crinkling her nose as she juts out an ear just in case the baby monitor goes off. 

“C’mon Az,” Jana says pointedly, leaning on her elbows against the kitchen counter, “you’re telling me there’s nothing going on between the two of you?”

Azzi grimaces uneasily, not quite wanting to answer the question, “nothing that would require you to leave.”

“If that’s the way you want to play it,” Jana relents, grabbing a soda from the fridge on her way back to the living room, before she pauses in the doorway to look back at Azzi, “but I know what it looks like when somebody’s in love with you. And that girl out there,” she nods her head towards where Clémence is daintily sitting on the couch, “she’s definitely getting there.”

Jana’s a rather observant person but Azzi knows that she’s at least a little bit wrong this time. Because Clémence might be a little bit in love with -even if that’s not a fact Azzi particularly wants to acknowledge- but it's impossible for her to look at Azzi the way Jana remembers someone else looking at her. That had been something completely different; a gaze that saw all the little chinks in her armor, all the imperfections carved against her walls and loved her inspite of them, maybe even because of them. Clémence might love her, but Azzi doesn’t think anyone can be in love with her the way the person she’d been hopelessly in love with, had. 

When she walks back into the living room with the popcorn in hand, still plagued by her younger teammate’s words, Azzi’s deliberate to sit on the couch next to Jana instead of the open space next to the francophone. The flash of hurt in Clémence’s eye causes guilt to trickle down her spine but Azzi thinks a flash is better than the tsunami of pain she could cause if she doesn’t start to ease herself out of this right now. There’s a selfish part of her that doesn’t want to, that’s going to miss having somebody who hangs onto her every word. Azzi likes this feeling of being wanted, even if it’s not by the person she wants. But that person isn’t hers to want anymore and she won’t torture Clémence by barricading her in the same jail that has held Azzi’s soul captive for the last four years. 

They’re about half way through the movie, awkward tension eased by Jana’s incessant chatter, when Azzi’s phone buzzes. Already confused at the timing of the call, she’s even more perplexed to see Ice’s name flashing on the screen. 

“Oooh Iceyyy,” Jana’s eyes light up when she catches a glimpse of the CallerID, “put her on speaker. Ice is one of our UConn teammates,” she explains, turning to Clémence who nods in recognition, “she probably did something dumb as fuck and need Azzi’s advice.”

“Don’t be mean,” Azzi scolds with a grin, knowing that Jana’s probably right as she picks up the call, “hello-”

“I hate you,” Azzi freezes at the sound of the familiar voice, laced with unfamiliar malice. Next to her Jana stiffens immediately while Clémence observes the scene in front of her with a guarded frown. 

“Paige who the fuck are you calling?” Ice’s voice is muffled in the background, “oh shit, Paige give me back my phone.”

“No. She needs to hear this,” Paige grits out, her pitch wavering with the effects of alcohol, “she needs to hear how much I fucking hate her. Azzi do you hear me? I can hear you breathing. I know you’re there. Did you hear what I said?”

“Paige,” Ice hisses again. 

Azzi swallows the lump in her throat, fingers digging into her bare thighs as she grips her phone so hard, she half-expects it to break into pieces in a reflection of her heart, “I heard you Paige.”

“Good. Because I do. I really fucking hate you,” Paige repeats again and Azzi flinches, “you ruined me Azzi. And now you’re ruining my marriage. My wife is perfect. She loves me. She loves being seen with me. She loves being known as my wife. Everything I ever wanted from you, she’s willing to give me. But she saw that damn hug at the Olympics and she- she’s upset with me. She thinks- she thinks I’m not over you.”

“Az maybe you should-” Jana says softly but Azzi immediately raises a hand to stop her. Maybe she’s a masochist but she can hear the hurt laced underneath the anger in Paige's voice. And if what Paige needs to get rid of her pain is a target to aim all her arrows at, then Azzi’s willing to sacrifice her heart, or at least what little is still left of it. 

“And the worst thing about it,” Paige’s voice breaks, “is that she's probably right. I have the perfect fucking woman at home and I can’t seem to get over the one who broke my heart and never looked back. Isn’t that pathetic?”

“Paige,” Ice pleads again and Azzi can hear her former teammate trying her best to wrangle the phone out of Paige’s firm grasp. 

“I’m not done yet Ice. I need to talk to her and I need to talk to her now because if I don’t, I’ll never get the courage to say any of this again,” Paige is sobbing now, and her broken whimpers pierce Azzi’s heart deeper than any words could,  “why couldn’t you just have said yes Az? I know- I know your reasons but why- why couldn’t you have just loved me enough to look past them? How do you do it Azzi? How do you live without me because it’s been four years and I- I still don’t think I know how to live without you and I hate you, I hate you because you do.”

No, Azzi thinks, I really don’t. But she doesn’t say anything, rapidly blinking back tears as she avoids both Jana’s concerned look and Clémence’s more thoughtful gaze. 

“I wish I could just feel nothing towards you Azzi,” Paige confesses, heaving as she struggles to breathe through her tears, “I don’t want to hate you. I don’t want to miss you and I really- I really, really don’t want to love you. Please just make it stop. I’m so tired of this Azzi. I’m so tired of hurting. How do I make it go away? Please tell me how I make it go away? How did you make it go away?”

“I didn’t,” Azzi whispers, so soft she’s not sure Paige heard it; she’s not sure if she wants Paige to have heard it. It’s the kind of pain, she thinks, she’s destined to feel forever. It’s weaved itself into every crevice of body and now it exists as just another innate part of her. Paige thinks Azzi’s learned to live without her but really all Azzi’s learned is how to live with these permanent scars of i think i’ll miss you forever. 

“That’s enough Paige,” Ice’s voice is clearer now, having finally snatched the phone out of her teammate’s grip, “Azzi-” she begins apologetically, “she’s just drunk. She didn’t mean-”

“She did,” Azzi clears her throat, sinking into the way Jana's arms wrap around her, “she’s um- she’s gonna be really hungover in the morning. Make sure she- make sure you give her water but don’t- don’t give her coffee. She’ll want it but it’ll only make it worse because she uh- she- when she drinks too much, her stomach hurts and the caffeine- it just- it makes it worse so- don’t let her drink coffee tomorrow morning okay? And make sure- make sure she eats something before she takes painkillers. And Ice?’

“Yeah Azzi.”

“If she doesn’t remember any of this tomorrow morning, please don’t remind her.”

***

April 2033

The bar is buzzing with noise by the time Paige and Azzi finally arrive. It’s an exclusive enough place that they won’t be too bothered by fans asking for pictures and autographs but the size of the crowd still puts Azzi a little bit on edge. She can’t help the small smile that flitters across her face when she feels Paige’s hand resting on her lower back as the blonde guides the two of them through the crowd in search of their teammates. For the last eight years, Azzi has been her own protector and she’s learned to guard herself but it’s nice -it feels right- to have someone else ready to be her shield too. 

“You know Bueckers,” Joyce says as the two of them finally approach the table that had been reserved for the Valkyries, “some might say that one should be on time when meeting their new teammates. Just a thought.”

“And some might say Edwards that being fashionably late is being on time,” Paige quips back. 

Joyce grins, “alright time for introductions.”

“I’m pretty sure I know-”

“Shut up,” Joyce reprimands, throwing an arm around Paige’s shoulders, “let me introduce these brand new people to you.”

“They’re not-”

“Sssshhh. Let me have my fun. We’ll start over here with Westbeld and Booker. You might know them, their teams kicked your ass during the 23-24 season,” Joyce says with a smirk. 

“Oh I do remember that,” Paige says thoughtfully, eyes twinkling with mirth, “what happened the season after?”

“Don’t be cocky Bueckers. It’s unbecoming,” Madison chides as she rises from the table to give Paige a hug. 

“Yeah I try not to remember that Elite Eight game thanks,” Laila says, making a disgusted face. 

Joyce glares at her, “did I introduce you yet Miss Phelia?”

Laila raises her hands in surrender as Joyce continues to give Paige a tour of the Valkyrie team. Azzi had known that Paige would fit in well with her teammate -really the blonde had the uncanny ability to fit in anywhere- but seeing it realized in front of her, it seems even clearer. Paige feels like the last mosaic piece, slotting in right where she belongs. 

“Those two over there are our babies,” Joyce points to Haylen and Jayla, “they’re like five years old but we love them anyways.”

“I’m almost 25,” Haylen protests. 

“See,” Joyce remarks, “literally children. And that one,” she points to Jana who beams at Paige, “well you already know her even if you sometimes wish you didn’t probably-”

“Hey!”

“Oh shush Jana,” Joyce says airily, “and I supposed there’s no point in introducing Azzi to you since y’all came together,” she pauses to look between them, “y’all don’t live that close to each other. Why didn’t you just carpool with Jana? I’m pretty sure she lives closer to you.”

Paige opens and closes her mouth a couple of times as Azzi feels her own cheeks heat up at the innocent enough question, “we um- well it's just- you see- my house is on the way from her parents and she had to drop off Stephie so it just- it just made sense you know? For efficiency’s sake.”

“Oh yeah for efficiency’s sake. They’re both very efficient,” Jana smirks, “makes a lot of sense.”

Joyce gives all three of them a weird look, “y’all Huskies are strange. It was just a question but anyways,” she grins as she finally steers Paige towards the blonde in the corner and Azzi stiffens at the way Paige’s body immediately tenses, “a couple of our teammates aren’t here but we do have a former teammate. Paige meet Clémence.”

“We’ve met,” Paige says, attempting to school her features to resemble anything but the discomfort she’s feeling within, “during the Olympics that is. We’ve beat France a couple of times.”

It’s a purposeful word choice, beat instead of played and Azzi's fingers fidget with the hem of her top as she tries to avoid looking at either of the two women. 

“Yes. It is good to see you again,” Clémence says tersely, her French accent stronger than the last time Azzi had spoken to her. She shakes Paige’s hand rather formally before her eyes focus on Azzi and she determinedly walks towards the brunette, “and it is really good to see you Azzi. I have missed you.”

“I-” Azzi stutters at the French woman pulls her into a hug; over her shoulder she can practically see steam coming out of Paige’s ears as she hyper focuses on how Clémence makes it a point rub her thumb down Azzi’s back, “it’s um- it’s good to see you too.”

She pulls away and she can feel the disappointment reverberating from Clémence’s body as Azzi practically flings herself on the chair next to Jana, wondering what she’d done to deserve this moment as a punishment for her sins. 

“Save me,” she pleads as Clémence and Paige sit as far away from each other as possible, occasionally shooting glares when they think the other isn’t looking. 

“Save you from having two hot women fighting over you?” the center teases, “you truly have such first world problems Azzi Fudd.”

“They’re not fighting over me-”

“Azzi you will have your usual rum and coke no?” Clémence asks and Azzi looks over to where the francophone is intently staring at her, “I will go-”

“Oh there’s no need,” Paige says immediately, “you sit Clémence. You already have a drink. I was gonna go get one for myself and I’ll get Azzi’s too. Besides, Azzi's more of a fruity drink girl. Az I’ll get you a piña colada-”

Clémence narrows her eyes, “maybe she liked that when she was in college but Azzi likes something different now.”

“She might like something different now,” Paige counters, standing up aggressively so she towers over the table, “but she’s always gonna love a piña colada right Azzi?”

All eyes turn to look at Azzi who wants nothing more than to cower under the table- or hit Jana who seems to find this very unamusinging situation rather entertaining, “I um-” she swallows, “I think tonight calls for something stronger. Round of shots for the table? On me?”

It placates the situation for a while as the rest of the team cheers on the idea, beckoning over one of the bartenders to orders a round of tequila shots for the table. For a moment, Azzi tricks herself into thinking maybe that’ll be the end of ridiculous situations for the night as the team downs shots to Jana yelling “to the Valkyries” but she should have known it was wishful thinking.

Half the team ends up on the dance floor, swaying to the mixed rhythm of the music and the newly minted alcohol coursing through their bloodstreams. Azzi watches with a smile as despite her protests, Joyce manages to drag Paige onto the dance floor with her, engaging her in some eccentric dance moves as they try to outdo each other on who can look the silliest. And as the rest of the girls cheer the blonde on, it feels like Paige is chiseling out a place for herself in another part of Azzi’s world. 

“She is easy to love,” Clémence’s hot breath fans Azzi’s ear as the francophone takes Jana’s empty seat next to the brunette. 

“Clém-” Azzi sighs. 

“She fits in well with the team,” Clémence continues, something wistful in her voice, “I have seen her play. She will fit in well on the court with you guys as well. She will fit in well next to you.”

“That’s the hope,” Azzi says softly as she tilts her head to look at the other woman, “you fit in well too. I mean it Clém. We’ll miss you at GSV.”

Clémence smiles bitterly, “I would have liked to stay but they needed the cap space so they could sign her. She- she’s quite expensive. I mean considering she is casually wearing swarovski crystals on her neck in a bar on a random Saturday night, I am not surprised.”

The two of them laugh despite the gravity that looms heavily over them. Azzi and Clémence haven’t been anything in a long time but she’d never quite shut the possibility of a potential future done. She can hear the lock ready to click now. It’s bittersweet doing the right thing but as Paige glances over from the dancefloor, eyes darting cautiously between the two of them, Azzi knows that she doesn’t want to keep any other doors open. Not when the one with Paige’s name etched on the door handle, leads to home. 

“One last dance?” Clémence asks softly, holding out her hand. 

Azzi hesitates, knowing that it would irritate Paige but she thinks she probably owes Clémence this and so she smiles and takes the francophone’s outstretched hand as they join their other teammates. It’s nothing beyond friendly and they both keep their hands to themselves as they sway to the music, but Azzi can feel the annoyance radiating off of Paige from across the dancefloor. She would never admit it, perhaps it’s a little toxic of her, but there’s a certain thrill to making Paige jealous. There’s something about the way the blonde’s blue eyes flare with ice cold envy, the way her jaw hardens as she grinds her teeth. The way she looks at Azzi like if she had her way she’d drag the brunette out of the bar and mark her with a possessive you’re mine you’re mine youre mine. It makes Azzi clench her thighs together as she tries to focus on Clémence. 

“I understand now,” the francophone says thoughtfully as Azzi’s peers up at her in confusion, “when you told me that you could not be with me. I get it.”

“I don’t-”

“You are here with me but you aren’t actually. You will always be with her,” Clémence tilts her head towards Paige, “you always have been. I understand now,” she says again simply before her face hardens, “even after all those words she said to you on the phone that night.”

Azzi’s stomach curls at the reminder. She knows exactly what night Clémence is referring to. Sometimes when she closes her eyes, it’s those words, coated in anger and malice, that shower around her like acid rain, seeping into her skin and infecting her bloodstream.

“I told you, you deserved better,” Clémence says and Azzi gulps, “but you said- you said you deserved worse. I hope you don’t believe that anymore Azzi. Just because you hurt her doesn’t mean you need to let her hurt you too.”

“I-” Azzi’s cut off by a hard body ramming into her own and she feels herself going stumbling back into the unwanted arms of a random man, “I’m sorry,” she says tersely, struggling to get out his grip. 

“No worries pretty girl,” he says toothily, the heavy stench of alcohol in his breath making Azzi feel nauseous, “but now that you’re here, how about I buy you a drink.”

“No thank you,” Azzi says sternly, trying to push the man away but he’s relentless. 

“Aw c’mon don’t be like that sweetheart,” the term of endearment sounds like an insult falling from his lips and Azzi loses her patience, stomping her heel into the man’s foot to finally free herself from his grip and he yelps in surprise.

“I said no thank you.”

“What the fuck,” the man spits out, standing up as Azzi takes a step back. He’s got some muscle and although, despite his bravado, she knows she’s strong enough to take him, she’d rather not create a scene. Her plan is to walk away. Paige seems to have other ideas, suddenly materializing in between Azzi and the man, a furious look on her face as she squares him up. 

“Do we have a problem?” the blonde asks menacingly. 

“Nothing other than your little friend here being a fucking bitch.”

Paige’s eyes darken as she takes a threatening step towards him, prevented from going further only by the way Azzi immediately laces a hand around her wrist, “what the fuck did you call her?”

“I called her a-”

“It doesn’t matter,” Azzi cuts in, stepping in between a glaring Paige and a man who’s clearly underestimating her strength, “let it go Paige.”

“Yeah,” the man mocks, “let it go Paige.”

“You fucking-” Paige tries to lunge at him but Azzi’s quick to shove her back gently. 

“Don’t cause a scene,” she warns. 

“Azzi-”

“Paige please.”

“Holy shit,” the man wolf-whistles, “y’all play for the Valks. You’re Azzi Fudd. I know you.”

“Good for you,” Azzi spits out at him before turning her attention back to Paige, who looks like she could kill the man if given the chance, “c’mon let's go back to our tab-”

“It’s funny you’re acting like such a fucking prude when you have a bastard chi-”

An unmistakable crunch rings out through the bar as the man goes flying backwards. Azzi’s knuckles are bleeding as her breath comes out in ragged huffs. She hadn’t wanted to cause a scene; could have walked away from a man being a drunken idiot, could have walked away from being called a bitch or hell, even something worse. But the man had attacked the one part of her that she’d always be ready to go to war for. He’d brought up Stephie and she’d seen red. Her fist had moved of it's own accord.

Paige doesn’t say anything and Azzi can feel the anger still vibrating from the older woman’s body as she roughly grabs Azzi’s unhurt hand.

“Let’s go,” the blonde’s voice is eerily low, “we’re going home.”

***

It’s a subconscious choice to let Paige drive Azzi’s car even though they’ve both sobered up considerably, not that one shot had done much in the first place. It’s a subconscious choice that Azzi reaches over to lace her fingers through Paige’s free hand, resting it on her lap, as the blonde use her other hand to grip the steering wheel. It’s a subconscious choice that they end up driving to Azzi’s house in complete silence. She’s not sure who’s mad at who, if they’re even mad at each other or that man or just the world but she can feel the fury suffocating the air. 

“Where’s your first-aid kit?” Paige says gruffly as Azzi unlocks the door. 

“Bathroom,” Azzi says quietly and Paige is off towards it before the word has even fully left the brunette’s mouth. Azzi scrambles after her, pausing in the doorway as Paige rummages through drawers, knowing better than to interrupt to help when Paige looks livid like this.

“Sit,” Paige points to the sink once she’s finally found the sanitizer and gauze to clean up dried up blood staining Azzi’s knuckles. 

“I can do it my-”

Paige glares at her, “just sit on the fucking sink Azzi.”

Putting away her own irritation at being told what to do, Azzi lifts herself onto the flat surface of the sink, opening her legs slightly so that Paige can stand between them. Despite still quivering with barely concealed rage, Paige’s touch is gentle as she dabs at the remnants of red liquid on Azzi’s hand. 

“You should’ve just let me punch him when I wanted to,” she says finally. 

“So you could be the one bleeding?” Azzi raises an eyebrow. 

“No because he would’ve never gotten the courage to say shit about Stephie if you’d just let me kill him when he called you a bitch,” Paige bites out venomously. 

“And let you go to jail? I couldn’t do that to Stephie,” Azzi tries to lighten the tension in the room, “she’d miss you too much. 

“This isn’t funny, Azzi,” Paige seethes as she begins to wrap the white gauze around the wound. 

“I know,” the younger woman says, trailing her other hand down Paige’s arms trying to soothe her anger, “but it’s fine-”

“It’s not fucking fine,” Paige yells. 

“Baby-” the word slips out from Azzi’s lips before she can catch it. She hasn’t used it for someone other than Stephie in so long that it feels foreign on her lips and yet, it fits exactly right. 

“Did you call Clémence that too?” and there it is, the real reason behind the volcano erupting as Paige decidedly looks away from Azzi. 

Azzi narrows her eyes, “I don’t know Paige. Did you call Olivia that?”

“That’s different,” Paige grits out, “Olivia was my wife.”

Azzi flinches at the word; hates that somebody else had ever had the honor of being called that even if she knows it’s unfair of her to feel that way when she’s the one that had turned it down first. 

“Exactly,” she says slowly, “you married someone else-” she holds up a hand when Paige protests, “I know. I know I said no but you married someone else Paige. So you don’t get to be mad at me for having something with someone else too.”

Paige is quiet for a moment and Azzi sees the exact moment the fight leaves her body as she lets out a sigh, leaning her head against Azzi’s shoulder. 

“You’re right,” Paige whispers into Azzi’s neck, hands moving to rest against the brunette’s thighs. 

Azzi runs her hand through Paige’s hair, brushing it in tandem with the harmony of her breathing, “we can’t keep throwing the past in each other’s face, Paige.”

“I know,” Paige breath tickles against Azzi’s skin and she shivers in spite of the tense moment,“I just-” the blonde lifts her head to look at Azzi, “I need to know who Clémence was to you. You- you know what Olivia was to me and I- I just need to know the same about Clémence.”

“She-” Azzi hesitates, “we hooked up a couple of times,” she squeezes Paige’s hand when the blonde flinches, “but then she- she wanted more but I couldn’t- I couldn’t do that. Partly because I didn’t- I didn’t feel the same- don’t look so smug,” Azzi chides when a small grin forms on Paige’s face, “and partly because we were on the same team. I didn’t want to complicate things, not like last time. Feel like I should probably have a rule not to date teammates.”

“Right.”

Azzi watches the cogs turning in Paige’s brain and she reaches out a hand to ease the creases forming on her forehead, “what are you thinking Bueckers?”

“I just-” Paige bites her lip, “what about me?”

“What about you?”

“I mean we’re gonna be- I mean we are- we’re on the same team too,” Paige says and Azzi can hear the insecurity of will you leave me again weaved through her voice. 

“You don’t get it yet do you,” Azzi whispers, reaching up to cup Paige’s face, “baby you are the exception to all of my rules.”

[isuckatwritingsobenice]

I loved your peter vs Alastor story, can we possibly get a part two? Like maybe Peter is looking for her and she hears about it through the news or something from missing persons reports. She’s changed her name and Alastor has told her there’s nothing to worry about, but keeps having dreams about Peter finding her? You can choose how it ends!

A/N: I didn’t think people would want a part two to that but since you asked you shall receive! I love writing about Yanderes going against each other it’s so much fun 🤗. I watched the first four episodes of Hazbin Hotel and guys i LOVE IT SO MUCH. I’m so glad I waited for this show, and I’m so glad other people are enjoying it as much as I am. Special thanks to @a-bookworms-teashop or also known as @forbidden-sunlight, for helping me with this short story! As per usual we all know I like cliffhangers so expect a part three soon <<33 happy reading & enjoy!

Warnings: violence, obsessive tendencies, mentions of blood, lots of manipulation, talks of mental abuse, lots of dark content ahead!!

Songs you can listen too while reading: Close to you by Rihanna. Slipping through my fingers by ABBA. Desire by Megan Myers. Love on the Brain by Rihanna. Forget her by Jeff Buckley. Meet me in the hallway by Harry Styles. The Grudge by Olivia Rodrigo.

Part 1

Navigation!! // Masterlist!!

Forget her

Living in New Orleans was nice. People were always so kind, and everyone was so welcoming. Getting a new name was easy, surprisingly. The government didn’t make it hard to run away from psycho ex boyfriends who didn’t know how to take a hint. Living with Alastor was nice. He was always a gentlemen, a gentle man, a good lover too. He made sure to never treat you the way Peter did.

In fact he was quite the opposite with you. Inviting you out to parties with him, keeping you out of the public eye as to not bring the wrong type of attention around. Everything felt like it was starting to get better. He would bring you flowers, take you to work with him even, or work from home. Alastor was nothing short of the perfect boyfriend. In fact he was perfect and more.

But lately, something seemed to have you on edge. He had been fidgety. Checking his phone constantly but always reassuring you with the polite smile. A reassuring one he tried to keep on, but you saw right through. He was hiding something and you wanted to know what.

According to Husk, Peter had since moved out of the apartment he had been living in, with no notice too. He had gone completely ghost. There was no sign of him anywhere, according to your knowledge. It was a Saturday evening when it had all happened. When your intuition had finally proved to be right.

“You said I wouldn’t be seen.” You said, the article about an appearance the two of you had made up on your phone. Alastor was walking through the kitchen, tossing various ingredients into a large pot, his jambalaya coming along nicely.

“ Dear please, there hasn’t been any sign of you for months. I doubt the bastard has even seen it, let alone have any access to technology.” He brushed you off with a chuckle, sliding the ingredients off the cutting board and into the pot. You sighed and put your phone down on the counter. Maybe you were being over paranoid. But ever since reading the article, a chill had ran up your spine that didn’t seem to be leaving any time soon. Alastor noticed you looking off to the side, lost in your own mind. He reaches out, hands brushing your sides gently. “Why don’t you take a bath, hm? Ill even set it up for you. What do you say dear?” He asks calmly, a hand on your lower back, ushering you out of the kitchen and past the open living room, making your way down the hall to the bathroom.

“ Alright fine. But we need to talk about this later.” You say, and he responds to you with a kiss on your cheek. You go to your shared bedroom, going through the large walk in closet to find a change of clothes for after your bath. The water is running in the bathroom, the smell of fragrances light on your senses. You make your way back to the bathroom to see Alastor leaning over the tub slightly, candles already lit on the sides of the tub to allow you to relax. There’s your favorite book next to a cup of wine, along with the radio playing light jazz. Everything is perfect, as it should be, and for a moment you can forget the feeling of strained eyes on you. You can forget it all as you’re embraced by a man who loves you. Who truly cares.

“ Take your time darling. I must run out for a bit to get some extra ingredients. Will you be fine without me?” He asks, taking the robe from you as you sink down into the tub, eyeing you carefully, enough to give you butterflies. You smile, one of his favorites and nod, reaching to the side to pick up your glass of wine, the red stains your lips slightly as you pull the cup away.

“I think Ill be okay, thank you love. Be quick please, I might just nap here.” You say jokingly. Alastor smiles, folding your robe up neatly in his hands before nodding to you lightly. He leans down to kiss you, a soft tender kiss, before leaving you in the bathroom alone. It’s when you hear the front door shut that you sigh, now knowing he’s gone. The water is just right, just warm enough on your skin for you to rest your eyes a bit.

A bit turns into an hour, and when you hear a loud glass shatter from the kitchen is when you wake up from your nap. You hadn’t been serious about sleeping in the tub, but mistakes happen. You quickly pull at the drain, the water slowly slipping down as you grab your towel and get yourself dressed, sliding a simple nightgown on before stepping out of the bathroom. “Alastor?” You call, but you’re met with silence. Your vision is hazy, the steam from the water seeming to create some sort of film over your sight, but you manage. Walking down the hall and into the living area, you see a vase shattered on the ground. What you don’t expect to see, is a distraught Peter standing across from you.

“Guess again Baby.” He says with a smile. He sighs and takes in your appearance, eyes completely devouring your appearance. “What are you doing here?” You ask, panic written all over your face.

“How did you find me?” You ask again. Peter tuts at you, standing straight up, revealing just how tall he really was in comparison to you. He has a folder in his hand, one he throws on the floor in between the two of you, and it just barely touches your feet as it slides across the floor. “What is this?” You ask, eyeing him closely. He grins, hands behind his back as he watches you pick up the folder.

“Your perfect boyfriend.” He responds. The pictures inside reveal themselves before you can even process whats going on. Pictures of Alastor and you about in the city. Ones of the two of you at home, the two of you at dinner. Intimate moments, things that were supposed to be private. All laid out right in front of you. A picture of Alastor and you at a friends wedding. His face was burned out of the photo, but you knew who it was. The more photos you looked through the more you found. Magazine clippings of Alastor with you in the town. Paparazzi seeing you both together at parties, dancing around each other like no one was watching but the worlds eyes were on you. Peters eyes were on you.

“He told me-“

“Told you what?” Peter snickered, stepping closer, the broken glass crunching under his feet. You kept going through photos, one right after the other. Then, one really caught your attention. Mimzy. She had been so obsessed with Alastor and how you were no good for him. Now, in front of you was a photo, the two of them with their arms around each other, almost like lovers, but not quite friends. How long ago was this? Why didnt he tell you about this?

“He doesn’t love you. Not the way I do.” Peter said, stepping closer, arms raising for a hug. “ Let’s just go home. We can put this all behind us. I can forgive you.” He said, a smile on his face. He was still the same. He thought he had done no wrong. He lowers his arms when he sees you don’t come closer, but instead reaches for your hands, pulling them to his chest. “What do you need? Money? I can give you that. If- if you want more freedom we can go out! We can do whatever you want-“ He pleaded, eyes begging for yours to look at him. “Please, just come back. He took you away from where you were safe. Now you have everyone judging you, when you don’t need that.” He said, hand cupping your chin to force you to look at him. “Are you really happy here?” He asks.

It feels like time freezes for a moment. Were you really happy? All the press, Alastor always being gone or out at parties. The social events. The liquor, the drugs. The dancers and the crowds of people together. With Alastor, it was always a party. But with Peter, things were different.

With Peter, you were quiet. Alone but without the drugs, the partying and the social interaction. With Peter you really never lifted a finger, not like you physically could. Peter always brought gifts home, even if he was upset with you. He always did laundry, had things neat and tidy, or as much as they could in the small apartment. With Peter, you were taken care of. With Peter, you lived a calm life.

Well, at least that was how he saw it.

With Peter, there was a constant fear surrounding you. Suffocating you. He never let you live, took away your freedom and your life to keep you tied down to him. He had hurt you on multiple occasions, raising a hand to the person he swore to love so dearly. He had threatened to kill your family, your friends, anyone who stood in between the two of you. Peter didn’t love you, no, he was obsessed. Did you really want that life back?

“I.. I am happy here.” You finally said, pulling yourself away from Peter. His eyes looked defeated. He looked, complex. In a matter of seconds his demeanor changed entirely, standing tall in his anger, his pride.

“Happy? Happy with a man who took you from me?!” He yelled, lunging forward and caging you between him and the wall. His eyes looked manic, like something had snapped. It was only then you noticed him reaching into his pocket, glass shard in hand. “I told you what would happen if you ever left.” He said, hand in the air as the shard came down quickly. A slice to your cheek had you sliding down the wall, tears streaming down your face as blood ran down your neck, fingers shakily holding onto yourself for some support.

“Peter please-“ you pleaded with a whisper. Even after all these months away from him he still managed to make you feel so small.

“I see what’s going on.” He said, chuckling a bit. He crouches down, eye level with you now. “He has you completely brainwashed doesn’t he. I’m sure he-“ He stops when he hears the front lock being turned. The door opens to reveal a humming Alastor, eyes shut as he hums a song to himself softly. He turns to lock the door, before turning back around, finally opening his eyes to see the sight of Peter and you on the ground.

