#I'm still fucking laughing about that nearly two weeks later

[madammayh3m]

Day 7: Turns Out Thais has a Personality

Oh boy. Oh fucking boy. The recap is almost caught up to where the campaign left off and we’ve officially only been in Barovia for a week. Curse of Strahd spoilies obvi, especially since we go see the witch today.

Thais and Ferrin go down to speak with Urwin in the morning. He has his two sons, Bram and Bray, who were in the kitchen helping with breakfast, go ‘help’ their mother with something as a way to get them out. As they’re leaving, Bray looks up at Thais and asks if she’s dead. She leans down slightly and – trying to be scary in a good-natured way to this kid she’s known almost his whole life – tells him, “yes.” He goes to ask her more questions, but Urwin shoos him out.

Urwin and Thais have a long conversation about what has been going on exactly since she’s been away. She reveals literally everything to him – that she’s dead, she doesn’t really remember anything, that she’s been outside of Barovia for the past eight months, everything she knows about herself, and the whole situation with the Abbot (which he finds hysterically funny). He also mentions the soldiers in silver armor upon hearing about her particular brand of undeath, further solidifying her theory that she’s connected to them somehow. In turn, Urwin tells her what has been going on and reveals aspects of her past to her: she was a barmaid at the Blue Water Inn, she and Yeska were engaged, her father died from disease shortly after she left, and that her mother left town and hasn’t been seen since, that Yeska went to Brez to speak with the witch there and was dragged back half dead by his horse (which later died of its own wounds), and that after that visit with the witch, he can now use magic when he couldn’t before. Thais is pissed that the witch hurt him. He also tells them that, if they want to leave town, they’d have to do it right now, because if the Burgomaster catches them trying to leave while there’s a festival going on, they’ll be imprisoned and publicly humiliated. Thais also asks him about the pinecone gems, as one of them did go missing while he was courting Danika. He doesn’t know where the unaccounted-for third gem has gone and simply points them in the direction of Brez.

Before leaving, Ferrin – now knowing more about Thais and the extent of her and Yeska’s relationship – tries to convince Thais that they should ask Yeska for information on the witch of Brez. Thais sees her point and the two have Urwin send one of his sons to go get him. He arrives and Ferrin introduces herself as Lucy; Thais doesn’t speak to him, and she doesn’t really manage to keep her cool, but he doesn’t say anything to her. Ferrin does all the talking and asks Yeska for any information he has about Brez and the witch. He warns them to stay away, but does still tell them what he knows about the area and a little about his experience ‘meeting’ her, including that she is an ally of Strahd but hates ravens, and unintentionally reveals that she gave him the scar over his eye. Thais, via Ferrin, pays him and he notes that one of the coins is from outside Barovia (specifically, the place he was originally from). He leaves without indicating that he thinks something is up with Thais.

The two make their plan to sneak out of the city and they move through the city like ghosts, making it out past a night-shift guard who hasn’t been relieved from his post yet. As they make their way down the road, Thais notices a skeleton in the grass – the skeleton is holding a bag in its arms. Inside the bag was a twisted iron key, a baby rattle, and a drawing of a man and a woman, carefully wrapped. Thais took the key, and Ferrin made sure that the drawing was protected from the elements before they continued on to Brez.

Upon reaching Brez, the two notice a ring of standing stones very similar to the ones on Yester Hill – there is a light between them. Ferrin has Lucy scope out the area, and she notices an old woman with a lantern and a dagger, standing and looking over the river towards the ruins of Brez. Ferrin approaches her with the intent to ask her for advice crossing the river, but the woman flees behind one of the standing stones. Following her, Ferrin finds only a raven behind the stone, which flies away.

Observing the standing stones closer, they note that there are animals carved on some of them - a bear, an elk, a hawk, a goat, an owl, a panther, a raven, and a wolf, but that the cardinal stones are left blank. Thais - and Ferrin, catching onto Thais’ habits - leave an offering of gold at this ancient place of worship before continuing on.

The two observe the river and, finding it relatively slow moving and shallow, swim across with minimal difficulty, though the book Thais found at the shrine when they first arrived was ruined. Upon reaching the other side, however, they are accosted by a swarm of biting flies as they try to dry out their clothes and armor slightly before continuing. Though they are able to fend them off, Ferrin quickly begins to develop a fever and experiences fits of laughter that come on much like a cough would - a disease called cackle fever, colloquially known as the shrieks, runs rampant here. They observe the ruins and notice a group of seven scarecrows, stuffed with black feathers that they identify as the constructs that Davian mentioned. The two decide to go directly to the witch’s hut in the center of the ruins and see what information they can get from her about themselves, as she may be knowledgeable about the kinds of magic that affect them, and what Yeska came there for, before trying to kill her. The hut is built onto a tree with many roots that resemble the legs of an insect. There is also a giant’s skull, turned upside down, in front of the hut, and two cages absolutely stuffed with very unhappy ravens that scream at the two women, alerting the witch inside.

Initially it seems to go well despite the fact that she is also absolutely insane - inside the hut is, among other things, an old wooden tub stained with blood, an altar of some kind, and a crib with a baby inside in the center of the room, though Thais notes that the latter is not in fact a real child, but a powerful illusion spell. A green glow, much like the glow that came from inside the tree blight back at the winery, emanates from under the floorboards. Baba Lysaga welcomes them inside and cures Ferrin’s cackle fever. She also invades Ferrin’s privacy in a major way in order to find out more about the fundamentals of her existence. While she magically examines Ferrin’s very being, Lucy flutters out of Ferrin’s hood and hangs from the ceiling, watching everything, her eyes having turned a different color. Ferrin learns that she is a vampire that is missing her divinity - and that to fully become a vampire, she must claim a source of divinity. They also learn that Baba Lysaga was Strahd’s nursemaid - she thinks of herself as his real mother, and holds a great deal of animosity to his biological mother, who she said favored Strahd’s younger brother. She was banished from the castle for using magic on Strahd when he was an infant in order to unlock his latent potential. However, her attitude towards the two quickly shifts as she comes to the conclusion that Ferrin is a brazen hussy seeking to seduce her precious “son” for his power. However, she turns her attention from Ferrin onto Thais.

Sensing that things are about to go south anyway, Ferrin tells her that Thais is undead, and the two try to reveal enough aspects of her condition to Baba Lysaga without revealing that her end goal and purpose for revival was to kill Strahd. However, Baba Lysaga catches on quickly, and reveals that the only revenants in Barovia were of the Order of the Silver Dragon, the silver warriors that stood against Strahd. She also reveals that revenants are created by a desire in the soul to dedicate themselves fully to their cause, and that while they can be called, they can also choose not to answer. Finally, she tells Thais that Death will not claim her until her goal is fulfilled, and she then asks what, exactly, Thais’ goal is. In a last attempt to not anger her before finding out more information, Thais lies about her goal, stating that it was her desire to marry her fiance that brought her back, but Baba Lysaga sees through the lie and (correctly) assumes that Thais’ purpose is to kill her “baby boy,” and attacks the two of them, slamming the door of the hut shut magically.

The fight does not go particularly well - she casts Crown of Madness on Ferrin who, in the cramped space of the hut, has no choice but to attack Thais. However, the two women keep her blocked into the hut, preventing her from using some of her more offensive spells at the risk of catching herself in the fallout. She also summons several swarms of flies that fill the hut, further whittling away at the two women. Suddenly, the door of the hut bursts open, and Ezmerelda stands in the doorway, telling them they need to leave, now. Upon seeing another, more powerful, adversary has joined the fight, Baba Lysaga casts Finger of Death on Thais, killing her instantly (she failed the save and it did fucking THREE TIMES HER HP IN DAMAGE).

Seeing her ally fall, Ferrin resolves to stand her ground and see the fight against Baba Lysaga to the end. It’s a close fight, and Baba Lysaga awakens her Creeping Hut, which begins to move and shake, trying to throw the enemies inside of it around. Ferrin stays upright thanks to her Spider Climb abilities and she and Ezmerelda finally get the witch on the ropes. Baba Lysaga attempts to escape by turning into a swarm of flies as she gets closer and closer to death, but as she escapes the hut, Ferrin and Ezmerelda finally kill her. She dies in agony, fading away into nothing.

The hut, however, is still very much alive; Ferrin rips up the floorboards, revealing the pinecone gem that rests in the hollow trunk of the living tree. The trunk has barbs that gnash together like a mouth. Ferrin and Ezmerelda both try to reach into the trunk to pull the gem out, and both get injured by the gnashing “teeth.” Ferrin uses the Blood spear to wedge the mouth open long enough to grab the gemstone, which destroys the spear and kills the hut in one fell swoop. As the hut falls, Ferrin catches Ezmerelda, keeping her from falling.

Ferrin helps Ezmerelda out of the hut and goes back in to retrieve Thais and investigate the witch’s belongings. She examines the altar and realizes that the source of Baba Lysaga’s magic was not freely given, but rather that she gained her powers through force and domination. She also finds a locked treasure chest, which she brings outside, and both she and Ezmerelda try to open it. Failing to pick the lock, Ferrin decides to break it open with her axe. The box itself explodes and three crawling claws fly out, very dead. Inside, Ferrin finds all of Baba Lysaga’s “winnings” from past adventurers she has slain - or at the very least, beaten, as Yeska’s hat is among the items. She splits the gold and gemstones between her, Thais, and Ezmerelda, letting the latter have first pick of the loot and a larger share of gold as thanks for saving our collective dumb ass.

Ezmerelda notices that Ferrin sets aside gold for Thais, and begins to try and comfort her, but Ferrin explains the situation. Disturbed by the revelation of Thais’ “condition,” she attempts to leave, cool guy style, but Ferrin follows after her and convinces her to at least help them back to Vallaki. On the way back, Ferrin and Ezmerelda have a very gay conversation about what Ezmerelda was even doing out there in the first place. Ezmerelda reveals that she went to Vallaki to get supplies, and that she heard two outsiders had gone out to Brez to fight Baba Lysaga. Not wanting to see the two women (or at least Ferrin) killed, she followed. Ferrin asks her where she’ll be headed next and when Ezmerelda tries to give her the runaround, she asks if she’ll be headed to Castle Ravenloft to fight Strahd directly; Ezmerelda responds very flirtily, asking if Ferrin would mind if she was. The two finally make their way back to Vallaki, where Ezmerelda drops off Ferrin and goes on her way. Meanwhile, Lucy has begun to develop symptoms of cackle fever.

Ferrin manages to get Thais’ body into the city and to the Blue Water Inn with no one asking too many questions - after all, outsiders don’t tend to last long in Barovia. Upon reaching the inn, Urwin and Danika immediately spring into action, with Urwin going to fetch Yeska, and Danika helping Ferrin get Thais out of her armor and settled into one of their rooms from the night before. When Ferrin returns downstairs to pay for the rooms, Danika almost-hugs her and thanks her for watching out for Thais. Ferrin pulls her into a full hug, almost leaping across the counter to do so, which makes Danika feel very awkward, and then goes back upstairs to wait for Yeska in her own room.

Yeska arrives and begins to patch up Ferrin and treat Lucy for her cackle fever. While treating Ferrin, he remarks on how the “mouth” in the trunk of the tree fucked up her arm, to which Ferrin responds that the house “bit her.” Nonplussed, Yeska continues to treat her and, upon finishing, allows her to pick a candy from a small jar he keeps with his medicine kit. He asks her about how her traveling companion is doing, and Ferrin convinces him that Thais is alright, and just needs to sleep without disturbance, but that he can come back when she wakes up. He leaves, and Ferrin settles in for the night.

[mclarensangel]

Our Girl

Warnings: body shaming, panic attack, insecurity, idiots in love, kissing, flirty comments, couple being obsessed with each other. if there is anything I missed, please let me know!

word count: 3.8k before images

You were in one of the hottest countries in the world with Lando. Abu Dhabi was gorgeous, don’t get me wrong. But boy was it hot. You had tried to pack clothes that would be good for the weather, but you didn’t want clothes that made you shapeless. Being friends with Lando meant that you would likely be on camera at least once, especially with the boy having the energy of a 5-year-old and being best friends with anyone and everyone on the grid. And so, with Lando being so well loved, you knew that if you were seen with him, then people would notice the big girl standing in the back constantly. Your outfit had to be perfect, at least to you. In your head, if your outfit had to be perfect to try and reduce the fallout that would no doubt come for you on Twitter. 

You loved Lando, probably more than you should, not that you would tell him. But the women that he had been seen with, were gorgeous. You keep telling yourself that you're gorgeous too but these were model-worthy women, and that, as you had been told many times, were not. So this outfit had to be perfect. It had to be perfect for him, for you, for all the women that looked like you. 

