#I’ve caught them in a trance with some of those little plastic key things

[yolkyeomie]

[blurb] — pairing: hongjoong x gn!reader, word count: 1511, genre: fluff(?)/kumiho au, warning: none

[4:45 pm]: “Hongjoong!” You call for the boy, twirling your keys around your finger as you closed the door behind you. A smile began to stretch across your face as the sound of footsteps could be heard, hastily approaching you and soon revealing the familiar redhead you had been housing for the past few days in your doorway.

He smiled back as soon as he laid eyes on you, slinking over to your side as he spoke, “you were gone longer than expected. What took you so long?”

You lift the plastic bag in your hands, shaking it softly to draw attention to what had been placed inside. Hongjoong’s head tilted slightly to the side as you opened up the bag and rummaged around inside of it. “I went to the store on my way back from work and I found something that I thought might interest you.”

“Interest me?” He repeated, his signature light giggle floating through the air not long after. “Please, Y/N, there are very little things that interest me now that I’ve lived as long as I—“ Hongjoong’s sentence cut short the moment you finally pulled out the object, holding in front of his face expectantly and even rattling the box a little. “What is that?”

“A laser pointer,” you explained, sliding past him as you began to break away the packaging. The boy followed closely behind you, peering over your shoulder curiously as you continued to explain, “have you ever seen those videos of cats chasing little red dots on the ground and walls? That’s what this is, all I need to do is press this button and a laser shoots out in the form of a dot.”

He nodded his head in understanding, his eyes carefully scanning the odd weapon-like object you brought home. “Ah, I see… Wait! I mean— why are you telling me this? Why would you buy a laser pointer when you have no cat?”

“I do,” you respond, turning around and pointing the tip of the laser point at his face. “I have you, don’t I? You’re a fox, so aren’t foxes like…a part of the cat family? They sure act like it.”

“First of all, foxes aren’t a part of the cat family. More closely related to dogs, but they aren’t dogs either so don’t let that myth fool you,” the boy corrected, pushing your hand away from his face a little more attitude than you would have liked. “Second of all, I’m not a fox completely, so don’t acquaint me with a feral fox again. I’m a—“

“A nine tailed fox, a kumiho, I know!” You finish for him, rolling your eyes the moment you realized he was going to lecture you again. He always did this whenever you teased him of his vulpine hierarchy but you couldn’t exactly blame Hongjoong for it. Not only was it within his awfully caring nature to nag and lecture, but the mere fact that you believed him was an entirely different speckle. Any normal person would have just called him crazy and kept walking, but you?

Let’s just say, you have a lot of first hand experience with the foxy version of Hongjoong.

“I get it, Hongjoong, I promise, but I just wanted to see if you’d fall for it the same way cats do.” You clarified, collapsing onto the couch and slouching into its cushions. “I mean, you’re currently in your human form, aren’t you? So maybe you won’t have the same urges a cat would have when they see it?”

He scoffed at the thought, pouting slightly as he stood in front of you. “I’m sorta disappointed in you, Y/N. I’m not some guinea pig you can test on. If you want to play games like this, I’m sure that Wooyoung would love to indulge you in…” Words slowly stopped tumbling out of his mouth, his complaining coming to a halt as he glanced down at his shoulder with wide eyes.

You struggled to cover up the giggles and grin on your face as you pointed the laser pointer at his shoulder, twitching the dot side to side to catch his attention. The boy had completely stopped functioning as he reached towards the dot attempting to tap the red light with his hands before you quickly zipped it away to his other shoulder. He immediately switched hands and tried to grasp at it once again, only for you to move the placement of the dot once more much to Hongjoong’s dismay.

Nine tailed foxes are like cats and chase laser pointers, that’s one thing to remember for the future. Your smile dropped in an instant once you noticed Hongjoong’s hands were stretched out, his nails beginning to take the form of sharp claws as reaching for the dot you had moved.

“Woah, stop it!” You hissed, letting go of the laser pointer and taking a hold of his wrist. “Are you crazy?” The boy gasped as he snapped out of a dream-like trance, registering that you were in fact speaking to him, “what am I going to say to the nurses at the hospital if you end up scratching up your face with these claws, huh? You want to be humiliated by saying you were attacked by a cat and lost?”

“Oh sorry, I didn’t realize...,” the boy quickly apologized, the slight yellow glow of his eyes dying down into its natural brown and the claws morphing back into his human nails. Embarrassed, Hongjoong took his hand away from you and took a hold of the laser pointer you had dropped. “Anyways, throw this out! This is… this is now considered a dangerous weapon and I refuse to let you use it anywhere in this house.”

“This is my house and I make the rules here. You’re just someone who happens to reside here as well,” you reminded him, snatching the laser pointer out of his hands. “Also, isn’t this good information to know, the fact that even a kumiho isn't immune to the fascination of laser pointers? Who knows, this could save my life in the future with other foxes that might try to attack me.”

Hongjoong snorted, almost scoffing at your words as he leaned up against the wall. “Yeah, because they’ll definitely be paying attention to the little red dot on the wall instead of that liver of yours that they desire.”

“Hey,” you scold him, “you never know what will happen. Maybe there will be a naive fox that tries to come after me and gets distracted enough for me to defend myself? The possibilities are endless!”

“The only reason you had even caught my attention with that thing was that I’m not aiming to harm you,” he clarified, lifting his right hand and waving it around in the air. In an instant claws jutted out from where his nails were, the black color of his claws flooding down to the base joints of his hands as if he had dipped it in a bucket of vantablack paint.

Hongjoong only smiled as he took a few threatening steps towards you, instinctively making you push yourself deeper into the cushions of the couch. You knew the boy wouldn’t dare hurt you, he owed his life to you and had even become your friend after all, but the nature of a kumiho was fickle. You were friends, but who knew how long it would take for him to continue resisting the urges that came along with being a nine tailed fox.

“A kumiho in action,” Hongjoong began as he pointed his sharpened claws directly towards where your liver was located, “would be more focused on devouring than playing. Trust me, even the young ones wouldn’t fall for something so small when the prize is right in front them.”

Your breath stopped when he made eye contact with you, the yellow hue of his sinister glare sending unintentional shivers down your spine. Hongjoong isn't just some random cat boy you found in the street, that’s one thing you had to remember. He could end your life right here and right now if he wanted thanks to his inhuman abilities of being a kumiho.

“Oh,” you cleared your throat as you sat up, pointing behind the boy cautiously, “tails. Your tails.”

His expression immediately softened at your words, glancing behind him to catch the sight of his nine tails out on display for all to see. Each tail took up a significant amount of space within the room, you were kinda wondering how Hongjoong could even stand up right with all of them twitching around behind him.

“Sorry!” He apologized, his kumiho features dissipating upon realizing what was happening. Hongjoong shot you a sheepish smile as he waved away the sight from before, pretending as if nothing had occurred just moments before. “I guess I got a little too into it, huh? Whatever, the point is get rid of the laser pointer! It’s not helpful with kumihos and I’m not going to let you play with me like a cat!”

[alice-dont-break]

don’t mind me i.. forgot to post this on tumblr and need it for the masterlist lol

home | janthony one shot

cw: anxiety

"Are you still up?"

Jasmine sent the text with little hope of getting a response before morning. It was nearly 3am and she was sure her boyfriend would be fast asleep by now. She didn't even know why she sent it, really, but for the tiny sliver of hope it provided. The thought of his voice, so gentle and easy to listen to, soothed the burn behind her eyes, but she still needed more. She hated to admit it, but she needed him.

"Yeah, course I'm sure," she'd said bravely, when Anthony had asked if she was good to stay on her own tonight. It was really just a matter of time before the couple moved in together, as they spent nearly every single night in Jasmine's apartment, but it was a matter of convenience that day. Anthony was working late at a studio right by his own place, and had to be back first thing in the morning, so they thought it would be easier this way. At least for Jasmine, that was proving not to be the case.

About half way through the afternoon was when she started to notice the constriction in her chest. It wasn't taking over, but rather subtly lingering as she went about her day. If she dwelled on it for too long, her mind would start to scramble, so she just did her best to ignore it. When she'd finally gotten home from set around midnight, she thought maybe her adrenaline had gotten her through the brunt of it, but when she first saw her tired eyes in the mirror it all came rushing back.