Everyone is quiet for a moment. Peter looks panicked, Alastor looks, unreadable, and you look, frightened. Alastor drops the bag of groceries, and before you can process what’s happening there’s a knife being drawn from under his shirt sleeve. Not a large one, but a size big enough to kill a man. To kill Peter. Peter stands quickly, clutching the glass shard in his hand so tight he begins to cut himself. The two meet in the middle, Peter swinging to try to slice Alastors neck. Something about the way Peter misses, the way Alastor inhales sharply. His eyes widen but in a different way. One you’d never seen from him before. There’s a difference in the way his eyes gloss over, the shine in them just a bit brighter than before.

Nothing would ever be the same after tonight.

[raibebe]

Love Is On Air

Genre: fluff & smut Words: 8.722 Prompt: radio host Johnny x secret admirer female reader Warnings: soft dom Johnny, oral (f receiving), safe sex, dirty talk

A/N: Finally: My entry for the February event of my lovely network @neosmutcollective​. This is totally not the fic I planned on writing. In fact this was started way later after I realized I was never going to finish my original fic on time. Not that this one is on time... Special thanks to everyone who sent our lovely DJs some music recommendations @sly-merlin​, @moonctzeny​, @lenaluvs​, @lucas-wongs​, @burtonized​ and to @ncteaxhoe​ who helped me figure out this idea. I hope you enjoy this even though it’s wayyy too late.

You hurried home to your apartment after your last class of the day that was horrifically late because of whoever had fucked up your schedule this semester. Panting heavily, you busted into your room and threw your jacket and backpack somewhere onto your couch, diving straight for your laptop that was perched on your desk. Cursing the old thing, you waited for agonizing minutes until it had booted up and your browser was open. You quickly opened the familiar page of your university’s campus radio just in time to hear the familiar voice saying: “Hi I’m John-D, welcome to NCT Night Night.” After that both hosts chuckled lowly before Jaehyun spoke: “Tonight we’ll read some of the letters you wrote us over the week again and we will try our best to help you out with whatever problems you throw our way.” “Exactly. Right after we play this song that was suggested by evangelie_99 over on our Twitter, it’s Pluto Projector by Rex Orange County and she said that she loves our show. We’re glad you like it so much, darling. This one is for you,” Johnny softly said before the soft tunes of the song filled your little one-room apartment.

Sighing, you leaned back in your chair, carelessly toeing your shoes off. Listening to NCT Night Night was your escape at night from the stress that classes brought you. The two DJs that were on air every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday were your favorites though. Not only did they have great chemistry but they both could be incredibly funny as well as soothe all your nerves with their calming voices – especially Johnny or John-D as he was called on their show. You might have developed a slightly embarrassing crush on the fratboy with a heart as sweet as his voice from what you knew about him from his radio shows and your shared classes. Since they had started their weekly segment where they would read out letters that students could send them, you had gathered the courage to send Johnny little messages about how you were crushing on him and it had quickly become a running gag on the show. Jaehyun would tease Johnny about it every week while Johnny kept insisting that his secret admirer should just talk to him. But how could you do that? Johnny was everything one could want in a boyfriend. Not only was he ridiculously tall and devastatingly handsome but he was also smart, always seemingly staying on top of his classes and he also went to the gym regularly if his thirst traps on his Instagram stories were anything to go by. When he wasn’t giving out advice in a gentle voice on their radio program, he was out partying with his frat brothers on the weekends more often than not complaining about headaches on their Sunday show. How could you just walk up to him and talk to him? Right. You couldn’t. So you had to resign to sending him anonymous love letters through his radio show.

“Welcome back, hi,” Johnny chuckled once the song had gently faded out and you couldn’t help but giggle along. “That was Pluto Projector by Rex Orange County,” Jaehyun tried to stay on script but you could almost hear the grin on his face because of Johnny’s antics, “If you want your song to play on today’s show, please suggest something over on our Twitter with the hashtag,” Jaehyun paused momentarily and let out a dramatic sigh before continuing, “hashtag JohnDplaymelikeaviolin.” Jaehyun hadn’t even read the whole hashtag out loud when Johnny was already bursting out in laughter and how could you not laugh along with his melodic laughter. “I swear to god I am never letting you choose hashtags for our show ever again,” Jaehyun groaned while Johnny sounded like he was still dying in the background. “Don’t be mean to me Jaehyunie,” he whined and even though today’s episode was not viewable, you could vividly imagine how he was pouting. While the two friends were busy bickering and talking about what they had done since their last show, you pulled up your own Twitter to send a recommendation in.

“Aaaah, I see we’re already getting plenty of suggestions. Sly-merlin suggested us Sexy Dirty Love by Demi Lovato – a great song – and added ‘I wish John-D would actually play me like a violin.” After a potent silence, Johnny broke out in laughter again. “And this is why you won’t choose any more hashtags,” Jaehyun groaned again. “Baby,” Johnny rasped into his mic and even though you weren’t wearing headphones, it sent tingles down your spine, “Just come to our frat party on Friday and I’ll see what I can do.” “Stop plugging our parties on the radio,” Jaehyun scolded the elder, the slap audible over the radio, “Also sly-merlin has to stand in line. You still have your number one admirer who has sent in a letter yet again.” “She still hasn’t come up to me,” Johnny shared, “I can only keep up my chastity for so long. I am saving myself for this girl.” You know he was joking but you were just a simple woman and even in your secluded home, you felt heat rising to your cheeks, your thumbs stopping on your keyboard where you had typed out your song recommendation. Both DJs shared a quiet laugh before Jaehyun asked: “And you really don’t know who she is?” “I really don’t man,” his friend sighed, “Like I have my suspicions because she has to be in my major if she sees me in class that often. That or she’s a stalker which I do not want to think about. But for real, hit me up. I’ll take you out for a coffee.” “Now everyone is going to come up to you and claim that they’re her.” “I’ll take that risk,” Johnny laughed, “Maybe I’ll finally meet the love of my life and settle down.” At that Jaehyun snorted loudly. “The woman that can make you settle down gets free coffee for like a month from me.” “Watch me have a wife and kids at 25 Jae, just to spite you,” his friend snorted, “But up until then, let’s play sly-merlin’s song recommendation: Sexy Dirty Love by Demi Lovato.”

While the song was playing, you finished up your own tweet and hit post before you grabbed your bag that you had carelessly thrown away before to get out your notes. You actually had to start a project for one of the classes you and Johnny actually did share. The professor had announced that he would announce the pairings for a group project tomorrow and you didn’t want to seem like an actual idiot if your group would decide to already meet up and discuss after class. So while you listened to your favorite DJs discuss the questions and worries of whoever had sent them to their email address, you worked through the notes you had taken over the last couple of weeks, trying your best to organize them to remember the key points.

“Oh John-D, I have a very special letter here,” Jaehyun said, waving the paper in front of the microphone so it would pick up the wiggling noises. “What could that be?” Johnny asked with over-exaggerated interest. “It’s from your secret admirer, John-D. So I think you should read it out.” Just like every time, they read your letter, your heart began beating faster and faster in your chest until you were sure, it would break free from your ribcage. “Okay, here I go,” Johnny announced while Jaehyun was playing the same cheesy music he always played when they were reading your letters, “Happy Thursday, John-D. The weekend is almost in reach, keep up the energy for the last day of classes! – she’s so sweet, I’m holding up alright – One of my professors will announce the pairings he made for a group project soon and I am nervous. I don’t have many friends in the course and I’m praying that I will get good group mates I can work well with.” “Oooh, I get that struggle,” Jaehyun interrupted, “I once had to work with a bunch of stoners and ended up doing all the work for a presentation that made up 30 percent of my grade. Worst experience of my life, would not recommend. But we’re wishing you all the luck.” “But you know what’s more interesting about this story?” Johnny tuned in, “Coincidentally my professor for my literature class is assigning our group projects tomorrow as well. Say, my sweet admirer, are you perhaps in the same literature class as me?” In your otherwise silent room, the panicked squeak you let out was loud even to your ears. There was no way Johnny could figure out who you were, there were probably at least 20 more girls with a crush on him in that class alone, so you were safe. “Oooh, so maybe she’s a lit major so that’s why she’s writing love letters.” “Could be but lots of people from different majors are taking that class,” Johnny argued, “Anyways, back to her letter. But I won’t let that disturb me! I will be doing my best regardless! – That’s the spirit – I’ll work through my notes as I listen to your honey voice so I can be prepared. I’m glad you don’t do viewable radios on Thursday’s or else I wouldn’t be able to get anything done, you’re just too distracting John-D,” at that Jaehyun let out a fake gag while Johnny just giggled softly, “Thank you secret admirer, I do clean up quite nicely if I do say so myself. – On last Sunday’s episode you melted my heart when you hid in your hoodie for half the show. – God that was the worst hangover I had in a looong while, I was so miserable.”

“You should have seen him at home,” Jaehyun laughed, “I had to physically drag his whole 180-something-centimeters body first into the shower, then into the car and into the station. He is the biggest crybaby when he’s hungover.” “Don’t expose me like that, Jaehyunie,” Johnny whined loudly, “I was dared to drink a bunch of tequila and my mother didn’t raise neither a quitter nor a coward.” “No, but clearly an idiot,” the younger DJ laughed his deep laugh. “Let me read my love letter in peace,” the other grumbled, “I couldn’t follow for half the show because I was so focused on watching you. Not in a creepy way of course! – Of course not,” Johnny chuckled, “I hope you finished that essay you had to work on after the show in time and still had some time to relax. – I did, don’t worry.” That you already knew when Johnny had handed in his essay in another class you two shared just before you had handed in yours and he had thrown you a little smile that had kept you going through the whole day. “Take care of yourself and keep smiling your beautiful smile, I look forward to seeing you again on Sunday or in classes. And fighting to Jae-D as well of course! – I look forward to hearing from you again, secret admirer. I bet your group project will go just fine, don’t worry too much. If anyone is mean to you, just expose them here and we’ll fight them for you.” “Love that she acknowledged me in one sentence as well,” Jaehyun grumbled, cutting off the cheesy music abruptly. “You’re just jealous you don’t have a sweet admirer who sends you cute messages,” the other teased his friend. “Yeah, yeah, shut up and put that letter in the box under your bed.” “It’s in my sock drawer, thank you very much.”

Giggling, you listened to the two friends bicker, your chest warm with a feeling you were scared to put a name on. “Anyways, I think it’s time for another music recommendation you can still send in via our lovely hashtag JohnDplaymelikeaviolin. This one is from lenaluvies and she says: Please play Hurts So Good by Astrid S thank you. No, thank you for sending something in darling. This one’s for you,” Johnny announced and you couldn’t help but laugh a little pained laugh. That song title hit a little too close to home for your liking. The rest of the radio show went by smoothly and Johnny and Jaehyun tried to help a handful of more students with their problems that couldn’t be more diverse. From a boy who had fallen in love with his best friend which had send him into an identity crisis over to a girl who was failing her classes because she claimed the professor hated her to a freshman who wanted to apply for a fraternity but was scared because of the rumors surrounding them which the DJs quickly debunked since they both were in the same fraternity. In the end they had to cut themselves short, asking their viewers to vote on a poll they would make if people wanted a whole Tuesday episode surrounding fraternities.

“So.” “So,” Johnny copied his friend. “We’re almost at the end of our time with you guys. We couldn’t get through all of your submissions but we hope our team picked a few good ones and at least some of you could get some advice.” “As always you’re free to send us your own stories to our e-mail JohnJaeNNN@NCTU.com to get some advice next Thursday from your favorite DJs: John-D.” “And Jae-D. Every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday on your campus radio on 127mHz. On NCT-“ “Night Night,” they said their ending together and just like every night with them, you said goodnight to your computer screen, closing the tab which draped your little apartment in silence. Sighing loudly, you looked over your notes that needed a little more work if you wanted to make a good first impression on your fellow students tomorrow. Because you couldn’t stand the silence, you opened your Spotify to play the NCT Night Night playlist Johnny and Jaehyun had made with the songs that had been recommended to them, still missing the new additions from tonight.

The next morning found you in your literature class, sitting two rows behind Johnny, staring at the back of his head while doodling on your paper rather than taking notes on whatever the professor was saying. If you were to let your eyes wander, you’d see that almost everyone in the big room was paying as much or even less attention as you were; the students in different states of excitement and anxiety over the group projects he had yet to announce. “I’m sorry professor,” Johnny’s voice suddenly cut through the room, “I’m sure you have already noticed that no one is paying attention to whatever you’re trying to teach us right now. Could you please just announce the groups for the project?” That moment you swore you would be able to hear a pin drop until your eccentric professor chuckled lowly. “I like you, Suh. I was waiting for someone to mention it,” he spoke, getting the dreaded list out of his bag, “Listen closely now, you’ll be assigned in groups of four and each group will get a specific novel to work on. Deadline will be by the end of the semester and your individual paper combined with the group presentation will make up 40% of your final grade.” That made a bunch of people, including you, gasp out loudly. A group project with this much credit to your final grade was always dreaded. “I don’t want to hear any complaints, that’s how it’s always been. Now listen carefully, I won’t repeat myself but the list will be hung on our blackboard as well.” With that being said, the professor began listing names and novels in the most monotone voice he could muster. To say you were basically vibrating off of your seat was an understatement when he got further and further down the list and neither yours nor Johnny’s name had been called yet. “And lastly, an all-time favorite: Romeo and Juliet.” You didn’t even register anything else after the professor had announced that the group featured both Johnny and you along with two other students you didn’t know. Your brain was reduced to static noise while everyone else was getting up around you to pick up the books that had already been stacked in a corner, probably by a poor TA. Only when a person bumped into you, you broke from your stupor to quickly pick up your stuff as well to hurry down to steps to where a crowd of students had already gathered.

Luckily Johnny towered over most of the other students and you could easily spot him and the rest of your group that were two other boys you didn’t recognize. “Hey, you’re the last one we were missing,” Johnny smiled and handed you over your copy of the book. “Y... Yeah, sorry for making you wait,” you stuttered, clutching the small book tightly in your hands. “No big deal,” Johnny played it off, “Do any of you have any more classes today?” When everyone declined, you all agreed that you should get a head start on your project as it would be hard to make a good project out of such an overused love story. While walking over to the student center to decide on a concept, conversation flowed easily between the four of you even though you were still really nervous to be around Johnny. God, you really hoped he didn’t think you were stupid or something just because you were nervous.

The little study session went by in a blur and only further confirmed that you were so whipped for Johnny it wasn’t even funny anymore. You found yourself attentively listening to all of his ideas and laughing at every of his stupid little jokes and only mildly spacing out while looking at Johnny when the others were discussing ideas which had led to one or two mildly embarrassing situations where you would lose track of what you were actually discussing, your mind blank of any input when they asked for your opinion.

Soon you found yourself parting ways with your groupmates, leaving you and Johnny alone because his frat house and your little apartment were located in the same general direction. “Anything fun you’re doing this evening?” Johnny asked, trying to make some light conversation to fill the silence. “No, I’ll just binge watch some shows maybe or listen to the campus radio,” you shrugged it off. While today’s show wasn’t your favorite, you quite liked the DJs soft and gentle voice. “You listen to the campus radio? I have a show on there,” Johnny smiled. “I like listening to you and Jaehyun,” you confessed, trying to fight the heat that was licking at your cheeks. “Oh.” “You seem surprised.” “Yeah, it kind of still seems weird that people enjoy listening to Jae and me rambling for hours on end. You know with him it just feels like I’m hanging out with my brother rather than work.” “Your voices are really soothing, you know,” you tried to explain what you were feeling when listing to them, “And your friendship is kind of adorable. Like we can feel how much you care about each other and you always genuinely try to help your listeners without making fun of them.” For a while Johnny didn’t say anything and you thought you had fucked it up, that he thought you were weird now. “Thank you,” he suddenly said. “Huh?” “It means a lot hearing that. We do lurk on Twitter to see what people think of our show but hearing it like this is something else entirely.” “It’s nothing,” you mused, playfully hitting his arm, “No need to get this soft.” “Hey,” he laughed, “I’ll have you know that I am 180 centimeters of walking softness despite what people might say about me.” Smiling softly you caught his eyes for the first time since you two had started walking and the way his honey eyes were smiling back at you momentarily took your breath away.

“I- My room is right around here, sooooo,” you stuttered. “It was nice working with you. Even though you were spacing out half the time,” Johnny teased, “Thinking about a special someone?” You. The word sat on the tip of your tongue, the low light of the afternoon sun making you bolder than you actually were and Johnny just made you feel incredibly comfortable. “No... No- I- I’m single.” “A crush then?” “Something like that,” you mumbled, your fingers nervously playing with the hem of your jacket. “Talk to him. Or her. Or them,” Johnny advised. “I really can’t,” you sighed, “He doesn’t even know I exist.” “Well you don’t need to confess your undying love for him,” he laughed, not knowing he was the boy in question, “Just you know. Casually talk to him. Get to know him.” “I’ll try?” “Is that a question?” “Yeah?” “Have more confidence in yourself,” he gently nudged you, “You’re nice and very easy to talk to.” “Nice... Wow.” “Shut up,” he laughed, “I usually give better compliments but I have yet to get to know you better.” “Would you... Would you even want that?” “Sure,” Johnny shrugged and your heart skipped a couple of beats, “I have to get going or everybody will already be drunk when I arrive. So... I’ll see you in class? And you’ll hear me on Sunday?” “Yeah sure. Don’t drink too much or you will be miserable all show like last week,” you giggled. “Don’t remind me,” he groaned, “I’m never going to drink tequila on a Saturday ever again.” “Goodbye Johnny,” you smiled, really liking how his name sounded when you said it out loud. “Bye,” he waved before going his way.

Once you were sure he was out of hearing distance, you let out a little happy squeak and jumped up and down excitedly. You did it. You had actually done it. You had talked to your crush. And managed to not make a complete fool out of yourself in front of him. Which was a win in your books. A huge win. With a little spring in your steps, you stepped by one of your favorite pizza places to treat yourself before heading home where you spend your evening daydreaming about none other than Johnny while watching reruns of old dramas.

“Hi, I’m Jae-D.” “And I am John-D. Welcome to NCT-“ “Night Night.” “John-D.” “Yes, Jae-D,” Johnny chuckled. “It’s Thursday again which means it’s time to tend to our listener’s worries,” Jaehyun read off of the script, not getting distracted by his friend’s antics, “And today is a very special episode.” “Special?” Jaehyun barely repressed to roll his eyes at his friend’s over-exaggerated acting before continuing: “Yes, since tomorrow is a day off for all students, we have decided to make this episode extra lengthy and-“ he shortly stopped to flash the camera a peace sign, “Viewable despite it being Thursday.” “Do we look okay?” Johnny laughed, checking himself out in the video that was playing on one of their monitors. “Aaaaah, the comments say we look good tonight, thank you,” Jaehyun mused.

And they really did. Not that either of them had to do a whole lot to look good but today they were both wearing white button-downs with their sleeves rolled up to expose their forearms. Jaehyun had even gone so far as to put on some fake glasses. “And if you’re following us on our Twitter you also already know that this week it’s all about love on our campus radio and our show today is no exception,” Johnny read his part of the script. “Today John-D and Jae-D are Loveholics, trying our very best to help you with your problems surrounding love,” Jaehyun completed, “You can send in song recommendations through the hashtag JohnJaeLoveholic just like taryn1026 did – I hope I said that right – but they recommended Paris in the Rain by Lauv to set the mood for today.”

The soft tunes of the song made you relax a little into your sofa where you had chosen to watch today’s episode of NCT Night Night. You had to say that you were kind of nervous for today’s episode. Just like every week you had written your letter to Johnny, telling him about your week and cheering him on for your group project. At this point it should have been pretty obvious just who exactly you were and judging by how Johnny was acting towards you, his flirting leaving you flustered after your study sessions and your group mates mildly annoyed, he seemed to already have put together the pieces. But yesterday while writing your letter you had felt extra bold (and maybe also extra riled up and horny from Johnny’s shameless flirting) and had written him a message that should confirm all his suspicions and would hopefully lead him straight to you and into your bed. But until the end of the show or at least until they read your letter, which you really hoped they did today as well, you had to wait sitting in your apartment, for once not in comfortable clothes but in a nice shirt and pants.

“That was Paris in the Rain by Lauv, recommended to us by taryn1026 through our Twitter with the hashtag JohnJaeLoveholic,” Johnny’s raspy voice filled your apartment when he leaned close to the mic, “Jae-D are you ready to make some love happen?” “I already had my love juice,” Jaehyun answered, showing his pink Starbucks drink to the camera, “And my reading glasses are on.” As to prove his point, he hiked his glasses up his nose before scratching his eye through the holes in the frame, making both DJs chuckle. For the next hour Johnny and Jaehyun tried to solve several relationship dramas as well as a very tricky friends-with-benefits situation and telling a boy to break up with his cheating girlfriend which had been a rather heartbreaking discussion. “So after this,” Jaehyun sighed, “Let’s play another song recommendation. Burtonized has sent in a very fitting song, I hope you all don’t mind a little Korean: It’s God Damn by I.M – a song about heartbreak.”

While the foreign song was playing, the two DJs stretched their backs and sipped on their respective drinks: Jaehyun still on his pink sugar concoction and Johnny already on his second iced Americano. Jaehyun must have found something funny on his phone, nudging his friend to look at him but Johnny was busy typing away on his own, only acknowledging his friend after he had typed his message. Just after that, your own phone buzzed with a message, showing Johnny’s name on the screen.

From: Johnny Are you watching our show?

To: Johnny Sure, you look good today

From: Johnny Make sure to listen closely ;)

“That was God Damn by I.M suggested by burtonized over our Twitter hashtag JohnJaeLoveholic,” Jaehyun’s smooth voice tore you from your spiraling thoughts about the winking face Johnny had sent. “Sadly our show is coming to an end even with our extended airtime.” “But John-D a very important letter is still missing before we close our show. Dare I say it could be the highlight of our show,” Jaehyun joked, already playing the cheesy music he was always playing when Johnny would read your letters. “You’re right Jae-D my lovely secret admirer has sent in another letter,” Johnny mused, arranging himself so he could read the printed out letter while being as close as possible to the mic for it to pick up the rasp in his voice, “Happy Thursday John-D, I hope your week has been more exciting than mine. I have just been going from class to class without much thought, the only high points are my group meetings for the group project we have to hand in soon – That seems very familiar, baby – But since today is all about love, I’ll tell you about a little problem I have: – get your love juice ready, Jae – There is this boy in my group. And boy isn’t really the right word to describe him, he’s a man really,” at that Johnny couldn’t hold back a low chuckle, “I’m sorry, I’ll be serious – And he is flirting with me. Has been for a couple of weeks now. And it has gotten to the point where our groupmates are kind of annoyed at us. He has also walked me home a couple of times but he never so much as touched me. At this point I am so frustrated with him. Is he just playing with me? Or is his mouth bigger than his actions actually are? He has been riling me up all day today and I was ready to let him have his way with me but he only wished me goodnight and left again, leaving me to deal with what he had done all by myself – oh wow, I,” Johnny stuttered, sharing a gaze with his friend who was only barely repressing his laughter, “Wow, okay, I hope we’re in the good for reading this out and it’s late enough,” clearing his voice and raking a hand through his hair, Johnny continued, “John-D I hope this man hears what he has done to me and will deal with the consequences of his actions. Would you play Animal by Jin Yosef and RIELL for me? Just in case this letter hasn’t gotten my point across? – Y... Yeah sure, darling. We’ll play that once our show is over.”

“So John-D,” Jaehyun grinned while loudly slurping on his ‘love juice’, “What would you advice your secret admirer to do about this problem?” “Well if I were her,” Johnny started, his gaze going straight to the camera where he knew you were watching and it felt like he was looking straight into your soul, “I’d wait for him. I’m pretty sure he can prove that his actions speak even louder than his words.” For a while it was quiet between the two DJs, safe for Jaehyun’s obnoxiously loud slurping noises but even if they would have been saying anything, you weren’t sure if you could have comprehended any words with how furiously your heart was beating. “Anyways,” Jaehyun eventually broke the silence once he was sure there was nothing left in his ‘love juice’, “I’m afraid that was it for tonight. This has been your extra lengthy episode of Jae-D and John-D and we will leave you with this wonderful song recommendation: Animal by Jin Yosef and RIELL. If you’ve liked today’s show, we’re here every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday night on your campus radio on 127mHz to listen to all of your worries on NCT-“ “Night Night,” Johnny joined in and they both waved into the camera as your song of choice started playing. The video stream didn’t cut off immediately, showing the boys gathering their things and if your eyes weren’t betraying you, you swore you saw Johnny tense up when the song turned a little more explicit. The two DJs waved to the camera one last time before the stream cut off, leaving the screen of your laptop dark.

That was when it dawned on you what you had done. Shit. With how Johnny had sounded, you probably had about fifteen to twenty minutes until he would be at your doorstep. Oh god. Shit. Taking a couple of deep breaths, you tried to ground yourself before hurriedly closing your laptop and cleaning everything that seemed messy in your little one-room apartment. That was until you heard a knock on your door.

With shaky hands, you slowly opened the door and while you knew who would be standing on the other side, you weren’t ready for how he was going to look like: Johnny was leaning against the doorway casually with his arms crossed over his chest so the tight button-down he was wearing would strain over the planes of his chest muscles but what really reeled you in was how dark his eyes looked when he raked them over your body. “Good evening miss,” he drawled. “Hi,” you breathed. “Tell me what you want so I’m not misinterpreting any of this,” Johnny all but growled, one of his hands coming up to cup your face. “I want you to have me.” If you thought his eyes were dark before, they turned into bottomless black orbs once the words had left your lips. “You don’t know what you’re asking for, baby.” “Please,” you whimpered and that seemed to break Johnny’s resolve as he pulled you close to him and all but crashed his lips into yours. The kiss wasn’t delicate in any way, shape or form with how Johnny was licking into your mouth the second a moan left your lips. His tongue was intertwining with yours messily and in no time both of you were panting into each other’s mouths. “Inside. Now,” you rasped. “All with due time,” Johnny chuckled but let you pull him into your apartment, slamming the door shut to crowd you against it, one of his strong thighs slipping between your legs like it belonged there, “If you’re a good girl and listen well, I’ll give you anything you want.” “Fuck,” you cursed before slamming your lips together again, a new neediness bleeding into the kiss as you tugged on the longer strands of hair at the back of Johnny’s neck which made him growl lowly. “Anything off-limits?” Johnny breathed into your skin as he kissed down your neck to suck a mark there while his hands were busy pulling your shirt from your pants so he could rake them over your naked skin. “Just,” you had to cut yourself off with a moan, “Don’t be mean to me.” “Never,” he promised, “You’ll be my pillow princess.” His sweet words were in stark contrast to how hard his hands were gripping your hips and how his teeth were grazing over your neck that must be littered with marks already. “Take me to bed,” you heaved breathlessly, positive your legs would give out if it wasn’t for Johnny holding you up.

Listening to your demand, he slowly started walking you backwards towards your bed until the two of you were toppling down on top of the covers, his lips never leaving your skin. Whoever had spread the rumors about Johnny being a great lover had been absolutely right, he knew just how to touch you to have you gasping for air and judging by the grin on his lips he hadn’t even started yet. “Please,” you whimpered, arching into his touch, not exactly sure what exactly you were asking for but Johnny seemed to know all the better when he freed you from your top and pants to leave you in your matching lace set while he was still fully clothed in his by now wrinkled button-up and pants. “All for me?” He chuckled and pressed a kiss right between the valley of your breasts, his big hands cupping the soft flesh to squeeze it gently. “Have me,” you gasped out and you could feel the growl he let out vibrating where you were pressed together. “I’m going to ruin you,” Johnny promised, pulling down the cups of your bra to wrap his plush lips around one of your nipples to tease the soft nub until it hardened under his ministrations, sending waves of pleasure down your spine and straight to your core where you could feel your wetness starting to seep into the fabric of your panties. “Johnny,” you mewled and arched into his every touch, his calloused fingertips setting your skin alight when he let them travel down your body to tease over your lower stomach. As if by reflex, you let your thighs fall open for him to finally touch you where you needed him the most. “Such a good girl,” he smiled, blowing cold air over your spit-slicked nipple to watch you squirm beneath him. Your remark got stuck in your throat when he finally cupped you through your panties, feeling how damp the fabric had already become. “Naughty,” he chuckled, his eyes never leaving your face as he circled your clit through the fabric, watching your eyes fluttering shut when his gaze became too intense.

“Johnny,” you sighed, forgetting all other words except for his name. “Relax, princess,” he rasped and kissed his way down your body, leaving love bites on the sensitive skin of your stomach and thighs that shook with anticipation. If you’d say you hadn’t dreamed about his lips on you like this, you would lie and you weren’t going to miss the sight of this for nothing. Fighting back the fog that had started to cloud your mind, you forced your eyes open to look down to where he had settled between your open thighs to find him staring right back at you. “Good girl,” he praised you again before pressing a kiss over your clothed sex that made your head fall back already, the anticipation of what was to come making you push up your hips which made Johnny chuckle lowly. He didn’t leave you any time to feel embarrassed by how needy you were when he hooked your panties to the side unceremoniously and licked a broad stripe up your center, tasting your arousal. “Oh fuck,” you breathed out, your hands flying down to tangle them in the long strands of his hair. Johnny worked his tongue in slow and clever strokes, leaving your mind reeling with pleasure and taking his time to take you apart piece by piece, not even paying attention to your leaking center or your aching clit. But when he did wrap his lips around your clit to gently suck on the nub, your mind almost went numb with how intense his touch was, your thighs clamping shut around him. To make it even worse, he started humming around you while prying your thighs back open, holding you down with his large hands. You felt your orgasm approach almost embarrassingly fast now that he was altering between teasing your clit with his tongue, lips and even his teeth and fucking your velvety walls with his tongue, setting your nerve endings on fire. “Johnny I’m close,” you warned him but instead of slowing down, he stretched his jaw wide to press his tongue further into you, his nose bumping into your clit in the process and with the combined sensation and his doubled effort, it took no time for your first orgasm of the night to wash over you, a scream of his name leaving your lips as you shook through it, your mind going equally as numb as your legs.

When you came back to it, Johnny had straightened up between your legs and he was grinning down at you while he was unbuttoning his shirt, his face still shiny with your arousal. “That was the first one,” he spoke darkly. “Come here,” you whined, making grabby hands for him until he took pity on you and covered your body with his before connecting your lips in a bruising kiss. You could still taste yourself on his lips but that somehow just made it even hotter.