So this is how you ended up standing in a room with Lando’s baggage as well as your own, anxiety filling you after you had been told at reception that there was only one room left. And to make things worse? It only had one bed. This hadn’t been a problem before, having known him since you were 5, you had shared a bed plenty of times, but now? Now you were head over heels in love with the curly-haired man. And you had to pretend that you weren't. But that wasn’t your biggest problem right now. Right now, your biggest problem was getting ready and getting to the grid on time, you could tell Lando about the bed situation later. And anyway, there was a sofa, you could try and cover yourself up with the end blanket off of the bed, on the sofa. Lando would need the bed anyway, he has the biggest job to do here. And so to sum it all up, all of these reasons are what led you to stand in front of the mirror in the bedroom, nearly in tears as you looked at your reflection. You didn’t hate your body, in fact, you were your biggest fan, but the anxiety of everything was eating you up from the inside out. Every piece of fabric felt like it was clinging to your body. You have to take a deep breath you keep telling yourself. 

Your phone ringing from the desk nearby pulled you from your anxiety-ridden trance. Picking up your phone you see Lando’s contact lighting up your phone screen. The image itself makes you laugh. The man had made it as a surprise to make you laugh when you were having a bad day a few weeks ago even though it had some pictures in it that he hated. And he wouldn’t tell you, but he would use the worst images of him in the universe again if it made you smile the way it did again. 

Although the picture made you smile, the anxiety still bubbling within you made your thumb hesitate over the reject button before pressing the accept button. 

L: Hello?

       Y/N: Lando? What’s up? Is everything okay? Are you h-?

          L: I’m okay, breath, I'm okay. I just wanted to ask what room I’m in.

Fuck. 

     Y/N: Uh, about that… 

The line stayed quiet as Lando waited for you to continue, and realising that you weren’t, he tried to push you for your answer as gently as possible 

       L: yeah?

  Y/N: Sotheysortofmessedupandtheresonlyonehotelroombetweenthetwoofusanditonlyhasonebed.

     L: What? Remember what I said about breathing? Take a breath and then tell me, again. Okay? 

Taking what might have been the biggest breath of your life you repeat yourself

Y/N: They messed up the rooms

   L: okay?

Y/N: And there’s only one hotel room between the two of us

   L: right…

Y/N: it only has one bed 

   L: Darlin’ I'm not seeing the problem here, we’ve shared a bed before. What room are we in?

Y/N: 410

   L: Okay, I’ll see you in a minute okay

Y/N: Okay. 

You both hang up the one at the same time, something that has come with being friends for such a long time. With a shaky breath, you throw your phone back onto the desk before making your way to hide in the bathroom knowing that Lando would want to know why you’re so anxious about sharing a bed all of a sudden. You catch yourself in the mirror again, and somehow you hate how you look even more than in the lights of the bedroom. Your hands feel cold all of a sudden, and that’s when you look down at them to realise that your hands are gripping the marble counter. The coldness of the counter does nothing to help calm down the feeling of anxiety that is threatening to bubble over. Tears begin to cloud your vision, building up over your vision, leaving everything blurry. You couldn’t help but feel that everything about your outfit was wrong. The corset is too tight, the skirt too long, the shoes too high, and your hair too tight. You had wanted to surprise Lando with your outfit. Hoping that maybe it might change the way he looks at you. But the more you look at yourself in the mirror the more you doubt it. Your brain reminds you of his friends, his ex-girlfriends, hell even his colleagues. 

Trying to loosen the ribbon at the back of your corset, you felt like the room was closing in around you. The gesture of having an old McLaren t-shirt of his turned into a corset, his name and number being the main focus of it. You had tried to pair it with a silk black skirt. You wanted to try and match the skirt to the rest of the outfit by wearing some flatform sandals with a silver buckle. Around your neck, you were trying to put on a silver necklace with the initial ‘L’ hanging down from the chain. Your hair was pulled back from around your face and pulled into an elegant silver claw clip. From your ears was a pair of simple diamond studs that had a climber attached to it, that Lando had brought you for your birthday after he signed his first contract with McLaren. And finally, you had some simple silver bracelets, an orange beaded bracelet with LN in heart-shaped beads, and some simple silver diamond rings that your parents had gifted you for your 21st birthday. When you had planned the outfit, it all felt perfect, but now it felt oh so wrong. Too in your head about everything, you hadn’t noticed Lando enter the hotel room, let alone the bathroom. It wasn't till you felt his warm arms surround you that you even noticed he was there. 

“Whats wrong darlin’,” he asks, his arms wrapped around your waist. His voice and warmth surrounding you made the tears finally fall from your eyes. Your anxiety finally bubbling over. 

“Everything” you manage to get out before the sobs quickly follow. Lando doesn’t say anything, a thousand thoughts running through his head as he sees his best friend break down in his arms. He looks around the room, noticing your washbag by the shower, your makeup bag on the counter and a necklace near the edge of the sink. “Let's sit down,” Lando says, trying to take a few steps backwards to be able to lean against the wall. However, what he wasn’t expecting was for you to freak out as he pulled you back. 

Your breath suddenly became laboured, the tears began falling quicker. And the safe feeling of Lando’s arms around you? Suddenly they all felt too suffocating. Why was he even here? Why did he ask you? He has plenty of other friends that were so much better looking. Was he trying to embarrass you by bringing you here? Trying to clear your sight, you look around the room trying to find the escape, but nothing was working and it felt like the walls were getting closer and closer to each other. You feel your body go into auto-drive as you take a few steps back. Suddenly, your back hit the glass of the shower door. The cold of the glass sends you even further into a spiral. 

Lando stood in the corner of the room watching you. He had seen you have an anxiety attack before but never as bad as this. He was panicking inside but he knew that if you were able to see him and saw him freaking out, you would freak out more. Taking a deep breath, he made his way towards you once more. 

“Y/N?” You heard him ask. But your mind was running faster than his McLaren car. You tried to respond but you couldn’t. Your vision was grey and your body felt like it was shaking enough for people to think that there was an earthquake. 

Trying to think back to how he had calmed you down before during an anxiety attack, Lando finally remembered. He quickly ran out of the bathroom and into the bedroom, first running towards the bed, he ripped the heavy blanket from the foot of the bed before running to his suitcase, practically throwing it to the floor, he unzipped it and pulled the first hoodie he saw from the neat piles of clothes. Having all of the items he needed, he sped back to the bathroom, noticing you still spiralling near the shower. Not wanting to scare you he moved slowly towards you. He took his hoodie, placed it into your hands, and pushed your hands towards your face. He let out a breath of relief when he saw you pause for a second. But the relief didn’t last very long when the sobs became even harder. He knew what he needed to do next. He took the blanket and wrapped you in it as tightly as possible before pulling you into his arms once again. 

You didn’t know what was happening but all you could smell was Lando and the pressure of something wrapped around you. The smell of him and the pressure helping you to slowly come back down to earth. You push your face further into whatever it was that smelt like him. The dizzy feeling not wanting to leave you be just yet. 

Seeing you slowly calm down, Lando knew that this would probably be the best moment to pull you towards the floor. Holding onto you, he began crouching down, your body following him slowly. And when he managed to get to the floor, he leaned against the wall near the shower door and pulled you close to him. From here he could hear your breathing slow down, the sobs turning to sniffles. And when the sniffles slowly stopped, he spoke

“What's wrong, love?” he asked, his voice soft and yet full of worry. The girl in his arms doesn���t respond.  

“Sweetheart?” he prods. There is a pause before the woman speaks. “You shouldn’t be seen with me” she almost whispers. Lando stills his hand from where it was running up and down her arm. “What?” he responds. His voice was almost angry. You didn’t respond. Lando pushed himself forward. Pushing you up so that he could look into your eyes. 

You could feel the anxiety bubble up again as you saw so many emotions in his beautiful eyes. “Why shouldn’t I be seen with you? I mean look at you!” He speaks, his voice calm but confused. “Exactly,” you mutter hoping that he doesn’t hear you. But, he did. “Has someone said something to you?” he asks, trying to figure out what had caused you to feel this way. “I saw a comment on the Quadrant Instagram” you start, feeling the tears in your eyes begin to well up again. You keep your head down not wanting to make eye contact with the man in front of you. “It was the one where you’d asked me to model one of your t-shirts, where we were matching” you finish with a sniffle. You look at Lando quickly before looking away when you see the anger on his face. “They said, that you deserve better friends and that someone as big as me shouldn’t even be in the same room as you in case I crush you” you say, the feeling of getting what someone had said off your chest making you feel like you can breathe a little bit better. “And then the receptionist earlier, recognised me from the pictures where I’ve been seen with you, and she was nice to my face, but when I had gone behind the wall to put some stuff back into my backpack, I heard her say-” you spoke before being cut off by Lando’s angry voice “What did she say?” “she said” you pause “as if she thinks that god of a man would even sleep in the same bed as her fatass. He’s probably worried she’d turn over in the night and crush him to death. Fat bitch” By the end of your sentence, Lando had moved to stand up and was moving towards the bathroom door. “Please don’t leave me,” you said into the quiet room as Lando got to the door. He stopped with his hand on the door handle, his knuckles white as he tried to reign in his anger at what he had been told.

—--------------------- lando pov

How fucking dare that woman say anything about his girl. What gave her the right to say something so disgusting? So untrue? The door handle beginning to feel warm in his hand is what brought him back to reality. He turned to see the woman who had always been so strong, so self-confident about herself, in pieces on their hotel bathroom floor. It’s something he never thought he would see. And he didn’t know how to deal with it. Should he call someone? No. You wouldn’t want anyone to see you like this. He sighed, seeing you sitting on the floor, still looking so gorgeous, with your head down and leaning against the shower door. He moves to sit next to you again, sitting as close as possible to you. Close enough that he could smell your signature sweet perfume. Close enough that he can see the tear streaks on your cheeks. He saw you cautiously place your head on his shoulder, making him smile. He moves his arm so that you can cuddle up to him easier. His fingers trace the material of your shirt. Looking down, he realises it's a corset, and the sight makes him blush. The fabric of the material feels familiar to him. He pushes you to sit up a little bit. And in that moment, he realises. He realises that he has been in love with you. He has been since he was 14 when you were the first person to run to him to celebrate his CIK-FIA World Championship. Maybe he’d just been pretending this whole time that he didn’t love you, or maybe he didn’t want to believe it, in case it meant that he would lose you. He looks down at your outfit, finally noticing the corset properly. His cheeks heat up when he realises what it is. It was his top that he had signed for her after his first podium, he couldn’t believe that you would have kept the t-shirt this long and how you’d managed to keep it in good condition from the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix champagne shower. The corset had his surname (and he definitely hadn’t had dreams in the past of it being your surname too, absolutely not) written right at the top with his number underneath. He didn’t know yet, but if he spun you around his signature would be on the back. Then he saw the necklace hung delicately around your neck, the silver chain elongating your neck as it shone beautifully from the base of your neck. And one day he hoped that it could be his lips there instead, if you’d let him. It took him a few more seconds to realise that it was his initial that was hanging around your neck. The more he took you in the more he noticed the little details. The orange bracelet around your wrist, his initials. The earrings in your slightly red ears, the ones he had brought you. The rings that he had helped your parents choose for your 21st adorned your hands that he’d always loved were smaller than his. He took all of you in, finally seeing you. Finally realising that you were his girl. Looking into your eyes, he saw how red they were, and he wondered how many times you had cried because of his fans. “I'm so sorry” he whispered, raising his hands to place them between your neck and your jaw.  “If I had known that my fans would make you feel like this I would never have ever started racing” He spoke quietly to her, his thumb rubbing back and forth gently on her cheek. “I love you so much” he told her. Never meaning anything more. 

y/n pov —------------------------

The two of you had told each other multiple times that you loved each other. Your heart broke a little bit when your mind told you that he would only ever meant that as a sibling, or a friend at most. Your heart raced as you felt him rest his forehead against yours, his thumb still rubbing soothing swipes against your tear soaked cheeks. A comfortable silence settled between the two of you as you sat in the bathroom. “Can i tell you something?” Lando whispered, pulling back from you slightly, almost regretting it when he saw the worry return to your eyes. “Do you remember when we were 14?” he asked. The memories came flooding back, making a smile appear on your face. “I remember when you came running past the security, even past my parents and straight at me just as I’d gotten out of the kart. It was that moment, with your arms wrapped around my neck and my arms wrapped around you that I realised I was head over heels in love with you. I’ve been trying to keep it to myself for the last 10 years, but I can’t do it anymore. I need the world to know you’re my girl. I love you, more than racing, more than life, more than stroopwafel’s” he said, the smile getting bigger at the end of the sentence. “I remember nearing pushing you over with how hard i was hugging you and nearly being told off by your coach because we nearly fell onto the kart. I’d never seen you smile so big. But” you paused looking up at him, seeing the worry flash across his eyes at your statement “i fell inlove with you when you tried horse riding for the first time, and you fell off. You looked straight at me and you had the worst hair cut but you put your thumbs up at me and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to live in this world if you werent in it. I tried dating other people, thinking I would finally be able to get over you, but i’ve never been able to get over you. My exs all said that they could see how in love with you I was and they couldn’t compete against it. You’d always have my heart. And they’re right, Lando. I love you more than anything in this world. I’ve only ever been able to call you my man in my dreams” you spoke, blushing towards the end of your sentence. 