Frozen in place, she couldn't help but watch herself unravel. First was the gloss of tears coating her eyes. She was simply overwhelmed, as her eyes leaked all the pent up stress that could no longer fit inside her jumbled mind. Then came the flush to her cheeks, a hot crimson from the embarrassment that such a stupid comment could set her off like this. Her director hadn't meant to upset her, it's just those words... no matter where she is when she hears them, she's transported back to a memory she can't bare to relive. And then finally came the hardening edge of her jawline, drawn rigid by the tension from her teeth grinding together.

"Fuck," she whimpered, realizing not only that she could no longer evade the situation storming her mind, but also that she'd now have to weather it alone.

She tried to splash some cool water on her face, hoping it would have the same effect as a cool cloth Anthony would always soothe her with, but that just made her feel like she she was crying more as the water mixed with her tears. The frustration made her lose her battle against the sob she'd been holding back, and she finally gasped for air through quivering lips. She couldn't bare to look at her pained face anymore, so she trudged back into the bedroom towards the drawer that Anthony had taken over as his own. After pealing off the leggings and t-shirt that clung to her sweat-glazed skin, she stepped into a pair of his boxers and un-balled one of his t-shirts. When she pulled it over her head, she paused half way so her nose was still enveloped by the familiarly-scented fabric. She let that ounce of comfort wash over her senses for just a moment before allowing the shirt to fall into place. She wrapped herself in a tight hug, using the same gentle but snug pressure he would use, so the worn out cotton would rub her skin and bring her closer to the embrace she now yearned for.

Arms still clutching their opposite sides, Jasmine shuffled over to the bed. She climbed over to Anthony's side, and leaned back against the headboard with her knees to her chest, breaking her hug with herself only to pull her legs in tighter. Her shoulder muscles were pulled taut as she tried to take up less and less space on the bed, hoping eventually she'd shrink to be so tiny that she just disappeared, along with the whirring in her mind that just wouldn't shut up. At this point she was grounded, she knew she was safe, but the feeling that her body was still in the midst of its fight or flight response was coursing through her relentlessly.

It was in that tightly bound position that she spent the next few hours picking at her nails, whimpering at the sound of every car that dove by, and wishing she could just fall the hell asleep. She found she'd reached her last straw when the ice maker started up and left her white-knuckling the sheets and gasping shallow breaths; she was too tired to fight through this alone.

Texting felt easier than calling because maybe she'd find that she wasn't waking him up. Maybe she wasn't being a nuisance, and he would just see the notification pop up so she wouldn't have to call and disturb his rest. Or maybe, it would simply buy her some time to talk herself out of doing something so annoying. The option she hadn't considered, was that just seconds later her phone would ring.

"Ant?" Her voice crackled through her tired throat, coming out barely above a whisper.

"Jas, are you okay? What's going on?"

The familiar voice that she'd been craving to hear all day put a lump in Jasmine's throat. She tried to hold it in to conceal the pathetic state she'd found herself in, but all her walls were in pieces on the floor. Her resolve was gone, and a sob fell forward to muffle the apologies she tried to string together.

"Hey, hey, Jas, you've got nothing to be sorry for, okay? D'you want me to come over?" Anthony's voice was so steady that the sounds alone began to quiet the whirring around Jasmine's mind, but she still felt ridden with guilt.

"I'm sorry for waking you," she mumbled with a little more clarity this time.

"No, uh, you didn't babe, it's totally fine," he wobbled, "I was, I just rolled over and saw your name pop up. But anyway, can I come, Jas? You don't sound too good."

"I, I'm okay, I think I just wanna..." her watery voice trailed off as she looking up to the ceiling for strength, but found her vision still obscured by tears. Finally, she relented to the pull on her chest and whimpered "please come, but please don't hang up on me."

Anthony felt his own eyes starting to sting from the fragility in the voice he heard, but regardless he had already pulled on a pair of shoes and descended the stairs to his car by the time he had to respond. "Of course, sweetheart, I'm on my way but I'll be here the whole time."

Jasmine's sigh of relief was nearly involuntary, as her chest suddenly opened just a touch at the promise of comfort. Her lungs still ached and her eyes still burned, but the cries of frustration ceased as there was an end in sight. Her qualms about whether she should have called, or whether Anthony would resent her for being an annoyance were all washed away by the reassurances he cooed through the phone. He was proud of her for calling, hates that she was suffering on her own, and would always be happy to show up for her, or so he said. Maybe Jasmine couldn't fully convince herself these were complete truths, but for now it didn't matter. For now, she'd just focus on soaking up the loving energy his tender voice conveyed. She'd consume the last of her strength by just listening, letting herself drift through the moments in a trance until her rescue would arrive.

"Hey Jas? The car you're about to hear is mine, okay? I'm just pulling up," Anthony said a little firmer than his prior musings. He knew the way she flinched at every noise, and wanted to ensure she knew she didn't have to fear this one.

"Y-you're here?"

"Yeah, babe," he smiled weakly as he turned off his ignition, "coming up the stairs right now. Got my key, so I'll come right up. I've got you now, my love."

Jasmine still clutched the sheets for a second when she heard the front door's lock click, but sighed in shame and caught her breath by the time she heard the thumping of Anthony's jog up the stairs. "It's me babe," he assured one last time through the phone, before stepping up to the threshold of her bedroom door and hanging up the phone.

His eyes found Jasmine in the same position she'd been in all night, with her knees tight to her chest on his side of the bed. She was swimming in his boxers and t-shirt as the fabric draped off her shoulder, making her look even tinier and more defenseless alone in the bed meant for two. He knew from the wavering in her voice on the phone that she'd be in bad shape, but the tear streaks down here face and splotches on her shirt told him it was worse than he'd imagined. With a quiet exhale of sympathy, he sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Hey, sweetheart," he whispered, resting his hand on her ankle. His thumb started drawing soothing circles around her skin, so he could give her a small physical assurance without overcrowding her. He was wary to give her more physical touch before he knew what they were up against, though all he wanted to do was scoop her into his arms.

Jasmine had held his worried gaze for a moment, but then dropped to hide some of the pain that her angry blood vessels would reveal. She watched her fingers mindlessly twist at the frayed hem of the t-shirt she wore while wearing the close watch of her concerned boyfriend.

"Jas, I'm here now, okay? Grabbed you a water bottle from my car.. think you could try to take a sip?"

He held out the bottle, and Jasmine reluctantly reached forward to accept it while keeping her gaze downcast. Her sweaty fingers fumbled with the plastic cap for a moment, before squeezing her eyes shut and huffing in a quiet frustration. Anthony tightened his grip on her ankle and rubbed with a little more pressure in his thumb to try to bring her back to level.

"Can I come a bit closer and give you a hand baby?" He offered softly.

"Please," she whimpered.

Anthony shuffled carefully up the bed, taking the water bottle in one hand and placing the other over her badly trembling one. After flicking off the cap, he squeezed her hand and held the bottle up to her lips, tilting it just slightly so she could take a small sip. He put the bottle aside, then cradled her jaw with his fingers so his thumb could brush away the water that had spilled down her chin. She hadn't even noticed the water on her face, as she was so deep inside her own mind, but what she did notice was Anthony taking care of every little thing. She could focus on coming back to him, because he would handle the rest.

As he held her face, their eyes met and he greeted her with an unimposing smile. Too defeated to reciprocate, her eyes fell shut as she squeezed out the tears making her eyes swell. The first drop to escape landed in her eyelashes, lodging themselves in and making them feel thick and heavy. But with Anthony's close eye, he just knew even before she did that it would drive her crazy. Before her breath could even catch, and before she could nearly poke her eye out by trying to clear it herself with her lack of stability, Anthony used the edge of his finger to wick away the droplet. He pressed the softest of kisses to that same eyelid as the crease between her brows smoothed out, and a soft trill slipped from her lips.

The sound of contentment eased a little of the tension that had built from the worry in Anthony's own chest, as he moved his lips higher on her forehead. The sheen of sweat that covered the skin there left a salty taste in his mouth, though it slowly dissipated as he just rested there, letting his lengthened kiss melt against her. His fingers weaved up through her curls to hold her secure, and began to gently comb through her tangles as he pulled back with a gentle smile.

"Jazzy, do you think I could help you to the bathroom and get you a little more comfy?" He spoke with a mellow timbre, aligned with the gentle way that the back of his hand danced over her cheek. She raised her eyes to look at him, and though she kept her lips tightly pressed together, she gave him a small nod of agreement. "Thank you, love," he said before pressing a kiss to her cheek where his hand had just been, "let's go."