“Want you inside me,” you panted against his lips when Johnny broke the kiss in favor of raking his teeth over your racing pulse. “Yeah?” He rasped and ground his hips down into yours, making you feel him strain against the fabric of his pants. “Need it,” you moaned at the sweet friction. “Think you can take me?” He laughed as he leaned back on his hunches to pop open the button of his pants, pulling down the zipper agonizingly slow. With wide eyes you watched him push his pants down his narrow hips, leaving him in just his navy boxers that showed the sizable imprint of his hard cock, the fabric against the head dark from where he had leaked precum. Chuckling, he stroked over the outline and just the sight alone made your mouth water. “Show me,” you breathed, spreading your thighs so he could see your needy core, clenching around nothing. “Hmm,” he hummed, dragging one of his fingers that wasn’t preoccupied with teasing himself through the mess of arousal and his saliva between your legs, only barely dipping it into you to feel the muscles trying to suck him inside. “Don’t tease me,” you whined high in your throat. “But I like seeing you squirm,” Johnny grinned but took mercy on you and sunk his finger into you up to the knuckle, gently pumping it inside you. Still sensitive from how intense your last orgasm had been, you were torn between pulling away and wanting more but Johnny made the decision for you when he pulled his finger out, wiping your arousal onto your thigh.

“Eyes on me,” he commanded and finally freed his cock from his briefs. “Fuck.” The curse left your lips without even noticing at the sight of his flushed cock, too heavy to properly stand up against his toned abs. The tip was tinted red and shiny with precum that Johnny generously spread down that whole length, his eyes not leaving yours as you watched him lazily jerk himself. “Like what you see?” You eagerly nodded your head. “Want it inside me.” “Yeah? Show me.”

Throwing all caution out of the window, you quickly sucked two of your fingers between your lips before guiding them to your weeping core to slip them inside you, letting out an over-exaggerated moan as you crooked them. “Oh you’re so naughty, baby,” Johnny groaned, squeezing the base of his cock tightly as he watched you fingering yourself and if you had even one coherent thought left in your head, you’d have the decency to be embarrassed because of how intensely he was staring. “It’s not enough,” you pouted, pulling your fingers free and spreading them to look at the slick covering them, “I’m so wet for you.” “Such a dirty mouth,” he groaned, quickly grabbing his pants to fish a condom from his wallet to roll over his hard length. “Please, Johnny,” you hiccupped, winding your legs around his waist to pull him closer to you. “Sssh, princess,” he soothed you, running his hands over your torso before bending down to press tender kisses to your stomach, “I’ll take care of you.” “Please kiss me.”

Dropping his elbows next to your head to support his weight, he covered your body with his and caught your lips in a kiss much too tender for your current situation, taking his time to explore your mouth until you were perfectly pliant beneath him. “Tell me if it hurts,” he whispered into the small space between you while he snaked a hand between your bodies to guide his cock to your core. When the head slipped in without much resistance, both of you let out twin moans of pleasure. Painstakingly slowly Johnny pushed inside you, centimeter by centimeter until his hips were flush to yours. “Breathe, princess,” he reminded you because you indeed had held your breath and had buried your nails in his biceps. “Shit, you’re big,” you cursed. “So I’ve been told,” Johnny chuckled and peppered your face and neck with little kisses while he slowly ground his hips so you could get used to him inside you.

“Move,” you demanded after a while.   “What’s the magic word baby?” He grinned. “Please, Johnny,” you whimpered, clenching down on him. “Once more.” “Don’t make me beg.” “But you sound so pretty when you do,” he chuckled, only barely moving his hips. “Johnny please,” you whined, trying your best to move on his cock on your own but the angle was just not working out. “Oh, you want to do the work?” “I want you to move,” you groaned, pawing at his chest.

“But I think you’d look so pretty riding my cock,” Johnny rasped and in one fluid movement, he had sat up and pulled you onto his lap. Shit, it felt like he was even deeper now. “Come on, princess.” Whining, you wound your arms around his shoulders and pulled your legs beneath you so you could lift your hips up to make his cock smoothly slide out, the friction just right before you slowly dropped back down again, earning you an appreciative groan from Johnny. “That’s right, baby,” he praised you as you slowly found a comfortable pace, swiveling your hips until the angle was just right. Tightening the grip you had on his shoulders to use it as leverage, you began riding him in earnest, impaling yourself on his cock over and over again until your head was spinning and your thighs started to burn. “Come on, doll,” Johnny grinned, catching one of your nipples between his lips. Whining, you rolled your hips faster until your thighs began shaking. “Need help?” He just grinned, his big hands holding onto your hips to help you move up and down his cock at a steadier pace. “Please Johnny,” you hiccupped, hiding your face in his neck to ground yourself, “Please fuck me.” “Am I not doing just that?” He chuckled, filthily grinding his cock inside you. “Do it right,” you panted into his skin, “Fuck me like you mean it.”

“Then get on your hands and knees for me, baby.” He didn’t have to tell you twice, it was almost comical how quickly you obeyed his command and arched your back for him. “Hmm, that’s it,” he praised you, tracing the curve of your spine with his hands until he reached the space between your shoulder blades where he gently pushed down to make you arch even further. “So good and pliant for me, just waiting to be filled.” “Please,” you just whined again, past the point of caring about how pathetic you sounded, begging for his cock. “Say it baby,” he demanded, slapping his cock against your wet folds. “Please fuck me Johnny. Please. I want your cock inside me so badly. Want you to fuck me until I can’t even remember my own name anymore. Please I need it. I-“ your frantic rambling got cut off by the surprised moan leaving your lips as he thrust into you without any warning. “Don’t hold back baby,” Johnny rasped before gripping your hips tightly to finally fuck you in earnest, the sound of skin slapping together loud in the otherwise silent room. “God, your ass looks amazing,” he moaned, burying himself in your tight heat over and over again, mesmerized by how his cock was glistening in the low light and how easily your body opened up for him, “You’re basically made to take my cock.” You could only mewl at his dirty words and fist the sheets tightly in your hands as you tried to meet his thrusts as best as you could while you felt like you got your soul fucked right out of you.

“Feels so good,” you slurred when you felt the familiar knot in your stomach ready to snap, clenching around Johnny’s cock. “God baby, if you keep clenching like that I’m gonna cum,” Johnny cursed, grabbing you by the neck to pull you up against his chest, the pace of his hips only getting faster. “Please Johnny. Want it inside,” you whined, letting him use your body how he wanted to relish in the low moans he let out. “You want me to fill you up baby?” “Want it so bad, Johnny,” you mewled. “Then cum for me. Cum on my cock and I’ll give you anything you want.” And oh god. You had never thought that the strained sound of a couple of words could be enough to actually trip you over the edge but the rasp in Johnny’s voice had you falling apart in his arms, your orgasm ripping through you so hard it had your thighs shaking. “Such a good girl,” Johnny praised you before he let out a low guttural moan and fucked into you once – then twice – before his hips came to a halt, emptying his cum inside the condom.

For a while you two just panted loudly before Johnny gently laid you back down onto the mattress, chuckling lowly when you whined at the loss of his cock. “Shit,” you giggled while he quickly got rid of the condom, throwing it in the general direction of your trashcan. So tender you could have missed it, Johnny pressed a row of kisses down your spine until he reached the swell of your ass. “Cuddle me,” you pouted, making grabby hands at him. “We’re sweaty, princess,” he laughed but gave in when you kept pouting. “I don’t care,” you whined, fitting your head beneath his, wrapping your arms and legs around his body to cling to him like a koala. “You’re cute,” he smiled, pressing his lips to your forehead.

“For how long did you know?” “Know what?” Johnny asked, clearly confused. “That I was your secret admirer.” “I didn’t.” “It was so obvious,” you groaned. “Okay maybe I got a hunch after we started that group project. But you never said anything.” “What was I supposed to say? Oh Johnny, by the way, I’m the one who has been writing you cringey love letters for like half a year already. Please go out with me?” That made Johnny laugh, the sound melodic in the quiet of your room. “I would have said yes, you know?” He spoke lowly, “I’ll miss your letters.” “What makes you think I will stop writing them?” “Because you can tell me all that stuff in person now when we go on dates.” “We’ll go on dates?” “That’s what people do when they like each other, princess,” Johnny chuckled, “And I really like you. Both as my secret admirer and my classmate.” “Oh my god stop,” you whined, hiding your hot face in his chest, feeling shy all of a sudden while Johnny was just laughing.

“I like you too,” you eventually mumbled once it had gotten quiet again. “I figured,” he teased you. “I changed my mind,” you immediately shot back, rising from where you were cuddled into his chest but every other protest died on your tongue when you saw his dreamy expression, his honey eyes finding yours and completely ignoring the fact that you were still very much naked. “Date me,” he said. “Okay,” you answered, easily meeting his lips in a sweet kiss that wouldn’t be the last one you two shared tonight.

“Hello and welcome back, that was Middle Of The Night by Monsta X, suggested to us by raibebe through our Twitter with the hashtag JonJaeLoveTalk. We’re your DJ’s John-D.” “And Jae-D on NCT Night Night. Hello again to all of our listeners. John-D.” “Yes Jae-D,” Johnny chuckled, leaning back in his chair. “Something is off today. I looked through our mail and there was no letter from your secret admirer.” “Oh really,” he feigned surprise. “Either they didn’t send anything in or our director got sick of the pining.” “I can calm you right back down Jae-D,” Johnny smiled, “Because she simply doesn’t need to send any more letters. I finally found her.” “No way. For real? And you didn’t tell me? I have to find out through our radio show? Friendship is dead,” Jaehyun sighed dramatically and you couldn’t help but chuckle. “Jae-D you know you’ll always be the number one in my heart, you know that.” At that Jaehyun let out fake gagging noises that made both friends chuckle.

“No but for real. I finally found her and asked her out. It’s going great so yeah,” Johnny shrugged, “In case you’re listening baby: I’m dropping by later and bring sushi.” “This is so domestic already,” Jaehyun sighed dramatically, “Where is my secret admirer?” “Maybe you could find love as well if you stopped acting like the textbook example of a frat boy.” “What is that even supposed to mean?”

Smiling, you leaned back on your sofa and listened to your boyfriend bickering with his best friend. Boyfriend. That sounded good even though it still felt unreal. Love Letters weren’t dead after all it seemed.

[husky-twst-and-obeyme]

Twst Mc being the child of Lucifer

From Anon: “ Um, could I have one were twst MC is the child of Lucifer and Obey me MC with the dorm leaders reaction? Thank you so much and have a happy holiday! “ 

 (I’m so sorry this is late qwq , i hope you had a good holiday!! )

Also yes the twst Mc is in a relationship with them in this scenario 

Riddle

He never thought too much about you , like he just sees you as a nice and well behaved student 

you two really bonded well with each other 

You felt comfortable enough to tell him that you were the child of the Demon of Pride 

He was frozen , now nothing changed , he still loved you but he now other things to consider 

Were you part demon or just human with small demon powers ? and other questions relating to that 

but it did get scary when her father himself showed up 

Lucifer just appeared out of no where , Riddle and whoever else was around was frightened but you just ran up to him saying “Dad! “ 

Riddle was intimidated but did his overall best to show that he cared and truly loved his child to the best of his abilities 

Lucifer appreciated Riddle how respectful he was to you, he was glad he has someone to care for his child as well as being a well behaved student 

Lucifer wished you both the best and hopes to see Riddle as a son in law 

Riddle felt fully accomplished 

Leona

oh no 

was your immediate thought when you dad said he was going to visit you at your school

it wouldn’t be too much of a problem but you mentioned to your father before that you had a boyfriend and that boyfriend was none other then Leona 

He wasn’t a bad boyfriend but you were afraid that lucifer would disapprove of him , meaning he might prohibit you from seeing him , no way you wanted that , you loved him (even if he can be a butt at times)

the day your father came , you nervously hugged him , and showed him around 

but to your surprise, Leona was prepared??

when you reached Savanaclaw for Lucifer to meet Leona and Leona acted somewhat out of character

He seemed non chalant but he acted more proper then he would - which is usually never 

 there were times Leona wanted to make a “smart” remark but he seemed to hold it in 

Lucifer accepted Leona as your lover, which relieved you heavily , but as soon as Lucifer left 

“Man, he really has a stick up his ass” 

“yeah he would of for sure gave you the whip if you said that .” 

“the what-”

Azul

Azul was having a breakdown and you had to calm him down , or try to-

Azul was nervous because now only are you the daughter of a Demon but a POWERFUL demon- 

he wanted to make the best impression , though you didn’t think it was necessary for him to do so 

They day lucifer arrive, he did his best to be polite and professional as possible at the monstro lounge 

Lucifer was already somewhat impressed that Azul was running his own business, but didn’t really trust the tweels that were with them 

 Azul’s nervous went off when an angry customer tried to confront him and almost took it on you and that very much pissed him off , to the point where he had the tweels “deal with him” 

after coming back to reality , he realized he showed Lucifer the self he wanted to hide 

but to his surprise, this impressed Lucifer “nani-”

“I would of taken care of those humans myself for dare to touch my child but i can be assured they’re safe with you . “

soon after, he patted Azul’s back but whispers before his leave “next time, i’ll show you some other ways to ‘take care “ of customers like that 

As soon as he left, he was relieved but interested in the next time he’d meet lucifer again

Kalim

This sweet baby- 

He didn’t seem to be fearful hearing about you dad, it just made him more excited to meet him! 

You were pleased but scared because you weren’t sure how your dad would react 

On the day Lucifer arrived, Kalim gave welcoming gifts to Lucifer, they weren’t overly expensive but it was still surprising to Lucifer (he better keep these away from Mammon)

Speaking of mammon, Lucifer thought he somewhat looked like Mammon , but he seemed more generous and kind 

that point was shown because Kalim was nothing but a ball of sunshine, he did his best to impressive Lucifer and showed how much he cared for you 

He even threw a party 

During the party, kalim would usually go wild but he was more mellow for your dad , that way he didn’t seem too rowdy 

afterwards it was time for Lucifer to go 

He told Kalim that he was grateful for the gifts and welcoming arua 

and finished off with “Please keep my Child smiling “

that really hit his heart 

Vil

Vil had no worries at all about meeting you father

he had to deal with meeting important people before 

but for this case, he did somewhat practice what he could possible say to your father to make a good impression

The day Lucifer arrived , Vil arranged for you two and him to have tea 

Vil was himself during the whole time he talked with lucifer 

You didn’t really worry too much since Vil doesn’t do anything to drastic for Lucifer to disapprove of 

Lucifer had a blank face, which was scary because it was hard to tell how he felt about the moment 

but Lucifer did approve of Vil but he did criticize him on certain points that involved his views 

like how he doesn’t understand why he would refer some as potatoes, he sees it as in insult Don’t let him know your vil’s sweet potato 

Other then that , he gets along well with Vil 

They talk for a long while , with most of it being about you 

Vil mentioned that he planned to live a happy life with you , such as marriage and (Depending if female or male/neutral by adopting) have children 

Which made you flustered to think about all that with Vil 

Soon after, lucifer said his farewell but before leaving “Yes, you may have permission to Marry “Y/N” 

Idia

Rip Idia 

He will admit he’s not the best at being a person but he will try for you 

but it’s pushing it because he’s going to meet your demon overlord dad 

He felt like he was getting pushed into a Hell escape game and versing a demon boss that was holding the princess captive or something like that 

He really tried his best to improve his speech but he always ends up stuttering even if no one was there 

When the dreaded day arrived , Idia nervously waited For you and Lucifer at the dorm entrance 

He formally greeted lucifer , he was slightly shaky but luckily it wasn’t that noticeable

idia barely talked and Lucifer already had a disapproving look 

sadly the entire time, lucifer was harshly judging him , which he was already used to 

but Lucifer struck a nerve when mentioning taking you away from him 

Idia confindenaly Disagreed which might i add was bold af and you were standing there shook he even said that period 

“L-look, i might be the greatest or best choice for “Y/N” but i love and care for them! They’re the only reason I even try to better myself! “

When he realized what he said , he froze but still was holding his guard 

surprisingly though, Lucifer approved. Not because he was suddenly a good choice but the fact he’s trying to do better just for you, which you gotta admire for Idia’s case 

Before leaving , he did warn Idia if he ever talked back like that again, he’d get the whip , Idia is well behaved whenever Lucifer comes back 

Malleus

oh this was an interesting case 

Now you weren’t sure how it would result , it could go really good or really bad 

Malleus gave the same vibes as lucifer but a bit more on the calm side (not to mention similar horns ) 

Malleus was pleased to hear he’d be meeting your father 

The day Lucifer Arrived , he was first greeted by Malleus who was already with you 

Lucifer and him seemed to be fine but you had a weird feeling they were just eyeing each other down , so a silent fight??

You were enjoying the evening with them and talk about things that they might agree on or having similar interest 

You were lucky because Lucifer was fascinated with Malleus’ interests and his history m], as well as being a soon to be ruler 

though Malleus jokingly challenges Lucifer, you can tell he wanted to actually test that 

Lucifer lowkey wanted to do the same but he had to be professional with him for your sake 

After seeing you two , he gives the ok that he’s fit but he still wants that challenge 

you laughed it off but Malleus seemed highly interested 

lord save us all from a Malleus and Lucifer Fight- 

[mochegato]

Paper Lanterns for New Beginnings

Another meet cute Monday fic.  Not going to let being sick stop it.  Hope you like it @boldlyanxious

“What do you think, Lian? Should we get a yellow one and a red one?” Roy asked holding up two paper lanterns.

“More, Papa.  We need lots,” Lian jumped excitedly as she answered, reaching up for more lanterns on the wall.

Roy shook his head, trying to hold in his chuckle.  She definitely got that need for more from him.  “Sorry, Sweetie, our hotel room doesn’t have room for more.  I think it’s just going to be the two for us.”

Lian pouted and sent him a glare to let him know how unhappy she was with his answer.  This time he was unsuccessful in keeping in his laughter in the face of her adorable three year old glare.  “I know you want a bigger celebration, but it’s just us this year so I think we’ll keep it small, okay?”

“No!  Big, Papa.  I want big!” she exclaimed loudly opening her arms wide to show him how big she wanted.

“Not this year, Honey. Maybe next year we can get Grandpa Ollie involved.  He’ll love to go over the top for you,” he answered firmly, sending her the most sympathetic look he could.  He understood she wanted to have a big celebration, like her mother would do for her, but he was not prepared for it.  In all honesty, he probably shouldn’t have taken the assignment from Oliver or pushed it back so they could celebrate Têt at home, but it was too late now.  “Come on, let’s get these and find a Vietnamese restaurant to get dinner at.  They might have some kind of party going on we can join.”

He started moving toward the front of the store, looking back to encourage Lian to come with him and make sure she was still following him instead of pouting in place.  His attention was so focused on Lian, he missed the young woman who was also making her way to the front with a box that almost looked larger than her and was overflowing with decorations.  He walked backwards into her box, knocking it out of her hands and pushing her off balance.

His arms reached her seconds before she fell into his chest, doing little more than wrap around her protectively.  He barely set his foot as a brace in time to keep them from falling over.  She lifted her head from his chest to look up at him with wide, beautiful, blue eyes.  Her eyes caught on his for a few moments before she shook her head lightly, seemingly bringing herself back to reality.  “I am so sorry!  I’m so madly clumsy.  Are you okay?” she gushed out quickly.  She looked him up and down, searching for any evidence of injury.

He chuckled lightly and checked her quickly to make sure she was okay too, which was a mistake because now his cheeks were heating up as he found himself unable to stop himself from checking out the absolutely beautiful woman in his arms.  Arms he hadn’t retracted from around her yet.  Arms, he noted, which she hadn’t removed herself from yet either.

“Daddy?  Okay Daddy?” Lian asked worriedly.

Roy jumped back from the woman, pulling his arms back quickly.  He chuckled awkwardly and scratched the back of his neck.  “Yeah, Sweetie.  I’m fine.” He turned back to the woman in front of him.  “Are you okay?  I’m sorry. I was watching my daughter instead of where I was walking.”

He moved to reassure Lian, but his feet got caught on the contents of the box that had spilled out around them when the woman fell.  He searched for a clear spot to set his foot to brace himself, but couldn’t find a spot before gravity took hold.  This time the woman was there for him.  She reached out and steadied him before he could fall.  “Thank you,” he grinned sheepishly at her.

She gave him a sweet smile in return.  “Just glad I could return the favor.  We’re even now.”

He smiled back at her, staring into her eyes.  He lost track of how long he was staring when Lian spoke up again.  “So many lanterns!” she squealed excitedly.

The woman jumped slightly and looked over to her with a kind smile.  “Yeah, we’re having a party tomorrow night for Têt.”  She knelt down to start gathering the decorations.

Roy knelt down next to her and started helping as well.  She gave him a grateful smile.  He shrugged back at her.  “Least I can do after knocking it out of your hands in the first place.”

“You’re having a Têt party?” Lian exclaimed.

The woman giggled.  “Well, I’m not. My friend’s mother is.  She always throws a big celebration for the second night. Everyone is invited.  If you guys want to come, you’re more than welcome to.”

Lian gasped loudly and looked at Roy with big, hopeful eyes, practically vibrating in excitement.  “Can we, Papa?”

Roy looked from her to the woman and back. As much as he wanted to, he didn’t want to impose on their celebration.  “I don’t know, Sweetie…”

The woman gave him a shy look and spoke quietly so he could hear her but not Lian.  “If you’re worried about imposing, don’t.  It’s a big party and she makes a point to invite anyone who wants to come. Everyone contributes, hence the…” she motioned toward the decorations.  “In fact, she’d have my head if she found out I ran into people who were interested and didn’t invite them.”  She gave him another bright smile that made him lose his breath. “So please, feel free to come and bring whoever with you.  You’ll be saving me a lecture.”

He found himself smiling back at her and nodding.  Like he would ever say no.  “Thank you. That would be great.  I wanted to do something for Lian, but I don’t…”  He paused to calm his mind and sort his thoughts. “That would be perfect, yeah. Thanks.”  His hand tingled where it had brushed against hers as they reached for the same lantern to put in the box.  

“I’m Roy.”  He extended his hand to shake hers.  “This is Lian.”

The woman smiled at Lian and turned back to Roy as she shook his hand, letting her hand linger in his as she spoke.  “I’m Marinette.  It’s nice to meet you both.”

“It’s really nice to meet you too.  Um… but, for the party, it’s just us.  There’s nobody else… here or at home.” He internally face palmed at his awkwardness.

She grinned pointedly at him and took her hand back to pick up the last of the decorations.  “Well, don’t tell Thim Lê Chiến that.  She’ll try to set you up with someone and since I’m the one inviting you, it’ll probably be me.”  She winked at Lian and chuckled as she put the last of the decorations into the box.

“You say that like it wouldn’t make me tell her first thing.”  Roy gave her a charming smile and grabbed the box, as he moved toward the front with her. “I wouldn’t mind the help actually… if you wouldn’t,” he added hesitantly.

She smiled ruefully at him.  “Normally I wouldn’t, but this party is actually celebrating more than just Têt.  It’s a bunch of new beginnings.  It’s Têt and birthdays and the defeat of Hawkmoth and… my goodbye party.  I’m moving in a few weeks so…”

Roy’s heart clenched slightly at the thought.  His charming smile turned sad.  He really would have liked to get to know her better.  But, then again, Paris would have been difficult anyway.  A new place couldn’t be much worse, right?  “That’s great for you though.  I mean, assuming you’re moving for something good.  Where are you moving?”

She took Lian’s hand as they made their way to the front together.  “I’m starting an internship in New York next month.  I’m moving in a few weeks to get settled and find an apartment.”

She watched as a grin found its way back on his lips.  “Do you believe in luck?” he asked smugly.

She eyed him suspiciously. “You live in New York?”

“I live in Star City, which is less than an hour outside it.  And I love visiting New York,” he answered, his roguish smile firmly back on his lips.

“Daddy, you said you hated when you had to go to New York.”  Lian’s face scrunched up in confusion.

Roy grimaced slightly and turned back to Marinette quickly with an overly wide smile.  “Hated that I don’t have a good reason to visit more often,” he corrected, cutting her off before she could say more.  “I have friends that live in New York if you need pointers and recommendations.  Maybe I can give you some at the party or over dinner tonight?

Marinette gave him a bemused smile, her eyes sparkled with mirth.  “Don’t you want to spend the first night with your immediate family?”

He motioned to Lian.  “This is my immediate family.  And we would love to invite you to join us.”  He gave her another charming smile.  “What do you think, Sweetie?”

“Yeah!  Please come.”  Lian clapped excitedly and turned to Marinette with wide kitten eyes.

“Well that’s just playing dirty,” she playfully scolded.  

Roy set down the box at the register and picked up Lian, setting her on his hip.  “It really is.  Luckily, she only uses her powers for good… mostly.” He gave Lian a mock glare that caused her to start giggling.

Marinette joined in the laughter and handed over her card to the checker.  “I’m not sure if I’ll have time.  I have to help set up for the party now and I’ll be spending most of the day tomorrow preparing food for the party.  So I’ll probably be busy until the party tomorrow… unless you guys want to help with the decorations?  If you want more Têt experience.”

“I don’t want to…” Roy started.

“Again,” she cut him off, “don’t worry about imposing. Thim Lê Chiến would absolutely love to have Lian helping.  She loves getting kids involved in the celebration.  And seeing Lian will only increase her harassment of my friend about when he’s going to have kids so that’s just another bonus for me. Please don’t take causing that away from me.”  She looked up at him with her own kitten eyes.

He chuckled lightly and looked down to give himself a brief reprieve from the lightheaded feeling he felt whenever he looked in her eyes.  “Who’s being unfair now?” he playfully chided.

“Is that a yes?” she asked, looking to Lian conspiratorially.

“Please, Daddy?” Lian added, matching Marinette’s kitten eyes.

“Oh God, too much cuteness,” he laughed shaking his head.  He raised his head to look her in the eyes again and send a genuine, grateful smile. “Yes.  We would love to help and get to know you better.”

Marinette smiled brilliantly at them.  “Sounds like a great start to the new year.”

[oatmilkslytherin]

about time (g.weasley)

description: george weasley and fem!reader have been best friends ever since they began attending hogwarts together. after so many years of like turning into love, george feels as if he’s too late to confess his feelings towards his best friend who is now in a loving relationship with adrian pucey. that is, until he finds out adrian’s dirty secret.

pairing: george weasley x fem!reader, slight adrian pucey x fem!reader

warnings: mention of sexual themes

requested: yes / no

taglist: @jud3cardan​ @potatothingsz​ 

a/n: another character i’ve been dying to write for because i’m in love w the weasleys<33 also lowkey in love with adrian pucey sorry <33

you had been a quidditch fan since before you could remember. even before your attendance at hogwarts, your father used to keep you up to date on all the quidditch-related news, players, etc. so when you began attending hogwarts, your love for quidditch had only sky-rocketed. when your best friends joined the gryffindor house team, it doubled if even possible. 

although you never had a knack for playing, you absolutely loved watching your favorite twins causing a commotion up on their brooms. they would always be the ones to try to catch your eyes in the stands as you cheered relentlessly for them, but you couldn’t deny the fact that a certain pair of eyes always made you melt under them.

george weasley. even his name caused you to blush wildly at the mere sound of it. you and george had become best friends during your first year after a prank-gone-wrong in your potions class. although the memory was from long ago, you couldn’t forget his singed eyebrows and lime green hair. you, on the other hand, managed to get away with a lime-green stain on your robes. ever since then, it was history.

you had always thought your relationship with george was strictly platonic. you two spent many nights together planning pranks and distractedly studying for your classes. that was, until one night when fred had retrieved you from the library, out of breath as he ran up to you mumbling about fred’s disheveled and drunken state in the gryffindor common room. 

while you knew the gryffindor house was throwing a party for an end of the year celebration, you decided against attending due to your stress from o.w.l examinations. in the midst of your studying, fred had quickly but silently ran up to you in the library, his own steps slightly haphazard and clumsy as he crouched by your table. he claimed that george had a bit too much to drink, and was refusing to go to bed unless you were there with him. while the request caught you wildly off guard, you agreed and followed fred to the gryffindor common room to coax your best friend to turn in for the night.

while everything had been platonic up to that point, you couldn’t forget the way george clung to you as you walked him to his dorm. his half-lidded gaze and incoherent mumblings made you smile as you eventually reached his room. you were close to turn away until he insistently slurred on you staying with him for the night, to which you reluctantly agreed. since then, you haven’t been able to forget the way he wrapped himself around you under the covers, the way he drunkenly spoke about how much he loved you.

the next day, you began to think it was all either a lie, or he just meant it in the platonic sense. you decided on the latter, as he had been acting completely normal around you like the previous night never happened. 

you chose to never bring it up again in fear of ruining your friendship, but you couldn’t deny how undeniably infatuated you were with your best friend. 

now, you didn’t have time to remember or forget the incident. closely following george’s drunken night in the common room, you had been approached by none other than adrian pucey, the chaser for the slytherin quidditch team. you had always thought pucey was handsome, but more in an admiring-from-afar sort of way. it became much more than that, however, when you two began dating.

although george wouldn’t admit it, the thought of you dating pucey itched at his skin. he couldn’t stand being around you two when you were together, as it took every fibre of his being to not punch adrian into the ground for stealing you away.

you were never his to begin with, but he felt cheated. cheated in the way that he wanted you all to himself, and he would’ve loved the chance to soberly tell you that, but his own nerves and doubts got in the way. only after you and adrian started dating did fred accidentally spill the fact that you had basically been in love with george. george now kicked himself on not jumping on his only opportunity earlier, or what he thought was his only opportunity.

george wandered aimlessly around the quidditch pitch and changing rooms, kicking at the loose rocks and tufts of grass that got in his way. he didn’t want to be near the castle right now, as it only meant that he would have to deal with seeing you and adrian being all lovey-dovey during dinner. 

the thought killed him. he wanted nothing more than to be with you, both in a romantic and best friendship sort of way. that’s what he loved most about you; the way that you were so comfortable being your fully authentic self around him. now, he was reduced to only being your best friend. while he was still glad to be in your life in that sense, he knew deep down he wanted more. 

george stopped his pacing abruptly when he heard a slam come from the slytherin changing rooms. george furrowed his brows slightly at the sound, knowing that no one besides him would be out by the pitch during dinner. as his curiosity peaked, george quietly made his way into the slytherin changing rooms, poking his head through the doors to get a glimpse of the source.

what he saw then made his jaw drop to the floor.

adrian pucey with his trousers half down and a girl who was not you wrapped around his hips and pressed against the wall. adrian’s head snapped towards the door as george poked his head in, his eyes widening as he caught a glimpse. in a panic, he nearly dropped the nameless girl from her position on the wall, scrambling to pull his pants back up as the girl scrambled for her own shirt. 

george was absolutely stunned at the sight. while he had known pucey to be a rather egotistical slytherin, he never thought in a million years he would be a cheater. from what george saw, pucey seemed absolutely enamored by you, always hanging off of your arm and pressing soft kisses anywhere that you allowed. 

but this, definitely was not that.