“In your dreams, huh?” Lando teased, smirking. “Shut up” you mumbled, suddenly feeling very self conscious again. You felt Lando’s fingers under your chin, pulling it so that you would look up at him.  “Lets not waste anymore time. Be mine?” he asks you, his eyes flickering between your lips and your eyes. “Lemme think about it” you teased. “I suppose I can spare some time for you, but it’s on one condition” you continued. “Which is?” he asked, eyebrow raised. “Kiss me”. And that he did. You have never had such a passionate kiss in your life. It felt like every missed moment, every almost moment was being poured into the kiss. And if the kisses were like this, you never wanted to stop kissing him. But unfortunately, Lando’s phone began ringing. He groaned into your lips, not wanting this moment to end. Ultimately, it was you that pulled away. “You should answer that, boyfriend” you said. The word making him smile as he pulled his phone from his back pocket. “It’s Zak, but he wants to video call” he said nervously trying to regulate his emotions enough to speak to his boss. 

“Lando? Where are you? Are you still at the hotel? You’re lucky the hotel is literally across the street. Media starts in 10 minutes. Be here, or we will be having a talk.” the older man spoke, barely letting the younger man have a chance to get a word in. 

“Yes, Zak” he said, still barely containing his smile. The men nodded at each other before hanging up the phone. Lando placed his phone back onto the floor before pulling you back into a kiss. 

Begrudgingly, Lando pulled away, pushing himself to stand up. Then, he held his hands out to you. He managed to pull you up gracefully enough, and pulled you into him, pulling you in for another kiss, which made you begin to giggle. Your giggles set off lando’s giggles, and then you and Lando were holding onto each other, laughing. Lando moved his hands to hold your face again. 

“I need to go, but I’ll get Oscar, Max and the Guys to send their girlfriends in. I know you’re anxious, but I promise you’ll love them, and they’ll love you. And,” he said pulling you into a quick kiss, again, “I’ll see you soon, Girlfriend”. The words made your heart flutter. Lando stepped away, one of his hands still holding onto yours. He turned, about to finally make his way out of the bathroom when he came turning back to you. He pulled you into another passionate kiss. And as he pulled away he whispered into your ear “You look absolutely stunning, baby”. The pet name made you blush, which in turn made Lando smirk. He kissed your forehead, squeezed your hand and made his way out of the room. Away from his girl. 

Lando to his boys:

wags group chat:

y/n posted to Instagram

ynusername: today I became part of something I never thought I would. I made friends younger I could only dream about making. Younger me, if you could see me now, we made it. In more ways than one. Thank you @/landonorris for sending this angels my way and also for making me your girl.

landonorris: my girl

------ user 1: WHAT?!

------ user 2: we've been seeing this coming for years! FINALLY!

carmenmmundt: our girl

-------- landonorris: my girl

------- lilyzneimer: our girl x 2

------- flavy.barla: our girl x 3

------- francisca.gomes: our girl x 4

------- heidiberger_: our girl x 5

------- alexandrassaintmleux: our girl x 6

-------lilymhe: our girl x 7

------- iamrebeccad: our girl x 8

------- tiffanycromwell: our girl x 9

------- logjorup: our girl x 10

------ kellypiquet: our girl x 11

------ carolamtz1: our girl x 12

------ landonorris: MY GIRL

The corset in question (I've cropped my own face out, please no hate)

Let me know if you guys want a part two! And if you want to be tagged in part two!

[ayu-stuff]

"Ich liebe dich, Mama" (part 1)

A few years ago, traveling with your husband meant enjoying mojitos at the beach, having nice dinners while wearing your sexiest outfits and, of course, endless nights of loud hotel fucking. You'd traveled a lot, you two. Both in your 30s, both childless and having high-wage jobs, it was easy to discover the world. Both of you traveling from Maldives to Greece, from the Bahamas to Italy. That all changed, though, when he met Clara, the German intern at his office... Now your new Mommy. As bratty as any 21-year-old would be, she's made your whole last year a nightmare. A PEGI-3 nightmare, though: infantilizing diaper changes combined with mushy feedings and early bedtimes wearing thick fabric onesies. A dream come true. Or, at least, her dream come true.

And now she'd managed to make him pay for a week in Berlin for the three of you. Just like a little family! They'd been granted some holidays, and you, of course, had given up work on his command months ago. It was difficult losing your 150k salary in exchange for a lifelong sentence to diapers, but you wanted to make Daddy happy so much. And Clara was more than happy to take up the same position you gave up.

Last night, they'd made you drink a whole coffee cup before bed so that your risen anxiety levels forced you to remain awake. This was so you would hear the whole pounding your ex-husband gave her through the night. Now you're still awake, dying from the insomnia and sitting in a stupid baby travel crib the hotel staff had set up on Daddy's demand.

Yesterday, the German receptionist, who was probably in her late teens, nearly died from laughing her ass off when you three checked in. It was clear the childish crib was for the overgrown toddler who was strapped to the stroller, Clara's youngest cousin had just outgrown before the trip. The bulging diapers peeking out from your colorful leggings and your bright pink paci helped her understand the situation. She even gifted you a lollipop! How nice of her.

"Was für ein süßes Baby du bist! Ich bin mir sicher, dass Mama und Papa hier die bestmögliche Lösung für dich gefunden haben, indem sie uns um die schönste Wiege der Welt für ihr kleines Baby gebeten haben. So wirst du später die Erwachsenen nicht stören! [What a cute baby you are! I'm sure that Mommy and Daddy have found the best solution for you by asking us for the prettiest crib on Earth for their little baby. That way, you won't be bothering the grown-ups later!]" She'd told you, giggling while slightly squatting down to talk to you. It was clear to her and everyone else that you hadn't understood a thing. You wanted to cry.

"Awww. Du verstehst micht nicht, oder? [Awww. You can't understand me, right?]", she went on. "Nein, die kann kein Deutsch. Genauso wie jedes Neugeborenes, HAHAHA! [No, she doesn't speak German. Just like every newborn, HAHAHA!]", Clara helped you out. Or at least, you thought she was helping you out... "Die ist wirklich mega süß. Und hast du den Geruch gemerkt? Sie scheint, ein Boom-Boom gemacht zu haben... [She is really super cute. And have you noticed the smell? It seems she made a boom-boom...]", Mommy told her. You blushed so badly when you recognized the word Boom-boom. They were talking about your diapers! "Echt? Macht sie wirklich das? WOW. Wie alt ist sie aber? [No way! Does she really do that?. WOW. But how old is she?]". "Jawohl. Ein komplett geschissenes Baby. Unglaublich peinlich HAHAHA [Of course. A completely shitty baby. Incredibly pathetic HAHAHA]. And tell her, sweetie. She wants to know your age! The real one." Both girls couldn't stop cackling when you said 34. Daddy, who hadn't understood but this, smiled at the realization that they were bullying you in a foreign language, adding playfully that you're still learning to talk like a big girl.

Is any language not foreign for a stupid baby, though?

And that was just the beginning. The baby crib was, indeed, incredibly pathetic. Unglaublich peinlich. They forced you in straightaway for what they knew was the best discipline they could inflict on you: a poopy nap. God, you hated poopy naps. They made you feel just like a fucking newborn. Genauso wie jedes Neugeborenes... And so they left you rot in your mess while they had a romantic Berlin dinner. They told you they'd be so proud of their little baby if you humped your mess while in the crib, but you are a grown-up woman, for God's sake. You had never done that and would never do that!

They were back a few hours later. It was late already, and you were so fucking hungry... You had only been fed some mushed peas in the airport's nursing area, under the ruthless scrutiny of some teen moms who also needed to microwave their infants' bibs. "Unglaublich. Die sieht wie meine Mutter aus, muss aber gefüttert werden wie mein kleiner Jonas hier. [Incredible. This woman could be my mother, but she needs to be fed like my little Jonas here]", you heard one say to herself while taking a toddler to the bathroom. To which your Mommy chimed in, holding your bib: "Tja, ich weiß, es ist ein bisschen weird, guck mal aber ihr Lätzchen! Ist sie nicht die allerhübschte Prinzessin? Ich glaub' schon! Wie alt ist dein Kleiner? Er kann stolz darauf sein, schon potty-trained zu sein, nicht wie Missy hier [Yes, I know, it's somewhat weird... but look at her bib! Is she not the prettiest princess ever? I think so! And how old is your little one? He can be proud to be already potty-trained, not like Missy here...]". Clara was showing her the waistband of your pampers. You couldn't take it anymore. "HAHAHA sorry was??? Die trägt Windeln noch??? Das muss mega peinlich sein. Jonas hier ist 2 Jahre alt und weiß, dass nur Baby Wildeln trägen müssen! [HAHAHA sorry what??? She's still wearing diapers? That has to be utterly pathetic. Jonas here is 2 years old and knows that only babies wear diapers]". They were talking about that fucking tot. It was certain they were comparing both little babies with each other... Fuck off. And just when you tried to reply, she stuffed your mouth with your always so convenient pacifier. Their chat was going to take time, apparently. And it did. The mother shared tips with your mommy on all the ways she took care of her two year old... after all, you just weren't there yet.

Anyway, last night you were hungry as hell when they opened the room door. Both of them clearly love drunk, a little tipsy, and you saw a pack of condoms in his left hand. He was probably squeezing her butt cheek with the left one, but that you couldn't see from the silly crib. And you didn't dare to get up, which was perhaps the perfect proof you belonged there. You could see that she was holding a McDonald's bag along with a big cup of coffee, though.

And here comes your Daddy. "Well, sweetie, how was your afternoon? God, it stinks in here. We'll change you right away, don't worry. But tell us: don't you have a gift for us? We were talking about how delightful it would be to find a nice, big cummy in your poopy diapers. Will we find one? Were you a good girl while we were out? I'm sure you were". Your Mommy was radiant, snickering to your reaction. "W-what, Dada? I-I.... I didn't wantchu! I-I just... fowgot! I'm sowwy!!", you stuttered through your pacifier.

"Well, that's a shame. Guess we'll throw away this Big Mac, then. No grown-up food for stupid toddlers. We'll stick to changing you. Then it's bath time for you and back in your crib. This coffee will make your tummy all rumbly so you'll learn your lesson. Daddies are to be listened to."

You shouted. Kicked. Screamed. The travel crib creaked and Daddy had to lift you up in a rush. After a well deserved spanking and your change -you could feel the utterly humiliating diaper rash all over your butt cheeks-, you behaved like an angel during bath time. After, you didn't even complain when they made you guzzle a full baby bottle of black coffee for dinner. Perfect for your weak stomach.

Back in your childish crib, wearing only your diapers, you were so humbled you didn't even react to Daddy's remarks about your "baby fat". He used to go crazy for your big, juicy udders, whereas now he just sees them as two unenticing balls of fat. "In German, we call that 'Babyspeck', love. That's what she has hanging up there. She's just a big, chubby baby!!! Why would she need sexy tits, like mine?

But now it's beddy byes for you, sweetie. Das Baby braucht Schlaf, sonst wird sie mürrisch... [The baby needs sleep, or she'll get cranky...] Awww. Do you want to learn some German? You were soo cute today, all lost in the big world... Repeat after me. No, don't take out your paci, it'll be cuter this way.

Ich-li-e-be-dich-Ma-ma."

"Ischiebesish, Mamma". You thought at this point you couldn't blush anymore.

"Again. I am Mama, you know? It means 'I love you, Mommy'. And don't you love Mama?? Ich liebe dich, Mama!"

"Ich wiebe wich, Mama!"

"Awwwww", cooed both Mommy and Daddy. "Now try to get some sleep, kiddo. You'll need it".

The morning after...

"Good morning, sweetie. Awww. Still blushing?? Your Daddy really makes me moan, you know... Well, as if you hadn't heard us from down there...".

To be continued...

[undreaming-fanfiction]

Eddie's mom was a free spirit who got taken too soon but educated her son in anything and everything that she found interesting. And she found A LOT of things interesting.

Eddie still secretly keeps these interests and sure, some of them are expected (weed and the best strains), some less so (obsessive reading and perfect knowledge of Edith Piaf). Eddie can even make fantastic mixed drinks ("My mom worked as a bartender for a bit and she practiced at home, what are you staring at, Henderson?!") and can quote most of Le Fleurs Du Mal from memory.