He kept a hand over hers while he stood up beside the bed so she could stay grounded to his presence, then reached for her other one as well. He squeezed her hands tightly, and gave her an encouraging smile, as she shuffled towards the edge of the bed to meet him. When she pushed up on her trembling legs, he saw her eyes lose their focus as she started to buckle, but a swift hand around her back caught her and brought her into his chest.

"Hey, there you go," he cooed with his chin tucking her safely into place, "I've got you, just lean on me." With one hand holding her upright by the waist, and one tightly grasping hers, he guided them towards the bathroom before hoisting her up onto the counter. He stood between her legs, and raised both hands to brush her hair back, clearing space on her forehead to pepper a series of slow kisses.

When Anthony stepped back, he placed a hand on her thigh and kept it there while he pulled a scrunchie from a drawer to tend to her hair. He knew how she hated the way her curls would stick to the sweat on her neck, so he used his fingers to comb her hair up and back, before securing it in a bun at the top of her head. He knew exactly three loops of this scrunchie would keep her hair tightly in place without pulling so hard as to give her a headache. Now that the back of her neck was freed, he put a hand back on her thigh, and stepped aside to run a facecloth under cool water. With his most gentle touch, he swiped the cloth across the back of her neck, slipping it just under the neckline of the t-shirt she wore, to erase the last of the discomfort she felt there, and he felt her shoulders slump a little further forward.

"How's that babe? A little more comfy?" He set aside the cloth as his thumb rubbed half circles over her kneecap, and she nodded. He tried another little smile, hoping to find a little bit of life in her eyes, but all she could muster was to drop her head forward so it rested against his shoulder. His hand found its way to the nape of her neck, as he started to work on pulling her back out of her haze. "Sweetheart, can you tell me if there's anything else you need right now?"

Jasmine chewed on the inside of her cheek for a moment as she scanned his eyes, searching for the homely sparkle she'd need to hold onto as she climbed out of the hole she'd buried herself in. "Can we lay down and just hold me?"

Her words were breathy and shaky, but he met them with a more assured smile as his fingers cupped her jaw and his thumb brushed over the cracks in her lips. "There's that sweet voice I've been missing," he murmured, before nodding and taking both her hands. Before he could pull her off the counter though, her hands slipped from his and she wrapped them around his neck with her legs following around his waist. He grinned against her shoulder, as his endearingly needy girlfriend seemed to be on her way back. Lifting her up without another word, he padded back to the bed and set her down in the middle, knowing there was no way she'd be staying on her own side that night.

As soon as he tried to stand up straight and step around the bed, Jasmine started to whine and reach out for his hand. "Alright alright," he chuckled softly, opting to climb over her instead and keep contact with her the whole time. She was coming back to him, but they both knew that he was her tether; if she let go, she'd fall.

As soon as he extended his legs, Jasmine was rolling over to fold herself around his middle. Her head rested on his chest, her leg was thrown over his, and her hand was tugging at his arm so he would wrap it around her back. "Babe, can you give me a sec to get us under the covers maybe?"

"Don't like the sheets right now," she whispered, "and just want you."

He smiled weakly into her curls between kisses to the top of her head, and focused on getting her settled as close as possible to his warmth. Of course he was worried about all this anxiety wreaking havoc in her mind, but for now he was just happy that she could communicate what she needed, and that he could give her all that and more. "Okay love, maybe just a blanket?"

She grumbled a little bit, but he felt her cheek nuzzling his chest with a nod, so he used his feet to kick the blanket folded at the end of the bed up to his hands. Nothing could make him unwrap Jasmine from his tight embrace, so he used just one hand to clumsily place the blanket over them, smiling as she grabbed the edge and pulled it up to her ears. She was fully enveloped in a safe space they'd created for her, and she felt certain that no one or nothing could break through the walls.

"Jas, sweetheart, we don't have to sleep yet if you're not ready, okay? Can stay up, or talk about it, or anything like that," he said softly, matching the gentle brushes of his fingers through her curls.

"I'm sorry for waking you up," she blurted out, "I don't want you to think I can't spend a single night without you when you want that because -"

"You didn't," he interjected, "couldn't sleep either. Didn't like having an empty pillow beside me."

Jasmine tilted her chin up to read for honesty across Anthony's face, and he responded with a little lopsided smile. "Really?"

"Yep, only answered so quick because I was already on my phone. Was looking at pictures of us and stuff to try to feel closer to you. Just missed you and could kinda sense something was up from your texts, I think... I dunno," he muttered, voice trailing off as the embarrassment of his words caught up with him. "Anyway, how about sleep, sweetheart?"

She tilted her chin a little further, and strained her neck up so her lips could reach his. She pressed them together in a careful, slow kiss to acknowledge everything he said, then tucked herself back into the space between his chin and shoulder as a tiny smile appeared in response to the comfort she felt sneaking back in. "M'tired, just don't know if my mind will let me sleep."

He pressed another kiss to the crown of her head, then nuzzled her closer. "Okay babe, do you wanna try one of the counting exercises your therapist gave ya? You said those help some, right?"

"No, don't wanna focus on anything that isn't you." She felt the warmth of embarrassment in her cheeks that matched his own, but she didn't care. He'd seen her at her lowest now, and all he gave her was the most gentle and careful and attentive love she could hope for. She could give him her whole heart and mind on a platter now, because she trusted him to protect them even better than she could herself.

"Well I've got an idea then," he said, muffled by her curls pressing into his lips as his kisses were continuing lazily. He shifted her up slightly, with an arm still tightly around her waist while the other secured her head close to his lips. He leaned in to press the most tender kiss to the crown of her head, not letting his lips linger for too long but making sure she felt the conviction. "Close your eyes sweetheart, and count."

Her lips parted a little bit as her eyes met his, filled with so much love she could have burst. He was just so wonderfully attentive and loving, that all she could do was smile when he leaned in for a second kiss. "Two," she murmured as her eyes fluttered shut.

Between each kiss, Anthony took a deep breath, hoping she could feel the rhythm from his chest and use it to guide her own breathing. "S-six," she breathed out, with a yawn that crinkled up her nose. By "thirteen", the kisses were long enough to melt away any lingering tension in her forehead, and by "twenty", her words were just breaths. Finally, her thoughts and worries had dissolved into the calmness that washed over her with each kiss. Her only focus was the soft caress of Anthony's lips until she had no focus at all. Just peaceful rest and a chance for her mind to heal from the raid of the past few hours.

Anthony knew that she was out cold by his thirtieth kiss or so, but he couldn't bring himself to stop. He too found solace and tranquility in the steady and repeating kisses, so much so that he lulled himself into his own rest. When they both lay with eyes closed, breath leaden, and minds quiet, his lips were still resting against her. This was where they belonged; returning to an apartment would never compare to the real homecoming of his lips finding her forehead.

[eyoricka]

Orpheus part 1

I know I still have request to write but that idea pop up in my mind and I really wanted to do it! it is inspired by the myth of Orpheus, it will be in two parts this one is fluffy and the second one will be angsty (that will be the part connected with Orpheus). There are probably mistakes because I hadn’t really time to check it so if you see some tell me so I can fix them!

words: 1900

warnings: none 

You had met Theseus few months after graduating from Hogwarts. Obviously, you had seen him sometime at school since you were just two years younger than him, but you never talked. You had no reason, you were sorting in different houses, not hanging out with the same crowd, you never were a prefect so never even have to do some patrols with him. The only think you were aware was his reputation of perfect boy in every single way: the smartest kid at school, a fair head boy, a real gentleman who never plays with hearts.

So, when you first had an encounter with him, your expectations were high, and you weren’t disappointed. You were working as art curator for the ministry of magic. They weren’t many jobs because most of wizards who were also artists had bequeathed their masterpiece to muggle museums since the recognition of wizard artists was pretty new. You had to give to the minister of magic a file regrouping all the alive wizards who created masterpiece and make it signed to allow them to touch a compensation for all the time they spent making art without earning money and being recognized. You were waiting in front of his office waiting for him nervously. He was late which wasn’t such a surprise. When he finally let you him, he was rather charming and enchanted by the work you had done. As he was about to sign the door busted opened and Theseus entered. He profusely apologized saying that it was a rather urgent concern and the minister asked you to leave them together. You nodded and left the room without your signed paper hoping that you would quickly get it back.