“you’re a dead man, pucey,” george spat, shaking his head slightly before retreating from the slytherin changing rooms. adrian stuttered as he tried to think of some excuse, fumbling over his own feet as he paced after george, who was already heading back to the castle. 

“it’s not what it looks like, weasley. please don’t tell y/n,” adrian pleaded, running his hands through his hair in exasperation. george had only scoffed, not even bothering to turn to face adrian in fear that he would only punch him, both for the fact that he had cheated on the girl he loved, as well as the fact that he took her from him in the first place.

“right, like i’m not going to tell my best friend you’re shagging someone else during dinner. tough luck, buddy,” george laughed lightly in attempt to suppress his anger towards the situation. without another word, george paced fervently back into the castle with only one thing on his mind: you.

-

word got around hogwarts fast. most people shunned adrian for doing something so harsh to someone like you, someone who wouldn’t even dare hurt a fly. others thought it was typical of him to do something so vile given his egotistical nature. you, on the other hand, were entirely heartbroken and shattered by the news.

thankfully, george was the one to tell you. he told you how he found them in the slytherin changing rooms by the pitch, and how he pleaded him not to tell you. you thanked him for being honest, but it didn’t change the fact that your now ex-boyfriend was cheating on you for merlin knows how long. 

adrian had tried to apologize to you and mend what he broke. you were not having any of it, though. 

it had been a week since george told you the gut-wrenching news. you figured the entire situation was over and done with since adrian had not even attempted to make amends. you were proved wrong, however, when a sharp knock elicited from your dorm room door. you reluctantly pried it open, your eyes meeting none other than adrian himself, his own cheeks slightly flushed and stained with tears. looking at him, you thought you would burst into tears. you only allowed yourself to remain emotionless and cold as he stood in front of you.

“please, y/n. it was a mistake. i love YOU, and only you,” adrian pleaded, tears welling up in his eyes as he croaked out his cries. you only shook your head, scoffing at his attempts to fix his horrid mistake.

“if you truly loved me, you wouldn’t have done it. we’re done, pucey, end of the story,” you ruthlessly spat at him, anger overcoming your entirety as you spoke. before he could get another word in, you muttered another short ‘no’ followed by lesser kind words before you slammed the door in his face. 

less than a minute later, another knock sounded from your door, making you groan in frustration. you pried yourself from the comfort of your bed once more, stomping over to the door before wrenching it open.

“i told you, pucey. i’m not getting back-” you cut your sentence short as your gaze met the figure’s in front of you, who was most definitely not adrian.

george stood with his eyes wide at your slight outburst, a small grin tugging at his lips despite your frustration.

“remind me to never cross you,” george spoke lightheartedly. your hardened gaze softened as you stepped to the side, welcoming george into your dorm. you shut the door softly behind him as he sat at the edge of your bed.

“i’m sorry, adrian was just here, i thought he came back for some forsaken reason,” you grumbled, letting yourself slouch back onto your bed next to george. george only gave you a soft, sympathetic smile, turning to face you.

“how are you feeling?” george asked as he tucked a stray strand of hair behind your ear. it was the smallest of affections, but it made you blush uncontrollably. you tried to suppress it by averting your attention to the space in between you and him.

“fine, i suppose. i cried it all out, now i’m just angry, i think,” you spoke truthfully. in the past two days of your heartbreak, you had grown to realize that the thought of adrian cheating on you hurt, of course, but you didn’t want to waste tears on someone who didn’t appreciate you enough to begin with. the more you thought about it, the more you realized that adrian’s love language was all for show. on paper, he appeared like an absolute gentleman who could do no harm. behind closed doors, however, it was like he didn’t care if you were there or not. 

in your opinion, it all seemed like an unnecessary, grotesque publicity stunt. the only thing adrian didn’t realize, though, was that there was no one who cared about him enough to watch. 

“i’m sorry, y/n. you deserve better,” george spoke, his hand reaching to grab yours in his, grazing his thumb lightly over the back of your hand. shivers shot throughout your spine at his touch, the heat rising back to your cheeks as you suppressed the soft smile pulling at your lips. 

besides your sudden realization that adrian had no sustenance in a relationship, you also couldn’t help but wonder if you only said ‘yes’ to him because you wanted to get your mind off of someone else. while you admitted that it wasn’t fair of you to write your relationship with adrian off as you just using him to get over your unrequited love of george, you knew that deep down you knew it was never meant to last. 

now, as george sat side-by-side with you, your hand in his as he traced indefinable figured on the back of your hand, you realized that all you wanted all along was him. 

you glanced up at george quickly before settling your gaze back on the bedding, a soft smile stringing along your lips.

“yeah? like who?” you asked, laughing slightly at your own question. george smirked as his other hand reached up, two of his fingers tucking themselves under your chin and pulling your face up to look him in the eyes. your body was coursing with nerves and excitement, your heart beating rapidly as you had just taken note of the close proximity between you two. 

“i, for one, would never cheat on you,” george said playfully, a red hue glazing his features as he smiled at you. you couldn’t help but smile back at him as you stared deeply into his brown eyes.

“well, i suppose that would apply if we were dating, but we’re not,” you spoke equally as playfully. george let out a light laugh as he inched his face closer to yours, your noses grazing against one another’s. your heart beat increased rapidly as you felt his warm breath against your lips, your own breath hitching at his closeness.

“we could be. and i could tell you over and over again how wonderful and worth it you are,” george said, his voice barely above a whisper. you bit down on your lower lip lightly as your mind raced with the idea of being with the one person you haven’t been able to get your mind off of for who knows how long.

“i suppose we could, then,” you breathlessly replied. george smiled at your flustered response, finally closing the gap between the two of you and pressing his lips against yours. 

you immediately melted into the kiss, your arms coming up to wrap around his neck as you tangled one of your hands in his soft hair. george immediately responded to your actions by settling his hands on your waist, pulling you closer into him until your legs draped over his lap. 

your lips met his with enraged passion, smiles and laughter spilling from both of your mouths as your lips met over and over again in pure ecstasy. in a slight fit of laughter, you both pulled away, breathless and eyes sparkling with excitement. you and george still remained tangled together, looking into each other’s eyes as you smiled widely. 

george pressed a few more sweet kisses to multiple plots on your face, nearly assaulting you with his lips on your skin. you couldn’t help but throw your head back in laughter, your head spinning at the thought of finally being able to kiss your best friend. george couldn’t suppress his own smiles and laughs, leaning down to press a final kiss to your lips.

“merlin, you don’t know how long i’ve wanted to do that.”

[mldrgrl]

How Stella Got Her Groove Back

by: mldrgrl Rating: PG-13 Summary: Just a little something to celebrate spring...and Stella’s birthday!

They left Connecticut in September, with a fair amount of reluctance to go, but they needed to return to the city.  Becca had already gone and though both Karen and Fish insisted they were welcome to stay longer, stay forever if they had to, at a certain point, Hank and Stella had just been missing their loft and their life in New York too much.  Of course, they knew that what they were returning to was not the life they were accustomed to, but they would have to learn to adapt to the new normal.

Winter was long and brutal.  They did spend two weeks over Christmas and New Years back in Connecticut again and that was the first time they’d seen Becca since July, and the last time they would see her until spring.  Karen had tried to coerce them all to stay again and Hank and Stella nearly gave in.  If not for the fact that Stella left a project behind she’d been working on for her classes and if Hank had brought the pages he’d been working on for his new novel, they just might have done it.

When they got back to New York, and in a cabin fever-induced moment of weakness, they hired a landscape architect to design their rooftop terrace and though the noise of construction aggravated the hell out of both of them, they were both pleased with the results.  They now had an artificial lawn of soft green turf, an outdoor patio daybed in the shape of a cube with canvas shades on all four sides, a wet bar, strategically placed heating lamps, and a wood burning fire pit.  Unbeknownst to them, when Fish had heard their plans, he’d called the company they hired, ordered them a charcoal grill, and told the contractor to keep it a surprise.  They were very surprised by the barbeque that was suddenly part of the design, but it looked nice, even if it wouldn’t get any use.

Finding ways to fill the time with nowhere to go and no one to see was extremely difficult.  Neither of them were very much into television or movies.  The terrace, as welcome as it was, wasn’t finished until the end of February.  Stella had the classes she was teaching and the child psychology classes she was enrolled in to keep her fairly busy during the days, but Hank could only write for so many hours at a time and he found that he actually missed helping Fish with the guitar lessons.  He grumbled to Stella that ‘that damn Trout’ bewitched him somehow and then begrudgingly called him up and asked if he could still help out remotely.  Fish was delighted by the request and sent him an iPad and a teaching schedule.  

The close quarters had caused a few squabbles, though nothing major.  They took a few online cooking classes together which produced some mediocre meals and a testy exchange on the appropriate amount that constituted a ‘pinch of salt.’  Beyond that, they managed not to take out any frustrations on each other.

It was April 1st when Stella wandered from the bathroom to the bedroom in her t-shirt and sweatpants, rubbing lotion into her hands and arms.  Hank was in bed, perhaps naked, or perhaps wearing jockey shorts, she couldn’t be sure.  He had his guitar across his lap and his head back so that he gazed at the ceiling while he plucked lightly at the strings.

“Hank,” she said, leaning into the foot of the bed with slightly bended knees.

“Do you think ‘oral’ actually rhymes with ‘clorital’ or is it cheating?” he replied.

“You know that next week is my birthday.”

Hank splayed his hand out on the guitar and looked at her.  “Is this a trick question?”

“Not at all.”

“So, if I say ‘yes, of course, your birthday is April 7th and I already know I’m not to mention it to anyone,’ is that the wrong answer because I’m not supposed to acknowledge it in the first place?”

“I am aware that in the past I have requested that my birthday be treated as any other day.”

“Mmhm.”

“I’ve been thinking that perhaps...I might like to celebrate this year after all.”

“Oh, I get it.  April fools.  You could’ve just put plastic wrap on the toilet or secretly replaced my regular coffee with Folgers.”

“I’m serious.”

“Ah, so the one year it’s impossible to throw a party, you want to have a party?”

“God, no.  Parties are awful.”

“Well, what then?”

“Brunch?  With Becca?  This weekend, or the next, perhaps.  There are more places opening up now.  We could-”

“Absolutely, Sherlock.  Whatever the suggestion, I am all in.”  He pushed his guitar aside and she was mildly disappointed to discover that he was in his jockey shorts after all and not naked. He scooted forward to the end of the bed and wrapped his arms around her hips.

“A walk in the park, maybe?”

“Not sure if my legs remember what walking is at this point, so it’ll be good to remind them.”  He moved his hands down to the backs of her thighs and gave them a squeeze and then cupped her ass.  “Why the sudden change of heart, Sherlock?”

“I’ve just been thinking lately that it’s perfectly acceptable to want to celebrate being alive.  After the year we’ve had.”

“I agree, but as long as I get to have my breakfast in bed in bed that day, I’ll be happy.”

“It’s my birthday, I’m not bringing you breakfast in bed.”

“Oh, honey, you are the breakfast,” he growled, wrapping his arms around her again and pulling her into him as he fell back onto the bed.

*****

The Saturday before her birthday was Easter weekend.  There was no rain in the forecast and Becca was available, so it was perfect.  They took a Lyft to the upper west side and met her at a French bistro that had outdoor seating.  Stella could tell right away that something was bothering Becca, that she was putting on a false front of cheerfulness, which was very unlike her, but if she did know her stepdaughter, she knew the girl could not keep up pretenses for long.

They ordered and waited for their food over bottomless mimosas and miniature ham and cheese croissants served as an appetizer.  It wasn’t cold, but a cool breeze would drift by every so often and Stella was glad she had left her hair down so that her ears were covered.  She wished she’d been a bit more practical though and worn pants.  She’d just felt like dressing up and at the last minute, put on an olive-colored dress with small printed white flowers on it, but at least it was long-sleeved and she had a white sweater.  Becca and Hank were like twins in their matching leather jackets and dark jeans.

“Are you working on anything?” Becca asked Hank.

“Almost finished,” he answered.

“Oh.  What’s it about?”

“A couple that’s been married for fifteen years, but they’re on the brink of the divorce when the pandemic hits and then they go from spending almost no time together to all of their time together and it’s disastrous at first, but then they end up learning a lot about each other.”

“So, they save their marriage?”

“No, they end up getting divorced anyway.”

“That’s fucked up.”

“It’s fiction, sweetheart.”

“People like happy endings.”

“People are stupid.  I didn’t say it didn’t have a happy ending though.  Are you working on anything, Daughter?”

Becca sighed and picked at her nails.  Stella put a hand on Hank’s knee under the table.

“Is something bothering you, Darling?” Stella asked.

“No.  Yeah.  No.  I don’t wanna ruin your birthday or anything when it’s the first birthday we’ve ever celebrated together.”

Stella gave Becca a brief smile.  “I don’t know if your father has told you why I’ve always been rather reluctant to celebrate my birthday.”

Becca shook her head.  Hank stretched his arm out behind Stella’s chair and put his hand on her back.  She gave his knee a squeeze of appreciation.

“My father passed away on my fourteenth birthday,” Stella said.  “So, Darling, you have a high bar to overcome if you think being in a low mood will ruin my birthday.”

“That sucks about your dad, I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright.”  Stella looked to Hank for a moment and then back to Becca.  “I’ve spent many years trying to ignore the date as though if I didn’t acknowledge it, it’s like it had never happened.  I don’t think I really understood until quite recently that one is capable of being sad and grateful at the same time.  And that life should be celebrated.  Especially now.”

“I guess I’m just...when we were up at Mom’s house, everything was so easy and nice and I had a really hard time writing.  That’s why I wanted to leave.  It was way too peaceful.”

“You know if I had a dollar for every time Becca claimed my shit was fucking her up, I’d be richer than that fucking Amazon guy, and now it sounds like she wants to file a grievance that we’re not fucking her up enough.”

“Am not.”  Becca rolled her eyes.

“Don’t listen to him,” Stella said.  “He’s been so mired with boredom lately he has regular calls with Fish.”

“No!”

“Hey, hey, hey,” Hank protested, putting his hands up in defense.  “There was and will only be one bromance in my life and that’s with one Mr. Charles Runkle, that follically challenged motherfucker.  No better pairing existed except for maybe Bert and Ernie, or Sid and Nancy.”

“I think we should let Becca continue with what she was trying to say.”

“Thank you.”  Becca put her hand up as though she was blocking Hank from her view and he reached over and slapped her palm away.  “As I was saying, I left because I thought the serenity was blocking me in some way, but since I’ve been back, it’s like the opposite.  It felt so apocalyptic at first and desperate.  It was like impossible to sit down and put words together when there were so many shitty things happening outside.  What if...what if the next thing I finish, people will be like oh, she was just sitting inside writing while everyone else was dying?”

“There will always be shitty things happening outside,” Hank said.  

“Great advice, Dad.”

“I don’t mean to bitchslap you with reality, but the world being shitty isn’t a reason to give up.”

“I’m not giving up.”

“Good, because you are way more fucking talented than I could ever even hope to be.”

“I just don’t know if it matters.  If anyone should care.”

“Why should you concern yourself with that?”

Becca glared at Hank, clearly annoyed with the answer.

“I know you think I’m being facetious,” Hank said, quickly.  “But, I’m not.  If all anyone wanted to read was about things that ‘mattered’ that 50 Shades of Hot Garbage would never have sold a single copy.  You don’t know why people read what you write.  Maybe they want to escape the shitty things happening in the world.  Maybe they want to laugh or cry or be turned on.  Maybe they just need something to pass the time.”

“Five minutes ago you just said people were stupid for wanting happy endings, now you’re saying I should just give them garbage, if that’s what they want.”

“Yeah, I’m a fucking hypocrite, what else is new, but I just want you to be happy with what you’re doing.  You want me to buy you a new laptop?”

“I’m not twelve anymore.  You can’t just buy my happiness.”

“Worth a shot.”

“Becca,” Stella finally interjected.  “I think it’s obvious by now that your father may possibly be the world’s worst motivational speaker.”

“Or the world’s best unmotivational speaker,” Hank said.  “You see what I did there?  I turned a negative into a positive.”

Both Stella and Becca ignored the comment.

“I think I may understand what he’s trying to say though,” Stella said.  “I’m not a creator, but I’ve been a consumer.  When I was reading for pleasure, I certainly wasn’t reaching for mystery novels.  And I think that...popularity and quality are two different things.  Certainly, one would hope for both, but it isn’t always the case.  I know you and I know that quality is important to you, so perhaps you should only focus on if what you’re working on is the best that it can be and not on whether or not it matters.”

“Can I add something to that?” Hank asked.

“Not if you plan on fucking up everything Stella just said,” Becca answered.

“I’ve done at least a dozen online events this year and at every single one, someone has asked me when the next Rebecca Moody novel is going to be released or they want to know what you’re working on.  I’m not even entirely sure all of them are there to hear my Q&A or if they just showed up because they know I’m your dad and they think you might make a guest appearance.  And if one person takes umbrage with you for creating something during a time of utter hell, fuck them.”

“Without art, the crudeness of reality would make the world unbearable,” Stella quoted.

“That sounds so much hotter when you say it than George Bernard Shaw,” Hank replied, rubbing his hand across Stella’s upper back.

“Okay, I don’t want to spend this day being miserable,” Becca said, shaking her head and shoulders like she was trying to rid herself of negativity.  “Thank you, Stella.”

“You’re welcome, darling girl.”

“Hey, what about me?” Hank asked.

“There is this jacket I saw online that I want,” Becca answered, cheekily raising one of her eyebrows and tilting her head.

“I’ll text you my credit card number later.”

“Thank you, Father.”

*****

Brunch was followed by a stroll in Central Park and it seemed that at least half of the city had the same idea.  It was interesting being in a place so crowded and yet also so open.  The decent weather and the cherry blossoms in full bloom probably had something to do with it.  What also would have felt strange a year ago, seeing everyone wearing face masks and wearing them as well, was oddly comforting.  When Stella had put hers on that morning before they walked out the door, Hank told her she looked like a sexy brain surgeon or cardiologist, whichever one was smarter or made more money.

When they came upon Bethesda Fountain, there was a small band playing salsa music and a few couples dancing.  Hank tried to imitate the steps and then grabbed Becca’s hand and spun her around under his arm.  She laughed and tried to break free of him, but he pulled her back in and tried to get her to dance.

“Da-ad,” Becca protested.

“Dance with me, Daughter.”

“I don’t dance.”

“You’re no fun.”  Hank let go of Becca’s hand and then grabbed Stella’s.

“Oh, no,” she said.

“Come on, Sherlock.  I know you’ve probably got some moves I’ve never seen.”

“I assure you that’s not true,” she answered, letting him spin her away though and then laughed as he gyrated his hips dramatically as he stepped back towards her.  “Whatever it is that you’re doing does not resemble the salsa in any way.”

“Let me see you do better.”

Stella looked past Hank to the other dancers and mimicked the forward and back steps.  She put a hand on Hank’s chest to keep him at arm’s length and prevent their knees from colliding as he tried to fall into the same step with her, moving forward when she stepped back, and back when she stepped forward.  What he lacked in grace, he made up for with enthusiasm.  As soon as they fell into sync, he grabbed her hand and lifted her other arm in a more formal dance frame like the other dancers had.

What followed was probably the worst and most amateurish version of a salsa that had ever been danced, but Stella laughed so hard it brought tears to her eyes.  When the music ended, Hank stopped and pulled Stella’s face mask down under her chin before lowering his own and then kissing her through both of their laughter.

The dancing couples broke apart and drifted back into the crowd.  Becca went over and dropped some money into the cup on the ground in front of the band and thanked them for playing.  Stella took Hank’s hand and then Becca linked her arm with Stella’s as they continued on.

Later that night, when Stella came out of the bathroom as she rubbed lotion into her hands and arms, she stopped at the foot of the bed and watched Hank read over the latest pages of his novel.  When she was finished, she climbed onto the bed and walked over to Hank on her knees until she was straddling his lap.  He threw his pages down, took his reading glasses off, and pulled her close with his hands on her ass.

“Thank you,” Stella said, as Hank kissed the side of her neck.

“For what?”

“This truly was the best birthday I’ve ever had.”

“Your birthday’s not until Wednesday.”

“Perhaps next year we’ll even be able to invite Karen and Fish to town.”

“We’ll make The Trout christen that barbeque he forced on us.”

“It does look nice though.”

“It really does.  You want your present now, or should I wait until Wednesday?”

“I might be interested in a preview,” she said, sliding her hand down his chest and then into his shorts.  “A little peak at the package ahead of time.”

“You just assumed I was talking about fucking when I said I had something for you?”

“Weren’t you?”

Hank paused and then grinned.  “Yeah, I was.”

The End

[fuckinuchihas]

🌹 - Neji

Sorry this is so late I haven’t had wifi for like a month so thanks for being so patient <3  Also side note I really enjoyed writing this so I hope it’s okay!! 

Neji insists that he doesn’t need to get married. He can lead the clan without distraction if he stays unattached and unencumbered by the weight of those kinds of things. It's a little easier to imagine having a child now that the main branch of the family has grown in a variety of ways. However, he isn’t about to let down his guard just because the peace they reached after the war, seems to be holding up fairly well. 

His uncle is not pleased with this revelation. 

As he is still the head of their clan, Neji does have some obligation to meet his demands but after the first, second, and third attempts of ‘urgent meetings’ that quickly devolve into arranged marriage contract negotiations, he’s at his limit. 

He finally turns to Hinata for assistance but with her being married to the man she’s been in love with since she could barely walk, it’s not exactly helpful.

Neji doesn’t have a Naruto. 

There’s no one that has drawn him in or piqued his interest in the slightest. 

He really wishes his uncle would just stay out of it. 

That is until Hinata tells him about an upcoming ceremony where an ambassador from the village hidden in the waterfalls is meeting with all the local clan leaders to discuss a political marriage for their next in command. 

Marrying for money or privilege has never appealed to him, nor is he idealistic enough to put his faith in a cosmic power; be it fate, soulmates, or even something as abstract as love.

However, since the war, the land hidden in the waterfalls has rightfully felt cut off from the rest of the Land of Fire despite being centered between The Hidden Leaf Village and The Hidden Stone Village.

To have something to bond those in power wouldn’t be a terrible idea…

“Who all will be present?” Neji asks, almost surprising himself that he’s actually showing an interest. 

“Unfortunately there’s not many clans with unmarried heirs. The Nara clan is sending their third in line, Shino has requested that he not be included, but he’ll probably have to make an appearance anyway, and...and the Fuma clan will be sending someone, though I’m not sure who.” she says, showing quite a bit of worry. 

The Fuma clan is known for their aggression but none more than the most recently appointed heir. If not for how well things were already running, mostly due to Naruto’s heart and Shikmaru’s untouchable mind…

Well, to allow that man more power doesn’t sit right in his gut. 

“Tell Uncle I’ll be in attendance,” he says, ignoring the way Hinata’s eyes widen in surprise. “It can never hurt to keep an eye on the Fuma clan.” 

“I’ll let him know.” 

Neji gently bows his head to her and takes off in another direction. 

He has some research to do. 

The night of the ceremony he’s dressed in his formal wear despite the discomfort that comes from it, and his hair has been neatly straightened and pinned. There’s a prickle of nervousness at his fingertips but he ignores it in favor of arriving just a few minutes before the other guests. 

His uncle is giving him the most enthusiastic smile he’s seen from the man in years and it almost immediately makes him flinch back and turn around. 

No...this was his plan he’ll see it through.

It will be fine if you take up with the Nara clan member or even Shino he supposes but if it looks as if the Fuma clan have the upperhand, he’ll step in.

He isn’t full of himself, knows it’s nothing to do with who he is, his hopes, dreams, desires, but his clan is well known throughout all the villages and he has been appointed to be their heir as soon as his Uncle wishes to step down. 

Some nagging voice in the back of his mind is telling him that the old man is just waiting to marry him off before doing it.

Still, a contract with him is far superior to a contract with the Fuma clan and Neji understands the power of his position if nothing else. 

When you arrive, your face is hidden entirely under a thick veil, he bows his head to you politely and you return the motion, the same for your father. 

His uncle then proceeds to ‘keep casual conversation’ which in political rooms means something entirely different, as the four of you wait for the others to show up.

Shino is first, he stays humble and polite for a few moments but is suspiciously called to the school no more than five minutes after the introductions are over. 

Neji tries not to envy him. 

You’re soft spoken and quiet, Neji isn’t sure if that’s actually who you are or who you are in moments like this but he’s at least glad that you’re speaking on some topics as the conversation loops from one thing to another. 

The young man from the Nara clan...well he can hardly be called a man. He’s probably only barely old enough to be married at all, is nervous and awkward which is slightly amusing to him, but clearly not a viable candidate. 

Honestly, if you can just get things sewn up before Fuma gets he-

As if right on cue, the ceremonial curtain that was hung at the entrance of the room is loudly pulled away and in walks the overly entitled cesspool of DNA known as Fuma Ichizoku.

Servants follow him into the room despite the fact that marriage negotiations are meant to be private with only one advisor per each interested party. 

“Hey there, why don’t you take all that off and let me get a look at your pretty face,” he says, then he steps toward you and you subtly back away from the advance. It’s just a small movement really, the curve of your back arching just a little.

It’s enough for him. 

Neji wastes no time, he stands, politely bows to you and then meets Ichizoku head on. 

“I’m afraid you’re no longer welcome in these talks. Bringing uninvited guests into a treaty signing is not allowed,” he says cooly, ignoring the gasp from his cohorts. “I would advise that you read up on the formalities of contract negotiations before entering into one.” 

“Do you know who I am?” he asks, his words slurring a bit as the stink of alcohol invadesNeji’s air. 

“A previous guest who has been uninvited, now please see your way out,” Neji answers, looking to his people. It is in vain because they are clearly too intimidated to do anything about his disruptive behavior. 

In one quick, precise movement, Neji thumps his hand against the side of Ichizoku’s neck and he barely has time to start his complaint before crumpling to the floor.

He turns to you, eyes pale and gorgeous and he asks if you’d like to file a formal complaint. You quickly shake your head no before he turns back to the group that came in with him. “See to it that he gets home safely,” he says, but he makes a mental note to discuss this with Ichizoku’s father. If he can’t do better than this, he’s not fit to lead a clan of any kind, not even theirs. 

They quickly carry him out of the room and Neji returns to his seat. 

Your father scratches his chin with stoic features for a few beats before Neji watches the small uptick at the corner of his mouth and he feels a flood of something warm through him. 

“I’ve heard rumors you were reluctant to marry…” he says, and Neji slowly bows and nods his head. 

“That’s true yes...I had no altruistic intentions of marrying and having a family. I think-I thought it would be easier to lead my clan if I wasn’t concerned about a partner or children or returning home every night,” he says, but he looks to you, bows his head again, “But if I can be of use to my clan, to the people in my village, to the Allied Nations I want to do that. I want people in every hidden village to feel included in the peace that we’ve fought so hard to get,” he says, and he doesn’t think he’s talked this much in a while but it still doesn’t feel like enough. 

“So not for money or love, but political marriage interests you?” 

“It’s not that, sir. I just think that when you’re part of something greater than yourself or your clan, it gives you a sense of purpose and I believe anyone who experiences that is more invested in maintaining those ideals and feelings,” he says, and you find yourself smiling under the veil. 

“And you think you can share that feeling with our people?” he asks, and Neji goes quiet, lost in his thoughts for a moment.

Hiashi tries to cover the silence but your father just waits for him, observes him and waits. 

“To be honest sir, I’m not entirely sure I’m the best person for that. Until recently I was blind to most of the world outside the Hyuga compound,” he says, pausing to take a breath. “Perhaps you could find a better match elsewhere. Someone more open and kind. You see, I’m not very personable. Even my teammates and closest friends find me difficult…”

“Well I certainly didn’t expect quite that much honesty,” your father says, a hearty laugh bubbling out of his chest. 

“Sir?” 

“You’ll do fine, young Hyuga. You’ll do just fine.” 

“I’m not sure I understand…”

“The contracts can be amended if you find something to your dislike but read over them and make your decision. I know we’re eager to officially join in the peace treaty and have such respectful and honest allies at our backs.” 

Neji looks to you like he’s expecting you to stop him or something but you just nod your head in agreement and let him look over the pages, your skin tingling with anticipation.

You wait, breath feeling trapped in your throat as his eyes skim over the document when his signature is finalized across the bottom, you feel yourself smiling.

[marybethsjournal]

Ummm hiya.. if I may be so bold can I request Charles Smith x f reader nsfw them doing the deed at Sean’s party behind on of the wagons

I’m sorry if it’s weird🥲

Not weird at all! This is my first time writing Charles, though, so let me know if this isn’t what you’re looking for and I will rewrite it!

Just Be Quiet (Charles x f! reader)

Word Count: 1680

Warnings: 18+, smut

ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29786193

Sean was finally back and you couldn’t be happier. After Blackwater, you had thought he had been a goner for sure. People in the gang had started to speak of Sean like he had passed, which made Karen flip out. You had spent many a late night comforting her, telling her that you were sure he was out there somewhere. It stung a little to tell her what you assumed to be a lie.

But the Irish Terrier was back and better than ever, cracking jokes, drinking, and trying his best to seduce Karen. Dutch had authorized the gang to throw a little party for him and you were more than glad to participate. Any celebration in these hard times of being hunted by the law was welcomed.

The party went on for several hours and involved lots of singing and drinking. You spent most of the party looking on from one of far sides of camp, keeping Sadie and Abigail company. You had always felt close to Abigail and since Sadie had joined the gang, you’d taken a shine to her too. Therefore, out of a sense of loyalty, you stood by their side instead of going off the rails like the other members of the gang. You couldn’t say that you hadn’t had a drink or two, though. You were glad that everyone was having a break from the stress of life and didn’t mind watching everyone enjoy their night. Besides, it was a little funny to watch your drunken friends sing a chorus or pretend they were Parisian ladies.

It was around midnight when Charles approached you and asked you to dance. You were over the moon, of course you wanted to dance with him, but you checked with Sadie to make sure it was alright first. Abigail had ran off to yell at John about something and if you left, Sadie would be all alone. Sadie gave you a small smile and assured you it was alright, you should enjoy your night. You and Sadie parted ways, her going to bed, and you being led by Charles to the wagon next to Abigail and Jack’s tent. It was close enough to the campfire to hear the gang singing out of tunes and laughing, but far enough away that no one was actually in your line of sight or could hear what you were saying if you talked softly.