Steve learns to accept and even expect this. Mythology? Of course. Random bits of knowledge from history? Of course. The man only knows SOS in Morse code but can tie nearly every single knot known to humanity? Weird, but it's Eddie.

But then he finds out Eddie knows a fuck ton about horoscopes and astrology. It only takes a single moment of distraction on Eddie's part - Steve is complaining about his latest date, a girl Eddie knows from his class, and he scoffs.

"Well, duh. Of course it didn't work out, Steve, her Moon sign's an Aries and yours is Cancer, that's a recipe for a short fling, not a long relationship."

Steve just stares at him.

Eddie's eyes go wide as he realizes what he's just said. "Uh, I mean..." he scrambles for an explanation, "...she...sounds really stubborn?" he says slowly.

Steve blinks once. Twice. Then his mouth twitches upwards. "What is your Moon sign?"

Eddie feels like it should be a joke, but Steve is patiently waiting for his answer, encouraging smile and those fucking delicious moles. "I'm...uh. I'm a Scorpio. Moon sign, that is," he mutters and hypnotizes Steve's left eyebrow. "Which is...you know. People think it sucks."

"And does it?"

He snorts and shakes his head. "Nah, well. You know, we can be kinda...secretive? But Moon signs are all about your emotions and the inner you, so...it takes a while to get to really understand Moon Scorpios, but then we're the most loyal bunch you'll ever find."

Steve just nods, still smiling. "That's cool, doesn't sound bad at all. But - are you compatible with a Cancer Moon?"

And Eddie probably should have asked "hey, what the fuck," but someone is asking him about his interest, no irony and all that, and that isn't something frequent according to the Munson doctrine. "Oh yeah, absolutely. I mean, Scorpios can be a bit intense, but they're both water signs, you know? And it depends on the Sun sign and rising too, so..."

Somehow, they spend the whole evening discussing astrology. Well, Eddie is. Steve is just listening and asking questions.

Somehow, Eddie manages to calculate both of their charts (because Steve asked).

Steve asks a lot of stuff. "How would you make someone with your chart open up?", "What would be an ideal date for that kind of person?", "Is there something I should be careful about?" and Eddie answers everything but somewhere deep thinks man, I really envy the girl he's doing this for. She's lucky she shares the same birthday and place of birth with me.

It only clicks two weeks later when Steve invites Eddie to hang out and takes him to an alleged haunted mansion. Which...might have been one of the more outlandish ideas Eddie gave him, but he said he would actually love that and that it would fit with the Scorpio dark and brooding aesthetic, if Steve's girl is like that.

He stares at the haunted house, at Steve's sweater (the one Eddie told Steve suits him the best) and a small picnic basket and he realizes.

I gave Steve Harrington a complete guide to dating me.

Steve smirks at him and gently touches his hand, careful not to spook him. "So, what does your Scorpio Moon say?"

Eddie groans and, after briefly checking that no one is around, quickly presses his lips to Steve's cheek. "Apart from "Eddie Munson, how the fuck didn't you notice sooner?" It's purring."

The younger man laughs and Eddie could bask in that sound forever. "Pretty sure scorpions can't purr."

"With you, pretty boy? They sure can."

[nightsmarish]

Summary: you and Sirius think James would look hot with blonde highlights

Poly!prongsfoot x reader (James Potter x reader x Sirius black) | 500+ words

A/n: I am so sorry this is so short omg, I've been weirdly busy the past few days and it's been hard to find time to write

Tw: rave mentioned, reader has dyed their hair before, sleepy James, I am still learning to write James, illusions to possible smut at the end

⊹₊ ✰ ⋆★⋆｡°⋆𖦹✮₊⊹₊ ✰ ⋆★⋆｡°⋆𖦹✮₊⊹₊ ✰

Sirius' record player is on in the background, softer than usual. James is resting his head on your stomach. Both of you splayed out on the sofa.

Sirius is sitting on the ground, the coffee table moved to the side to make room in front of him as he makes his next outfit for a rave he mentioned, likely also planning on how to get you to let him make one for you as well.

James is barely coherent at this point; a long day making him sodding exhausted and extremely prepared for the weekend. Your nails rake through his curls, still slightly wet from his shower.

"You know, Jamie, you'd look good with dyed hair."

Jamse barely gives a sign he heard you, tightening his hold on your back and burying his face further into your shirt like he wants under your skin.

Sirius looks over at you two, "you're right, he'd look bloody hot with blonde streaks or something."

You move James head so you can see his face, squishing his cheeks, glasses already discarded on a side table. "You would look fucking hot with blonde streaks, dear Merlin."

Your other boyfriend places down the wire and needle nose pliers he's using to move closer to the couch, "you want some blonde in your hair, baby?"

He moves his face out of your hands, laying back on your stomach. "wha' 'ver you wan'" James' voice is slurred with sleep.

ᯓ★

That's how you got her a week later; you sat on the counter top of your bathroom sink, and Sirius putting on his latex gloves to mix bleach.

James sits on a wooden stool, that has seemed to make its way around the entire house since you bought it, wearing a extremely stained shirt both you and Sirius have worn while dying your own hair.

"Any regrets, lover boy?" You shimmy on the counter to sit infront of the tanner of the two boys.

"I think that it's unjust for you to manipulate me in my sleep to get me to dye my hair." James grabs your ankles, hands rubbing up and down your shins.

"You could talk; it's got to count for some kind of awareness to what's going on." Sirius grins at his counterpart, mixing the bleach and walking behind James.

"So cruel, both of you, so cruel." He juts out his bottom lip, looking up at you with a pout.

"You haven't pulled out yet, so I'm starting to believe this is just a cute little act." Your grin is nearly identical to Sirius'.

"Don't talk to him about pulling out, love, we won't be able to finish before he gets restless." The darker haired boy laughs as he adjusts James head.

"Both, so, so bloody cruel."

ᯓ★

James' hair took to the dye pretty well, only ending up needing two rounds of bleach.

And fuck, you where right. He looks fucking hot. The blonde, thick, streaks that curl perfectly into his brown hair pattern.

"Bloody hell-" Sirius talks between kissing James "your look-" kiss "fucking delicous"

Sirius pauses for a second to look at you walking through the door of your home, throwing your bag to the ground and toeing off your shoes. "Come here, doll."

[moonstruckme]

https://www.tumblr.com/moonstruckme/742320236814041088/dude-we-know-that-peter-makes-his-own-suit-right?source=share

Well, gender neutral is fine by me. Actually, I just like to read your fic, so I have no problem with the gender part. As long it's you who write it. I'm 100% sure you'll rock it

Thank you sweetheart! Hope you like it :)

tasm!Peter Parker x gn!reader ♡ 733 words

Morning light is pouring in through the cracks in Peter’s blinds, laying itself out in slats over the floor and reaching for the opposite wall, when you stumble out of the bathroom. It’s a signifier of your ill fate. 

“Fuck, shit,” you mumble to yourself, putting a piece of bread in the toaster and grabbing your lunch from the fridge. You know you’ve half-assed fixing your hair and you’ve still got crust around your eyes, but appearances are no longer the priority. 

When Peter pads out of the bedroom, stretching his arms over his head with his plaid pajama bottoms just grazing the floor, you’ve got one shoe on and your toast clenched between your teeth like a bit. You think you probably look sleep-addled and half rabid, but his brown hair looks adorably mussed and the buttery morning light kisses his skin like it likes him best. He smiles at you, soft and lazy. 

“Late start again?”

Your response is muffled by the toast in your mouth. Peter carefully pinches it between two fingers and removes it so you can speak. 

“One more time?” 

“I said,” you huff, not at him but at your adrenaline-cursed fingers as they fumble your shoelaces, “that not all of us have cushy jobs with flexible hours.”

“Sorry.” He sounds like he half means it, crouching down beside you to thumb at your chin with his free hand. “Hold on, you’ve got toothpaste.”

You don’t know if it’s a ruse and you don’t really care, the soft warmth of his lips connecting with yours is plenty good enough for you. You tug the knot on your shoe tight as you pull away, taking your toast back from him. 

“You got your lunch?” Peter asks you, rising and going for the coffee machine. 

“Mhm,” you say through a bite. 

“Water?” 

You swallow, shouldering your bag. “Yup.” 

“Good, good.” He leans against the counter as the coffee machine rumbles to life, regarding you with still-sleepy eyes. “Actually, c’mere. I need another.” 

“I really have to go,” you laugh, but oblige him, darting over for another quick peck.

Peter does his best to draw it out, palming your face and kissing your bottom lip softly, but you drag yourself away. You try not to think too hard about the light scratch of his stubble against your chin as you grab your keys from by the door. 

“One more,” he begs. 

“You can have it later.” 

“Wait—hold on just a sec.” 

“No, I actually have to go.” 

You go for the door handle, but webbing attaches itself to your wrist, forcing your hand away. You look at your boyfriend, incredulous. 

“Pete! I’m seriously gonna be late.” 

“No, I know, I know.” He hustles toward you, taking your arm in his hand. “But your shirt’s messed up, baby.” 

“What?” You look down, and your sleeve is torn from your wrist to halfway up your forearm. “Shit.” 

“It’s all good,” Peter reassures you, peeling the sticky webbing off you before backing away towards your bedroom. “Just take it off.” 

You do, clumsy fingers nearly ripping out the buttons as you go. “I totally forgot, I snagged this on a door handle last week.” You’ve already taken your arm out of one sleeve when you freeze. “Peter? I don’t have any other work tops.” 

“Easy, I gotcha.” He comes back in with one of your other tops, the one you’d burnt a hole in the back of last week. “You can wear this, I just finished with it.” 

“Yes!” You grab it, pecking him on the lips euphorically. “Thank you!” 

“No sweat.” Your boyfriend sounds smug, but given the circumstances you think you can allow it. He picks up the other shirt from where you’ve dumped it on the floor. “I’ll fix this one while you’re at work today so you can have it for tomorrow, cool?” 

“That would be so cool,” you agree, hastily buttoning up the replacement top before shouldering your bag again. “Thanks, Pete. Are you sure you have time for that?” 

He shrugs, chucking the torn shirt onto the couch. “One of the perks of having a cushy job with flexible hours,” he says. 

You groan, and Peter laughs, catching your chin one more time before you get out the door. This time, you indulge him in a longer kiss. You’ll definitely be late, but you figure he’s earned it.

[dottydoesstuff]

You know in the end, I'll always be there (steve harrington x reader)

Based on the song ‘the promise’ by when in Rome

Part 3 of the Head over Heels mini series

I had to type Dustin so many times that now i'm not sure its a real word

Pls pls pls note that steve not getting Henry's name right is completely intentional and not me accidentally mixing the names up 😭

Will there be a part four soon or will I drop off the face of the earth again ? who knows. I literally have no clue how to end this (completely unintentional) series.

Angst, pining, idiots in love, no use of y/n, 

4k words <3

Dred was eating away at Steve. It has been a week since that god-forsaken party. A week since he’d kissed you. A week since you had left him sitting alone on Tina’s porch. It has been the longest that the two of you have gone without talking since he met you. Steve had hoped that maybe you'd woken up the day after the party and developed a special type of amnesia that only made you forget about the kiss (and Joseph, but that was just wishful thinking) but as time went on the more his hope dwindled. It was clear you were avoiding him, there were no more late night phone calls where the two of you would talk nonsense till passing out, no more dropping by family video and no more afternoons spent driving around Hawkins with no specific destination in mind. Even after you had started seeing Jonah, you and Steve still talked on a daily basis but then he went and fucked it all up. Typical. 

As Steve lay in bed staring at his ceiling, he thought about that day at the lake and how Eddie had so easily picked up on his feelings for you, he then remembered the vow he made himself about how his feelings should not interfere with your friendship. He grabbed the pillow next to him and covered his face before letting out a long groan and then tossed said pillow across his bedroom.

He’s. Fucked. It. Up. 

The one thing he swore to himself he wouldn't do, he went and did anyway.

His heart hurt at the thought that his actions may have pained you in some way but relished as he remembered the feeling of your lips against his.

He truly didn't know what came over him that night at Tina's party. But before he could ponder on that for too long the phone on his bedside table began to ring. 

He answered it in a heartbeat, silently begging for it to be you on the other side. 

Unfortunately for Steve he was met with Dustin's screeching and not your soft voice. 

Dustin was all but begging him for a ride to the arcade which Steve reluctantly agreed to. His shift was due to start in just under an hour anyway so he said he'd pick up Dustin on his way.

After hanging up the phone Steve was plunged back into a vicious silence due to his house being devoid of any life other than himself. For the first time in a week, instead of giving into it and wallowing in self pity, he got up to shower.

Steve pulled up to Dustin's house half an hour later.

“You're late” the younger boy declared as he yanked the door open and clambered into the passenger seat. 