You were pacing around in your office waiting for an owl from the minister giving you your precious paper. It has been four hours since your quick meeting and you couldn’t really understand what took him so much time. you had tried to resonate yourself thinking that he was busy with an urgent concern however four hours seemed long enough to discuss the issue and just sign a little paper. Actually, he could have signed it before telling you to go. The worst thing was that you had nothing to do, since you needed the paper to take further step into the procedure, so you were left at your office with nothing to do. You refused to leave the room afraid to miss the owl and you felt like a lion in a cage. You chuckled imagining that it would certainly be a good artistic performance to show that people were slave of their work and all. During the four hours you had tried several time to read or select some pieces of art for the exhibition that would take place at the ministry in honor of the opening of the first museum dedicated to wizard painters in five months but you couldn’t focus. Damn paper, damn minister and mostly damn Scamander and his important problem. One hour passed by and you were getting even more bored and annoyed. You suddenly heard someone knocked at your door and you regained your composure, in a nice voice you said: “the door is open, enter” and were faced with Theseus. He smiled widely at you and you rose an eyebrow, wondering what he was doing here, it is not like he needed an art specialist in his job. “What can I do for you, Scamander?” you asked politely. “Please Y/N, call me Theseus” he replied shortly, and you hid your confusion, how did he know your name. “I’ve that for you” he added, handed you your precious paper. You grinned at him, truly happy to have it and thinking that he probably had read your name at the top of the official document. “Thank you!” you exclaimed putting the paper on your desk and grabbing a pen and an envelope ready to send to the officials who had to pay the artists. You were about to write the address when you noticed that the auror was still here and you frowned not trying to hide your perplexity this time. You looked at him in the eyes, waiting for him to say something. He remained silent, putting a hand in his soft brown curls. Eventually he spoke up: “I want to apologize because I kinda interrupt your meeting and you like waiting a all afternoon for that paper because of me. So how can I make up for this?” You kindly smiled at him, the attention was truly sweet “You don’t have to Scamander, I mean Theseus, I have the paper that is all that matters now! But I appreciate your gesture.” He nodded and turned to leave. You sat in your chair and began to write the address and fold the paper when you realized that you hadn’t hear the door opened and then closed. You rose your head still facing a nervous Theseus. The view was surprising, you never imagined that you would see the man tensed. to be honest you never imagined the man at all, but he always seemed so confident, his actual state took you a bit aback. When he realized that you were staring at him, he opened and closed his mouth several times like he wanted to say something, but the words were caught in his throat. After few seconds looking like a fish he eventually managed to say rather quickly “I really want to make up, like I was thinking I could take you to a café or paying you a dinner. You obviously don’t have to say yes, I mean I would understand if you say no, we barely know each other or at least you barely know me Y/N. Because personally I always found you adorable in Hogwarts, so I certainly know more that I want to admit about you. Merlin, I sound just like a creep, it is one more reason for you to refuse this date. I just said date, I am sorry it doesn’t have to be one, it can be whatever you want or nothing at all. I don’t want to impose you anything, it just that I have finally the occasion…” You looked at him with bewildered eyes, you never expected such a rambling from him, and you blushed several time during his speech. You clearly never thought that the perfect boy that everybody wanted to date at Hogwarts could have found you adorable. you lost yourself in your own head and when you snapped out of your trance, Theseus was silent, crimson, waiting for you to say something. “I would love that Theseus and it can totally be a date. The point of a date is to know each other well and even if you think you know I am pretty sure I can surprise you and I will get to know you. And anyway, a date doesn’t necessarily mean a serious relationship after so yeah with pleasure, let me just send that paper and we can go.” You sent him a lovely smile, pretty proud of your confident answer. Years of working on your confidence had finally paid.

The date went well, better than you could have imagined. Theseus brought you to a small coffee place he liked, and you fall in love with the place. It was small, cozy, the staff was attentive but not in an overwhelming way. They baked some really good pastries too and your mouth watered just thinking of them. This date lead to another and to others and to dating. You grew incredible close to each other. You never figured that you would trust someone with all your heart in so little time. However, it felt wonderful. You could say anything to him he would listen carefully, he would give you advices and support you no matter what. When you got a promotion after the successful opening of two museum in the magic world, he could be prouder of his little gummy bear. He used to call you that after discovering in your kitchen a cupboard full of candies. After two years of dating you were sure that you couldn’t be happier, you had a fulfilling career, an amazing boyfriend you moved in a cute cottage, a loving family… but you were wrong.

One night you were getting back from work later than usual. It took you an eternity to convince a plastic artist that it was better to have his exhibition in May rather than during the summer vacation. As you unlocked your door you were greeted by silence which was surprising, you thought that Theseus would have finished work before you today and he always waited for in the living room, running to the door as soon as he heard your key in the keyhole. But he probably had an emergency and was finish late, those kinds of stuffs weren’t unusual. You hung your coat and made your way to the kitchen to prepare you a hot tea. But as you passed by the stairs you noticed magically burning candles making a path to your shared bedroom. You smirked internally, so he was in that mood. You made your way to the room indicated by the candles. On the door there was a small envelop. You opened it and inside there was a cute love note saying “besides muffins, you’re my favorite thing in the world” and your heart melted. You opened the door expecting to find your boyfriend, but the room was pitch black. You switched on the light and instead of the normal light, some fairy lights on the wall lighten up revealing the walls covered in picture of you and Theseus giving a good overview of your relationship. There were some from your third date at a concert, some he snapped of you at work, one your parents took when you introduced him to them, some from official events, some from your vacation in New Zealand and Mozambique. You were lost in happy memories when you felt two arms around your waist and snuggled against your boyfriend. He brushed some hair behind your ears and kissed your forehead in a lovely way. In a matter of seconds, he was on one knee, revealing a small velvet box. He opened it with caution, revealing a magnificent yet minimalist ring. “Y/N Y/L/N, you are everything that makes me happy, I just need to be by your side to feel happiness, to know that everything will always be okay. Will you make me the honor to be my spouse?” You threw yourself in his arms whispering to him “That would be an honor for me”. he hugged you tight like that for an eternity and you never wanted to leave those arms even if you would have to prepare the wedding.

[authorazumarill]

Speaking of Hardenshipping AUs how about a “Shape of Water” one ;) ?

Omg yes. It’s too perfect! One of my fave movies paired up with my fave ship? Yes please. I can see it as Maxie is a scientist working for Team Rocket. Some of the grunts, when searching for Pokemon that could be sold for high prices such as Milotic and shiny Clampearls and whatnot, found Archie and brought him in. Instead of rambling on and on, I think I’ll write a little instead! I can’t guarantee that this will be good, but I just wanted to write SOMETHING.

Maxie Matsubusa hated his job. He truly did. He knew that it was practically impossible to find an amazing job straight out of college. All he wanted was a decent pay and a job in which he could let his intellect do his speaking for him. The world was a cruel place for someone who couldn’t speak, after all, so Maxie had to find a way to adapt, improvise, and overcome. Maxie liked to think that his brilliant mind gave him an advantage over the rest of the general population. Actually, there wasn’t a “liked to think” about it. He knew that his brilliant mind gave him an advantage over everyone else. However, in this horrendous job market, Maxie would be grateful for anything that he landed.

He really should have thought about his standards a little more. An organization known as Team Rocket seemed to have emerged in Hoenn overnight. He didn’t know of them, but they knew of him. They wanted him, and the handful of recruiters that knocked on his apartment door made that very apparent. However, every time Maxie tried to research the organization, no results emerged. He questioned it, writing down his thoughts and slid it over to the recruiter, the answer he received was just as shady  as the organization. “We’re new and still trying to get our name out there,” she replied with a smile. “With you on our team, there is no doubt that Team Rocket will be a household name.”

Maxie still had his suspicions, but they pay was more than he could have hoped for. That pay, however, didn’t matter when he learned what exactly he would be doing. Everything that was assigned to him sounded strange and practically impossible. Find a way to evolve a newborn Feebas into a Milotic. Find a way to alter a Poochyena’s natural dark fur into a shiny, golden coat. The list of impossible demands were endless, but every time he attempted to express his concerns he would receive a “reminder” to not go against his bosses. Such reminders varied based on the mood his boss was in. Sometimes it would be a sharp smack across the cheek. Other times it would be a bite from an Arbok. No matter the “reminder,” Maxie didn’t want to deal with it. He wanted nothing more than to quit, but his bosses had made it very apparent that quitting wasn’t an option. Well, it was to a dead man.

The world was cruel and scary, but Team Rocket was much crueler and scarier. After months of dealing with such abuse, Maxie has learned to tone things out around him and simply try to conduct his work. The desperate mews from caged Skitties awaiting their deathbed just so Team Rocket could turn their tails and fur into profit were tuned out as he made his way to his lab each and every day.