Upon arriving at your destination, you immediately pulled Charles into a big bear hug. He was much stronger than you and could have pulled you off him if he wanted to, but instead he caressed your hair and told you that he had missed you. You looked into his eyes and knew that he was sorry about the last couple of weeks. Nothing bad had happened between you two, but everything had been so busy since Colter that you two had barely exchanged words. It had crushed you, but you understood. Charles had orders from Dutch constantly. Ever since the loss of Davey and supposedly Mac, a lot more things fell on Charles’s  shoulders.

None of that mattered anymore, though. Right here, right now, you were in his arms and that’s what you really cared about. You felt like you were going to cry of happiness when he told you he loved you and proceeded to cup your face in his big hands and kiss you gently. This was Heaven on Earth.

You were a bit clunky at dancing and so was Charles, truth be told. But it was still lovely, Charles twirling you around and softly singing to you. The moment felt so intimate, your hands on Charle’s shoulders and the two of you looking into each other’s eyes. You never wanted the moment to end.

“Come here, my dove. You look so beautiful tonight.” you blushed at the compliment and hugged him again like he wanted you to. How could you resist being in the arms of your big, strong man?

The moment, which was meant to be wholesome, took a turn when you pressed a little too close to him and felt that he was hard. You became acutely aware of just how long it has been since the two of you had been with each other. And now you were thinking about it, you couldn’t think about anything else.

“I’m sorry, love. Didn’t mean to ruin our moment.” Charles, knowing that you had noticed, told you apologetically.

“No I- I want it.” you looked up at him, cheeks flushed.

Charles was taken aback. “Soon. Once we can get out of here, maybe we can get a room at the hotel tomorrow.” But even as he said this, his eyes were glazing over in lust.

“Why not here? Nobody’s looking.” you practically begged him.

Charles hesitated, he was rather shy and didn’t want to get caught. But when you began palming him through his pants, it became too much for him.

“Okay, just try to be quiet. I love your moans but I really don’t want anyone to hear.” he warned as he lowered his pants, not completely taking them off in case he quickly needed to pull them back on.

You weren’t as worried so you let your skirt drop onto the grass and pulled off your bloomers quickly. You weren’t worried about too much foreplay tonight, just wanted it quick and fast. There’d be plenty of time for everything else another day.

Charles whistled at you when you turned around to face him, naked from the waist down. “That’s my girl.” The words never failed to make you go red in the face.

Charles turned you around and lifted your right leg onto the wagon wheel. You could feel his hot, heavy breath on his neck behind you and wanted nothing more than you to fuck you mercilessly, but Charles wasn’t that kind of man. He always prepped you beforehand no matter how horny he was. It made you more desperate and needy in the moment, but in the long run, you were more than grateful for it. Charles was very large and thick and fucking you unprepped would surely hurt.

You looked back at Charles as he stuck two of fingers in his mouth to coat them before pushing his digits into you, slowly at first, but in a faster rhythm as he began to open you up. You moaned softly, trying to remember to keep it down, and took his dick in your hand. You began to move your hand back and forth, attempting to keep the same rhythm that he was using to finger you. You couldn’t help but keep your head turned to him, you loved to watch his face in concentration when he was pleasuring you. 

After a few minutes of you pressing back on him and fucking yourself on your fingers, you had absolutely soaked his fingers. He praised you quietly, telling you how good you were doing, before pulling his fingers out of you and positioning himself behind you.

“Fuck, please, Charles.” you would have gladly begged more but Charles didn’t have it in him to tease you tonight. He kissed your neck as he pushed himself into. 

You groaned at the sheer size of him. Even having prepped you, it still took a moment for you to adjust to him. Never one to be lost on how to make you feel good during the whole experience, Charles rubbed your clit and whispered in your ear about how good you were for him. God, your brain was going fuzzy already.

Soon enough, you became used to his size and gave him the go ahead to begin thrusting into you. You didn’t have to tell him twice. He repeated his method he had done before with his fingers, thrusting slow at first but faster as you became needier. You couldn’t look back at him anymore, you couldn’t take it. You threw your head back and enjoyed the moment. You were moaning a little louder than you should have, but Charles seemed to have forgotten that he had instructed you to stay quiet because he didn’t stop you. In fact, the man was letting out grunts louder than he probably should have, too. He grabbed your waist roughly and began pounding into you, faster than he normally did. He liked to take his time with you when he could, but it had been a couple of weeks and you both needed this so bad. It felt so good already, you thought that maybe you could come from just this, but when you thrusted into you in just the right spot, you knew you’d be in for soon enough. It didn’t take long before Charles, reduced to various primal grunts, began rubbing your clit again, faster than he had before. You knew he must be close and Charles, being the considerate partner he was, always wanted you to come first. You focused on him pounding into you and the feeling, trying to give him what he wanted. Before the feeling in your core became too much, though, Charles thrust into you a final time, finishing deep inside of you. Feeling this was the final straw and you orgasmed hard on his dick, whimpering his name as softly as you could manage (which actually wasn’t all that soft). He helped you ride out your orgasm before pulling out of you, leaving you feeling empty. 

He gave you a deep, romantic kiss as you were trying to put your skirt back on. He offered for the two of you to go take a walk but you laughed and took a raincheck on that one, informing him that you’d better go to bed seeing as you probably wouldn’t be able to walk all that well for the rest of the night.

“I do wish we could properly spend the night together, though. Ending the night going our separate ways isn’t exactly the way I like things to go.” You told him, a little sadness seeping through your voice.

“One day.” he promised.

[hookingminor]

close quarters (final) - andre burakovsky

a/n: here’s the final part! thank you all so much for your support and love for this series, and I’m so glad to finally mark it as finished! I love y’all and thanks, as usual this isn’t proofread

word count: 3,339

one / two / three / four

-

“Andre, stop, we have to get going,” you giggled out, but he didn’t stop his ministrations. In fact, he only tightened his grip around your middle to pull you closer into his chest.

“We can be a little late, they'll understand,” Andre mumbled into your neck, leaving open-mouthed kisses along your skin. You were in the middle of applying finishing touches to your makeup, but it was becoming a little hard to ignore your leech of a boyfriend who wouldn’t let you go.

He tugged you by the belt loops of your jeans, causing you to bend slightly as your ass dug into his crotch. You rolled your eyes at his needy actions, pulling the mascara brush away from your face before Andre made you smear it. He had been trying to seduce you into a quickie since getting to your apartment to pick you up, but you’d be damned if you missed your first team barbecue because Andre wanted to bend you over this sink.

“I don’t want to make a bad first impression by showing up too late,” you replied, swatting his hands away, though his grip would not be broken.

“You’ve already met, like, the whole team. What’s the big deal?” He asked, turning your body around by your belt loops so you could face him. His hands bracketed you between his body and the counter.

“And last time I saw them they all thought I was Tyson’s date,” you explained, raising your arms to rest on his shoulders, “They’re going to think I’m some kind of team whore or something.”

“No one thinks that,” Andre said, nudging your face to the side with his nose, “In fact, they all think it’s hilarious that Tyson had to parent trap us.” He punctuated the last sentence with a kiss on your cheek, but you gave him an unconvinced look.

The few months since the charity event passed in a blur. After you and Andre eventually got together, it didn’t take long for him to put an exclusivity clause on your relationship, which you had absolutely no problem with.

Andre made sure to more than make up for all the lost time he missed due to his stupidity, and he spent that whole week after your first date at your apartment, not that you minded. He took you on more dates: walks through downtown, dinners at fancy restaurants, hitting up the new art exhibits, taking you to Nuggets games, the whole nine yards. He also tried to play it off by saying that he never got the chance to show you around the city, and you didn’t argue with him.

However, your time together was cut in half due to the constant road trips he was going on, but you didn’t mind this either. Andre called you at least once when he was on the road just to check in on how your day was going and to hear your voice, though he never admitted that last fact to you.

It didn’t surprise you how fast you fell for him. Honestly, you were probably already half in love with him when you first started dating.

And Tyson took all the credit, to absolutely no one’s surprise. He called you instantly after Andre showed up to practice the following week, bouncing off the walls and riding a high that could only be attributed to you. Tyson was annoying about it, as expected, but you thanked him anyway for giving Andre the final push to ask you out.

“I call being the godfather of your first child, you can’t say no because I’ll be the reason the child will even exist,” Tyson said after you told him the details of your date, to which you rolled your eyes in response.

“I’m not agreeing to that, and you’re projecting really hard right now with these assumptions,” you replied, but he scoffed and said that when it did happen, he was definitely bringing it up again.

Now, you were finally attending your first team get together as Andre’s official girlfriend. He’d begged you to at least attend some home games, which you did, but you’d watched from the stands like a regular fan rather than sitting with the other wives and girlfriends.

“I talk about you constantly, they basically already know everything about you,” Andre said as he pressed a kiss against your frown lines.

“Oh, do you now?” You asked with a smirk, and Andre gave you a small smile.

“Of course I do,” he said, “They all ask me about you anyway.”

“Then I really don’t want to make a bad impression by missing the party,” you insisted, manually tearing his hands from your body, though you were met with much resistance on his part.

“Are you sure I can’t convince you?” He begged, giving you those big puppy dog eyes as he tried one last time. You were almost tempted to give in and throw him on your bed, but your desire to get to the barbecue was slightly more than your desire to jump his bones.

“Let’s get you out of here before you explode or something,” you chuckled as you left Andre standing by the sink while you stalked back to the bedroom. He shifted on his feet, slightly adjusting his pants before crossing his arms.

“Maybe if you didn’t parade around in those tight jeans,” he grumbled, unamused. You, maybe, had definitely put them on with the intention of catching his eye, but they also made your ass and legs look amazing.

“Alright, bud, let’s get going then,” you said, beckoning him forward like he was an unruly child. You didn’t miss the groan of defeat that escaped his throat, obviously conveying his discontent, as he crossed the small space to follow you out of the bedroom and out of the apartment.

-

Hoots and hollers were heard all around you as you entered Gabe’s house on Andre’s arm. Low whistles mixed with warm greetings, both from the guys and the girls respectively. Andre had given them all a heads-up beforehand with warnings to not make asses of themselves, but it seemed they were ignoring his requests, as always.

“Burky, who’s the babe with you?” Tyson called out from the kitchen, which resulted in a whop on the head from Mel, who told him to behave. You instinctively stepped closer to Andre, tucking your head into his shoulder to let out a small chuckle of embarrassment.

“I’m sorry,” Andre whispered into your ear before pressing a kiss to the top of your head.

“Please, it’s just Tyson, I can handle him,” you snorted as you followed Andre into the home. A majority of them were gathered out on the patio, the sliding door open because of all the foot traffic in and out of the house.

A bunch of the guys said their hellos as you gradually joined the crowd, and you were soon being pulled into a side hug as Tyson inserted himself between you and Andre.

“Could you be any more annoying?” You questioned him as you felt your body being torn from Andre’s due to Tyson’s wiggling. He draped his arms around both of your shoulders.

“Easily,” he said, rotating his face to give both you and Andre matching grins.

Andre rolled his eyes at Tyson’s antics, gently shoving him away until he could pull you back into his arms.

“Everyone, this is Y/N,” Andre introduced you with his hand around your waist, and you gave the group a small wave. You already knew most of the people there, so they didn’t bother introducing themselves.

“It’s about time he brought you around,” Nate piped up, “He only talks about you twenty-four, seven.” A chorus of ‘yeah’s sounded around the circle, but you just chuckled. Andre didn’t try to deny it either, they all knew how he felt about you.

“Hopefully we’ll be seeing more of you?” Calvert’s wife asked hopefully. You remembered her from the charity event, one of the girls who had welcomed you into their circle for the night, instantly taking you under her wing like the mother she was.

“I plan on keeping her around, so I’d say yes,” Andre spoke for you, and you swore you could hear Mikko fake gagging behind Andre’s back at the sweetness, though he shot you a quick wink when you caught him.

“I hate to tear this happy couple apart,” Gabe spoke up, suddenly joining the group, “but can I pull Burky aside for a few minutes? You wanted to see the new grill, right?” Andre nodded before looking at you to make sure you were okay with it, and you nudged for him to go with Gabe, a look in your eyes that said you’d be just fine alone.

It didn’t take long for the other girls to sweep you up with them as most of the guys had dispersed to check out the new grill, or whatever. You honestly couldn’t have cared less about what they were talking about as you were sure it was mundane and something only guys could like, so you were glad for the girls dragging you away to get some drinks.

Someone had slid a spiked iced tea into your hands before you knew it, and then they were immediately asking you questions.

“Where have you been? We’ve only been hounding Andre for weeks now to bring you around,” Nate’s girlfriend asked.

“Been a little busy lately,” you replied, taking a sip of the iced tea that was probably way too strong for a casual barbecue, “I didn’t want to intrude on anything.”

“Please, you could never intrude,” Mel commented, “It’s about time he began settling down anyway.” The other girls hummed their agreement.

“How’s it been going so far?” Belley’s wife asked.

“Good so far. I really like him,” you confessed, feeling your cheeks warm in embarrassment. All the girls gave you a knowing look.

“Well, he really likes you too,” Mel added, and you could tell there was a story there but you didn’t press her for details.

“He’s barely paying attention to anything Gabe’s saying,” Belley’s wife noted, gesturing towards the direction of the guys. You turned your body glance at him and sure enough, Andre was already looking at you. Your lips quirked up in a smile as you waved at him, to which he returned it with one of his own.

Someone called Andre’s attention back to whatever they were talking about, and you could practically hear the ribbing he was getting for being so smitten. A few girls ‘aw’d at the gesture while the rest began picking at you for the same exact thing.

“God, I love love,” someone gushed, but you weren’t quite sure who.

Soon, one iced tea turned into three and the few minutes you thought you were spending with the girls turned into an hour before Andre had found his way back to you.

“How are you doing?” He asked, stepping up behind you and wrapping a hand around your waist. Instinctively, you leaned your body into his, taking comfort in his presence. “Seems like someone’s had a few drinks.” Andre chuckles at your flushed face, your inhibitions lowered after the strong drinks.

“These iced teas are good,” was all you said in response, turning your face upwards to give him a wide grin.

“Yeah, Mel makes them strong,” he said, lifting his eyes from you to glance at Mel, who seemed quite pleased with herself for getting you drunk. “Come sit with me for a little bit.” Andre didn’t have to ask you twice, you were happy to follow his guidance from the kitchen to the outdoor seating.

The seats around the fire pit were nearly all full, but Andre didn’t hesitate to take the last vacant spot and tug you onto his lap. His hands immediately came to rest on your hip and thighs, and you didn’t miss the way everyone’s eyes fell on you both.

“How are you liking Denver?” JT asked when you joined the group. Normally you would’ve been self-conscious about the public displays of affection you were showing, but it must’ve been the alcohol in your system because you didn’t mind.

“I love it here,” you answered as Andre began rubbing small circles into your legs with his thumbs, “It’s different from D.C., but I’m enjoying it.”

They asked you a few more questions about work and when you were going to finally show up to a game, and you replied with ease, even jumping into conversations when the topics finally transitioned to other people.

A couple more hours passed in pleasant chat, new people coming and going every once in a while. Occasionally Andre would pull you into your own side conversation, easily getting distracted as you forgot that you were with others when he was whispering in your ear.

“Are you having a good time?” He asked, chin resting on your shoulder as you divert your attention from the current story being told to your boyfriend. Andre seemed happy enough, his cheeks were warm from the fire burning in front of you, and he was smiling as he asked the question.

“I’m having a great time, are you?” You replied, carding your fingers through his curls.

“Of course,” he said, “I’ve got my girl and my friends. What more could I want?”

“Say that any louder and they’re going to start making whip-cracking sounds,” you laughed lightly.

Andre didn’t respond. Instead, he only nuzzled his nose against your cheek, too blissed out to care about the stares you were receiving. Cupping his face, you quickly leaned down to press a kiss against his lips. When you pulled away, you were met with Andre’s dazed grin, his eyes light and full of mirth.

In Andre’s mind, this moment couldn’t get any more perfect. He’d been wanting for weeks now to introduce you to everyone, and seeing you interact and get along with them in person made all the waiting worth it. He watches you intently as you chime in with a comment and get dragged into giving them your opinions on the subject. If Andre was being honest, he wasn’t paying attention to what they were talking about, only paying attention to you and the way your eyes lit up when you laughed.

He had no doubt he probably looked like a lovesick puppy right now, but he was happy: happy with you, happy with how the team was playing, happy that for the first time in his life everything felt right.

You glanced back at him for a split second just to check in on him when it hit Andre with full force. He was in love with you.

-

bonus: epilogue

“Long time, no see, squirt,” Tom greeted you as he engulfed you in a hug.

“I hate it when you call me that,” you grumbled, but you knew he ignored it.

“And that’s why I continue to say it,” he chuckled, ruffling your hair before turning his attention to Andre, “Burky, how’s it going?” You watched as they did that signature bro handshake and back pat thing that all guys seemed to do no matter what the situation was.

“I feel like I’m intruding on something personal. Should I leave you guys alone?” You teased with a laugh, and they both turned to glare at you.

“Taylor says hello, by the way,” Tom said with an eye roll.

The Capitals were in Denver for a game, and Andre took it upon himself to invite them all over for dinner. Tom showed up an hour early to see you before the rest of the team got there, though you were starting to wish he would’ve just waited.

“You should’ve brought her,” you remarked. It’d been a year since moving to Denver, and you had yet to see your friend.

“Well maybe you should just come back to D.C. next time Colorado comes to get their ass kicked,” he threw back.

“Hey,” Andre called back from the kitchen, “Try saying that again after tomorrow.”

“Gladly,” Tom said, and you chuckled. Despite your boyfriend playing for Colorado, D.C. was your home and the Capitals would always be your team.

Andre dipped back into the kitchen, working on finishing up the burgers before he had to get them on the grill.

“I love what you’ve done with the place,” Tom said when Andre was out of sight, leaving the two of you alone on the couch.

Your lease had expired a month ago, and Andre hadn’t seen the point in you renewing it when you spent a majority of the time at his place and you agreed. A whole drawer in his dresser was already dedicated to you, and he kept your favorite shampoo and a toothbrush for you, and you’d begun helping him decorate the interior of his apartment with personalized touches to make it seem less like a hospital ward and more homey.

“He has no sense of style, so of course I had to do it all,” you joked. The apartment was coming together nicely, though. You finally brought some color into the monochrome, and you knew he loved your array of blankets even though he complained about how many you kept around the place.

“It looks a lot better than when I was here last time,” Tom said, taking one of your knitted blankets and draping it across his lap, “I’m glad you two are together. I’ve never seen him this happy.”

“Yeah, well, no thanks to you and your hands off rule,” you snorted.

“Take that up with Taylor. I wanted to introduce you back in Washington when she first brought you around, but she shot that down immediately,” Tom said, holding his hands up in surrender.

“Alright you lazy ass,” Andre shouted out, “Help me with the grill.” Andre made sure to smack Tom on the side of the head as he passed the couch before he stopped next to you to place a kiss on the top of your head.

Tom cursed his discontent, throwing off the blanket before following Andre out to the balcony, but he made sure to ruffle your hair in the process. You watched the two of them out by the grill, the smiles clear on their faces though you couldn’t hear them through the closed door.

“So, planning to lock that down any time soon?” Tom asked Andre once they were secluded outside. Andre’s eyes flickered back to your figure on the couch, but you were focused on something on your phone.

“Maybe,” Andre answered vaguely, though a smirk slowly spread across his face. Truth was, he was thinking about it. It had only been a year, and he didn’t plan on proposing any time soon, but he had thought about it. “Not now, but maybe in a year or so. I started looking at rings.”

Tom raised his eyebrows in surprise. Andre obviously talked about you a lot. You were the topic of most of their conversations because he couldn’t stop gushing about you, but this was the first time Andre mentioned anything serious.

“She’s good for you,” Tom noted, and he truly felt happy for his friend. The only downside to this was Taylor was definitely going to give him hell if Andre proposed to you before Tom did to her. “Don’t fuck it up.”

Andre chuckled as he nodded his head in agreement. The conversation moved on to other topics as they awaited the arrival of the rest of the team, not wanting to spend all their time discussing you; Tom got enough of that on their occasional facetime dates.

Periodically, Andre found himself glancing back through the door to check on you, even though you didn’t move from your spot the whole half hour they were outside. It didn’t matter where he was or what he was doing, he was always looking for you. And he wouldn’t want it any other way.

[berjhawn]

Day & Night - Intro

Bruce Wayne / Batman X Reader (Lady Light) x DC 

Warnings: Pushy guys, attempted abduction, men not taking no for an answer, past trauma, lies, ETC

Summary: (name) or Lady Light as she used to be called ran away from her duties (amongst other things) and disappeared to Gotham where she unknowingly meets Batman’s normal counterpart Bruce Wayne. Things happen and Chaos ensues, when it comes down to it will Bruce be able to break down these walls (Name) has built for herself and will he be able to deal with the truth of things. 

(A/N) so this is a little Batman and reader i’ve been working on, it started out as one thing and ended up as something else. it’s already finished so when i’ll have a schedule for the updates. i really hope you guys like it. i’m trying some new things to try to get my mojo back. um... yeah bruce might be a little out of character but i wanted to try sonething out and well we’ll see how it goes. please do not hesitate to tell me what you think. for this story reader will have the ability to chage things about herself so there is no set hair color or eye color. Also yes Lady Light is my OC she is one of a kind so please don’t use her in any other stories. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Why had this day turned into shit? I woke up this morning in a good mood. My hair and makeup looked amazing. I made it to work early. I had a decent night of tips. I even met a couple of hot guys who were not total douchebags. Overall, it had been a pretty good day. So why then, on my way home did I have to run into these assholes?

“Hey there baby, looking good.” I hear a male voice say from behind me and I roll my eyes.

Just ignore them.

“What’s the matter sweetheart, you think you’re too good for us?” Another male voice asks, and I clench my fist so tightly that my fingers were turning white.

Keep walking. Do not hurt them.

I keep my thoughts on repeat as I continue down the street until a man twice my size and built like a brick house steps into my path. His brown eyes looking me up and down hungrily. My stomach churned.

“Wanna join us for a little party?” He asks and I narrow my eyes at him.

“No.” I answer my words filled with finality.

“Come on, you don’t mean that.” He adds as he reaches out to touch me.

I instantly step back out of his reach causing his hand to miss my shoulder and fall to his side.

“I do mean it. Now, move while I’m still asking nicely.” I demand making him chuckle at me.

“Or what sweet cheeks? What are you going to do?” He questions moving towards me again and I suddenly realize the guys from before are still there as they stop me from moving back any further.

I feel a hand touch my waist and I instantly slap it away.

“Do not touch me.” I state anger filling my words.

“Come on, just play around with us. You’ll enjoy it.” The man from behind me says and I roll my eyes.

“I seriously doubt that.” I retort making his friends laugh at him.

“Let’s go baby,” The big man says reaching out and grabbing my arms holding it dangerously tight.

“You have three seconds to get your hand off of me.” I warn my jaw clenching.

“Or what? What are you gonna do?” He challenges as he jerks me into his chest.

Fuck this shit.

Using just a hint of my super strength I grab the wrist of the hand that was holding my arm and giving it a quick squeeze make him fall to his knees. A cry of pain leaves his lips making his friends come to his rescue. I feel them move behind me and I smirk as I twist just right to send the big dude flying into them. Wiping my hands against each other, I place them on my hips and cock an eyebrow at my attackers.

“I’m going to give you one more chance. Apologize, and then be on your way.”

“Why would I apologize to some freak?!” The big guy yells and I narrow my eyes.

“Cause if you don’t,” I walk closer to them my eyes slowly starting to glow as brightly as the sun. Fear fills their eyes and I do not even need to finish my sentence. My eyes speak for themselves.

“I’m sorry,” Big guy instantly yells out as he tries to scramble to his feet. His buddies following suit.

“I’m sorry, what?” I add folding my arms over my chest.

“I’m sorry, ma’am.” They all yell out and I smile.

“Good, now remember, treat ladies with the respect they deserve, or I’ll find you.” I warn and their faces pale. “Bye-bye.” With a quick wave of my hand, they jump to their feet and race away.

Taking a deep breath, I look to the sky and seeing the moon glowing brightly let out a heavy sigh. I knew Gotham was a dangerous city, but after everything that had happened in Metropolis, I had needed a break. A break from being a hero and fighting crime. Plus, a break from him. My heart winces at the memory and I shake my head.