“I don't think we actually agreed on a time” 

Dustin rolled his eyes as he fastened his seatbelt and reached into his pocket for his packet of m&ms. 

“No, no, no” Steve said before snatching the packet out of Dustin's hands. “No eating in my car”

Dustin's look of bewilderment would've made Steve laugh had he not been in such a bitter mood.

“What the hell are you talking about, you let me eat in here all the time” Dustin argued as he attempted to grab the candy back from Steve.

“No, I used to let you eat in here until you went and spilled nerds everywhere, it's been three months and I'm still finding them.”

Dustin rolled his eyes and slumped back in his seat as Steve shoved the packet of m&ms into the glove box and went to start the car.

“Your just mad because you and your girlfriend had a fight”

Steve's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets at Dustin’s accusation.

“You- my-... what?”

“Yeah, haven't seen you two together in a while.” Dustin said as he waggled his finger in Steve's face.

Steve whacked his hand away from him with a look of disgust on his face. Partly because of what Dustin was saying but mostly because his hand was covered in Cheeto dust.

“First off, she isn’t my girlfriend,” Dustin gave him a sceptical look before starting to argue back.

“And second,” Steve interjected before Dustin could start picking holes in his words “we aren't fighting were both just, y’know… busy”

“Busy.” Dustin repeated, looking doubtful.

“Yeah she's got her stuff going on and I've got mine” 

Steve kept his eyes on the road in front of him as he spoke knowing his face would betray him which would only give the other boy more reason not to believe his words. He hated lying to Dustin but knew that the boy was prone to meddling in others lives and if he knew how Steve really felt about you he couldn't be sure Dustin wouldn't insert himself where he was not wanted. Plus he wasn't really lying, you two hadn’t fought, you were just avoiding Steve like the plague. …There's a difference. 

“I never said her name” Dustin's voice pulled Steve back into reality.

“Huh?”

“You knew exactly who I was talking about and I never even said her name”

Steve sat in silence as Dustin gave him a smug smile 

“Whatever man that doesn't prove anything”

“Or maybe it proves everything”

They pull up at a stop light as Dustin finishes. Steve takes the opportunity to open his glovebox and grab the packet of m&ms and throw them at Dustin. They hit him in the face before falling onto his lap.

“Shut up and eat your m&ms”

Dustin looked like the cat who got the damn cream as he ripped open the packet and shoved a handful into his mouth.

“You should go for it though, if you do like her, she’s cool” 

Steve valued Dustin's sentiment, however he would have valued it more if Dustin had finished chewing his m&ms before saying it. He didn't reply though, knowing whatever he said Dustin would have something annoyingly Dustin-ish to retort with.

He continued stewing over Dustin's words in his head until they arrived at family video. Steve had barely finished parking the car before Dustin was opening the door and jumping out, shouting Steve a goodbye over his shoulder as he hurried into the arcade. Steve rolled his eyes affectionately at the younger boy's actions before sighing and reaching to the backseat to grab his family video vest, shrugging it on and adjusting his name tag as he climbed out of his car. 

He’d been standing behind the front counter in a state of monotony for a few minutes (though it felt like hours) before Robin burst through the door.

“You look like a kicked puppy” 

Steve looked up from where he had been staring at the floor and methodically scuffing the carpet with the toe of his shoe. 

“Good morning to you too, Robin”

Robin waved her hand at him dismissively as she walked into the backroom to clock in.

“You need to grow a pair and talk to her Harrington” her voice echoed across the empty store.

“I have no idea what your talking about”

“You know exactly what I'm talking about. You've been sat here all week staring longingly at the door waiting for her to walk through it”

“I have not”

“Yes Steve, you have. You're waiting for all your problems to solve themselves, which is what you always do.”

“Oh yeah, your one to talk” steve mumbled 

Robin rolled her eyes as she walked back over to where he sat.

“Even if I did talk to her, what would I even say?”

“Just tell her how you feel, dingus” Robin said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Oh yeah that's a great idea, so what, you want me to go up to her and tell her that I can’t stop thinking about her, that I haven't been able to get her out of my head for like months, that I’m so head over heels in love with her that it hurts and then what will happen Robin? I will loose her forever because incase you haven’t noticed she’s with someone else and so obviously dosn’t feel the same way, so I will live the rest of my life in misery while they go off and get married and have children and I’ll be sat at home with my four cats wishing that I’d just fucking told her when I had the chance.” Steve dropped on the stool by the computer with a huff as he finished his monologue.

Robin stood in silence with an amused look on her face.

“You have always had a flair for the dramatics Harrington” 

Steve buried his head in his hands.

“Look they've been dating for like a month, I highly doubt they’re getting married anytime soon” 

“That's no the point, I-,” Steve stood up from where he sat, avoiding eye contact with Robin as best he could as he walked to grab the trolly full of tapes to be restocked “Look the bottom line is I want her to be happy, and if shes happy with Josh then I should just forget about it”

“Steve”

“No, i'm just going to apologise and say it was a stupid drunken mistake and leave her be”

“Fine, if that's what you want the-”

“It is.” Steve said with such firmness that Robin couldn't argue no matter how much she wanted to. The look in his eyes was one of such finality and sadness that it broke her heart to see. 

She had stood by and watched for months as Steve pined desperately for a totally oblivious you. She had watched as Steve went on date after date trying to get over you but his tactic had failed due to every girl he dated saying that he'd spent a great deal of time talking about you and was clearly harbouring an attachment. The notion made Robin cringe but also feel a great deal of sympathy for her clearly longing friend.

Robin couldn't shake the awful feeling that things were not going to end well for the two of you. She cared for you both greatly and couldn't bear to witness the aftermath of what would surely be an explosive end to your and Steve's friendship.

She was so sure that one of you would have come to your senses and confessed by now, it was completely, glaringly, painfully obvious to anyone outside the two of you that there were feelings involved. The longing stares, the inside jokes that date back years, the constant need to be close to each other and the uncanny ability to know what the other is thinking made Robin a tad envious if she was being completely honest. The two of you had been friends for as long as she could remember and somehow you weren't sick of each other. 

She could tell that probing Steve any longer wouldn't amount to anything so she left him alone to restock the tapes as she manned the front desk, alone. 

The rest of Steve's shift passed mind-numbingly slowly, and without a word from Robin, until the clock on the back wall struck 10 pm and Steve could be released from the hellscape that is family video. Robin had waved him goodbye with a sad smile as she left before he could offer her a ride home. He watched as she fastened her helmet and did up her jacket to try to somewhat protect herself from the downpour that had started 10 minutes ago. He felt like shit watching her go, realising that his misery was contagious and had just forced his best friend to cycle home in the rain rather than have to talk to him. Just as he was about to go into the back to clock out, the phone rang.

He huffed out a breath of air before picking up the receiver and mentally prepared his customer service voice.

“Welcome to family video, what can I help you with ?”

He was expecting a frazzled customer to beg him to stay open late so they could return their tape to avoid a late fee, or maybe a request to reserve the new Top Gun VHS they'd just got in. But that is not what he heard.

“Steve ?”

If he hadn't been listening so intently he would have missed it. It was your voice and hearing it had done a number on his brain. He opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish trying to get some semblance of a word to come out

“Steve? Are you there?”

“Uhh yeah, yes I'm here. What- uhh -what's up?” 

“I didn't know who else to call.” You paused to try and work out what to say. He'd never in his life heard your voice sound so small. Through the static Steve swore he heard a muffled sob, without thinking Steve asked, “Are you crying?” 

Steve talks without thinking far too often and when he says brainless things such as what he just asked you, it makes him want to bang his head on the counter in front of him. Repeatedly. 

“I- Can you come pick me up?” you ask quietly, like you haven't quite decided if you want him to hear you or not, then you start talking very quickly as you add “i'm so sorry, I know its late, it’s just no one else is picking up and my parents would go mad if they knew where I was, plus-”

“Where are you ?” he asked gently, trying to calm you down.

“The Hideout”

That took Steve by surprise. The only time you would go to the Hideout was to see Eddie play with Corroded Coffin and even then you would only stay for his set. The sticky tables, seedy patrons and deafening music not really being to your taste. 

“I’m sorry steve, I know its a trek but-”

“I'll be there in ten minutes”

Didn’t you know that Steve would go to the ends of the earth to make sure you were alright? A ten minute drive was hardly an ultimatum.

“Thank you Steve” your words were quiet but sincere. 

“It's no problem”

There was a few seconds of silence before the line went dead, Steve hoped that you had run out of change and not just hung up on him. 

Steve rushed into the backroom to clock out then back through the store to the front door. He made sure to lock it before covering his head with his jacket and running to his car.

He's not ashamed to say he broke a few traffic laws on his way to the hideout but he was running on pure adrenaline so really he can't be blamed. Your words were swirling around his thoughts. How you had said ‘none of your other friends’, Steve hoped that meant that you still viewed him as a friend and not that you were just trying to spare his feelings. Other is just a five letter word, was he really going to place all his hope in your friendship having a future on a five letter word? He thought that doing so may be setting himself up for disappointment when he realised that you had called him. He knew that you’d tried to call other people first but he was still considered as an option and that made him push his foot on the accelerator a little bit harder. 

Questions clouded his thoughts. Why hasn't your boyfriend picked you up? Why were you at the Hideout? More importantly, why were you crying? Has Jeremiah made you cry? 

He thought about what Robin and Dustin had said to him as he sped further through the sleepy town, how they thought he should tell you how he felt. Perhaps they were right or perhaps they have never cared about someone as much as Steve cares about you so could never understand what was at stake. 

The rain was coming down even heavier now and making the road ahead harder to see, but he pushed on. 

He still hasn't decided whether he would reveal his feelings to you as he arrived at the Hideout. The rain paired with the light coming from the dingy bar made looking through his car windows difficult but he still desperately searched the surrounding area for you. He soon realised that he would have to get out to find you so reached around to the backseats to search for his umbrella. He stuck his hand under the passenger seat and felt the cylindrical object and pulled it out. It was, like everything else in his car, covered in nerds. He got out of the car as he brushed them off whilst cursing Dustin and vowing to never ever let him eat in the car again (he broke that vow within the week)(he's starting to realise that he's awful at keeping promises that he makes to himself). 

The rain showed no signs of easing up as he walked closer to the bar entrance, still scanning the surrounding area, until he finally spotted you. You were sitting hunched over under the awning near the entrance of the bar. Thankfully safe and dry but far from okay. Your knees were pulled up to your chest with your arms wrapped around them and your forehead resting on top facing the floor. Your hair was wet and windswept and your shoes covered in mud. As he walked closed he could see your foot tapping rapidly up and down as you so often did when you're feeling anxious. He stopped next to you and knelt town to softly touch your shoulder. Your head shot up at his touch and for the first time in an agonising week, his eyes met yours. 

Your eyes were red and puffy and your cheeks had streaks of mascara flowing down them confirming what he'd asked you on the phone, your hands shook due to the cold and your voice quivered as you said “you came”.

Steve hated that there was a note of disbelief in your voice.  

“Of course I came, idiot” he attempted to make it sound light and jokey akin to the way you would normally talk to try and make you and himself feel better.

You giggle slightly whilst looking down to wipe the tears from your face. 

Steve didn't know what he was supposed to do next. He didn't know if he was meant to take you home, or back to his house, or sit out here or what. His knees made the decision for him as they began to ache due to his crouched position, so he moved to sit down next to you. Your legs brush up against each other and shoulders bump together in an all too familiar way as he settles.

Your presence was comforting but there was a sense of detachment between you that made Steve feel sick to his stomach. For a while the only noise was the howling wind and sound of chatter from inside the bar. Steve couldn't bear it, silence was not something the two of you heard much of when together.  

“What happened ?” He can't bring himself to look you in the eyes again yet so he settles for looking at the trees swaying in the distance. 

Steve doesn't quite know what he's asking. Whether he's asking what happened tonight for you to end up crying alone outside the Hideout or what happened between the two of you after Tina's party is unknown to him, but both answers pique his interest. 

After a beat of silence you shuffle to sit with your legs outstretched like his and sigh “It's a long story”.

“I’ve got time” as he says it he reaches for your hand which is now resting on your lap and squeezes it whilst giving you a reassuring smile. He has no idea where the surge of confidence came from but he's glad he did it as you hold his hand tightly in return. You both angle yourselves toward each other as you let out a deep breath and try to work out how to tell Steve how you ended up here. 

Your night had been a shitshow, to put it lightly. 

Not just your night, your entire week has been one thing after another. 

It started the minute your boyfriend came stumbling through the door at Tina's party and plunged you back into reality. 

The second you had realised what you'd done, that you'd just kissed Steve, your best friend, the boy you've had a crush on for years and had finally just started to get over, your mind hasn't stopped racing. Because Steve had kissed you. Steve had kissed you. Steve had kissed you and you had no idea what it meant. And it fucking terrifed you. 