Dragging himself into work proved to be interesting for once. The rut he was stuck in seemed to be the same day after day, but on this day there was some water thrown into his rut. The sleek tiled floor has splashes of water heading in the direction of his lab. He could only assume that the janitor really fucked up with his job this morning.

That didn’t seem to be the case.

After swiping his key card to enter his lab, he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw a few black clad grunts, white coated scientists, and a green haired executive all gathered around the tank where they kept the unfortunate water types. The water was murky, making it impossible to see what they all were looking at. The sound of the door opening had caught the executive’s attention. Proton turned around and gestured for Maxie to join him. Maxie obediently obliged, curiously looking at the tank himself.

“We got a little surprise for you and your crew, Maxie,” Proton explained. “We found this…thing when a few of the grunts went searching for Clampearl pearls. I’ve never seen a Pokemon like it. In fact, I don’t even think that it’s a Pokemon.”

As the executive talked, Maxie saw movement in the murky water but still couldn’t make out what was in it.

“That’s where you come in. I know you hold a special interest in mythology, so try and figure this one out. See what this thing is good for and let me know asap.” Proton patted Maxie on the back and ordered the grunts from his crew to follow him out.

That explanation wasn’t the least bit helpful, but Maxie knew better than to put up a fight. It was useless since the executive didn’t know an ounce of sign language and Maxie didn’t feel like wasting his notebook paper. The less he had to see his boss, the better.

With the crowd gone, Maxie examined the tank a little further. Now he could see a silhouette behind the glass. It looked human-like. Cautiously, he pressed his hand against the cool glass and quickly jumped back when he felt a thud come from the other side. For a brief moment he caught sight of the creature. It was very human-like. Digits similar fingers pressed up against the glass, but unlike human hands, they were webbed. Webbed and rather scaly. Scaly like the rest of its skin. Before it went back into the depth of the narrow tank, Maxie caught sight of what he assumed to be dark blue eyes.

Maxie didn’t know what this thing was. He didn’t even know why Proton had assigned this thing to him. He hated water creatures, but…he would be lying if he said that he weren’t intrigued.

And thus the research began. The research proved to be as fruitless as a harvest in winter due to the lack of mobility they had with the tank. Maxie could barely even see the creature half the time. He made a request to get a larger, more accessible tank, and to his surprise, his request was approved. They must have really wanted to get some use out of this creature if they were willing to put investments into it.

One day, his normal rut was interrupted again. This time, Proton stood in front of his laboratory door. “Well Maxie, since we like you enough, we were merciful enough to grant your wish. Follow me.”

Raising a curious brow, Maxie followed Proton down the hall into the restricted area labs. Labs where he always heard the most horrible of noises. Labs that he never wanted to step foot in. “Swipe your card,” he ordered once he stopped in front of one of the doors. “I want to make sure we gave your ID access to this one.”

Maxie nodded. He tucked his sacked lunch under his arm so he could grab his card and swipe it on the card pad, hearing the confirming click of the lock moving. Proton moved inside while Maxie followed behind, albeit a little hesitantly. The room was nothing worthwhile, but the treasure lied at the end of the room. A large tank sat there. The walls came up to around Maxie’s hip but something told him that it was deeper than it let on. Almost as if he were in a trance, Maxie walked past Proton and looked curiously over the water.

“I’ll leave you be,” said the executive. “The rest of your crew will arrive shortly.” With that being said, the man left.

The only sounds in the room came from the water running through the filter. He sat down everything in his arms on the cool tile floor and took a few cautious steps closer to the water. What in the world was he supposed to do? Rolling up the sleeves to his white lab coat, he patted the water before quickly pulling his hand back. Looks like stupid ideas really did produce stupid results.

He looked around the room for anything that could help him out. He wanted to see the creature, but he also wanted to be humane about it. No poking, no prodding, no stabbing. That knocked out literally everything in the room.

Everything except for a tasty lunch.

It was worth a shot, Maxie figured. He opened his sacked lunch and rummaged through the items in it. Since he didn’t know what the creature’s diet held other than fish Pokemon, Maxie figured his safest bet lied in berries. Fortunately, he had a plastic baggie of oran berries.

Figuring that it was best to start off small, Maxie placed a single berry on the edge of the tank before taking a step back, waiting with baited breath for the creature to make a move. Minutes ticked by and Maxie was beginning to believe it was hopeless, but finally, he watched as a head poked out from the surface of the water. The creature was unlike anything he had ever seen before. Blue, scaly skin covered his face and long, ragged fins were where its ears were supposed to be. On the middle of his face was a faded scar in the shape of an “X”. For such a fish like creature, the fact it had a head of hair as well as what looked like a beard completely threw Maxie off. He had only assumed the murky water of its previous tank was playing tricks on him. The creature looked at the berry before catching sight of Maxie. It grabbed the berry before sinking back down into the water.

It was hard to say what kind of hell the creature has been through within the past few weeks. Maxie always tried to keep it well taken care of in his care, but he couldn’t say the same for his co-workers. Taking another step toward the tank, he left another berry on the side of the tank and backed away. After another few minutes, the creature emerged, took the berry, and sank back down into the safety of the water.

Maxie repeated this process, noting that after the fifth round the creature didn’t immediately sink back into the water. Instead, there was a moment where the creature simply looked at him with curiosity before sinking back down into the water. Those moments became longer and longer, but every time Maxie tried to take a step further, the creature would hide away.

Finally, after placing the last berry on the side of the tank, Maxie didn’t back away. Instead, he leaned against the cool metal, waiting for the creature to emerge. Without being a disappointment, the creature poked his head out from the depths of the water and stared at Maxie. It was hesitant, but it slowly scooted closer and closer to the edge of the tank.

Maxie could feel his heart pound frantically against his chest. There was a very high possibility of the creature attacking him, pulling him down into the depths of the water just to turn him into a meal.

But it didn’t. It took the berry and plopped it into its mouth, revealing overly sharp teeth. Instead of sinking back down, the creature swam closer to Maxie. It took every ounce of self control to not instinctively back away. This wasn’t a Pokemon. It couldn’t be. It was something else. Something more unique.

Something Team Rocket was desperate to either sell or abuse.

Looking into those dark blue eyes, surrounded by inky darkness instead of white like a human’s, Maxie did see some humanity in there.

Human or not, Maxie had has it with Team Rocket’s shit.

The door opened again and the creature sank back into the sanctuary of the water. Instead of turning his head to see who had arrived, Maxie stared at the water, longing for the creature to come back.

This was one creature that he refused to let Team Rocket to torture, he decided.

They both were going to escape. They were going to escape and rid themselves from Team Rocket.

[dfnm-mnfd]

I like you (it's not a secret that I try to hide)

Reddie fic!

Part One

fire of my loins: come onnnnnn rich

apple of my eye: i love you babe but im not telling you who my crush is

fire of my loins: but whyyyyyyy

apple of my eye: because you'll make me confess to him

fire of my loins: and you'd get together because of it??? wjat's your point

apple of my eye: he wouldn't like me tho and it'd make things weird

fire of my loins: of COURSE he'd like you rich

fire of my loins: youre irrisistable

apple of my eye: yeah yeah

fire of my loins: he likes guys right?

apple of my eye: hes as gay as he is cute

apple of my eye: which is, to say, a fuck ton

fire of my loins: then what's holding you back?!!!!

fire of my loins: i mean seriously what could go wong

apple of my eye: he's

apple of my eye: i don't wanna ruin what we have by making a move

apple of my eye: i like being his friend

fire of my loins: wait

fire of my loins: someone gay... cute... and your friend

fire of my loins: /no/

fire of my loins: could it be...?

fire of my loins: ... eddie?

apple of my eye: ...

apple of my eye: ok

apple of my eye: bev

apple of my eye: you have to promise not to tell him

fire of my loins: babe

fire of my loins: you know i would never do amything to hurt you

apple of my eye: thanks, love

Bev put down her phone with a grin, practically bursting with excitement. Her best friends liked each other! Finally, after years of Eddie's pining, they could finally get together! With a grin as bright as the sun, she leapt out of bed, making quick work of tripping down the stairs and out the front door to where her bike had been discarded on the grass.

The ride to Eddie house was quick, and she leapt off her bike when she got there, barely wincing as the handle grazed her thigh. Letting her bike fall to the ground, she ran to the front door, not noticing the bike that leaned against the old oak tree in Eddie's yard, the one that the losers often climbed up whenever Eddie was grounded. The branches weren't very convenient for climbing, and each of the losers had fallen out of it at least three times, or more, and gotten several scars from the wiry branches. Eddie, even, had fallen from the branches, breaking his arm. It had taken a huge cover story to prevent Sonia from chopping down the tree and banning him from seeing the losers ever again, but he'd thought fast when she'd confronted him, weaving an intricate story of how he'd been walking home from school and tripped off the curb, landing wrong on his arm.