I force the memory from my head and continue back on my way home. Maybe a tub of ice cream and some take-out would raise my spirits.

~~~

Bruce stood on the roof of a building catty-corner to the alley where the event had taken place. He had watched the altercation with curious eyes. He had met her earlier that day when a Dick had wanted to meet with him at a little restaurant nearby. At first Bruce had been surprised about the location of their meeting but seeing his oldest smile brightly at the beautiful waitress cleared up any questions he had previously had.

Flashback

Bruce walked through the restaurant door and gave the room a once over before his eyes landed on his oldest son’s figure. The boy was smiling brightly as he talked with a (H/C) waitress who had her back towards Bruce. Dick’s eyes glance past her and landing on Bruce give him a quick wave. Bruce unbuttons the buttons on his suit as he closes the distance between them. Reaching the seat, he swiftly slides into the booth seat across from Dick.

“Hey Bruce, glad you could make it.” Dick starts making Bruce nod. “Bruce, this is (Name).”

“Hello.” Bruce says his eyes glancing up to look at her politely but as they move back to look at Dick, he had to do a double take his eyes landing on the beautiful waitress in front of him.

“Hi.” (Name) replies softly a smile filling her lips.

Their eyes meet and Bruce swears that she was like the sun. Her bright smile and shining (E/C) eyes made his heart race in his chest.

“Nice to meet you.” Bruce adds a smirk on his lips.

“Nice to meet you too.” She replies shyly. “What can I get you to eat?”

“I’ll just take a coffee.” Bruce replies quickly and she nods.

“And you’ll have the deluxe?” She adds as she turns back to Dick.

“Yes ma’am.” He replies a smirk filling his lips as he tries to flirt with her.

“Coming right up. I’ll be right back.” She replies smiling at them both before she turns and walks away.

Bruce can’t help but stare after her as she walks away. His eyes unconsciously look her up and down examining every inch of her. From her hair down to her feet which were uncharacteristically in a pair of dark blue high heels. Normal waitresses would not be caught dead in high heels and he would know. He had dated enough of them. The sound of Dick clearing his throat brought Bruce back from his staring.

“I know she’s pretty Bruce, but we have to talk.” Dick jokes making Bruce glare at him.

“What did you need?” Bruce asks as he leans back in his seat.

“Nothing, just wanted to have lunch.” Dick replies making Bruce cock an eyebrow at him.

“Right.” Bruce says leaning forward to rest his arms on the table.

“And I might have wanted to talk to you about Damian.”

“What did he do this time?”

“Knocked over a meth lab over in Bludhaven. Almost got some innocent people killed.”

“I’ll talk with him.” Bruce concludes his eyes catching sight of (Name) as she makes her way back over with his coffee and Dick’s drink.

As she sets the mug of coffee down in front of him, she gives him a sweet smile. Bruce offers a polite smile in return as he reaches out to pull the coffee closer to him.

“Thank you (Name).” Bruce says and her smile brightens.

“You’re very welcome.” She replies a tinge of rouge filling her cheeks.

Bruce had to admit he was having some unsavory thoughts about her at this moment and it was driving him crazy. He usually didn’t feel this way about a woman this fast. He wanted to touch her, but he held back.

“(Name) how long have to you worked here?” Dick asks pulling her attention.

“Only a month or so. I just moved here from Metropolis.” She says and he looks through his eyelashes at her to see that she was surprised at what she had said.

“Metropolis, huh, why would you want to move here?” Dick asks and Bruce must fight the urge to kick his son under the table.

“Well,” She pauses for a moment her eyes turning sad and it made Bruce furious. “I wanted a fresh start, I figured why not Gotham.” She answers honestly making Dick and Bruce eye each other in surprise. People didn’t usually move to Gotham for a fresh start. In fact, they ran from Gotham. “Sorry, but I have to go, if you need anything please don’t hesitate to ask.” She says as she quickly moves away from the table.

“Isn’t she pretty?” Dick asks as they both stare off after her.

Pretty doesn’t cover it.

“I need to go.” Bruce says as he finishes his coffee off. “I’ll talk to Damien.”

“Thanks Bruce, tell Alfred I’ll be late tonight. I have a mission with Babs.” Dick adds and Bruce nods.

Standing up he makes his way toward the door when he almost runs into her. She hadn’t been paying attention to where she was walking and almost ran smack dab into him.

“Shit, I’m sorry. I should have been paying attention.” She says quickly as she chastises herself.

“It’s fine (name).” He says and she relaxes. “Thank you for the coffee.”

“You’re welcome.” She replies offering him a soft smile. She goes to walk past him when he stops her.

“This might seem forward of me, if it is, I apologize; but if you’d like I can show you around Gotham sometime.” Bruce hears himself ask and even he is surprised. Had he really asked her that?

“Um,” She starts her body radiating how uncomfortable she was.

“I’m sorry, forget I asked.” He quickly adds as he goes to walk past her.

“I’m sorry, wait.” She calls as she gently reaches out to grab his arm. “I’m a little uncomfortable, I won’t lie.” She pauses giving him a chance to turn back to face her. “But I didn’t say no.” She adds and he lets out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding.

“Oh?” He says and instantly wishes he could smack himself.

“Yeah, um, I’m off tomorrow if that works for you.”

Fuck, he had an important Justice League meeting tomorrow.

“Tomorrow works.” He answers making a mental note to push the meeting to later.

“Cool, um I’ll meet you in Robinson Park about noonish then?” She asks and he nods.

“Works for me.”

“Okay, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then Bruce.” She says a bright smile on her lips.

God she was gorgeous.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” He says flashing her a smile before she rushes off back to work.

End of Flashback

Bruce did not know what to think about what he had just witnessed. Who was she really? The fact that his interest in her wasn’t swayed by the sudden discovery surprised him. Against his better judgement he follows her and when it’s quiet enough he makes his presence known to her.

“Pretty interesting display, you showed back there.” He says making her stop in her footsteps. He watches as she turns towards him with a worried look on her face.

“Are you here to lecture me?” She asks worry turning into anger.

“No, I thought you standing up for yourself was admirable.” He answers honestly and she softens. “What are you doing here in Gotham?”

“Look Bats, I came here to get away from Metropolis, funny I know, considering its right across the bay, but this was the only place I could think of.”

“Who are you really? I’ve seen your eyes before.” Bruce says as he remembers the bright glow of them.

“Can we talk about this inside?” She asks pointing to her apartment building. “Rather not air my dirty laundry out here if you don’t mind. I won’t run, I have no reason too.”

Against Bruce’s better judgement he nods.

“Cool, I’ll open the window when I get there.” She replies as she turns from him and heads into her building.

Bruce moves to the roof as he waits patiently for her to open her window. His mind starts to run wild with thoughts about who she could be. She wasn’t a villain, that was certain. She just did not have that air about her. He had been wrong before though. A few of his exes could attest to that. The window opens and he stealthily makes his way into it.

Will Continue on the 22nd of January.

[marvelyningreen]

Aftershocks - Night 3

Night 1 | Night 2 | Night 3 | (deleted scene)

[Summary: Peter Maximoff is an unflappable sorta guy. He’d never let anything get to him before, and this recent misadventure will be no different. ...Right?

Warnings: mild language, references to injury and mind control, general trauma-related angst

Notes: Peter Maximoff x reader, of the established relationship variety. A ‘what if Fietro really was Peter?’ scenario. Same continuity/reader character from Linger and Late-bloomer.

Tag list: @cowboyenorgy ]

On the third night after your return from Westview, you finally go back to the groundskeeper’s cottage. You figure that it’s time to try getting back to normal, and Peter agrees. If you need anything, neither of you will be far from the other X-Men, or from each other, right? And to be honest, you’re looking forward to sleeping in your own bed again.

That, and Peter’s been running hot and cold on you again today.

In the morning, he’d been all sweet and attentive still. You’d felt a little guilty about sleeping in his bed while he’d slept on the couch, but he brushed off your attempts to apologize. He was fine, he’d insisted, and you were the one who was injured.

He’d asked you to stay put and then disappeared, returning a few minutes later to bring you breakfast in bed. And, apparently in the spirit of going full Jane Austen on you, he’d asked Hank to make a house-call.

After re-examining your injured knee, Hank determined that you hadn’t made it any worse, but you hadn’t done it any favors, either. Exasperated, he asked if you’d please just use the crutches for a few days, and between his insistence and Peter’s puppy-dog eyes, you’d agreed to.

Peter had to dash off again after breakfast to help the professor with the twins. Only, this time, you didn’t see him again for the rest of the day.

You ended up wandering aimlessly around the mansion for a while, wondering what on earth to do with yourself. There’s not much groundskeeping to do in the winter to begin with, so you’d started doubling as a substitute teacher when other faculty members were away on missions.

Unfortunately for you, all the full-time teachers were present. You wouldn’t have anything to do even if Professor Xavier hadn’t given you mandatory time off. As you were pondering this, you turned the corner to see Wanda standing alone in the hall, gazing out the window.

She didn’t seem notice you. For a moment, you considered turning and walking the other way. Maybe she didn’t want to be bothered right now. Maybe she wanted to be alone. But then again…

“Hi,” you said, before you could chicken out.

Wanda stared at you for a second before seeming to remember.

“Oh, it’s you,” she said. “You’re Peter’s…?”

“Right.” And you reintroduced yourself, just to be on the safe side. You smiled, and Wanda smiled thinly back, and there were a few seconds of silence. Oh boy. Awkwardness settled in. “So… how are you holding up?”

You asked it as though you were talking to a friend, and it only seemed to highlight the fact that Wanda hardly knew who you were. You’d actually spoken to Vision more than you had to her when you were in Westview, but… Well, that was neither here nor there.

“Alright, I think,” Wanda said. “Everyone here has been very kind.”

You nodded. “They’re a welcoming bunch.”

“But out there…” Wanda turned her gaze back to the window. “They tell me people hate your kind, fear you.”

“Some do,” you admitted. “But many don’t. It’s been getting better for mutants for quite a while now, and it’s going to keep getting better.”

“And you believe that?”

There was something harsh and cold in Wanda’s tone. You’re reminded of how much she’d lost, and how alone she’d been – how alone she still was.

“I do,” you said quietly.

Silence again. It was hard for you to get a read on Wanda. If she was giving some sort of clear signal that she wanted you to leave her alone – but she wasn’t. Before things could get awkward again, you blurted out:

“How do you feel about krofne?”

Wanda laughed, as though the question caught her off-guard, and tilted her head. “It’s been a long time since I had krofne. I like them, though.”

That was a relief. You don’t know a whole lot of recipes from the Balkans, so you would’ve been out of ideas if that didn’t exist in Wanda’s reality.

“I’ll have to make some later this week. You see that little groundskeeper’s cottage over there?” You pointed it out to her. “That’s where I live. It’d be great if you and your kids could stop by sometime.”

For a second, Wanda’s smile faltered, and you wondered if you’d overstepped yourself.

“It’s okay if you don’t,” you added hurriedly, “Or if you’d rather wait a while until you’re settled in. It’s just… I mean, I know the circumstances are completely different, but I was pretty alone when I first came here, too. I’d like to try and be your friend. Or if that’s too much, I could settle for being a tolerable acquaintance or something.”

“No, it’s alright. You just… reminded me of someone for a moment,” Wanda’s smile was still a little sad, but it seemed to come easier that time. “I’d love to bring the boys over to visit. Thank you. You’re very sweet.”

Some furtive whispering caught your attention, and you and Wanda both looked towards the source of the sound.

Ororo with a group of younger students following her like ducklings was a pretty familiar sight. She easily stepped in to the role of cool big sister for the students. She smiled at you, nudging the three girls in your direction.

“Go ahead and ask,” she said.

One of the little girls stepped forward.

“Excuse me,” she said, “The older kids said you would help us with our homework.”

She glanced back at Ororo, who gave her an approving nod.

You grinned apologetically at Wanda. “Duty calls. I’ll see you around.”

She’d smoothed the sadness out of her expression as she bid you farewell and went back to gazing out the window.

“Alright,” you said, turning your attention to the girls, “Let’s find someplace to sit down, okay? Then you can tell me what you’re working on.”

Kurt ends up walking you back to the cottage late in the afternoon. The sun sets so early in the winter, and you want to get home before it’s completely dark out. That, and you’ve given up on seeing Peter again today.

Once he’s certain that you’ll be alright on your own, Kurt takes his leave. You notice that, instead of heading straight back to the mansion, he takes the garden path. You guess that he’s heading for the little Mary garden to say a prayer or two for Vision. Kurt’s a kind soul. Even only knowing Wanda for two days, he already sees her as family.

You go about the cottage, turning on lights and looking into every room. You’re not sure why. It’s not like anything would’ve changed in the few days you’d been gone. Maybe it’s just reassuring to see it all again: the bright little kitchen, the living room with its tiny hearth and comfy loveseat (not enough room for a full sofa), your own room with all the shelves piled high with books…

And the plants on your windowsills aren’t dried out, like you’d expected. You wonder who’d been kind enough to water them for you, and resolve to ask around tomorrow.

Without giving your mind a chance to wander, you give yourself something to do. Strawberry-rhubarb pie. That’s what Peter had mentioned.

It just so happens that you do have a few jars of pie-filling left from that summer’s canning. All you’ll have to do is make up a crust and bake it. Simple enough. You put on some music and get to work.

But it’s not enough to keep your thoughts in check. When cutting a vent into the top crust, you shape it like the outline of a hummingbird. Maybe it’ll make Peter smile. You hope it will, at least.

He seems alright more often than not, but you still don’t know what’s wrong or how to help him, and the professor’s counting on you to do just that. And so, apparently, is Mr. Lehnsherr.

You’re surprised he’d stayed for the party last night. Then again, he usually ends up staying at the mansion a few days longer than he’d planned to. You can’t say for certain, but you figure Peter’s got something to do with it.

And it was Peter that Mr. Lehnsherr wanted to talk about when he approached you at the party.

He thanked you for going after him when he was taken, saying that it was a brave thing to do. You’re certain that Mr. Lehnsherr would’ve done the same, if he’d been there at the time, and you said as much. He laughed, saying that was beside the point. His gaze had drifted back to Peter.

“That boy needs someone to look after him sometimes. I suppose I’m glad that he’s found someone who will. And as for you…” His words trailed off, like he’d changed his mind on what he wanted to say. He smiled faintly and patted your shoulder. “Take care, alright?”

And with that, he’d drifted back to his conversation with Wanda, leaving you a little mystified.

Look after Peter. That’s pretty much exactly what the professor had said to you, too. But how? By making him pie? Let’s be honest – if a problem can’t be fixed with baked goods, then you’re at a loss.

You try to reassure yourself with the idea that the professor had left the situation up to you, personally. If it was anything truly dire, you knew that he’d step in to take care of it.

But then again, the professor is the sort that focuses on the bigger picture. Sometimes he loses sight of the immediate circumstances. Which is why it’d been delegated to you, which brings you right back where you started.

While you’ve been thinking yourself in circles, the pie has finished baking. You take it out of the oven to cool. The hummingbird shape has survived the baking process, so that’s good. The pie failed as a distraction, though.

All you’ve been able to think about is Peter. You love him, and something’s wrong, and you don’t know what it is, so you don’t know how to help. It’s going to drive you crazy at this rate.

Even the music you’re listening to is one of the mixtapes Peter made for you. You start getting bummed out halfway through “Rainbow in the Dark,” and you only make it through the first chorus of “Kiss Me Deadly” before turning it off entirely.

You retreat to the living room, sitting down and gazing through the window, across the grounds to the lights of the mansion. It’d started snowing that evening. You’d always liked snow. It makes everything seem cozy. It makes the silence of the night feel soft and homey, rather than empty.

Oh, what the hell. You give up on trying not to think about Peter.

When you first came to work at the school, you mostly kept to yourself. That was back when you thought that lackluster telekinesis was the extent of your abilities, before you learned you were a reality warper. You’d felt shy and inadequate in the presence of all these incredibly powerful mutants.

You’d later learned that almost everyone at the school thought you weren’t a mutant at all. They assumed that Professor Xavier had hired a regular human as some sort of PR stunt. And since you barely spoke to anyone, they weren’t disabused of the notion for a long time.

And then Peter showed up.

It wasn’t like the other faculty stopping by to introduce themselves – kind and friendly, but mostly there out of obligation. Peter showed up unannounced, and he was…

Well, he was a flirt. And you were certain he was only there for the pie. Still, you would’ve found it difficult not to be charmed by him.

He was cheerful and blunt, somehow both self-assured and self-deprecating. His sense of humor was as quick as his tongue. There was no such thing as an awkward silence when talking to Peter Maximoff. Not to mention the fact that he was exceptionally cute.

He asked if you’d be okay with him coming by again, and of course you said yes. He was at the cottage often after that – trying out your cooking and offering suggestions of music you should check out. You quickly realized that you weren’t nervous about his visits. You actually looked forward to them.

That was when the little groundskeeper’s cottage at Xavier’s school finally started to feel like home. And even if correlation doesn’t equal causation, you always felt that Peter was the reason for it.

You oughta do something nice for him. More than just the pie, that is. He could devour that thing in seconds if he wanted to. You should take him out on a date. Peter always loves a concert. You’ll have to ask around, see what local bands are playing in the coming week.

But that isn’t exactly something you can do at the moment. It’s the middle of the night. Right now, you really oughta get some sleep. After stowing the pie in the refrigerator and making a half-hearted attempt to clean up the kitchen, you turn off the lights and head off to bed.

You’d forgotten how nice it feels to sleep in your own bed after being away from it for days. You close your eyes, listening to the breeze winding around the cottage. This is alright. You’re alright. The mansion isn’t far. You’re not alone.

You’re… not alone.

Was that the door? That sound wasn’t the wind.

You’d long since given Peter permission to show up in the cottage unannounced. You’d even given him his own key.

So really, you shouldn’t be surprised, but you still jump when you roll over and see Peter standing in the doorway. You nearly knock the lamp off the table as you fumble to turn it on.

There’s something off about Peter, beyond the fact that he’s suddenly appeared in your room in the middle of the night – and, admittedly, that’s a first.

His smile is as hesitant as it’s been since he got back from Westview, but no more so. There’s unmelted snow on his shoulders, and –

Wait. Snow? Why would there be snow on his jacket? He’s too fast for that, unless…

You scramble out of bed, hurrying to him. “Peter? What’s going on? How long were you outside?”

“Oh, I’m… I’m not really sure, actually,” he says. “I figured you were sleeping, and I wasn’t sure if I should wake you up, so…”

As he speaks, you reach out to touch his face, his hands. They’re like ice.

“My God, you’re half frozen,” you say.

Ignoring his half-hearted assertions that he’s fine, really, you pull Peter into the living room. Telekinetically, you maneuver a couple logs onto the still-glowing embers in the fireplace, and while that’s happening, you tend to Peter.

He lets you take his jacket, and you sit him down on the loveseat, bundling him up in your warmest, fluffiest fleece blanket. Maybe you’re overdoing it just a little. But Peter’s almost never cold, and he certainly never stands still long enough to get covered in snow. You don’t want him getting sick on top of everything he’s already been through.

Satisfied that the fire’s been sufficiently stoked, you sit down next to Peter, taking his hands in yours to rub some warmth into them.

That sort of dazed expression has left his face, and now he just looks amused. Maybe he’s feeling better now that he had a chance to warm up. Or maybe seeing you go from zero to caretaker-mode in two seconds is funny to him. And if that’s it… well, fair enough.

Peter gives your hands a squeeze. “Listen, if you’re gonna make me into a burrito, the least you could do is join me in here. Shared body heat, and all that. I’ll warm up faster.”

He grins and bobs his eyebrows at you, lifting one edge of the blanket invitingly.

“Well, when you’re right, you’re right,” you say wryly.

You skootch under the blanket, leaning up to kiss Peter’s cheek before snuggling up next to him. He’s still radiating cold. You take his hands again.

“Care to explain yourself?” you say.

“I mean…” He shrugs. “I wanted to check on you. Your leg’s still hurt, y’know? And you’re all alone out here, and…”

Peter trails off. That surface-level explanation isn’t fooling you anymore, and he knows it. He sighs, breaking eye contact.

“I didn’t wanna be alone,” he says, softly. “Westview, it… it messed me up, and I’m not over it yet. I feel like I should be okay by now, but I’m not. I’m sorry, but I just-”

“Peter, don’t apologize,” you say. “It’s okay. Nobody expects you to completely bounce back from something like that in two days.”

“I expect me to.”

There’s that wry, self-deprecating grin again. It claws at your heart just a little. Peter genuinely is a pretty unflappable guy, all things considered. But sometimes you get the feeling that it’s because he feels like he has to be. Not that he’s putting it on, exactly, more that he’s hiding behind it.

“People here have gone through so much worse,” Peter shakes his head. “My dad, Jean, Wanda…”

“That doesn’t negate what happened to you,” you say, “And I care about what you went through. I care about you.”

Peter purses his lips and blinks rapidly as he nods, and says nothing.

Over the past few years, you’ve gotten close to Peter – closer than you’ve ever been with anyone else. You realize just now that you don’t think you’ve ever seen him cry.

“Listen, you don’t have to,” you say, “But do you want to talk about it?”

Peter takes a deep breath, like he’s steadying himself. But instead of saying anything, he leans over to bury his face in your shoulder. You immediately wrap your arms tight around him.

“I remember all of it,” he says at length, his voice quiet and shaky. “I just… It was horrible. I was scared. I was so scared.”

This doesn’t surprise you, but it stuns you. Peter gives the impression of being an open book, but he isn’t – not really. You don’t think you’ve ever heard him sound so vulnerable. You keep silent and gently rub his back, giving him space to speak when he’s ready.

“The whole time, I was still in there, watching everything she made me do, hearing everything she made me say. I tr-” Peter breaks off, and swallows hard before going on. “I tried to get her out of my head, but I couldn’t.”

Now that he’s started speaking, Peter can’t seem to stop. Still clinging to you, still hiding his face against your shoulder, the words keep pouring out of him.

“God, you… you don’t know what it was like, having somebody take over and use you like a puppet. I couldn’t fight it. I couldn’t run. I was trapped. I-I was completely helpless. She made me lie to Wanda, pretend to be her dead brother, say these awful things. She could’ve made me hurt the kids, or Monica, or you – and I wouldn’t have been able to stop myself.”

“Peter…” you say, not quite knowing what you can say in this moment.

But Peter shakes his head, leaning more heavily against you.

“You don’t understand. You don’t understand – she was going to. When you came back for me at the end, when you tried to stop me, I… Now every time I look at you, I keep thinking about how close I was to hurting you. If Monica hadn’t broken that necklace, I would’ve-”

He stops abruptly, and his body is suddenly wracked with silent sobs. You hold him all the more tightly as his hands grip onto your shirt like he’s holding on for dear life.

“I’ve got you. I’m here,” you say. “I’m here.”

So this is what he’d been hiding – what he’d been pretending to have forgotten.

For a second, a spark of rage flares up in your chest, and you think that Wanda let the witch off too easy for what she’d done. But the feeling quickly smothers itself. Revenge won’t undo what’s already been done, and it certainly won’t help Peter now.

You can’t fix what’s hurting him like you could a cut or a bruise. All you can do is stay and love the hell out of him while he heals.

Slowly, his shuddering breaths grow steadier. You hold him until him he moves to sit back. He lets his hands fall in your lap. He doesn’t look up.

“I’m sorry…” he mumbles.

You shake your head, taking his hands.

“You’re allowed to cut yourself some slack, you know,” you say. “I know - that’s absolutely not your M.O. And your way can help; if you act like everything’s okay, sometimes you feel more like everything’s okay. But it can also help to be blunt about things. What you went through was traumatic, Peter. You’re allowed to say that. You’re allowed to feel it.”

He says nothing. His gaze is still fixed downwards.

“Peter, look at me,” you say gently. “Please?”

He lifts his head, and the sight of his tear-streaked face almost breaks your heart. You pull your sleeve down over your hand and use it to blot away the tears. Peter’s mouth trembles for a moment and his eyes close, but he doesn’t break down again. He just leans into your touch.

“I’ll be right back,” you say softly, kissing him on the cheek.

You hurry into the kitchen and return with a glass of water and a cool washcloth. Sitting back down, you first hand Peter the glass.

“Here,” you say, “You’ll feel better if you drink some water, trust me.”

He follows your advice, and after he’s taken a few sips and sets the glass aside, you hand him the washcloth. He scrubs his face, and then the back of his neck, and then looks a little confused as to where he’s supposed to put the washcloth. With a flick of your hand, it floats off to the kitchen sink.

You study Peter’s face for a moment. He seems to have worked the distress out of his system, or at least the first wave of it. Now he just looks exhausted. He takes a deep breath and exhales slowly.

“Okay, that was… That was a lot,” he says.

Understatement of the century. It’s incredibly jarring to see the cheerful, unshakeable Peter Maximoff break down completely like that. But more than that, it worries you that he was trying to keep this buried.

“Now I get why the professor was so adamant about you taking some time off,” you say.

Peter shoots you a half-hearted grin. “Yeah… I’m not gonna lie, I was kinda trying to prove him wrong. But he was right, as usual.”

“It’s okay to give yourself time to work through this,” you say. “I mean, obviously you don’t have to go around telling everyone what you’re feeling, but… you can always tell me.”

Peter slouches down in his seat a little, leaning close to nestle his head against your shoulder.

“I didn’t want you to worry,” he says at length.

“Hate to break it to you, but that ship has sailed,” you say, fondly. “If you’re not okay, you can tell me. And if there’s something you’re not ready to talk about, you can tell me that, too. I’ll be here for you when you are.”

“Can you do me a favor?” he asks, sounding a bit hesitant. “Could you, like… check in with me now and then? Because if it’s up to me to start that kinda conversation, I get the feeling that I just… won’t. At least not right away. It’s a bad habit I gotta unlearn.”

“You can count on me,” you say.

“Well, I knew that already. But, y’know, thanks.”

You sit in silence for a moment, and you’re starting to wonder if Peter’s fallen asleep when he speaks up again.

“I don’t think I ever actually thanked you,” he says, “For coming to my rescue, I mean. Everything that you went through trying to bring me home-”

You squeeze his hand, interrupting him before he can start spiraling.

“Peter, don’t start beating yourself up over this. I love you, alright? I’d do it all again in a heartbeat if I had to. I mean, hopefully I won’t ever have to, but still,” you say, trying to lighten the mood.

“Yeah, but still. In this case, a thank-you isn’t the kinda thing you wanna leave unsaid.” Peter sighs, then laughs a little. “My dad’s right about you, y’know.”

“Wait, what did he say about me?” You shouldn’t be surprised by it, but you’re slightly alarmed by the idea of Mr. Lehnsherr discussing you with Peter.

“He said, ‘Peter, when you find someone who cares about you that much, don’t ever take it for granted,’” he says, in a fair imitation of Mr. Lehnsherr. “‘Very little is certain in this world. See that you take care of that one.’”

“He didn’t say that,” you say, falling back on denial in the face of such a compliment.

“He did,” says Peter. “And he also said that you make the best apple strudel he’s ever tasted, so there’s that.”

You laugh, shaking your head. Still… it’s kinda nice to think that Mr. Lehnsherr approves of you. He is Peter’s dad, after all.

At hearing you laugh, Peter smiles a little, and then moves to sit up straight again, running his hands through his hair.

“I should… I should head out,” he begins.

“Why?” you interrupt. “It’s late already. Why don’t you just stay here?”

“Well, for starters, I don’t think I’m gonna fit on this thing,” he says, gesturing at the loveseat, “And there’s no way I’m taking your bed.”

“Do you kick in your sleep?”

Peter tilts his head, not quite following. “No…?”

“Then the solution is simple,” you say. “We can share my bed.”

There’ll be enough room. It’s actually kinda funny that most rooms in the mansion only have twin-sized beds, but they managed to squeeze a queen-sized mattress into the cottage’s tiny bedroom.

“Are you sure?” says Peter. “I mean, I can get back to my room in seconds, y’know, and with your knee still hurt, I don’t wanna put you out…”

You smiling faintly at him. Still trying not to worry you, is he?

“Correct me if I’m wrong,” you say, “But I recall you saying that you don’t want to be alone right now.”

Peter laughs and looks at the floor. “I don’t. Is it… is it really okay for me to stay?”

“I want you to stay,” you reassure him. “Come on.”

You push aside the blanket, and Peter helps you to your feet. You keep hold of his hand and start to lead him back to your room. But after a few steps, Peter stops abruptly, tugging at your hand.

“Wait a minute,” he says.

“What’s wrong?”

Peter goes to where you’d hung up his jacket and starts rummaging through the pockets.

“Would you believe this thing was in my pocket the whole time I was in Westview?” he asks absently. “I’d been carrying it around for a week already, and… Well, you know me. Timing was never one of my strengths.”

Peter turns back, flashing you that self-deprecating grin of his – and gets down on one knee.

“Peter…?”

It feels like all the air has been forced out of your lungs. For a second, you have the strangest certainty that you must be misinterpreting the situation, until you see the ring box in his hand.

He shakes his head, looking up at you earnestly.

“Listen, I know I’m a mess right now,” he says, “And if you want me to ask again at a better time, someplace a little more romantic, then I will – but I want to say this now. I have to, because… because nothing in life is certain, except for the fact that I love you.”

Peter takes your hand, pressing it to his lips, murmuring your name. You’re dimly aware that everything that isn’t nailed down has started to float into the air, but none of that matters. As far as you’re concerned, the only thing that exists in this moment is Peter – his hand holding yours, his smile, his big dark eyes gazing up at you.

“In the darkest, loneliest, bleakest moments of my life, you were the hope inside me that wouldn’t quit. And you can’t shrug it off or say I’m biased, because it isn’t just me,” he says. “You have brightened this place for so many people. For the students, for Kurt, for Hank, even for the professor, even for my dad, and you’re already trying to do the same for Wanda, too.”

If not for the roof above you and the anchoring warmth of Peter’s hand holding yours, you feel that you could float off over the moon. You could turn the winter to spring if he asked you to.

“You asked me to stay. I’ll stay forever, if you’ll have me,” he says. “Will you marry me?”

You want to say something eloquent. You want to tell him so many things – how much his unshakeable faith in you means to you, how you’d cross a hundred realities and face twice as many witches to make sure that he’s home and safe and happy, how much you love him – but you can’t find the words.

There’ll be time for all that later. Peter’s gazing up at you, and though there’s urgency in his expression, there’s not even the tiniest shred of doubt.

There are so many things you want to say, but all you can manage is, “Yes.”

Peter’s eyes widen, and an ecstatic smile tugs at his mouth.

“Yes…?” he repeats.

You nod, squeezing his hand. “Yes.”

If Peter beams any harder, he’ll literally start glowing. He slips the ring onto your finger, and it fits perfectly. Knowing him, he probably used his speed to find out your ring size without you ever knowing, the sneak.

He looks back up at you. Though it’s still obvious that he’d been crying not long before, his smile perfectly, genuinely happy. It’s the smile you first fell in love with, the one you haven’t seen since before he was taken, and –

And suddenly your lips tremble. Tears start welling up in your eyes. You press your hand to your mouth, blinking hard.

Peter stands hurriedly.

“Don’t cry!” he says, “Please? Because if you start crying, I’m not gonna be able to hold it together over here.”

“I’m trying!” you blurt out, laughing in spite of yourself. “I’m just really happy, okay?”

Peter pulls you close and kisses you. You wish that you’d never have to let go. And when the kiss ends, Peter keeps his arms around you.

You take a moment to look more closely at the ring. It’s a simple gold band with a single stone – an opal. Flecks of pale, fiery colors flicker within it as you shift it in the light.

“I know it’s not a diamond,” Peter says. “I kinda thought this suited you better. Diamonds seems so… ordinary, I guess, but you’re our Wild Card. If you don’t like it, I’ll get you something else. I just-”

“Peter,” you interrupt. You lace your fingers through his, smiling up at him. “It’s perfect.”

He smiles, and then a curious expression takes over. He tilts his head slightly, sniffing at the air. “Did you make a pie?”

You laugh. “Strawberry rhubarb, as requested. Do you want a piece?”

“Y’know, for once in my life?” Peter raises his eyebrows, incredulous with himself. “I don’t think I could eat a thing. I know I’m repeating myself here, but tonight’s been… a lot.”

“It’ll make a good breakfast, then,” you say. “Come on. We could both use a good night’s sleep.”

Nevermind that it was already past one in the morning. Telekinetically turning off the lights as you go, you lead Peter back to the bedroom.

It feels so… natural. It feels ordinary in the best way possible. After the chaos, the worry, the breakdown – something so domestic feels strangely cathartic. Just you and your fiancé, getting ready for bed, thinking about what you’re gonna have for breakfast the next morning.

There are plenty of uphill battles to face tomorrow, and in the days to come. But for now, a few moments of peace are more than welcome. And Peter is still Peter. He’s making himself right at home. In a blink, he’s down to his t-shirt and boxers, and settling himself in on the far side of the bed.

“Oh… Oh man, this is nice,” he says. He lays his head back on the pillow and somehow seems to sink further into the mattress, then immediately raises his head again. “You’re still sure you’re okay with me staying?”

You snort. “I just agreed to marry you. Yes, you can stay.”

“Well, it never hurts to be sure.”

And with that, he snuggles back under the comforter. Ridiculous and sweet as ever – and you wouldn’t want him any other way. You’re still worried about him, but it’s not the same sort of worry. You’ll always be worried about his safety and health and wellbeing, but you can trust that he won’t shut you out again, and that’s reassuring.

Turning off the last light, you climb into bed as well. For a moment, you both stay on your separate sides. Then Peter skootches closer, and then a little closer, and then closer again until he’s nestled against your side.

There’s a few seconds of silence before you both break down into giggles.

“Listen, I never shared a bed with somebody before,” Peter says.

“Me neither,” you admit.