Did he do it because he was drunk and horny? or because he liked you? or because he needed the ego boost after all his failed attempts at dating recently? 

The only thing you knew was you needed to get yourself and your very inebriated boyfriend out of Tina's house. So you grabbed Henry by the arm and physically dragged him through the still raging party, out of the front door and away from Steve Harrington. 

You walked home that night, slowly, as Henry stopped every block to throw up into bushes. You took him back to his house and pushed him through his front door, not even bothering to tell him goodbye as you set off back to your house. Despite knowing the dangers that lurked in the shadows of Hawkins you kept walking, trying to make sense of the night's events. Your mind was a conflicted mess and you had no idea how to go about sorting through the jumble. 

On one hand you had Henry, who you'd started dating just over a month ago and who two weeks ago asked you to be his girlfriend. When you introduced Henry to the group you’d been so sure that he and Steve would get along, both being into sports and such but there was animosity between them that you couldn't quite make sense of. Eddie had said not to worry about it, that it was just Steve being protective, and you accepted that for your own peace of mind but now you're wondering if his dislike for Henry stemmed from somewhere else. The thought made your tummy fill with butterflies, that maybe Steve likes you. You smiled to yourself before remembering that you have a boyfriend. Henry was … nice, attractive, on the football team at Indianapolis community college and was decent in bed  but- . You stopped in your tracks, you hadn't realised when listing things about your boyfriend that there would be a but, yet here you were realising that you could be dating Tom fucking Cruise, but he would never be Steve Harrington. 

Steve, your Steve who for so many years had been the one person you can tell everything to, someone who you felt safe around, someone who you have envisioned having around for the rest of your life, someone who you had just kissed and left sitting alone on a porch at Tina's party. Tonight, when your lips met his, a flood of emotions washed over you, and it became clear, what you have felt for Steve wasn't some childish crush, it was love. Shit, You love Steve. The realisation should have scared you shitless but it didn't. Instead you felt a sense of clarity and calm before a storm of overwhelming guilt hit you. 

You did a full three-sixty and began walking back to Tina’s. With each step you took your heart pounded with the realisation that you might be too late, that he’d left and you missed your chance to-, wait.. What were you going to do? 

[physics-of-one-piece]

Things Doflamingo does/says in the I’ll build castles for you, my love (look at me, not my brother) Rosinante x Reader x Doflamingo Fic that had me shrieking in rage or melting at the sweetness while writing it just for everyone to get the vibe of the fic:

attempts to gaslight Reader into thinking Rosinante didn’t love her (this fails) even though he knows nothing of their relationship

is insulted he hadn’t been invited to the wedding and wasn’t best man while in the same breath saying he would have stolen Reader away from Rosinante to marry her because she is "too good for his stupid brother" and Rosinante "didn't deserve her"

strips NAKED on his fourth visit in Reader’s apartment without giving any warning he arrived

buys new furniture for Reader's apartment because "he doesn't like the colour" of the original one

buys Reader new clothes+pregnancy clothes+buys baby clothes+jewelry for Reader (he does all this without consulting Reader at all) + mocks the jewelry & clothes Rosinante gave her and calls it "ugly and cheap"

attempts to throw away Rosinante's clothes from the closet to make room for his change of clothes even though he stays there for two days every week (this fails)

sleeps outside of Reader's bedroom like a guard dog the first two months of visiting

mocks the marine cadets during their drills and trips them on purpose with his strings

trauma dumps on Reader while painting himself as the victim

says to Reader's face that she doesn’t get to decide what happens to her and he says if she wants to blame anyone for having to deal with him, she should blame Rosinante who was too weak to pull the trigger

ignores Reader telling him Rosinante still loved him

Doflamingo considers Reader and Reader's & Rosinante’s baby his

he hums when he cooks

cuddly with Reader, hugs her and kisses her cheeks when he arrives + later kneels and kisses Reader's baby bump, too

his reading pile are all books about pregnancy, it's everything he reads

shows interest in Reader’s books and reads them when he isn’t reading pregnancy books

after he makes Reader laugh for the first time, he doesn't stop smiling for a week

makes Reader laugh

supportive during pregnancy, barely blinks at the bodily fluids, patient/amused with the mood swings he uses to his advantage, always picks Reader up if she’s experiencing pain or after a bout of nausea and carries her to bed - uses this as a way to slide into bed beside her and sleep beside her

calls himself Uncle Doffy when talking to the baby bump

goes with Reader to all the medical tests and ultrasounds, gets copies of the ultrasounds and frames them on his office desk in Numencia, also keeps them in his treasure vault

makes Reader a flower crown of pink rose petals

makes Reader a bracelet of white and pink pearls from seashells and gifts it to her

keeps tabs on Reader's finances

brings Reader five hundred million berries worth of gold

sends Reader pink roses and letters

hums while he cooks

he can't dance that well, but boy, he can SING

takes his sunglasses off with Reader

loves Reader's cooking, it's his favourite

calm and collected when the childbirth starts

stays past his allowed days in Marineford while Reader delivers the baby

sits on the ground in the hospital hallway after the baby is born, covered in sweat, and laughs before tears slide out from under his sunglasses and down his cheeks

confesses his love for Reader on his knees in front of her, never pushes but boy does he MANIPULATE everything around them so Reader & the baby can one day live with him

can lose his patience and become an absolute EVIL DEMON

stressed and shook by the thought of Reader confusing him with Rosinante when his hair is down, verbally confirms it, begging Reader to look at him, not his brother

Clingy, possessive & protective as fuck

Word Count Report:

Doffy's part is now 2 parts, 1 part is 10k words, the next part is above 3k, I'm not nearly done with Rosinante's part and even that's already 6k words. Going slow but steady. I should work more on Rosi's part but Doffy has my heart and soul in his grip, I keep writing more and more for his part 🤧 Idk whether this is worth a tag but I'll tag just in case.

Taglist: @fanaticsnail @box-of-bats

[pedgito]

thinking about eddie and his obsessive care for his own hair and always asking you to hold it back for him during sex because he refuses to tie it up or cut it (18+ minors dni, i just wanted to write some eddie smut, it's been too long)

cw: lots of banter, unprotected sex, breeding kink (if you squint), this was just an excuse for me to write in length about his hair don't judge me.

you mention it on a night when he keeps pushing his hair away from his face, bangs getting a little too long for his liking as he shrugs his eyebrows in an attempt to shift it away from his eyes without being obvious. you laugh softly to yourself, poking his thigh with your toes from the other end of the couch.

“i can trim it, if you want.” you suggest, nodding toward his annoyance. his pupils shift upwards, nearly disappearing as he looks toward the mess of hair on his head. “or is that, like, off limits after last time?”

and to be fair, eddie couldn’t remember back to when he got a real haircut outside of taking a pair of tiny scissors to his bangs, praying he didn’t fuck them up and go too short.

he’d sworn off the idea of hat hair, so that was out of the question. eddie didn’t like to admit, but he cared immensely about his hair—always used the right products, the ones that were good for curls. he’s listened, time and time again, to take care of what lacking curl pattern he has left.

he doesn’t go for the two in one—never even thinking about grabbing for the three, it was the one unwritten rule. he’s got a special pair of shampoo and conditioner separate from wayne’s, washes about twice a week unless his shows get a little more crazy than intended, washing away the sweat and grime as much as he could.

he was known for being dirty—hell, his bedroom was a clear example of it, but after dedicating so much time to his hair and where it was now—he wasn’t that naive.

eddie doesn’t like to admit it, though.

but you realize fairly quickly that eddie really, really cares—a lot more than he lets on.

"i think i could go a few more weeks," eddie argues sweetly, noticing the quizzical look on your face, "i mean, it's not a problem yet."

"you stopping in the middle of sex to push your hair out of your face every thirty seconds is a problem," you counter, all in good nature as eddie laughs to himself, "and your hair ending up in my mouth--"

"okay, okay—" eddie interjects, "later, you can have your way with it."

and eddie trusts you enough to know you won't mess it up, just a little trim around his face and his bangs and cleaning up the ends—you've only done it once before and that was after week and weeks of bargaining. eddie eventually caved. and he didn’t hate it either.

but despite your obvious disdain from earlier, eddie still pounces on you the moment you both crawl into his bed that night, crowding your naked body underneath him as he slips inside you easily, a heavy sigh that mixes together from both of you.

he's got his head tilted down, eyes connecting with the sight of his cock disappearing inside of you with every pointed thrust he makes, mumbling something to himself quietly—

"hey," you nudge a finger at his cheek gently, slightly out of breath as you speak, "talkin' to yourself again?"

"sorry," he laughs deeply, "just—admiring the view."

you grin shyly, finger grazing his chin until he looks up at you, "well, i can't admire the view if i can't see your face, you know?"

because his hair is a perfect shield in moments like these, the locks curtaining his face.

"i've got a spare tie," you tell him, wiggling your wrist subtly, hoping he'd give in—just this once, "i know you hate them but--"

"just hold my hair back," eddie suggests, "you're always grabbing on it anyways."

you snort quietly, laughing to yourself.

"i'm not really in a hair pulling mood, eddie," you tell him, his hand reaching for your own despite that, "i mean, i know how much you love it—"

eddie brings the hair on the other side of his head to the side your hand is covering, allowing you to bunch it up in your hand as he adjusts himself slightly, thighs spreading on the sheets beneath you, and in turn, forcing your legs even further apart.

you gasp sharply, noting the sneaky grin eddie sports for a brief moment, his palms braced at your sides as he fucks into you once, twice, thrusts unrelenting and harsh as he bows his head again, this time giving you an unobscured view.

his jaw is tense where he's biting down, eyebrows threading together at the concentration he holds, breathing out forcefully through his nose as his pace quickens even more.

and if you had words, they were lost in your brain—feeling completely mindless as eddie slips a hand under your biceps, soothing the ache that grew from the angle your arm was in. you didn't care, because the look on his face was insurmountable to any discomfort you could feel.

"fuck, look at that," eddie encourages, eyes flicking up towards you briefly before trailing back down past your stomach, his free hand coming to rest against the joint of your hips, thumb pressed against your pubic bone. he's leaning over you heavily, his head nearly resting against the wall his bed was shoved up against, "—shit, i know you can hear it, swear you were made for me, sweetheart."

eddie laughs darkly at the slight tug on his hair as he switches angles, adjusting your hips up slightly so it hits deeper, aches with every thrust and you can't hold it together, eyes squeezing shut in an effort to regain your composure, but eddie's mission tonight was to be nothing short of difficult.

he leans down, lips touching your neck, breath ghosting over the skin as he speaks, "wish you could feel this," eddie groans, "feel how warm you are around me—so fuckin' tight too."

you breath, somewhere between a laugh and a sigh before eddie's lips are latching onto your neck, teeth digging in the skin lightly as he bites.

"no marks," you argue weakly, "we talked about this."

"sorry, baby," he apologizes softly, though it's far from genuine, "i'm so sorry."

and he can feel how close he is, the deep coil in his stomach tightening as he pulls you closer, your hands reaching up absently to cradle his face, finger tips slipping into his hair as you push it away, his lips parted and a deep, vibrant pink from how flushed he is, cheeks tinged a similar color. he's got a sheen of sweat over his forehead and his bangs are clinging there, slightly askew as he leans down, pressing it against your own.

"you're not," you reply quietly, tone harboring a moan that you wouldn't let slip, "fuck—i know you're not, eddie."

he chuckles brokenly, silently slipping his hand away from your bicep to cradle the mound of your cunt, his middle finger grazing over your clit in hurry, waiting for your subtle nod before letting go.

"gonna come with me, yeah?" eddie asks, slightly encouraging, his thrusts a little less rhythmic as he slows down to match your pace.

you nod with little energy, breath hiccuping as eddie applies more pressure, feeling your vision white out when you come, head tilting up as your back arches, riding out your orgasm against his hand, his eyes never once leaving your face, not even as he comes too, a deep and guttural groan as he's spilling inside you, mumbling the filthiest stuff imaginable, your face going hot at the words.

"so cute when you take my cum like that, sweetheart," eddie says softly, kissing the pulse at the side of your neck, the blood thumping underneath his lips, "—you can let go of my hair now."

you laugh weakly, chest heaving at the action as your arms fall limp, body overtaken by the exhaustion over your orgasm.

"i'll make you a deal," you start, catching his curious gaze as he looks up at you, forearms resting against the sheets as he hovers above you, "let me tame this," you point at his wild hair, mused from your hands, "and you can do as much of that as you want."

eddie huffs out a laugh, head falling in embarrassment. he couldn't help how easy it was to lose all sense of moral obligations and disregard actual real life consequences when it came to you—specifically you and sex, but he nods nonetheless, agreeing to your terms.