Practically skipping, Bev ran up to the door, excitement racing through her like electricity in her veins, making her jittery. Noticing the lack of the car in the driveway, she simply bent down to grab the key from under the leaves of the plastic flower in the plant pot beside the door, and let herself in.

"Eddie!" She screeched, bounding inside, and letting the door swing shut. "Darling! I have wonderful news!"

There was a crash from upstairs, and the pattering of footsteps. "So... I was talking to the love of your life, and guess what I found out?"

Eddie's voice came indistinctly throughout the house, and he scrambled down the stairs with a meaningful look on his face, a finger on his lips. In confusion, Bev tilted her head. "What?" her voice was hushed.

/Richie's here/, he mouthed, eyes wide. Bev blinked, understanding flashing across her face.

"Oh." Wetting her lips, she swallowed quietly, searching for a way to cover her tracks. "I found out..." she said, voice loud again. "I found out that- uh." She cleared her throat. "In math! Mrs. Geracy's letting us work together! On the project! Isn't that wonderful!" Putting as much enthusiasm as she could into her voice, she grinned fakely, shifting restlessly from one foot to the other.

"Oh! Yay!" Eddie forced an uncomfortable smile, and they heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. Richie peaked his head out from around the corner, then grinned, and fired himself across the floor, wrapping Bev in a hug. Then, grabbing onto her shoulders, he leaned back, searching her eyes with a bit of confusion in his gaze. Only a moment later, though, he pressed a sloppy kiss to her cheek.

"Howdy, m'am. What brings ye to this fine establishment?" A drawling southern accent spilled from his lips like molasses, melting Bev's artificial smile into a genuine one.

"I just wanted to share some good news with my here comrade, partner." She grinned, returning Richie's poor accent with one of her own. At Richie's raised eyebrow, she tried her best to form a reassuring expression. "Nothin' to do with ye', er, partner. I'm a lass of my word." He nodded.

Behind them, Eddie looked between the two with a bewildered expression, utterly clueless.

Part Two

"Bev, is there a light in here? I can't find anything in this darkness." Eddie squinted into the darkness of Bill's closet, eyes narrowed. The rest of the losers were all in the living room, supposedly getting ready for bed, though they all knew that they'd be up into the early hours of the morning. Bev, however, had escorted Eddie into Bill's room to help look for blankets, though she wasn't much help, simply leaning against a wall and playing with her bracelets.

"Yeah, it's outside. I'll turn it on." With a sly, shadowed expression, she walked out of the closet, closing the door behind her. Eddie didn't think much of it until he heard a scraping noise, like a chair being dragged. He was still in darkness.

"Bev? What are you doing?" Stepping towards the door, he pushed it, but it was secured shut. "Bev! What the fuck! Let me out!" Voice growing frantic, he pushed against the door again; throwing his weight into it, but to no avail.

"Good things will come tonight," was all Bev said, her voice solemn.

"Wh- what the fuck does that mean? Open up!" He pounded on the door, barely hearing the click of Bill's bedroom door opening, and Bev exiting. "Bev...?" Losing his vigor, Eddie pounded the door one last time, letting his hand rest against the door in darkness. "What the fuck." Though adrenaline was still rushing through his veins, he relaxed against the door, knowing it was no use, and he had no desire to hurt his hand. Plus, he trusted Bev, despite her unpredictability.

Eventually, he sat down, relaxing against the wall, his eyes shut. It was peaceful in there, Eddie had to admit.

After a few minutes of silence, a shout drew Eddie out of his trance, and he opened his eyes, blinking into the darkness as the sound of a struggle filled the room.

"Bev, what the hell? Did you- did you lock Eddie in the closet? Why the fuck would you do that?" There was the sound of a chair moving, and the closet door moved a little. "Wh- wait what are you doing? Don't push me!" In one swift movement, the closet door swung open, and Richie fell inside, just barely missing Eddie as he toppled to the ground. Then, the closet door shut again, and the chair was returned. Cursing, Richie sat up, blinking in the sudden darkness. In those few moments, before Richie's eyes adjusted, Eddie was free to stare openly at the boy, taking in his disheveled beauty.

"Now," came Bev's voice, commanding. "You two, confess."

It seems Richie's eyes had adjusted, for the boy looked to Eddie, shooting a wink at him.

"Heya, Eds. Fancy meeting you here." Eddie shrugged him off, grateful his blush was hidden by the darkness, and looked towards the door.

"Confess what, Bev? This isn't fair!" But she was gone. There was a moment of silence.

"So..." Richie finally broke the silence. "Wanna make out?"

"Wh- what?" Eddie spluttered, eyes huge.

"I mean, we're locked in a closet. What else is there to do? I mean, I guess we could do more than make out. I've got two hands and a willing mouth, after all." Richie's grin was huge, and Eddie didn't notice the nervous sincerity hidden in it. Breathing shaky, Eddie wet his lips, trying to ignore the temptation to agree- he knew Richie was just joking.

"I-" fuck. His voice was shaking almost as much as his hands. "Very funny, Rich."

"I'm not joking, babes." Eddie's heart rate picked up a bit as Richie scooted towards him, closing the distance between them until they were just a few inches apart. Trying not to show how affected he was, Eddie swallowed, doing his best to keep his gaze from darting down to Richie's lips.

"R- Richie... you don't need to act like this around me. I know you don't wanna."

"But, Eds... I do." His warm breath tickled Eddie's neck, making the smaller teen shiver.

"Yeah, sure," Eddie scoffed, almost believing Richie. He met his gaze nervously, wetting his lips.

"Trust me, Eds." Timidly, Richie laid his hand on Eddie's thigh, their faces only inches apart now. Eddie felt his heart flutter, on the verge of fainting. Slowly, Richie moved in a little more, his glasses barely gleaming in the faint light that shone from under the closet door.

The sound of footsteps interrupted them, though, before anything could happen, along with Bill's voice, and the boys froze, returning to their original spots as if they'd been caught doing something that they weren't supposed to, hearts both beating erratically.

"Bev, you locked them in the clos-suh-set? Are you fucking suh- suh-" he groaned, Eddie could almost imagine the irritation on his face at his stutter. "are you kidding me? You know that Eh- Eddie would just refuse to duh-do anything, even though he wuh-wants tuh-tuh-"

A series of shushes cut him off, the footsteps growing closer, and entering the room.

"They can hear you," a voice hissed, sounding like Stan. Beside Eddie, Richie had a slightly confused expression on his face. Turning to look at the other boy, question on his lips, Richie raised an eyebrow, preparing to speak, but the loud screech if the chair being pushed aside and the closet opening interrupted him, again. Eddie blinked, blinded by the sudden light.

"So sorry, guys." Mike shot a stern glance at Bev before turning back to Eddie and Richie, holding out a hand to pull them up. Richie obliged him first, pulling himself up with a bright grin.

"T'was nothing, good sir. I got to spend some quality time with my boy, tha's all that matters." Eddie tried not to blush, pulling himself up after Richie'd let go of Mike's hand.

"Thanks." He smiled gently up at Mike, who nodded. Then, he looked to Bev, narrowing his eyes. "Not cool, Bev." She shrugged, looking disappointed. Both standing now, Eddie and Richie shared a meaningful glance, unsure of what had nearly happened meant.

Part 3

"Angelica, remind me what we're looking for?" Eddie sang, impressively managing to reach the high notes as he flounced across the room, hand in hand with Stan and Ben.

"I'm looking for a mind at work, work, work work." Joining in, he and Stan's voices rose and fell, dopey grins stretching across their faces. Richie entered the scene with a woop, eyes bright.

"There's nothing like summer in the city, someone in a rush meets someone looking pretty," he shot a wink at Eddie, grin bright as he sang. "Excuse me miss, I know it's not funny, but your perfume smells like your daddy's got money." He brushed past Eddie, his lips brushing his ear. "I'll be your daddy," he whispered, Eddie's cheeks reddening.

Read the rest on A03

[criminalnourished]

Midnight Shenanigans

~ A Shayne Topp Imagine/Fluff ~

A/N: Look, I don’t write, I was going to make a short parody, but it kept getting longer and longer and I actually kinda liked how it turned out, so I thought I’d share it. It’s super long, so if you get through it, I applaud you!