“It’s nice, though.”

“Yeah, it’s nice.”

Peter wraps one arm comfortably around your waist.

“Can we maybe keep talking for a while?” he says. “Not, like, about anything specific. I just don’t wanna start overthinking again.”

He lets out a self-conscious laugh, and you lace your fingers through his. Hmm… Well, there is something you’ve been wondering about.

“I gotta ask,” you say, “Did anybody know that you were going to propose? Besides the professor, I mean.”

“In my defense,” says Peter, “I didn’t actually tell him. He just did that thing, you know? You’ve got something on your mind, and then you look up and you make eye contact with the professor, and then it’s straight panic because you know that he knows. But, uh, aside from him it was just my mom and my dad.”

Suddenly, that strange little exchange you’d had with Mr. Lehnsherr last night makes a lot more sense.

“He’s gonna be your father-in-law, y’know,” Peter says. You swear you can hear the teasing grin in his voice. “You can’t keep calling him ‘Mr. Lehnsherr’ now.”

“Okay, fine. I’ll start calling him-” And you find yourself unable to spit out the name ‘Erik.’ You pull the comforter up around your chin, muttering, “I’ll work my way up to it.”

Peter laughs. Then, apropos of nothing:

“Hey, when’s the last time you went on vacation?” he asks.

Confused, you turn your head to look at him. They’ve adjusted to the dim light enough for you to see Peter’s expression is earnest.

“Oh man, I don’t know,” you say, casting your mind back. “I know I took a couple long weekends, but I… I actually don’t think I’ve taken a real vacation since I started working here.”

“I thought so,” says Peter. “We should go somewhere together.”

“What?”

“Oh, I’m not saying we should elope or anything,” he clarifies. “I’m getting kinda traditional in my old age.”

“You aren’t even thirty-five,” you counter drily.

“Be that as it may, I’m only saying that I kinda like the idea of having a real, actual wedding,” he says, smiling when you nod in agreement, “And also that we should go someplace tropical for a couple weeks. Like, not right away. After your knee heals up some more, and after Wanda and the twins get settled in. What do you think?”

The thought of relaxing on some warm sunny beach, or watching the stars over the ocean, just the two of you – it’s incredibly tempting.

“The professor did give us time off,” you say hesitantly, “But…”

“They can find somebody else to shovel snow and substitute teach for a little while. Didn’t you ever rebel as a teenager?” he asks, mock-accusingly. “Like, even once?”

“Uh…” You struggle to think back. Did you ever?

“Wow.” Peter grins, leaning in to kiss you cajolingly. “Come on – run away with me!”

“You’re a bad influence,” you tease.

Peter tilts his head. “Is that a yes…?”

“Hmm… a couple weeks in a tropical paradise with you,” you say. When it comes down to it, this is hardly a difficult decision. “That sounds perfect.”

“Good,” he says. “We’ll make plans over breakfast.”

In the dim light, you smile at him, murmuring an I-love-you. He kisses you again, and rests his head on the pillow beside yours. He breathes in deep and, with a contented sigh, closes his eyes. The little groundskeeper’s cottage has never felt more like home than it does in this moment.

Very little in life is certain; you know that. The shadow of Westview hasn’t left Peter entirely, and it may be a long time until he’s no longer troubled by it. But you’re certain that you love him, and that he loves you. Your hand folds around his.

“Hey, Peter?” you say quietly.

“Hmm?”

“Just checking in, like I promised. How are you doing?”

Peter smiles as he presses his lips against your forehead. “Y’know what? I think I’m gonna be okay.”

“Goodnight, Peter.”

“Goodnight.”

[lilyvandersteen]

The Christmas Guest Chapter 10

Author’s Note: Here’s Blaine’s point of view of the kiss and what comes after. Fluff galore. Enjoy!

Read Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4 and Chapter 5, the Interlude, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8 and Chapter 9 here on Tumblr, or read the story on AO3 or FF.net.

Chapter 10: Part of the Family

As soon as Blaine’s lips touched Kurt’s, he felt Kurt freeze for a moment, but just when he wanted to draw back and apologize, Kurt let out the softest sigh and melted against him. He also started kissing back, and held Blaine as if he’d never let go again. It made Blaine completely forget where he was and why. All that existed was Kurt, and how he felt, and how he tasted, and how he made Blaine’s head whirl with the simplest touch.

Blaine had no idea how much time had passed when the two of them were jolted apart by another party-goer, but it was not nearly long enough. He blinked hazily at Kurt, who looked as kiss-drunk as Blaine felt, and then at the people around them, who were… counting?

Oh. Right. New Year. Oh, brilliant, then we can kiss some more!

As soon as everybody started yelling Happy New Year, Blaine kissed Kurt again, reveling in the fact that he could, and that Kurt seemed to welcome his attentions. They needed to talk about this, yes, but first… First, he was going to enjoy this!

Again, he had to stop before he was ready to, this time because one of Kurt’s friends took offence to their PDA. They were quickly defended by Kurt’s other friends, but Blaine could tell Kurt felt uncomfortable, so he didn’t protest when Kurt wanted to go home, though he was a bit apprehensive about the conversation they would be having once they were back in Kurt’s room. Had he overstepped Kurt’s boundaries without realizing? Had Kurt only kissed back to keep up appearances? Surely, Blaine couldn’t have misread the situation that badly?

He chanced a quick glance at Kurt, who hadn’t said a word since they left the party, but his face was unreadable. He was shivering, though, and at once, Blaine’s preoccupations flew out of his head and he only thought of warming up Kurt.

In thanks for his efforts, Kurt sent him a glowing smile, which kept Blaine going until they were back in Kurt’s bedroom, putting their pajamas on, still in silence. By the time Blaine slipped into bed, his skin was skittering with all the feelings and words cooped up inside of him. As he cuddled up to Kurt, he couldn’t keep it all in anymore, and he burst out into an apology – right at the same time as Kurt started talking.

Well, not so much talking as asking for an explanation. Which was only fair, of course. Only… What answer did he expect? Could Blaine be honest and tell Kurt he’d tumbled head over heels in love with him? Would he dare?

Blaine hedged a bit, but Kurt pressed on, and his resistance crumbled. He could no more lie to Kurt than he could to himself. And maybe it was crazy to feel this way about someone he’d only known for a few days, but if by some miracle, Kurt felt the same way, maybe they could try dating for real?

He didn’t have to wait long for an answer. Kurt’s lips found his, and his heart leapt happily. Yes!

K&B

When Blaine woke up the next morning, Kurt was still deeply asleep, his head on Blaine’s bicep and his arm thrown over Blaine’s chest.

Blaine smiled up at the ceiling, happier than he could remember ever being, and enjoying this quiet private time holding Kurt in his arms.

This Christmas break had been nothing like he’d expected, but it had been everything he needed. Relaxing. A slice of home and family. Scrumptious food and fun pastimes. And most importantly: Kurt.

My boyfriend.

Oh, it felt good to think those words and know they were finally true. It felt so right. Like it had from the very beginning, when Kurt sat down next to him on the plane, and Blaine had smiled at him as though they’d known each other forever.

Well, maybe in another life they had.

Blaine heard floorboards creak, and a second later, Burt’s head peeped in.

“Good morning!” Blaine whispered. “And Happy New Year!”

“Kurt still asleep?”

“Dead to the world.”

“Glad you got home okay. Did Finn’s girl sleep over too?”

“Yes. We were all exhausted.”

“That late?”

“Just after midnight. That’s late enough for me.”

Burt hummed in assent. “Well, come down to breakfast if you can pry Mr. Koala loose. Carole’s making blueberry pancakes.”

That made Blaine’s mouth water. He looked down at Kurt sleeping peacefully, and then back at Burt, torn.

Burt chuckled. “Or not. You can always whip up a batch yourself later, if you want a bit of a lie-in. But no shenanigans, you hear me?”

Blaine nodded, and the door closed again.

Blaine closed his eyes and softly stroked Kurt’s hair.

“What time izzit?” came a sleepy inquiry.

Blaine smiled and told Kurt, “Way too early for you. Go back to sleep, sweetie.”

Kurt curled into him like a contented cat, rubbing his head against Blaine’s hand. “Feels good when you do that.”

So Blaine kept up his gentle caresses until Kurt’s face went slack, and he nodded off again himself a while later.

By the time they made their way downstairs, it was past ten o’clock, and Blaine’s stomach was rumbling in protest.

“Morning, sleepyheads,” said Carole. “Burt’s off to work already, and Finn finished all the pancakes, I’m afraid. I swear he’s got some sixth sense for food cooking. Always shows up seconds after the pan starts sizzling.”

Kurt yawned. “No worries, Carole, we’ll fend for ourselves. Are there still eggs?”

Twenty minutes later, Finn came into the kitchen, sniffing like a dog. “Is that cinnamon toast I smell?”

Blaine hid a smile. Carole had spoken the absolute truth. Finn had shown up not even a minute after the first toast had hit the pan.

Kurt swatted at Finn with the spatula. “Out! Yes, it’s cinnamon toast, and no, you can’t have any. You’ve already had breakfast, and you finished your own as well as ours, says Carole.”

“I was hungry!”

“Well, now WE are hungry and don’t want to share. Clear out!”

“Aw, come on!”

“Maybe that works on Cathy, but not on me. What did you do, swipe half of her pancake while she was talking to Carole?”

“No! She had a whole one herself. And then she let me finish her second one.”

Kurt fake-swooned. “Aw, true love! Where’s Cathy, anyway?”

Finn pouted. “She went home already. Said she still had tons of work to do. Lessons to prepare. For next week.”

“Well, at least one of you takes their studies seriously. Why don’t you take her good example and get some work done as well? Not much else to do, ‘cause Puck and the other New Directions will be hungover, and Blaine and I will be packing because we’re going back to New York.”

“Hang on, you’re leaving today?”

That was news to Blaine too. His plane ticket back to New York was for two days later, as he didn’t have class until Tuesday afternoon. Still, he could try and get his flight rebooked. He just wished he’d known a bit earlier.

As soon as Finn had left the kitchen, Blaine asked Kurt what flight he was taking, and then spent a good half hour on the phone to sort things out. When he hung up with a triumphant smile, having scored not only the flight but also the exact seat he wanted, Kurt shook his head, smirking.

“When you start pouring on the charm, I don’t think anyone could say no to you if they tried.”

Blaine cocked his head to the side and moved a bit closer. “Hmm… You can’t say no to me? Now that’s interesting…”

Kurt squeaked in apprehension  – actually squeaked, and Blaine grinned.

Kurt’s chin went up. “I’ll learn to say no. So there. I’ll become immune, after a while.”

Blaine’s grin widened. “I wouldn’t be too sure, if I were you.”

“Oh, hush you!”

“Make me.”

And then he lost both his words and his grin when Kurt grabbed his head and kissed him.

They didn’t stop kissing until Finn came stomping into the kitchen looking for a snack, and asked, “Weren’t you going to pack?”

When Burt drove them to the airport that evening, he looked at Blaine in the rear-view mirror – they’d opted to both sit in the back again – and asked, “So are you sad you didn’t get to spend the holidays with your own folks, bud?”

Blaine squeezed Kurt’s hand, looked at him with all his love showing, and answered, “Not a bit. I had a marvelous time. Again, thank you so much for your hospitality.”

“Happy to have you, kid. Feel free to tag along every year from now on. We’ve all accepted you as part of the family.”

Blaine felt ridiculously close to tears, even as the corners of his mouth curved up, and could not manage a response. It made him happy to be so accepted, yet he felt guilty, too, for deceiving Burt.

Kurt kissed his cheek and announced, “Good, ‘cause Blaine is here to stay. Though, Blaine, I do want to meet your family too, someday.”

As soon as Blaine could strings words together again, he promised, “You will. We can go see my parents this summer. And Skype with Cooper one of these days. Though… I apologize in advance for all the ridiculous things Cooper is going to say.”

“Brothers,” Kurt nodded knowingly.

Kurt hugged his father tightly at the airport. When he let go, Blaine held out his hand for Burt to shake, but instead, Burt wrapped him up in a bear hug, too.

“Take care, kiddo. And look after Kurt for me, will you? Make him eat enough and sleep enough and have some fun in between all his work.”

“I will. I promise.”

Burt let him go and clapped him on the shoulder. “You’re a good kid. Wouldn’t mind having you as my son-in-law one day.”

“Daaaaad!” Kurt moaned.

“What, like you haven’t planned the wedding already in your head?”

Kurt looked as if he wanted to sink through the floor. “Dad, please! Do you want Blaine to run for the hills? We’ve only just become boyfriends!”

Well, isn’t that the truth… But I can totally picture myself married to you, so I’m not running anywhere but into your arms.

“I don’t think Blaine’s the kind to be easily scared off. He let us kidnap him when he didn’t know us from Adam, didn’t he?”

Both Kurt and Blaine gaped at Burt.

He chuckled at their gob-smacked expressions. “I heard you, kid. Inviting Blaine ‘as a friend’ because he’d been nice to you on the plane. I saw you making goo-goo eyes at each other. But Blaine didn’t dare say yes. So I made him come with us. And I don’t regret it. Do you?”

Kurt closed his mouth with a snap, and shook his head slowly, his eyes misty and his smile radiant.

Blaine shook his head as well. “Best thing that ever happened to me.”

[apiratewhopines]

Thanks to @teamhook for the the eye candy :)

In the Offing

Chapter 16 — Heart of Darkness

Summary: In which our heroine buries multiple hatchets

Notes: This one gets a little gruesome!

Chapter 16 on AO3

“Some mistakes get made

That’s alright, that’s okay

In the end it’s better for me

That’s the moral of the story babe”

-Moral of the Story, Ashe

In the dead of night, her phone started ringing. Looking at the clock, she tried to shake off the fog that threatened to pull her back under. Reaching blindly for her cell and seeing the ID, she groggily answered, “What do you want, Killian?”

“Bloody hell, Swan! If I had known you would get in trouble the second I walked out, I never would have left,” he swore, words breaking with stress. She imagined his hair looked wild at this point if his voice was any indication. “Are you alright?”

“Finally got around to reading the paper, I see,” she replied without emotion as she shifted to sit up in bed. Unable to keep an accusation from seeping into her tone, she continued, “Yes, I’ve had a day to get used to the idea that I’m the most hated person in town but it’s nice of you to join the party. Better late than never I suppose.”

“Liam and I went out on the sailboat, we didn’t get back until a couple of minutes ago. Surely you don’t think I would have left you to fend for yourself if I had known,” he rebuked. When she didn’t say anything, he said grimly, “Or maybe that’s exactly what you thought. Love, you’ll not get rid of me that easily. Can I come over? As a friend.”

She hated that he felt like he had to clarify his intentions. Hated even more that she craved his presence. “No, I’m okay. I need to sleep. I...I’m glad you called though,” she confessed, too tired to maintain the facade that she didn’t care.

“Emma, please—”

“I’ll talk to you later,” she cut him off and hung up before she could change her mind. As much as it hurt, the lines between them were blurred enough without him holding her while she slept which is exactly what would happen if he showed up in the middle of the night. She was beginning to realize that a platonic friendship with him would be impossible. For them it would be all or nothing.

She drifted back to sleep and dreamed of the cottage. The sunshine softly illuminating the porch in the early morning, tiny feet running barefoot across the wood floors, laughter filling every corner of the home. She awoke hours later with a deep sense of peace that was foreign to her.

—

The seagulls squawked longingly as they flew back and forth across the marina docks in search of food left behind by visitors. Emma sat on the bench looking out at the ocean, the heat of the day warming the metal in a pleasant way. While she didn’t want to admit it, she knew she had come to this place in search of Killian.

Instead someone found her.

“I was hoping I would run into you soon,” Liam greeted her as he settled on the bench. As was his norm, he didn’t crowd or even look in her direction. His gaze was fixed out on the distant waves. The stony countenance that always graced his face, the one that used to irritate her so, had somehow changed into a soothing kind of companionship that she had missed.

“Well, you did and here we are. Two grumpy Bostonians stuck in a picturesque nightmare,” she commented, only half joking. She realized that even before their fight, she hadn’t really spent time with him in weeks. Sneaking a look out of the corner of her eye, she saw that the gash on his head was healing nicely, only a thin red line marking the place where the injury occurred. His arm was still in a sling and probably would be for a couple more weeks but he wasn’t as stiff as he had been. Still stiff of course, this was Liam Jones after all, but pompously so instead of painfully.

“Too right,” he agreed. “Although I think you might have gotten the worst of it.”

“Trip’s not over yet. Don’t jinx yourself,” Emma pointed out with a grimace. “Thank you for the transfer. I wasn’t sure you’d come through.”

“Have I ever not lived up to my end of the bargain, Emma? You did what you said you would, you found half the missing persons on our list, doing it admirably and with your normal tenaciousness. If I ever made you think I doubted your abilities or didn’t count you as important, I regret it. I didn’t bring you along as a...what did you call it? A pretty blonde distraction.”

“I haven’t given up, you know. I still want to help you. It’s only that my priorities have to shift for a while,” she told him. Saying that she needed to save her own skin first would have been too melodramatic but she trusted he understood what she meant. He usually did.

“What they printed in the paper was out of line,” he said heatedly. “It was a smear job and it means nothing. You aren’t alone, Emma. You have friends and we will sort this out. It is a fine tangle though.”

“I’m sure it was a shock to read about my past in the Storybrooke Daily Mirror. At least it was for me. There is a reason I like keeping to myself.”

“I knew about your past the second time I talked with Henry, lass,” he laughed. “I think he was feeling me out as a potential suitor. The hope of youth is vast and diabolical.”

Chuckling because that sounded exactly like something Henry would do, she reached out and lightly slapped his shoulder. “Don’t get any ideas. I’m too good for the likes of you, even with a criminal history and fresh charges pending.”

“Aye, you’ll get no argument from me,” he agreed. Clearing his throat uncomfortably, he muttered, “Speaking of women who are too good for me, Elsa and I are getting married this Saturday.”

Eyes wide, she gaped at him in surprise. The tips of his ears were a faint pink and his lips had softened into a satisfied grin. “I don’t know what to say. Congratulations! That’s really fast.”

“Or really slow depending on how you look at it,” he responded. “I’ve loved her for years and I don’t want to wait another minute. Her sister will be in town on a short break for the holiday so we decided it was the perfect time. We want you to be there. After all if it weren’t for you, I’d still have my head stuck up my ass.”

Snorting, she nodded. “That’s probably true. Honestly, I thought you were an incurable case so I guess you deserve some credit too. But Liam, I’m not sure it’s a good idea. I have this shooting hanging over my head and people will talk. I don’t want to detract from your day.”

“Hang them. Have I ever cared what people thought? The whole town will be there whether they are invited or not so what better way to show our solidarity.”

Forcing herself to be truthful, she added, “Things between me and Killian are...unsettled. He might be uncomfortable if I show up.”

Looking at her for the first time, his eyes crinkled in a way that was reminiscent of his brother. “No kidding. His moping around the house and general state of sullenness were my first clues. Trust me, he won’t mind.”

“How do you know?”

“Because he’s smitten with you. Has been since the moment we stepped foot in town,” he said in a voice that made it clear he thought it was obvious. Smiling out at the horizon, he explained, “Killian has taken to you in a way I’ve never seen before. In the interest of fulfilling my role of wing man, I have to confess that he was on me to tell you about the map and treasure from the minute we made it back to the cottage after the accident, long before you had formed an attachment. I’m sure he’ll give you plenty of reasons to be angry with him in the future but place the blame for this one where it belongs. Squarely on me.”

“I think I may have already burned that bridge,” Emma declared, her smile a sad answer to his.

“Good that my little brother is an excellent swimmer then,” Liam countered, standing up and facing her. “Come to the wedding. Then we’ll get back to work.”

—

Emma walked into the loft several hours later discouraged and annoyed. Having spent a good part of the afternoon at the docks, she decided to stop off at the hospital on the way home to check on August. It was there that the full import of her situation hit her. The ICU staff followed her every move, never leaving her alone with her friend as if they were afraid she would rip out his heart with her bare hands as soon as their backs were turned.

So much for innocent until proven guilty.

Mary Margaret’s sunny smile welcomed her as she stepped across the threshold. “Emma, you just missed Killian. He’d been waiting for you for hours.”

“Hmm” was her only reply. As much as she might want to see him, after her chat with Liam she wasn’t sure she was ready to. There were things she needed to settle in her own mind before she interacted with him again. It wasn’t fair to keep jerking him around. She was going to have to pick a path and stick to it. The problem was her mind was set on one direction and her heart was urging her in another.

“Uh oh, I know that look,” Mary Margaret commented. “You’re reverting.”

Amused in spite of the dark turn of her thoughts, Emma asked, “Reverting? What do you mean?”

“You’re pulling on that armor of yours and you’re readying for battle. Am I right?”

“I’m tired. That’s all. The hospital staff clearly believes everything they read,” she explained while moving into the kitchen to get something to drink. “It’s one thing to think someone capable of murder but it’s another to think they would be stupid enough to do it in broad daylight in a well monitored hospital room.”

“Most people are too wrapped up in their own lives to question the things that people present to them as facts,” she observed sagely. “Regardless, I know what you need to get out of this funk.”

“Do you? And what would that be?”

“We’re going out for a girl’s night. I’ll call Elsa and Ruby. We’ll get dressed up and we’ll show the town that they are wrong about you.”

“I’m not sure there is enough makeup in the world to change their opinions now,” Emma joked, not completely averse to proposal. “I’m also not sure I’m ready to see another story in the paper about how I callously partied my way through Storybrooke while August is on his deathbed.”

“It’s Storybrooke, Emma. How much trouble do you think we could get into? I’m not suggesting an orgy. It’s dinner with people who care about you. Maybe a few drinks.”

Nearly spitting out her orange juice when the word orgy slipped from Mary Margaret’s mouth, Emma shook her head in disbelief and teased, “What in the world has David been doing these last couple of days? You know when I met you, I would have sworn that you didn’t know any four-letter words.”

“Well now I know all of them,” she joked back, her cheeks flushing and eyes dancing with the deep emotion that only comes from being in love and being loved thoroughly and repeatedly. “Get changed. I’m not taking no for an answer.”

Hours later, Emma had to admit she was glad she didn’t put up too much of a fight. Elsa and Ruby rounded out their merry little band quite nicely, the cool elegance of the former a stark contrast to the vivid earthiness of the latter. Overall they were a nice blend of independent, intelligent women who, for whatever reason, seemed to have her back.

She also appreciated that they were giving the topic of her brief arrest a wide berth. There was no better way to kill a buzz than to give into harsh realities. They kept the conversation light, discussing Elsa’s imminent wedding and Mary Margaret’s newfound saltiness. Ruby sighed and said, “Everyone is pairing up. It’s about to be nothing but babies and boringness. Then Emma will leave and nothing exciting will ever happen again.”

“That’s me, the bringer of excitement,” Emma commented dryly as her phone vibrated. Seeing that Henry was calling, she excused herself and went to stand outside so she could hear him. She watched a steady stream of people make their way into the bar as Henry begged to fly into town for Liam’s wedding. Figuring her son’s well-informed status must have come from the man himself, she laughed at his logical arguments for the last minute trip. Starting with the ability to celebrate the holiday with her and ending with meeting her new friends, he laid out his reasons as if he were forty instead of ten.

She hadn’t realized the individuals she had met since her arrival had trickled into their conversations so much but the casual way he referred to half a dozen people he had never met drove the point home. Tempted as she was to give in to his earnest and well-thought out pleas, she did not think it was a good time for a visit. She needed to clear her name first. Explaining that there would be time to meet everyone later and promising to send pictures of the ceremony, which effectively made the decision for her about attending, she ended the call and leaned back against the outer wall.

She heard gravel crunching under footsteps before she heard his voice. “Fancy meeting you here,” Graham said as he approached her.

“This is where all the cool kids hang out apparently,” she remarked, turning toward him. “How are you doing, Sheriff?”

“I’ve been better,” he admitted, stopping a couple of feet away and taking up a similar position against the wall. They stood there in silence for several minutes, neither one sure what to say now that they were alone and not interrogating each other. “The forensics came back. The gun was wiped clean. No prints.”

“Dead end then,” she observed, not particularly surprised. If it had been that easy, the guy would have already been caught.

“Not quite. You’d be surprised at the number of criminals who wipe the weapon and completely forget about the bullets. We pulled a partial off one. No hits yet but it definitely doesn’t match Liam’s or yours. They are also analyzing an unusual substance they found on the rags. We may still get lucky.”

“So, what does that mean?”

“It means you are no longer my prime suspect, Emma,” Graham explained with a small smile. “You can go back to hating me with a clear conscience.”

“I never hated you,” Emma argued, sheepishly looking at him from under her lashes. “I just didn’t trust you.”

Laughing softly, his lilting voice carried to her with a hint of delight. “I do love how direct you are.” Gazing into her eyes searchingly, he asked with a quirked brow, “Why is that? What did I do within minutes of meeting you to put you off me so completely?”

“You lied,” she said simply. Returning his searching glance, she took in his handsome face and lean body. In another time or place, if things had been different, she wondered if there would have been something between them. The odd tension stretched around them, forming a little bubble where the outside world didn’t exist. Deciding she had nothing to lose, she asked, “What were you really doing in the woods the night of our accident?”

“Clever girl,” he complimented her with a wink that showed he was teasing rather than patronizing her. With a shrewd look, he asked her, “Do you trust me now?”

“I think you’ve earned a little faith from me,” she replied, curious about the sudden shift in his demeanor. “Why?”

“It might be better if I show you,” he said mysteriously. A second later, her hand was clasped in his and he was pulling her toward his cruiser. “Let’s go.”

Sending a text to her friends to let them know something had come up and she wouldn’t be rejoining them, she buckled herself into the passenger seat and questioned humorously, “Are you taking me to the wolf’s den?”

“There really have been complaints about wolves,” he defended. “Although they are more likely to be coyotes in this area. But you’re right. I wasn’t being honest because I wasn’t sure what I had found. This town has a violent history and this particular investigation I’ve been keeping under wraps. I haven’t even told Nolan about it.”

“So why me? Why now?”

“I don’t know, Emma,” Graham responded truthfully. “There’s something about you. I’ve always been on your side, you just didn’t want to see it. I have a feeling you’re going to be the one to solve everything.”

“Everything is a tall order,” she groused. “I’d settle for finding who shot August.”

They fell into silence as the buildings gave way to trees. In no time, they were approaching the to town line. They emerged from the cruiser at nearly the exact point Liam’s SUV had left the road. With a dubious look at her sandals, he said, “You going to be okay for a walk?”

Mimicking his doubtful glance, she countered, “Are you offering to carry me the whole time?” Before he could say anything, she stepped off the pavement and ordered, “Lead the way.”

Even with the high-powered police flashlights, it was slow going in the inky darkness of the night with the overgrown forest floor threatening to trip them with every footfall. They had probably been hiking arm-in-arm for about thirty minutes, Emma having given up the pretense of making it on her own shortly after they started. “Are you taking me to our crash site?”

“I’m taking you to a crash site,” he corrected. Huffing a bit and wishing she had gone with jeans rather than a dress, she nodded. Then, there was a break in the trees and she could barely make out the charred remains of a sedan.

Pulling away, she carefully circled the burned out car. The light bounced eerily off the blackened metal and with only a slight hesitation, she flooded the front seat with the beam. Letting go of a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, she was relieved that it was empty. She really hadn’t been looking forward to finding any more skeletons in Storybrooke. “Who do you think it belonged to?”

“I don’t have to think, I know,” he assured her. “The car was registered to the city. It was reported stolen about twenty-eight years ago.”

“Someone stole city property, took it for a joyride, crashed it, and burned the car to hide the evidence?”

“Perhaps.”

“There’s something you haven’t told me, isn’t there?”

“You do have a knack for ferreting out the truth, Emma,” he respectfully observed. “It would be nice to have you around to help out the department from time to time.”

“Don’t get attached,” she warned seriously. “I’m merely passing through. What else have you found?”

“Follow me,” he directed, taking her arm lightly in his grasp to steady her as they moved deeper into the woods. Less than a quarter mile away from the car, they came upon an abandoned cabin. Flashing her light through the grimy windows, she detected no sign of movement.

Graham entered the one room cabin first and flicked on the light switch. A couple of the bulbs were still working and a dingy, yellow glow filled the room. It was then that she saw the blood stains on the small bed pushed against one wall. Her flashlight continued to trail around the room, illuminating several more bloody rags strewn on the floor. “What the hell happened here?”

“I can’t be sure,” he answered, steadying her again as her knees buckled a little at the overwhelming sight. “If it’s too much, we can go outside. You’ve seen everything there is to see now.”

“No, no, it’s fine,” she told him, taking slow breaths in through her nose. “What do you think happened?”

“I think someone had a baby.” He watched her reaction as if concerned she might pass out. Honestly, his fears weren’t totally unfounded. “I’ll spare you from reviewing the evidence that led me to that conclusion since you’re white as a sheet and look like you could double over at any moment.”

“Why haven’t you processed the scene?”

“I’m waiting for the state lab to come. Emma, something happened in Storybrooke decades ago, something that is having a ripple effect to this day. I don’t trust that we’ll find answers locally. I’ve been doing what I can to comb through records regarding pregnancies around that time but it’s slow going with the privacy laws and the fact that I doubt there was a birth announcement for this particular baby.”

“I think I can help you there.” Exhaling shakily, she hurried outside. She heard him come up behind her and didn’t resist when he wrapped his arm around her shoulders as if to funnel some of his strength to her. “I’m positive that Eva Blanchard had her baby in that cabin, Graham. I’m also sure that if we continue searching, we’ll find her and Leo’s body somewhere around here. Maybe the baby’s as well.”

Feeling sick, she didn’t protest as he pulled her closer and began the trek out of this grisly corner of the forest. He didn’t question how she knew the things she knew and didn’t pressure her to talk, merely nodding at her in thanks when he dropped her off outside the loft.

That night, her dreams were anything but peaceful.

[t-lostinworlds]

Hidden Agenda (Tom Holland)

A/N: ITS ABOUT FUCKING DAMN TIME LOL. Christmas was almost a month ago now but ha, better late than never right? no? okay, sorry heh. At least it’s long-er right? still no? yup. Anyhow! I hope you guys enjoy this one! x

Pairing: Tom Holland x Reader

Summary: You were planning on spending Christmas alone but Tom presses that you spend it with him and his family instead. He just so happen to “forget” to mention it to them that you were just his best friend, and not his girlfriend.

Warnings: Nada but my usual typos

Word Count: 8.1k+

Masterlist in Bio

-:-:-:-:-

"Bye guys. I'll see you all soon." Tom bid his last goodbyes as you waited just by the door of a mutual friend's house, the party still in full swing but the two of you have already decided to call it a night.

"Let's just walk yeah?" He turned to you with a smile, offering his arm for you to hold, which you did, gladly.

It was the 23rd of December and the city of London was still as alive as ever, given the fact that it was nearing midnight. The wind was cold with a sprinkle of snow here and there, coating the streets lightly with white. People were all bundled up in layers as they walked under numerous twinkling lights, small chatter and laughs echoing about with the hum of the carols that each open store plays, and nothing could ever scream Christmas more than this.

"You're going back home tomorrow right?" Tom asked, your bodies close together, side by side in an attempt to stay warm. "Nope." You simply answered, not even bothering to give any further details. You didn't have to.

"You're still not in good terms with them?" You shook your head no, sparing Tom a glance to see a frown written on those lips. He didn't need to tell you who he meant since you already know 'them' means your family. You two are close, so naturally, you tell him everything. Well, most of everything.

"What're your plans for Christmas then?"

You shrugged, sighing as you shot him a small smile. "I don't know. I'll probably just stay back at the flat and watch a movie, order take out and eat ice cream. Maybe wear a Christmas hat and jumper for it to be special and not just my typical night." You joked, but Tom lips didn't even twitch as he only stared at you with furrowed brows, frown still intact.

"What, alone?" You looked at him curiously, the concern written on his face only growing to which you only responded with a small nod. "Well, yeah—"

"Yeah, that's not happening." Tom scoffed with a shake of his head. You turned your head fully to look at him confused. "What'd you mean?"

"You're spending Christmas with me."’

He stated casually, almost bluntly as if he didn't have any plans for the holidays whatsoever, his voice firm in a way to tell you that he's already made up his mind.

"You're going to be with your family Tom." You stated, as a matter of fact, since he has already told you what he was doing tomorrow, so him spending Christmas with you doesn't exactly add up. Tom only squared his shoulders, eyes looking straight to avoid your confused gaze.

"Exactly."

It took you a minute to understand what he was trying to say, his proposition slowly registering in your brain before you halted your movements, stopping right in front of him to try and get your point across. "No no no, I'm not going to crash your holiday plans with your family Tom. I'm going to be fine at the flat."

Tom only raised his one messy brow, hands in the pockets of his coat and when he gets in this stance, you know very well that he was ready to argue. "Well, I sure as hell won't let you spend Christmas alone Y/N."

You crossed your arms over your chest to counter him, a frown on your lips as you are not exactly keen on being an intruder to a family celebration, especially if it was this last minute. "I'm not just showing up uninvited, I really don't want to invade."

Tom only chuckled, walking closer to you with a reassuring smile, the corner of his eyes crinkling as his hands landed on your shoulder comfortingly. "You won't. I'll text mum a heads up and we'll go down there together. Trust me, they'd be glad to have you. They've been dying to meet you."

Granted, you haven't met the Hollands.

You've known Tom for so long but you still have yet to meet his family. It was a case of your busy schedule combined with his that you haven't had the chance to go whenever an opportunity pops up. You have met Harry since he's with Tom mostly, but that's about it. So going with him at their house during Christmas, with it a very last minute plan, it was making you a bit nervous, and by a bit, you mean a lot.