"we're so lucky you're on birth control," eddie jokes, "i'm sure there'd be a billion of me running around at this point."

you shrug, a smile stretching over your face.

"just a bunch of crazy little rambunctious toddlers with untamable hair," you consider, catching the smile glimpse of his teeth as he grins, "that doesn't sound too bad."

and he isn't even in the realm of thinking about kids, but the idea is nice, a thought that could help him escape from his own worrying.

"now," you announce softly, "shower, clippers, then bed. got it?"

eddie chuckles, falling against your dramatically as he groans loudly.

"yes, ma'am."

Please consider a reblog if you enjoyed this fic! It’s makes a huge difference. ♡

[collapsedglasshouses]

Consequences || Noah Sebastian x Reader [Part 3]

Part 1 - Part 2

Pairing: Noah Sebastian x Reader

Summary: After not hearing from Noah for weeks, Y/N finds herself at a wedding with the boys.

Warnings: swearing, a tiny bit of angst, tension, mentions of previous sexual events, MDNI, alcohol consumption, let me know if I forgot something :)

A/N: Hello my beautiful people. I wrote this chapter last night. All at once. My head was completely empty after that. Please don't hate me for the cliffhanger ._. Please let me know how you liked this chapter! Enjoy c:

It’s been two weeks since the eventful night that ended with you under Noah’s bed. To your surprise Nick didn’t catch you, not even when you nearly sneezed because of the dust under Noah’s bed. But to your disappointment you didn’t talk with Noah about this whole thing. In all honesty you didn’t even talk at all. The day after the event, you got called by your landlord that your apartment was ready to be lived in again.

That's way you were now, two weeks later, on a thursday, sitting in front of your computer and answering work emails while listening to your upstairs neighbors screaming at each other repeatedly.

When you looked at the clock, it told you it was already time for bed since tomorrow was going to be an important day. One of your childhood friends was getting married this weekend and invited you as well as the boys, since she knew almost everyone out of the group personally except Jolly. But since he almost became everyone's 'service human' she invited him as well.

When you shut down your PC and stretched your back, you couldn't help but think about Noah. You hadn't heard from him in a while. While your brother told you they were working on planing another tour, even going to Europe, you felt kind of sad that he didn't tell you that himself, since you fucking crawled under his bed to escape being caught by your brother.

You almost started to feel something like regret when you stepped into your shower, your mind still infested with the thoughts of Noah's and your 'adventure'. Even though you knew better, you couldn't help feeling like he just used you. It wasn't like Noah had no options, he was the fucking lead singer of a popular metalcore band and looked like the reallife version of Eren Yeager.

It wasn't like you hadn't any options too, having your families genes, but something about Noah just made you feel different.

When you stepped out of the shower, you wrapped a towel around your body before swiping over the fogged up mirror and looking at yourself. Work drained you the last couple of days and you really looked forward to tomorrow since you would be away for almost three days.

So when you packed your bag and finally lay down on your bed, you tried to think about the break you had from your life here for the next couple of days.

Your alarm woke you up at 8 AM. While your plane wouldn't take off until 6 PM, you knew the boys and yourself well enough to give you some extra time to arrive to the airport.

You stood up, put on some music, that being your Bring Me The Horizon playlist today, and began to get ready. First you did your chores and cleaned everything that needed to be cleaned before you would leave for the next days.

Than you made your way to the bathroom at around 11 AM, brushing your teeth, putting on some light make up and than packing the last bit of the things you needed for the wedding.

You almost danced into the kitchen to finally make yourself breakfast, still wearing nothing but a very tiny crop top and mickey mouse panties.

"Time stood still the way it did before" You sang while opening your fridge to grab a milk to pour inside your filled cereal bowl. "It's like I'm sleepwalk-... AAH WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

Out of fear you let your bowl drop to the floor, it making a loud shattering noise while the whole content spread across the kitchen tiles. The intruders, outing themselves as Nick, Folio, Noah and Jolly, laughed violently.

You cursed them out while starting to clean your kitchen and at the same time trying to cover yourself up. "What is wrong with you, guys? I could have been naked! You know I have something called a bell which you can ring to make yourselves known instead of breaking into my stupid apartment, you little fuckers?!"

"That would have been a sight." Jolly joked while standing up with the other boys to help you clean up the mess. "I'll kill you, Karlsson. They'll have to find another guitarist and buy a new guitar because I'll smash yours at your fucking beautiful head." You cursed while wiping up the milk with a rag. You heard Noah laugh behind you, who made it his task to prepare you a new cereal bowl.

"Here you go." He handed you your breakfast. "Sit down and eat, we'll clean the rest."

While you still wanted to set them on fire, you bit back you anger and thanked them for their help before sitting down to eat.

"We wanted to come here early since normally you're always the one being early." Folio explained while sitting down next to you. You took the last spoon. "It's fine but if you do that ever again, I'll take the key from my brother, break it into four pieces and show it up your asses."

"Arousing.", Jolly joked again, causing you to throw the paper work, laying on the kitchen counter, at him.

"Oh, we didn't tell you." Nick started his sentence. "Davis is waiting outside in the car. He offered to drop us of at the airport."

You sighed while cleaning up your bowl, before making your way to your bedroom, getting dressed in something comfortable, grabbing your bag and your dress for the wedding, before heading out of your apartment, not even looking back at the boys. They quickly followed you.

At 5:45 PM you found yourself getting onto the plane and soon realised you were seated next to Noah, meaning you would spent the next five and a half hours sweating out of nervousness.

The first thirty minutes you didn't say a word. Just looked straight ahead and thought about not thinking about Noah which resulted in (oh wonder) thinking about Noah.

The next thirty minutes you tried to listen to music while reading a book, but after you read a spicy scene while listening to The Death of Peace of Mind, you gave that up too.

The next ten minutes you shifted uncomfortably from left to right, causing Noah to finally break the silence. "Are you okay?" His tone gave away that he was in fact slightly annoyed by your actions.

"Why shouldn't I be okay?", you asked finally sitting comfortable and looking him in the eyes. "Because you ignored me for the past hour?" - "Do you have something to say to me?" He stayed silent. "That's what I thought."

You looked straight ahead again, trying to ignore the confused gaze Noah shot you. When he didn't look away for the next five minutes, you glared at him again. "What, Noah?" - "Why are you like this?" He tried to stay as quiet as possible. "Like what?" - "Almost... bitchy?" Your mouth fell open, startled by his words. "What did you just say?" You almost hissed at him. "You heard me." - "Maybe you should think about your own actions before calling me bitchy, Mr. Davis." -

"Oh, don't 'Davis' me, Ruffilo." He shot back and now fully turned to you. You really didn't know how you managed to keep it quiet until now. "Oh, I'm going to continue to 'Davis' you until you realise not messaging someone for weeks who gave you head and than hid under your bed, isn't really 'Noah-worthy', don't you think?" You whisper-shouted at him and were glad that so many people were talking on the plane that the others surely didn't hear your argument.

With that sentence of yours his attitude was slapped out of his body and he began to back down a bit. You knew Noah had a big ego but it was definitely not as big as yours.

It went quiet between you for another thirty minutes, before Noah sighed. "You know, I'm really sorry, Y/N. I didn't mean to hurt you. I never would want that."

You rolled your eyes and crossed your arms before your chest. "But you did." You heard him take a deep breath before he placed a hand on your thigh, instantly giving you goose bumps.

"Please let us talk about this when we come back home. I don't wanna fight with you." He requested honestly, causing you to shortly look at him before gnashing your teeth in consideration. "I don't wanna fight with you either."

He squeezed your thigh for a short moment before smiling at you lightly.

The next hour you spent avoiding the big topic hanging between you and decided catch up since you didn't hear from each other personally for almost two weeks. You didn't even know when it happened but the next thing you knew was when someone pushed your hair out of your face.

"Y/N, you need to wake up." Noah whispers into your ear, causing your neck hair to stand up. "We'll land in a couple of minutes."

When you opened your eyes, you noticed you had leaned against Noah's shoulder in your sleep. You quickly sat up and stretched your back before shooting Noah a shy smile. Out of the corner of your eye you saw that Jolly had noticed what had happened and now was smirking to himself.

When you arrived at the location, which was a mansion-like hotel only booked for the wedding party over the weekend, you were quickly assigned two rooms for the five of you. Since you were all tired and drained from the flight, you decided Nick and Folio would share a room and the rest of you would get the other.

You quickly changed and fell onto your single bed when you got to your room and slept in to the sound of Noah and Jolly chatting before sleep.

You woke up before the boys and decided to get ready before their alarms would go off. So when you came out of the bathroom, showered and only dressed with your towel, you didn't think to hear a 'Good Morning' from Noah, considering it was about twenty minutes before 6 AM.

"Morning." You mumble, slightly overwhelmed by the sight of him. He didn't wear a shirt, fully displaying his tattoos. His arms were crossed behind his head and he shamelessly checked you out.

So while you gathered your clothes, you couldn't help but look at him a couple of times, before returning to the bathroom. Right before you were about to close the door, Noah slipped into the bathroom as well.

"What are you doing?" You whisper-shouted at him, before putting your clothes on the bathroom counter. He also put down his clothes and his towel next to yours.

"If you don't mind I would shower while you put on your make up." He said and before you could answer, he turns away from you to strip out of your clothes, making your eyes widen. "What if Jolly wakes up? What the fuck do you tell him than?" - "He won't wake up" After that sentence he climbed into the shower while you stared at him through the shower glass.

"Sometimes I hate you, Noah Sebastian." - "No, you don't."

You were halfway through your make up when Noah came out of the shower. You swallowed hard while trying your utter best not to stare at him but when he wrapped his towel low around his waist, you couldn't help but shoot him a glance. The way the water drops found their way down his torso sent a wave of heat down your core.

"Do you have something to say?" He asked teasingly. "No, you?" When he said nothing you took a deep breath before applying mascara while he put on some underwear. Right when you placed the mascara back into your make up bag, you felt his hands on your hips, making you sigh.

You closed your eyes when you felt his breath on your neck. "You already look so beautiful, I can't wait to see you in your dress." I can't wait for you to take it off of me. You thought but quickly regained control, clearing your throat and opening your eyes to see Noah already looking at you through the mirror. "You look really good yourself."

"I'm not even wearing clothes." - "As if you don't know how gorgeous you look right now." That was the moment. The first time you saw Noah's cheeks turn into a slight pink color before a small smile crept onto his face. In all those years, this was truly the first time you left him speechless.

He squeezed your hips one last time before mumbling a small 'Thank you.' Than he left the bathroom right in time for Jolly's alarm to go off.

About an hour later the three of you were almost ready when there was a knock on the door.

"We are late." Your brother announced when Noah opened the door for him and Folio but stopped in his tracks when he saw you standing there while braiding a strand of Jolly's hair. "I don't even ask"

"What? Have you seen him? Have you seen his hair?" You defend your actions while you secure his small braided strand with an elastic. After Jolly thanked you, you turned to fully face you brother.

"Wow, you look amazing, Y/N." Nick states while admiring your dress. The motto of the wedding being 'Black/White/Red' gave you the idea do base your outfit off of the iconic Morticia Addams. You wore a long black dress that flattered your curves with slightly too long bat sleeves. Your fingernails matched with your lipstick, both being the same shade of dark red.

"More than amazing." Noah added shooting you an honest smile that made your stomach twist with joy.

You all hurried to make it in time for the ceremony, not having time to catch up with old school friends, since you were already late.

Even though you weren't that close with the bride and groom, only remembering her from school, you had tears in your eyes by the time they exchanged their vows. This didn't go unnoticed by Noah, who slowly but surely grabbed your hand and gave it an encouraging squeeze.

No matter how delusional that sounded, for a brief moment you thought if there was any future where you would be standing up there with Noah. You quickly shook the thought out of your head by how imaginary the thought sounded but you knew one thing, even if you weren't the wedding couple, Noah would be standing up there with you. There was no way that a universe existed were Noah wasn't in your live. As confusing this whole thing had gotten, there was this one thing you were sure of and from which you would never let yourself be dissuaded.

So you looked at the man you had known for so many years and gave him a smile while squeezing his hand in reassurance.

Around six hours and 30 half-hearted conversations later, you found yourself sitting next to Jolly at your assigned table. "If another person asks me how i've been since school ended, imma drown myself in sparkling wine." You complained to your friend who chuckled at your statement. "I feel with you." You both let your gaze wonder over the party room. A lot of people were pretty wasted, including the bride who was currently dancing to Gangnam Style with her maid of honor. When you looked to her right, you almost choked on your drink. "Fuck, Jolly. You know who this is?" You slightly point your finger at a guy standing at the bar, talking to the groom. "Uhm... no. I don't know anyone except you guys." "That is Michael fucking Baldrow." "Who?" "She slept with that guy when she was... let me think... 18?" Noah answered for you, scaring you a bit before sitting down next to you, looking absolutely done.