Warnings: Fluff. Like, a lot of it. (also, alcohol? like, having a drink)

Words: way too many, I like my epithets.

Enjoy!

Winter Games.

The event of the season.

And it was going to be extra special this year. Why? Because you get to go!

As one of the newly established head writers and producer, you would be reffing this year’s Games, along with Sunny, Joe and Matt and you were hardly able to contain your excitement.

The venue was the same as the previous years’ one – Big Bear.

The evening before, you were starting the slow process of packing when it hit you.

You were a part of the Smosh family and have even been in the background of a few videos, though you were more of a ‘behind the scenes’ kind of person, so this was going to be a big step.  This would’ve been your first on-screen appearance that included talking. Oh geez. Your stomach churned. Oh holy geez. Mostly unscripted. Unscripted. I literally work with scripts, how in God’s name am I going to pull this off?, you thought to yourself.

Thankfully, you were taken out of your trance with a noise. That familiar iPhone ringtone we all know and never change. Standing up, crossing a mountain of bags, you reached for your phone and looked at the caller ID. Shayne. You smiled briefly before picking up. That guy always knew how to make you smile.

‘Hello?’ you said, going back to the suitcase. However, being the clumsy potato that you were, you caught your leg on a plastic bag, managing to lose your balance and fall directly on your bum, with a noisy *thud*.  A loud laugh escaped the phone.

‘I get that it’s part of your “brand” to just barely be capable of walking, but please try not to die, we prefer our writers alive’ Shayne joked.

‘Ha-ha’ you said sarcastically, picking yourself up from the floor. ‘Thanks, I appreciate it. Now that you’ve told me, I am sure to stop tripping and falling over’ you joked back.

‘Perfect! Don’t say that I never did anything for you!’

‘I shall remember this piece of advice till the day I die, which will inevitably be by slipping on a banana peel or tripping over my own two feet while carrying coffee.’ He laughed.

You started organizing your clothes into neat piles on your bed.

‘And your tombstone will say “Here lies our beloved (Y/N), who forgot to follow the Great Shayne’s advice.”’ You giggled, folding a shirt into your suitcase.

‘So anyways, what are you up to?’ he asked.

‘I just started packing’ you replied.

‘Oooh, right on time! It’s only…’ he stopped, presumably looking for the exact time. ’11:43pm!’

‘Hey, I only need about an hour, I have plenty of time. Have you already packed?’

‘Yup! All done, ready to go!’

You scoffed. ‘You must’ve forgotten something.’

‘I pretty sure I haven’t. Triple-checked.’

Another scoff from you.

‘And hey, if you “only need an hour”’ he mocked, ‘that’s great, you have enough time to get food with me!’

‘Oh, Shayne, it’s almost midnight, I don’t know, and-‘ you trailed off.

‘And?’

‘And… I don’t know, we need to be up in 5 to 6 hours?’

‘That’s a terrible excuse. You’re living on your own, you make your own rules and then break them, because rules are meant to be broken, dammit!’ he said, overly enthusiastic.

You kept folding clothes into your suitcase, silently. You wanted to go, really, it seemed so fun and like the epitome of ‘living’, from what you’ve seen in those typical young adult movies. Fun, you thought, not a good enough argument. All of a sudden, your stomach grumbled. Now that’s a good argument.

‘And also, I’m kinda maybe possibly in front of your building…’ Shayne added.

You dropped the dress you were neatly trying to fold.

‘You’re what?’

‘An evolved monkey’, he said, a hint of pride in his voice.

‘No, gah! Why are you-? How did you-?’ You tried to formulate a question but failed miserably. ‘Wait, let me buzz you in.’

‘No, no, I’ve got a better idea – you come with me. I’m already here and you already said that an hour is plenty of time for packing. Plus, I can help you with that later. So…. whaddaya say?’

You approached the window looking towards the building entrance, in disbelief, but sure enough, there he was, one hand in his pocket, pacing.

‘Alright’, you sighed, ‘give me three minutes to get down there.’

‘If you don’t make it, food’s on you. And your time… starts… now! Three minutes, go!’

You threw on the first shirt you saw – a baggy gray tee with the NASA logo on it, which was way too big, pairing it with boyfriend jeans.

Forty-five seconds to go.

You grabbed your little leather backpack, along with your phone, keys and wallet, stuffing them inside violently.

Twenty-seven seconds left.

You slammed the door, locking it quickly and sprinted down the stairs, skipping over multiple steps and almost dying thrice.

As you opened the big entrance gate to the building, you heard a beep. Shayne’s phone went off, signaling your three minutes had been over.

When you looked ahead, Shayne was peering back, a Cheshire cat-sized smile was plastered across his face.

‘No!’ you yelled, while bending over, resting your hands on your knees, trying to catch a breath. ‘Nonononono, I made it, I- I… I got out of the building!’

‘Nope! Doesn’t count! Looks like I’ll be enjoying some… whatever our food of choice turns out to be.’ Shayne said smugly, putting his hands behind his head.

When you finally got your air back, you stepped towards him, holding your side. You were really out of shape.

‘But I did it, the deal was to get down here in 3 minutes!’

You approached him, slouching. He threw an arm around you, as a way of greeting you and, well, because you looked like you were barely standing. This will have proven true merely moments later, when you shifted all of your weight off of your feet, forehead pressed against his clavicle.

‘Ah, yes, but you did not stop the alarm! That’s the unspoken rule of race-bets, always stop the clock!’ he said in a matter-of-fact tone, while patting the back of your head.

‘Fiiiine’, you let out a slow sigh, still in the same place. Maybe you were exhausted after a long day at work, maybe this three-minute workout from hell got to you or maybe this scenario felt pleasant, but you didn’t move. And neither did he. You just stood there, for a good while, taking it all in. You didn’t remember how long, but at some point he stopped patting your head and just rested his chin on the top, his arms around you. It was… nice. Man, male colognes are the best, you thought to yourself.

However, this suddenly made you feel extremely aware of the close proximity in which you were, making your cheeks a few dozen shades more red. You shifted a bit and Shayne, understanding the signal, let you go, scratching his head. You couldn’t help but think you’d seen a bit of red tint in his cheeks, only for a mere second, however, as it faded away quite quickly.

‘Um… so, since midnight snackage’s on you, it’s only fair that you get to pick the place.’

‘Hmmm… the closest ‘eat-now-regret-later’ place is McDonald’s. Does that work?’

‘Ughhh, fine’, he fake-complained, ‘No, yeah, sure! That’s a few streets down, though, might be a bit of a walk’ said Shayne.

‘Or we could take my car?’

‘Nooo, come on, look at this weather’ he said whinny, pointed to the sky. It was rather beautiful. The sky was completely clear, there were a few stars visible. The air was way too warm, considering it was technically winter, a light breeze was blowing. ‘It’d be a shame if we didn’t take advantage of this, doncha think? And if you get tired… I don’t know, I’ll just carry you or something, we’ll figure it out!’

‘Why don’t we go to the drive-through, get our food, drive up to the hills and eat there?  We can go for a walk and have a vehicle at our disposal, if we happen to need it! Boom, compromise!’

‘Deal!’ said Shayne, giggling slightly. You stepped towards your Mini Cooper.

‘I mean, hey, I know you’re in shape, but I feel like I could collapse any moment now’ you informed him. He chuckled, already seated in the passenger seat, seat belt on.

‘Ho, boy! Food – here we come!’

About 7 minutes later, you entered a McDonald’s drive-through, ordered way too much food, and soon enough, you were on your way for the hills.

‘Yo, drive-throughs’, said Shayne, with a mouthful of fries, ‘might be the best thing we ever came up with. No human interaction, you don’t even need to leave your car!’

‘Definitely. I’d say it’s up there with fire and the computer’ you replied.

You talked the whole ride, finding yourselves in sporadic fits of laughter. After 10ish minutes of traffic-free driving, you were there. Shayne insisted he should carry all the food, you knew that any attempt at arguing would be in vain. A short walk later, a small bench graced you with its presence and you decided to occupy it, the food bags taking most of the space.

‘Woah’, you exclaimed, trying to squeeze the BigMac™ into your mouth, ‘in the two years that I’ve lived in LA, I’ve never been here at night. It’s so peaceful and beautiful.’

‘Right? And the best part?’ he said inquisitively, looking at you, ‘The view!’ He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, with a rather constipated facial expression, barely holding in the giggles. You laughed and shook your head.