You pouted at him, still a bit wary of this idea of his. "Are you a hundred percent sure they won't mind?" Tom flashed you that charming grin, all confident and bright, the one that never fails to make your heart flutter even if you so badly don't want it to. "Completely sure."

"But Tom—"

"Y/N, I really don't want you to spend Christmas alone and we can stay out here in the cold and argue for as long as you want, or you could just say yes right now and spare us the time because you very well know I don't easily back down." He cuts you off with a knowing smile, arms all crossed over his chest to let you know that he was up for the challenge, just like he always is.

You groaned with a roll of your eyes because you just know, deep in your bones, that you weren't getting your way with this, especially when it was crystal clear that he's already made up his mind. He would just keep pushing until you say yes, or either way, he'll drag you down there no questions asked.

Thomas Holland is just stubborn that way.

"Glad to see that you care about how I spend my holidays." You grumbled, your heart fluttering at his concern of not wanting you to spend Christmas all by yourself, a glimmer of hope shining through, your mind playing its daydream as to why that could be.

"I'm your best friend, of course I care." And just like that, the small hope was snuffed out seconds later, a light sting in your heart that you tried your hardest to ignore, but you also can't say you aren't used to it by now.

You shook your head with a timid smile to mask what you truly felt about his statement, letting out a sigh as you looked at the boy in front of you who sported an all-too proud grin on his face. Of course he knows he's winning this. "Fine, fine, I'll go. But you'll come with me early tomorrow for a last minute Christmas shopping. I don't want to show up empty handed."

Tom's face lit up like a Christmas tree at that, his smile only getting wider as he offered you his arm again. Even if you wanted nothing more than to wipe that smug smirk of his, you took his arm nonetheless, a small chuckle escaping out of the boy as he wholeheartedly agreed.

"Deal."

*     *     *

To say you were nervous would be an understatement.

Your hands were clammy, your heartbeat rapid, and if the look on your face wasn't an enough dead giveaway, your not-so-steady breathing would surely do the trick.

Tom was right beside you as you two walk up to their front door, and he can practically see you physically shake with nerves. You can feel his eyes bore a whole on the side of your head, a look of concern but mostly amusement written on his face.

"Hey, you're going to be fine. I'm sure they'll like you. There's no need to be nervous Y/N." He chuckled, swinging his arm over your shoulder as he pulled you in for a side hug. You only nodded with a sigh, Tom squeezing your arm in comfort as he placed a soft kiss on top of your head.

It was so funny, borderline hilarious how anxious you were feeling on meeting his family. The excitement is there of course but this nagging voice inside your head just seems to overpower everything. It was somewhat of a want for them to approve of you and like you in a way, which doesn't even make any sense or prove any point as to why you want their approval. The thought was just ridiculous given the fact that you aren't even his girlfrien—

"Y/N! Hello darling, nice to finally meet you."

Too caught up in your thoughts that you didn't even notice that you've already reached the door, a lovely woman was standing right in front of you as she opened it wider and pulled you in for a warm and welcoming hug. "Nice to finally meet you too Mrs. Holland." You greeted with a bright smile once you pulled away, her hands grabbing yours as she gave it a squeeze.

"Oh please, call me Nikki. I've heard so much about you already since Tom just won't shut up. He's quite fond of you this boy, I mean it is the first time he's ever brought a girlfriend home."

Your eyes widened in shock once your brain processed the word, your head slowly, almost dramatically turning to look at a red-faced Tom as you try and find some kind of explanation. He met your eyes briefly before he shook his head, your brows furrowing even more when he turned back to his mother, cleared his throat and only said, "Mum it's cold out here."

"Oh! My bad, come in, make yourself at home sweets." You weren't given the time to ask Tom questions as you were ushered inside seconds later. The confusion only consumed you more the longer you wonder as to why Tom didn't bother and correct his mother.

What on earth is this boy doing?

"Look who's here." Nikki announced the moment you reached the living room where most of his family was situated. The loud chime of her voice made three sets of eyes turn to you, all faces sporting wide grins that did nothing but made you feel at ease and comfortable in so little time. Tessa was quick to run and jump at Tom, his voice raising an octave as he greeted his precious girl. You, on the other hand, turned towards the sound of your name.

"Y/N! Glad to see you again." Harry was the first one to stand up and greet you with a warm hug. "Hi Harry, how are you?" You grinned, ruffling his mesh of curls that only made him chuckle. "Never better."

His twin brother, Sam, was the next to introduce himself followed by their youngest, cute little Paddy, freckles and all.

"Ah, so this is the girl Tom won't stop talking about." You felt your cheeks heat up at the sentence, turning around to see Tom's father walk in just seconds later.

"Dad—"

"Hello Mr. Holland." You ignored Tom and turned to the father of the family with a sweet smile, in which he returned graciously.

"That's too formal love, just call me Dom." He greeted with a warm hug. Once you pulled away, you caught a glimpse of Tom just watching with a sheepish grin on his lips, making the confusion in your brain grow even more.

You felt really flattered by the fact that Tom has told his family about you. It makes you feel, somewhat special in a way but of course, being as guarded as yourself, you tried your best not to think much about it. You are pretty sure he's talk about all his friends to his family in the same way he talks about you.

Though you are still very curious as to why Tom's mother thought you're his girlfriend, because that's just far from the truth. But it seems like you can't get him alone to ask. That or he's purposefully avoiding you and your questions, you don't know which is which as of yet.

"Oh Tom, I'll help you with your stuff. I believe you two are sleeping in the guest bedroom." Dom butted in and gave Tom's shoulder a pat. He was about to walk out of the room but your voice stopped him.

"We will be sharing a bedroom?" The words slipped out your mouth before you could even stop it, your brows knitted together, your eyes searching Tom's to which he avoided so evidently. "Well, you two are together and I do trust Tom not to do any funny business." Dom simply said, playfulness laced in his tone.

Well, guess that makes it that most, if not all of his family think you're his girlfriend.

"Seriously Dad?" Tom groaned, palm rubbing on his red face, you found it quite adorable if being honest, maybe even more if you weren't raking your brain for answers as to what the hell is going on.

Dom only chuckled as he gave Tom's shoulder a squeeze. "I'm just messing with you. Come on son, your bags won't carry themselves upstairs." Tom nodded with a sigh. He only spare you a quick glance, shooting you a shy smile with his cheeks all flushed and pink.

You were waiting, just waiting for him to say something, to tell his dad that you weren't together, to correct him too but it never came. It was like he wants them to think that you are in fact together, which isn't the case at all, and you could only think as to why.

Well you're not correcting them either.

Huh, touché.

Of course a part of you was enjoying the moment, you've had feeling for Tom for a while now. With him being so sweet, kind and caring with a side of charm, talent and sexiness, how can you not? So his family thinking that you're his girlfriend? It was pure bliss.

You do hate the way it makes you feel hopeful though. Hopeful that there was something more about this, feelings wise. But you just know he doesn't. If the countless of girls he's been pining for wasn't enough proof, then him saying that he doesn't feel anything for you to Harrison, was.

You didn't mean to eavesdrop on their conversation that night, you just happened to walk in his living room to hear your name, and you got hooked.

"Don't believe anything they tell you." Tom warned playfully, his voice taking you out of your train of thoughts. You furrowed your brows at him confused to which he only gestured behind you, his finger pointed accusingly at his brothers. You turned around to see all three boys smiling innocently at you, though the mischievous glints in their eyes says otherwise.

Oh you were getting some good gossip tonight.

"Come on Tom, how bad can it be?"

*     *     *

Your laugh was the first thing Tom heard when he walked back inside the living room, a smile making its way onto his lips to see you glowing with joy. Even more so when he saw Tessa situated comfortably on your lap, the precious dog looking up at you sweetly as she listens to whatever you were saying, the way your hand stroked the back of her ear was enough to make her stay right where she is.

The sight alone melted Tom's heart ten times over.

"What are the four of you talking about?" He asked with a brow raise, his brothers looking at you and then back at him before stifling out little chuckles. "What are you telling her boys?" Tom presses even more, dread slowly consuming him on the thought of what his brothers could've spilt this time.

"Don't worry Tom, they're just confirming what I already know." You responded with a wide grin, leaning back on the couch, all calm and smug.

"And that is?"

"That you're really stupid, especially with girls. God the things that you've done." You answered nonchalantly, shaking your head at him teasingly. Tom's cheeks turned a deep shade of red as a number of horrible and embarrassing stories crossed his mind and he was sure the boys told you one, if not all of those said stories.

"Whoops time to check the turkey." Sam was quick to stand and exit the room, chuckles coming out of him to which Tom could only do nothing but watch him disappear.

"I'll help and set the table. Paddy come on." And just like that all three boys were out of sight, leaving you with a curious yet adorably embarrassed Tom. "Seriously, what did they tell you?" You stifled out a laugh at his distressed state, Tom only jutting out his bottom lip in response as he slowly made his way to stand in front of you.

"It's nothing. Just things you did when you were younger. They quite exposed you if I'm being honest but nothing too bad." You answered to try and reassure him, but still, Tom wasn't having it, but he also knows you weren't going to tell him anytime soon either so he decided to just let it go, even if it was bugging him a lot.

"Wow, we just got here and you've already taken over my family." Tom sighed as he plopped beside you on the couch, his eyes glancing down at the dog who rested soundly on your lap, not even bothered by Tom's presence. "You too Tess? This is just outrageous." He protested, arm resting just behind you as he shot you a playful glare, bottom lip all jutted out and you couldn't help but laugh. You shrugged with a wide and proud grin of your own. "What can I say, I am quite the charm."

"Yup, you definitely are." Tom whispered under his breath but he doesn't really realize most of the time when he's speaking out loud, so of course, you heard.

There was a slight change in his tone, a difference in the way he said it that made the butterflies in your stomach go haywire, a certain look on his face that made your brain grow curios but your heart grow hopeful.

Silence rang in the air as none of you decided to speak after that. Tom knows you heard what he just said, the faint blush in his cheeks just screams it, and it was only a matter of seconds for it to grow awkward until you realized that you've got your own questions for him.

"Tom, why does your whole family think that I'm your girl—"

"I got the yearbook!" Paddy came out of nowhere with a toothy grin, book in hand to which you assumed was Tom's, judging by the way he groaned in utter dismay. "You guys really love to embarrass me."

Paddy only giggled as he made his way beside you, handing you the yearbook to which you thanked him for. You turned to Tom to see another mortified look on his face, and you could do nothing but laugh at his reaction. A smirk was plastered on your lips, all teasing and smug as you patted his leg in feign support.

"Hey, that's what brothers are for."

*     *     *

Dinner was well underway.

The beautiful sound of laughter accompanied by the glorious and delicious smell of the full plates made you feel all warm as you look around the dining table surrounded by a happy family. Tom was sat right beside you, eyes all crinkled as he tried to contain his amusement at bay due to something his Dad had said.

You were holding your end of the conversation as well as his family asks you whatever question they had in mind. It was the typical ones, what you do with work and school, favorite marvel movie – not choosing Spider-Man just to get on Tom's nerves – the usual jazz. Nothing was out of the ordinary until Tom did something cute from the outside looking in, but questionable to you.

"Hey, look at me." He mumbled as he patted your arm softly, making you stop your conversation with Sam to turn and look at your best friend. "Hmm?" You hummed, Tom only smiling at you as his hand took hold of your chin to keep your head in place. The middle of your brows creased, your heartbeat picking up its pace as you stared right at Tom's brown orbs all confused, but you didn't have to ask no more as he brought his napkin up to gently, almost lovingly wipe the gravy that was on the corner of your lips.

"There." Tom flashed you one last smile before turning back to his Dad as if it was nothing, him missing the way you let out the breath you were holding as you tried your best to keep the butterflies from causing any more havoc.

"You two are such an adorable couple." Your head snap back at Nikki who had such a proud grin on her face, looking at you and Tom so adoringly and you didn't want to be the one to ruin it for her, so you just smiled at her shyly, your cheeks all hot as you looked at Tom with the corner of your eyes, the boy still oblivious of the consequences of his actions.

It was such a mundane thing, what Tom just did, and he's done it before too, but somehow, in front of his family, it felt like there was some hidden agenda to it, and you suddenly felt uneasy.

*     *     *

The festivity was now moved back to the living room, the main lights now dimmed replaced by the glow of the Christmas tree as the TV played Elf. Everyone was scattered everywhere with the young boys on the floor wrapped in big and soft comforters, both parents cuddled on the edge of the couch, while you and Tom sat next to each other on the other end.

You tried your best to focus on the movie, but it was becoming a hard task as your mind processed other things instead. Along with Tom's arm resting over your shoulder, pulling you closer and closer to his side as his fingers played with the ends of your hair? It wasn't easy to stay focused.

Even more so when he—out of nowhere—turned his head to place a soft kiss on your forehead, his lips gentle against your skin as it lingers for more seconds than normal. Your eyes snapped up to meet his to which he was quick to avoid as his brown orbs were back on the television. You were staring at him intently, only breaking your gaze once you caught Dom and Nikki whispering in each other's ear, not so discreetly pointing at the two of you.

You placed your eyes back on Tom, your brows furrowing in concentration and curiosity as if you'll find answers on the dips and valleys of his face.

What is this boy trying to prove? Does he actually have a hidden agenda?

Tom tore his eyes from the TV screen to look down at you seconds later once he felt your burning glare on him. "What're you staring at?" He mumbled, the smirk on his lips slowly growing as you only rolled your eyes at him and stayed quiet, looking down at your hands once you felt your cheeks heat up.

And here you were, back on your never ending train of thoughts, more fuel added to the fire when Nikki and Dom bid their goodnights, the phrase "love birds" thrown about to which you and Tom only responded with timid smiles, the boy beside you still not bothering to correct them at all.

That's when the theory as to why finally hits you.

Everything could be just a big misunderstanding but a part of you can't help but think that maybe the reason why Tom has been acting the way he is the moment you arrived at their doorstep, is to actually make his family think that you are in fact his girlfriend.

Maybe his family has been pestering him to get a girlfriend to the point where it was getting on his nerves. Maybe this has been his plan all along the moment he invited you to spend Christmas with him, to show off to his family so that they'll stop asking questions, so that they can finally stop pressing about his love life. If so, then that would absolutely suck.

A heads up would have been slightly better because if that really was the case, then you just feel utterly used and downright played.

And just like that your mood was quick to switch.

"I think I'll go and get some sleep too." You grumbled as you pulled away from his grasp. You were fast to stand to your full height that it made the middle of Tom's brows crease with worry. "You alright?"

You flashed him a tight-lipped smile, avoiding his eyes as much as possible as you nodded. "Yeah, just tired."

Tom had his thinking face for a second, the one he wears whenever he suspects that you weren't exactly telling him the truth. You were glad though that, that said face only lasted a few seconds. "Okay, I'll be right up in a few."

Once you've said goodnight to the boys, you were quick to turn on your heel as you rushed upstairs, shutting the bedroom door behind you with a long sigh.

You were going to make the most of your time alone, to think and to breathe at least, to have a much needed space given the fact that Tom would most likely show up in a couple minutes and there would be nowhere to escape him.

Perks of sharing a bedroom. Sarcasm greatly intended.

*     *     *

Lying down alone in bed has always been one of your places to think, or in this case, overthink.

You were torn, still not clear as to what you'd conclude this situation to be. If you've just made a big deal out of the whole situation when it wasn't at all; or that there's definitely something going on and you just know nothing about it. But either way, you can't help but be hurt.

You could try and pretend to actually be his girlfriend and just live in the moment, this has been your dream for so long after all. But you also can't stop thinking about how you're playing yourself if you do exactly that.

If you let him use you for his own gain, then you're just setting yourself for heartbreak in the future.

Your feelings for Tom shouldn't in anyway make him have a pass on lying. What you feel for him should never make him able to get away with everything, especially with the risk of him taking advantage of it. Maybe he knows what you feel, maybe he doesn't, but that still doesn't give him any right to drag you into whatever he's planning without confronting you about it first.

It could've made a difference if he talked to you about it, asked this whole thing as a favor instead of just playing you right into his trap.

Could this actually be the reason why he suddenly thought about bringing you home with him? If so, then he probably doesn't care if you were to spend Christmas all alone.

You were hurt for sure, but you were also very angry, hence why you aren't fully rational with the situation at hand.

You and Tom have never slept in the same room ever before. Same house sure, all the sleepovers can vouch for that, but you've always had your own space whenever that happens. You two have shared a few clothes, and a few stuff but none of you has crossed too much into the other's personal space. Being best friends, it has its perks but it also has boundaries for it to stay that way, which is why you also have never shared a bed.

You weren't exactly sure if you're ready to make tonight the first, especially with the whole 'his family thinks you're his girlfriend' thing going on. You also weren't sure if your heart could really take it, being so near to him in an almost, too intimate setting with your emotions and all.

Having feelings for your best friend is stressful as fuck.

As much as you want him to sleep on the floor, you couldn't find it in you to let it happen. You were definitely mad at him, but just because, you still couldn't let him sleep on the cold, hard floor. So, you opted on placing a pillow in the middle of the bed, a make-shift wall to separate your side and his. It wasn't much, but it was something at least, a needed distance for you not to cross dangerous territory.

The things you do to spare your heart.

You were staring straight at the cream-colored walls, gears in your mind still turning when you heard the door open and then shut, the lock clicking just seconds later, but you stayed still, no movement, no noise.

It was a few minutes of him doing whatever it was he was doing as he walked around the room, into the bathroom and back. You couldn't see him as you tried and pretended to be asleep, your eyes faintly closed; only hearing his footsteps coming closer until you felt the other side of the bed dip. You can definitely feel his eyes on you, just staring, observing, and he was silent for a moment, until he lets out a deep sigh.

Tom knows you, of course he wasn't falling for your little act. "I know you're still awake."

"Oh yay, do you want a cookie for noticing?" You grumbled, still not bothering to turn around. Your back was facing him, but you can just picture him running a hand over his head, a little frustrated maybe, but nothing you can't handle.

"Are you mad at me?" You couldn't help but roll your eyes, your snark getting the best of you because he knows what's been happening the moment you two arrived, so it's only fair that he comes clean with it. "I don't know Tom, should I be mad at you?"

"I don't know too Y/N but judging by this barrier? You definitely are."

You couldn't stop your eyes from rolling again, just out of habit, even though he can't see it. You didn't even try to hide your annoyance as you exclaimed enthusiastically. "Great job! You want another cookie?"

"Y/N, stop with the damn cookies and just tell me what's up." You can hear it in his voice that he was getting riled up, and you want nothing more than to annoy the living daylights out of him, but when he gets heated, you tend to feed off of it too.

"Fine. I'll tell you alright." You tore the blankets off of you in haste, standing back on your bare feet as you glared at Tom who was sat across you, frown written on his lips with a little hint of annoyance still present all over his face.

You crossed your arms over your chest in mere attempt to look intimidating, trying your hardest to not get too distracted since the fucker didn't even have the decency to put a shirt on. "Maybe you should've given me a heads up when you're going to use me as a decoy girlfriend to appease your family."

Tom's face visibly softened at your words, a sigh was heard from him as he lowered his head to avoid your eyes. You stayed quiet and just waited for him to say something, it was after the count of ten—in your head of course—when he looked back up at you with an expression you can't quite read.

"Look, mum just assumed that you are. I definitely am not using you as decoy and I didn't tell them that you're my girlfriend." He reasoned, nervous hand coming up to rub on his shoulder, unconsciously flexing his bicep along the way and you hate how one little thing could affect you so much. You took a breath, replaying that you're mad at him over and over inside your head.

It was rare for Tom to ever lie, and when he does—in most cases—you would be the first to notice. He wasn't lying sure, but you still weren't convinced that he was telling you the full truth.

"But you didn't correct them and say that I'm just your best friend either." You pointed out as you narrowed your eyes at the boy. It was clear in the way he looked away that he was cornered, no more cards to show except for one that Tom wasn't ready to play just yet. Lying wasn't an option either so he tried to shift the conversation instead. "Well, neither did you."

You blinked, completely taken aback by his choice of tone, an accusing one that is. "Oh don't you dare try and pin this on me now Thomas."

Tom knew that his whole name coming out of your lips was warning enough, but being the idiot that he is, of course he decided to poke his head inside his ass some more instead of just being straight up and honest with you. "I'm just saying, you could've told them we weren't together but you didn't so this isn't all on me."

The glint in your eyes made Tom swallow the lump in his throat. But when you spoke with gritted teeth, that's when he knew he might actually have screwed things up. "Unbelievable. You knew how nervous I was to meet your family! How could I ever possibly tell them off? Fuck it, you know what? Don't bother me until you're ready to tell me the truth."

"Y/N—"

"If you do as much as cross the tip of your finger over this pillow I'm going to end you." The threat in your voice was clear and Tom could do nothing more but watch as you climb back in bed, pulling the covers over you rather harshly as you kept your back turned on him.

He laid himself down with a deep sigh, both hands finding its way on the back of his head as he stared up at the ceiling, stealing glances at your form every now and then. His frown only got deeper as the clock ticked by with you still paying him no mind. The silence in the air grew longer, even deafening to the point that it was driving him nuts.

Tom was well aware that you were still up because your breathing wasn't as steady as it should be when you're actually asleep. He knows you like the back of his hand, just as you do about him. Your every quirk, every habit, he notices every single one of them. It was easy for him to know what's been bothering you—well, in most days—and it's definitely easy for him to notice if you're pretending to be asleep, especially if he was just so close.

You had every right to be upset because he was so obviously beating around the bush. He knew fully well how much you hated it when someone isn't being completely truthful right up to your face or otherwise. To add to that, he just had to get in your nerves some more by pushing some of the blame on you too.

Tom wanted nothing more than to smack himself upside the head. He does deserve it.

But one thing for sure was that he shouldn't let this argument reach the morning. He just has to suck it up, gather all the courage he could muster and tell you the whole and honest truth, no matter the consequences. Even if he was putting your friendship at risk.

Slowly, Tom sat up as he leaned back on his arms, eyes casted at the girl who lay just beside him. "Y/N?" Silence. "I know you're still up." More silence.

Come on Tom, you can do better than that.

Swinging his legs off the bed, he stood fully up, quietly rounding the corner and walking towards your side. Tom was right when he suspected that you weren't asleep when you moved quiet abruptly. It was like your motion sensors were on high alert as you were quick to turn around before he could even reach you, keeping your back on him to purposely avoid him.

Crouching down so that he was almost the same level as the bed, Tom lifted a hand up to poke your arm gently, and when you didn't swat him away, he took that as a good sign.

"Y/N, just hear me out please." Tom softly cooed, finger running up and down your arm with a feather-like touch, soothing away your anger in mere seconds. He couldn't stop his smile from growing when he felt you slowly relax, and Tom knew it was only a matter of time before you finally give in. He always took so much pride on how you can't resist him for far too long.

"What do you want?" You grumbled, still not going through the hassle of turning to face him, but only because you know how close he just is. If you did as much as roll on your other side, your face would only be an inch or two from his own, and you aren't sure if your heart can handle that proximity.

"Just want to talk." You spared him a glance over your shoulder, seeing nothing but puppy-dog eyes staring right back at you with his full pout in play. "Please?" Tom added, and all you could do was groan in utter defeat, just knowing that he won't stop unless you talk to him. His stubbornness is one of the reasons why you're here, right at their house during Christmas, in the very first place.

You sat up and moved back until you were near the headboard, crossing your legs as you watch him sit on the space in front of you, right in arms-length.

Tom stared at you for a moment, head tilted to the side with a look you can't quite comprehend, but it did bring that certain flutter you feel in your heart whenever he looks at you, but this time, more intense. Even more so when he suddenly whispered, almost like a breath, his voice soft and gentle, tone laced in pure endearment when he said:

"God you're beautiful."

The warmth in your heart was quick to rise and spread to your cheeks. You willed yourself to think nothing more of his comment than just a poor attempt to distract you. "Tom, spill."

Tom shook his head with a shy chuckle, eyes casted down for a quick second before it was back on yours. "Right uhm, first off, I promise you, I didn't plan this at all. I was just as shocked as you were when mum called you my girlfriend. This was never my reason as to why I invited you here in the first place. And second..."

Trailing off his sentence, Tom slowly moved closer towards you. The sudden change in the atmosphere only made your heartbeat quicken, and when he reached out to take both of your hands in his, all your nerves were on an all-time high. "I didn't correct them and say that you're my best friend and that we're not together or that you're not my girlfriend because... I was uhm, because I really want, no, I don't want you to be." Tom's voice faded as he spoke the last part of his sentence that you didn't quite catch what he said nor did you understand. His eyes were now casted down at his fingers that were gently fiddling with yours, nervousness very clear in his touch.

You furrowed your brows at him, frown on your lips as you softly said. "You're not making any sense." This made Tom throw his head back with a groan, hands letting go of yours as he rubbed them on his face frustratedly. His eyes were shut tight as he mumbled to himself, but the fact that he was so close, you still heard it nonetheless. "Dammit why am I so bad at this?"

"Tom, why didn't you tell them I'm not your girlfriend?" You asked to try and pry the answer out of him, asking him the question that's been hanging over your heads the moment you arrived. Both his arms fell limp on his sides, and when his eyes met yours with a different glimmer coating them, you were nowhere near prepared by his confession.

"Because I enjoyed it okay? I liked the way it sounded when mum called you my girlfriend. I felt so happy just seeing you get along with my brothers instantly, even when the only thing they did was embarrass me. And when you didn't say anything? I was taking every chance that I could to soak it in while it's still there, to pretend to be your boyfriend because maybe it's the only chance that I'll ever get, even if it's not real." You stared at him in shock, words stuck in your throat as your brain still tried to process what you're actually hearing.

Tom's heart was hammering against his chest, loud and fast as he leaned closer, his shaking hand reaching out to hold your face, palm soft against your cheek, thumb stroking your skin ever so gently.

Your eyes blinked as if his touch brought you out of your thoughts. Confusion was written all across your features, a nervous chuckle escaping Tom as he continued, heart and soul poured into his words. "I was enjoying the moment because I don't want you to be just my best friend anymore Y/N, I want you to be more than that. I've had feelings for you for so long now and seeing you tonight with my family only just confirmed that I am hopelessly and deeply in love with you."

You shook your head at him, eyes closing as you tried to get a hold of your sanity, still unable to believe the actual words that came out of his mouth. Because Tom telling you that he loves you? Your best friend? The person who you've been in love with after all this time? It just seems too good to be true. "Don't even try and lie to me Tom."

"Why would I lie to you about this?"

"I heard you telling Harrison you didn't have feelings for me." The slight shake in your voice made Tom's heart ache a little. You were doubtful and Tom knows it's because you were scared of that he was just telling you this just because. He understands why, he knows about your past relationship, of course he understands. But he could never, in a million years lie to you. He never would.

"I was in denial because you don't feel the same way and knowing Harrison, he was for sure going to say something to you if I admitted to him my feelings then. I was scared that it'll ruin our friendship and fuck, maybe I just did right now and I'm just—"

"What makes you think I don't feel the same way?" You cut him off, so many mixed emotions rushing through you in a span of a minute. You were still suspicious, that’s what so much heartbreak can do to you, but that only starts to fade away once you think about who's in front of you. You trust Tom with everything that you are, and that always outweighs every doubt in your mind.

"Because when you—wait, does that mean what I think it means?" The realization that grew on Tom's face made him look ten times more adorable, hopeful eyes looking at you with that bright, charming smile slowly making an appearance.

You bit the insides of your cheeks to stop yourself from grinning, wearing the best poker face that you could to try and seem unfazed. You weren't giving him the satisfaction just yet. "Tom, answer my question."

He shook his head no with a sheepish grin. "But your question is suggestive. Why would you ask me that question if—"

"Yes, I'm in love with you too, you idiot."

Tom was quick to shush your giggles as he pressed his lips against yours, his hand finding its way on the back of your neck to keep your head in place. The kiss was everything you could have ever imagined it to be, so much longing and passion poured into it that it could only make your head spin and your heart grow.

You were consumed in nothing but bliss as his mouth molded yours, his hand finding your waist as he gently pushed you down until you laid flat on your back. Tom situated himself between your legs as soon as you wrapped them around his waist, your arms snaking around his neck to pull him even closer, a soft groan leaving him at the feeling of so little space between you two.

"You have no idea how long I've been daydreaming about this..." Tom whispered, his lips leaving yours as he slowly trailed down, placing a peck on your chin before his lips found its way down your neck. "...about kissing you..." You gasped as he gently nibbled on the skin, trailing even further down to your collarbone as he softly growled. "...all of you."

"I think I do." You breathe out, hand running up and down the back of his neck as he continued to litter you with kisses, some gentle, some... not so much. "Yeah?" The grin in his voice was clear as day as he looked at you through his lashes with a dark glint in his eyes, his hands sneaking under your shirt, fingertips touching you in a way that made goosebumps erupt on your skin.

"Hmm, I've been doing the same." You hummed. Tom's lips hurriedly made its way back on yours as he kissed you hungrily this time, teeth nibbling at your bottom lip before his tongue slipped its way in your mouth. You ran your hands down his bare torso, feeling every bit of muscle, from pecks to abs. It was ridiculous how your simple touch could turn Tom on so much, the blood rushing down that made his sweatpants grow tighter. "I wanna love on you."

You let out a soft moan when he suddenly rutted his hips once, only once to tease you and to tell you just how much he wants you. But as much as you want him too, you couldn't seem to forget about where exactly you two are. "Not tonight Holland. Your parents are right downstairs and your brothers are right across the hall."

Tom only chuckled lowly at that, burying his face back on the crook of your neck as he nipped at your soft spot, earning a gasp from you. "Guess we have to stay quiet then."

"Tempting, but I don't think I can, especially when it's you." You admitted coyly, Tom pulling away at your words as he supported himself on his forearms, eyebrow raised at you with the cockiest grin you've seen him wear. "Oh? Is that so?"

"So next time?" You smiled at him shyly, heat coating your cheeks as you brought a hand up to cup his face. Tom chuckled with a nod, leaning towards your touch like a puppy as he hummed. "Whatever you want love."

He pulled away from your grasp as he sat up, the sudden absence of his touch making your frown. Tom only flashed you a reassuring smile, grabbing the pillow-barrier just beside you and throwing it across the room, the space on the bed now bigger than before. "Won't be needing that anymore." His comment earned a hearty laugh from you, the sound melting Tom's heart as he looked down at you with pure adoration.

"You, my love, are the Best Christmas gift ever." Tom sighed as he leaned down to place a sweet kiss on your lips, snuggling himself back in your arms, face buried in the crook of your neck with an awfully wide smile that he can't seem to wipe off, not that he was complaining.

"Great, because I actually forgot to buy you anything." You teased, hand running up and down his bare back to which Tom could only sigh in pure content. "That's alright, you are more than enough."

"God you're such a cheese ball."

"I've finally got you after so fucking long, my cheesiness isn't going to run out anytime soon darling."

And after a few more giggles, teasing comments, lots of kisses with a sprinkle of 'I love you's here and there, the two you slowly drifted off with smiles on your faces, happy and grateful to be finally in each other's arms.

Christmas at the Holland's went way better than you thought it would.

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