You sat there for moments? Minutes? Hours? Who knows how long, talking about… nothing yet everything, really, while eating you food as slowly as possible, and almost choking a couple of times due to excessive laughter. When you finished your meal, you felt 500lbs heavier and completely incapable of moving. Shayne removed the scrunched up wrappers and scooted a bit closer. You held your stomach and let out a long grunt, reminiscent of vocal fry.

‘I think… I think I’m just gonna stay here… live my life on this bench, y’know, become an urban myth’ you said, curling up into fetal position.

‘”The girl on bench” ’ he said, in an overly dramatic tone, patting your back, ‘some say you can still hear a faint rumble of her stomach trying to digest the ton of food she consumed on that faithful night.’ You giggled.

‘Why, oh why, cruel world must it taste so good but hurt so badly?!’ he yelled to the sky, his voice shaky.

‘Shayne! It’s midnight, keep it down’ you tried to stop laughing and act serious, but failed.

‘Whyyyy?!’ he cried, falling onto his knees in front of the bench. Your stomach started aching, this time from laughter. You stood up and approached him, with the intention of helping him get up, extending your arm, however, when he grabbed it, you wobbled in the air and ended up landing on top of him.

Good job, wow, you’ve really outdone yourself this time! you thought, while hoping for the ground to swallow you.

‘Oh my gosh’, you said, completely flustered, not looking at him. You turned your head to glance at him, noticing that his face was way closer than you initially calculated. ‘I- I- I am so sorry, that was so… Oh gosh, I’m sorry, are you okay?’ you rushed to get up. Shayne just looked at you, laughing, with an amused look on his face. He was going to make a joke, but upon seeing how utterly distressed you looked, he decided against it.

‘Of course I am, I’m great, couldn’t be better’ he stood up, holding his side, ‘minus the fractured rib you might’ve caused me, but hey, I’ll live!’

‘Hey, no, don’t’ worry, really, it’s all good!’ said Shayne, putting a hand on your scapula. A short period of silence followed. ‘Hey, wanna go pack?’

‘Oh, sure, but I can do it, really, I’d hate to keep you up, but thanks for-‘

‘Nooo, you’re not keeping me up’ he exclaimed, ‘I dragged you out, so I need to redeem myself!’

You sighed.

‘Okay, fine. But my apartment ‘s a mess, don’t say I didn’t warn you!’

Your face was still a bright shade of red, the embarrassment unbearable. You hugged yourself, as if you were cold, and kept murmuring many I’m sorry-s along the way to the car.

During the ride, the constantly opened window helped you calm down and your skin tone to go back to normal.

Much to your surprise, the mess you had left at your place before was still there. :(

‘Woah, was there a nuclear explosion here?’ Shayne asked, evidently trying to push your buttons.

‘Actually, yes, that’s very insensitive of you. How dare you bring that up?’ you played along, while taking two clean glasses from the cupboard. ‘Want some gin?’

‘Woah, hey, heyhey, I don’t know if… I..’ Shayne stuttered, evidently taken aback by this suggestion. ‘I had no idea you drank.’

‘Well… I’m full of surprises’ you said, with an over exaggerated wink. The corner of Shayne’s mouth twitched. ‘And besides, I just do it occasionally.’ He nodded. ‘So, do you want some?’

‘I… uh… sure!’ he replied, still a bit confounded.

You poured the liquid into the glasses and added two ice cubes. Taking both glasses, you approached Shayne, who was looking at the clothes you already packed and handed him the glass.

‘Y’know, I’m pretty sure you don’t really need a cocktail dress… and I’d say that’s more than enough T-Shirts for a week and a half’ he stated, taking the glass from your hand.

‘Yes I do! T-Shirts are comfortable and great for layering and that’s how you combat the cold, you layer and-‘

‘But you don’t layer T-Shirts on top of T-Shits!’

‘But- yeah, you’re right, I mostly sleep in T-Shirts’, Shayne turned his head towards you, ‘What? They’re comfy so I bring extra, in case some get dirty or sweaty, y’know.’ You took a swig of your drink, almost downing it all at once, stumbling a bit.

‘Woah, easy there, you don’t want to be hung-over for the trip’, said Shayne, steadying you.

‘Nah, don’t worry about it, it’s just gin…’

‘Okay, well, you need to pack!’

‘You said you’d help!’

‘I will! You need a supervisor, to maximize efficiency.’

‘So you’ll just sit and tell me what to do?’

‘No, don’t be silly… I might stand up eventually’, replied Shayne, evidently proud of his comeback, which earned him a disapproving headshake.

‘Oh really?’ you said, grabbing your bras and underwear from a drawer.

It was Shayne’s turn to change into a tomato, clearing his throat, trying to look anywhere else, scratching the back of his neck and basically doing every other tick in the book signaling he was uncomfortable.

You grinned mischievously, realizing what you’d done and quickly put it all away into the suitcase.

‘You can look now’, you said.

‘Oh, hah, psh, no, I- I wasn’t, I-‘ he tried to come across as calm, cool and collected, but ended up looking even more awkward. You awed and kept packing, moving on to sweaters.

You kept packing and at some point, the gin started kicking in, making you extremely sleepy. Surely enough, the process took more than an hour, even with Shayne’s eventual help. You collapsed onto your bed, headfirst, and he lied next to you, on his back.

‘This was exhausting’, you exclaimed.

‘Nah, I’d say it was fun!’ he replied. You rolled over so that you were also lying on your back.

‘Thanks for helping, I would’ve probably fallen asleep had you not been here’, you said, turning your head to look at him.

‘See?’ he beamed, ‘I told you!’ he chuckled.

This was the first time you got to look at him so closely – the laugh lines and those baby blues, the slight beard he was trying to cultivate, his radiant smile… You caught yourself staring and only then did you realize how close you actually were, which in turn made you blush profusely. He kept smiling, but his gaze trailed down your face and focusing on your lips, for a split second only. You batted your eyelashes, not knowing what to do. Sh-Should I do anything? you thought. This will just make things awkward, probably. Oh goodness I messed up again, what am I supposed to do, I-

At this point you could feel his breath on your nose. He moved his hand to brush off some of your hair. The tension was so thick, you could cut it with a knife, which made you panic even more. I gotta move, you thought, this will be way too weird in the long run, I should probably just cough or something or-

And then it happened. He moved just slightly towards you, closing the tiny gap that remained between the two of you. Your mind, while racing up until that point, was completely blank – no worry, no panic, just bliss. The kiss was shorter than you would’ve hoped for, yet still sweet, making you smile like a mad man, which in turn made his lips curve into a grin, as well.

Shayne was gently caressing your cheek. He opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by you initiating another kiss, this one deeper and more passionate than expected. He put one hand on the back of your neck and wrapped an arm around your waist, pulling you closer, while you held onto his shirt and neck. A few minutes later, you broke apart, neither of you able to stop smiling. You laid there for a few minutes, intertwined, without saying a word.

After some time, you tried to move, but Shayne’s embrace wouldn’t let you.

‘Shayne’, you called out. No response.

You looked up and saw him pretending to be asleep.

‘Shayne’, you repeated. No response. You tried wiggling out of his grip, but couldn’t. He started laughing, eyes still firmly shut.

You placed a kiss on his clavicle, which instantly made him open his eyes and look at you.

‘Wanna watch a movie?’ you asked.

‘Depends on what you got’, Shayne said, seemingly loosening his grip.

‘I’ve got whatever you want’, you beamed. ‘Well, I don’t, but the torrents do!’

‘”Space Jam” it is, woo!’ he exclaimed, throwing his arm in the air. You laughed and mimicked his ‘woo’.

‘Okay, I’ll go set it up, you refill our glasses and get the popcorn ready, there’s some in the cabinet.’

A few minutes later, everything was in order and you were huddled up on the sofa. The movie started playing and you immediately started commentating out loud, laughing. Neither of you said anything about what had happened, which was bound to backfire, but at the moment it seemed fine.

The file you had illegally downloaded was buffering quite a bit and you were really tired… I’ll close my eyes just for a few seconds, you thought.

And lo and behold, you fell asleep. As soon as he noticed, Shayne spent a few moments looking at you, wondering whether he should carry you to your bed or leave you be. He ended up choosing the latter, as your bed still contained the residue of a nuclear explosion that took place earlier. He tried to move, in search of a blanket, however, you fell asleep on him and he just didn’t have the heat to move you. Instead, he threw an arm around you and you got even comfier. Shayne lost track of time – for a certain period, he was just observing your serene expression, but he ended up falling asleep next to you.

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