"Naaah, was he the one who picked your cherry?" Jolly teased bumping his arm against yours. You almost immediately looked to Noah and with that your fate was decided. You couldn't stop Jolly from putting 1 and 1 together. "NO FUCKING WAY."

You tensed up, shooting a glare at Jolly. "Shut the fuck up." - "Noah and you... No fucking way. This story is getting better everyday." - "I told you to shut up." - "Noah fucking took your virginity?! I can't even breath."

You grabbed Jolly's arm and looked him dead serious in the eye. "If you don't calm down I assure you, this will be your last breath."

Jolly hold his laughter while apologizing to you. You took a deep breath before looking at Noah, who smirked at you. "What, Noah?" - "It's been ten years, I think it is okay if we finally let someone know."

"Nick doesn't know, does he?" Jolly than asks while searching for your brother in the crowd. You all found him standing at the bar, talking to one of his old friends. "No, he doesn't and I think I like it that way." You took a sip from your glass.

"He also doesn't know about the last weeks, does he?" Jolly than asks while smirking, causing Noah and you to ultimately choke on your drinks.

"What did you say?" - "I talked about the fact that you two were definitely fucking on his birthday party." He said that with such a lack of emotion that you weren't sure if he was joking.

You and Noah's eyes met and for a couple of seconds you both seemed to try to process what your friend just set, when he added: "No need for excuses, I also heard that Noah showered while you got ready this morning."

You shot Noah the 'I told you so' glance but before you could defend yourselves, 'Sweet Child of Mine' by Guns 'N' Roses started playing and Jolly forced the two of you on the dance floor, leaving no room to protest.

On the way to the dance floor he managed to catch Folio and Nick and you found yourselves in a circle, dumbly fidgeting around, but with every second passing you forgot about the fact that you couldn't dance and just let go of your worries.

You were here with your bestest of friends. That was everything that mattered to you in this moment.

And than. Than Noah came close to you and whispered in your ear.

"Meet me at our room in five."

What?

READ PART 4 HERE

[streamdotpng]

Wednesday had a dog, it was an adorable thing with light hair and a constant :D face

Enid is a girl with light hair and a constant :D face

Do you get where I'm going with this?

Wednesday is the stoic smart girl in school, Enid kinda sucks with this one subject and seeks tutoring so when she comes in and sees Wednesday alone and far away from others, she takes the opportunity to ask with her hands on the table and her head bowed.

"please teach me!"

Enid expects disinterest, maybe a glare but what she didn't expect was a hand to be placed on her head.

"huh?" so Enid looks up to see Wednesday looking at her with the softest look ever known to man, her hand still on the blonde's hair.

"sure," Wednesday agrees before running her fingers through one last time and pulling away to gesture to the seat beside her.

Enid takes it gracefully, a smile on her face as she pulls her book out to point at what she doesn't know

Thus start an odd friendship.

Yoko states smth about it first, a week later. "why are you always following Addams around?"

Enid looks up from her worksheet. "because she's neat?"

"does neat mean carrying her books too?" yoko says, leaning on the table with one hand.

Enid shrugs, sticking out her tongue as she goes through the solution written in the top corner. "just paying back her tutoring me yolks," she bites at the cap of her pen , a frown forming when her mind went a lil blank. " 's not a big deal."

Yoko throws her hands up. "and she let's you!? Addams who detests all sort of interaction let's you touch her things!??"

"Enid," Wednesday calls out from her spot by the door in the classroom.

Enid perks up immediately, "Wednesday hey! We were just-" Yoko's hand smushed against Enid's lips with a nervous laugh.

"talking about how Enid forgot to square her answer!" yoko says.

Wednesday didn't look surprised instead gesturing at the blond with a hand. "let me see."

Enid whines, pushing yoko away to pout. "but I'm sitting!"

Wednesday rolls her eyes and strides into the classroom before standing opposite to yoko. Enid makes room, moving her arm to flourish at the nearly done worksheet with a smile.

"not bad right?" Enid says, leaning on her hand and waiting for Wednesday's reaction.

Wednesday nods and that enough has the blond glowing before she taps at the paper. "don't forget to simplify too." her eyes flickered to yoko for a moment before fully focusing on Enid. "good job, find me when you're done."

"okay!" Enid replies, turning back to her sheet as Wednesday goes to leave.

Yoko stands there, feeling like she intruded despite being there since the start.

"yeah no the two of you must be fucking-"

"YOKO?"

[joels-shitty-puns]

The Key To Your Heart - Track 6

Pairing: Pedro Pascal x Musician!Reader

Series Summary: After writing your feelings for Pedro into a song, it gains a lot more popularity than expected. Ultimately it brings both criticism and support, with new possibilities around the corner.

Series Warnings: 18+ only (MDNI). Mentions of food, weight loss, weight gain, dieting, weighing, potential eating disorder, food guilt. Potential for puns/dad jokes (name of my blog, and the fic) should give that away. This is my first fic which should be its own warning, lol. Also some cursing. Mentions of masturbation (f) maybe more smut later idk. Sadness, reader is pretty depressed. Poor body image. Rude people. Bullying-ish and just lack of support? Anxiety. Age gap! Reader is in her mid 20's, Pedro is current age (48).

Other stuff: Reader is plus sized. AFAB. Inexperienced. Also has a dog, but you can pretend it is another creature probably. Further, in case it isn't clear, italics almost always are the reader's inner thoughts!

Word Count: 4K

Series List: Here!

Miss last chapter? Here!

This one's a little longer than the last few, but it's one I was really excited to get to for a while. I hope you guys like it! We're starting to get into the nitty gritty! Once again please let me know what you think of it! Thank you all for your support :)

__________

After your emotional conversation with Pedro, you were worried he'd stop talking to you. At least, it seems that's how it usually works. Whenever you try to have a conversation about emotions with someone, it gets shut down. But surprisingly.. it didn't push Pedro away at all. The two of you talk nearly every day on the phone, and when you don't, it's made up for with plenty of text messages. You don't even have to be the first to communicate, either. It just feels natural. It doesn't need to be over-thought.

You keep telling yourself not to get your hopes up, but at the same time, you feel like maybe it's turning into something. Something more than friends. You couldn't help but wonder if Pedro felt the same way, or if maybe he's just a really nice guy.

Despite these feelings, you're still hesitant to tell him you love him. Although he put many of your fears to rest, you continued to be nervous. You were inexperienced. You were significantly younger than him. You led two very different lives. And even though he reassured you about your appearances, it doesn't mean you'd be his type once he actually saw you. Shoot, you don't even know if he's interested in pursuing a relationship.

Plus, now there's the risk of messing up a new friendship. Why ruin it?

How does anyone ever get into a relationship? Others make it look so easy, jumping from relationship to relationship like their heart isn't at stake.

Maybe someday you'd tell him. Maybe someday you'd share these other fears as well. But not yet. You weren't ready.

_____

About a week had gone by since you first talked on the phone, and it was around 1 PM when he called you.

"Hey Pedro!"

"Hey there, songbird," he replied cheerily.

"Songbird?" You giggled.

"If you hate it-"

"No, I love it. It's sweet," you blushed.

"Okay good. But the reason I'm calling is because I saw something on Instagram…"

"Oh yeah? What of?"

"About you. When were you going to tell me?"

Oh fuck. Oh shit. Oh what? What is he referring to?

You nervously laughed "I… what? Tell you what now?"

"Your album is coming out in a WEEK!??!" He practically yelled with excitement.

Seriously… this guy. Giving me a damn heart attack.

"OH" you replied sheepishly. "You scared me, thinking you heard… I dunno"

"Oh! I'm sorry. No. I haven't heard any information that you haven't told me yourself, nor would I believe it anyway. Other than.. this album!!!" Pedro announced like a gameshow host.

You laughed before replying "yes, yes, the album comes out next week! They just announced it I guess."

Pedro clapped and shouted. "CONGRATULATIONS!!!! I'm so happy and proud of you!!!!!!!!"

You weren't looking in a mirror, and he couldn't see you either, but you could bet money that your cheeks were a bright shade of pink. "Thank you, Pedro!" You giggled, your face beginning to hurt from the large smile he caused.

"How are you celebrating? Is the studio doing anything for you?"

"Well they mentioned an album release party, but being that nobody really knows me I don't know who I would even invite. Plus I'm not sure that a large thing like that is how I'd like to show myself to the world. A little too ceremonious for my liking." You grimaced.

"Well, I happen to think you deserve something ceremonious, even if you don't think you do. And I think we should celebrate."

"We - you - you do? You mean…?" You stuttered in disbelief.

"You and me," he said matter-of-factly.

"You.. and… What did you have in mind?" 

Frankly you didn't know what to think.

"Well. I was thinking… Maybe we could listen to the album together? We could talk on the phone and listen, and it would be like our own little album release party. You wouldn't have to show yourself or meet people. It would just be like our normal conversations. Except I'd get to hear your new music and talk about it with you. If you want," he said, sounding slightly nervous.

Your heart swelled at the gesture and you agreed happily. The two of you made a plan to "meet" at 7PM and listen together the night of your album release. And he promised he wouldn't listen without you.

_____

It wasn't until after you were off the phone with him that you began to overthink the songs on your album. Not unlike your first single, these were also rather vulnerable at times. Sure, he knew a lot, and he'd listen to the album anyway. Probably. But still. To hear it… together? You were starting to feel like you were in over your head.

Nevertheless, the week continued on like normal. Work, talking to Pedro, hanging with Skipper. You agreed to a few more interviews in article or voice format after the release, and signed a few last minute things.

As the album date approached closer, Pedro texted you one day.

"Okay I'm going to ask you something and I want you to trust me okay. I'm not going to do anything that I know you would hate."

"Okay…" what does this man have up his sleeve?

"Can I have your address?"

Why does he want my address???? The panic settled in. But, you did like him; and he hadn't crossed any boundaries yet. In fact, he's been one of the most understanding of your qualms.

So. You sent him your address.

"Thank you ❤️" Pedro replied.

A heart !?! A red one!? 

"You're welcome. Also… I was planning to tell you anyway, but if you're looking for my address I may as well tell you…" you told him your real name. Not your stage name. Not a nickname. But your name. First, Last. All of it.

"Thank you for trusting me. I promise I'll keep it safe," reassured Pedro.

"Thank you, P."

"Of course. You have a beautiful name, by the way."

Your heart did a somersault.

_____

The album release date was finally here and you aren't sure you slept a wink. You were a bundle of nerves and excitement. You loved him and always enjoyed chatting together. This was exciting. But also these songs are so personal. This is a big moment. This was a big plan. And why did he want your address anyway?

~~~~~

Meanwhile at Pedro's place, he was just as nervous. He had started out excited, but then he got into his head. His plans for the evening started feeling too romantic. He didn't want you to get the wrong idea. He liked you, but he didn't want to push it. Maybe he was showing too many feelings towards you. You love someone else, and him not respecting that is rude. All you want is a friend and he's just going to seem like another one of those creepy guys trying to get into your pants.

But it was too late now, the plans were in motion, and maybe you'd enjoy it. Who knows. Either way, he loved your friendship, and friends could do this kind of thing for each other… right??

~~~~~

Throughout the day, you paced your house before finally leaving with Skipper in tow. "We gotta get some air, buddy. I'm losing it over here," you said while clipping his leash.

Stepping out of the house, you two went for a long walk, circled back toward home, and plopped down on your lawn. The house still felt too small in preparation for this evening, whatever it was. Why does it feel different anyway? It's just another phone call..? Unless….

Truth be told, while Pedro had his secret plans, you also had some of your own. Whether you followed through with them or not was up to your nerves.

After some sunbathing with your pup, you both head inside. The sun was starting to set, and you realized it was getting closer to the meetup time you chose with Pedro.

_____

6 PM.

You stared at the TV, not really absorbing anything on the screen, but needing a distraction. This afternoon you opted for a show that Pedro was not in. For once, you needed to not see his handsome face. You needed something else. Half paying attention while picking at a hangnail, you jump out of your skin at the sight of your phone lighting up. Pedro texted.

"Picking out my outfit for tonight! Always important to look nice for celebration."

Shit… he's not coming over is he?! That's why he wanted my address?!

"Wait…" you pondered how to phrase your question without sounding like a panicked asshole, when all you wanted to say was "what the fuck do you MEAN!?!"

I'm not dressed. I'm in sweats and covered in dog hair. I don't have makeup on. Oh no.

"Wait… is that why you wanted my address?"

"Oh. Nooo, no no. No, sweet girl, don't worry. I'm not coming over unexpectedly and interrupting your hiding place. I just think it's still important to dress nice."

"Oh..Okay.."

It was around 6:15 when he texted a picture of himself wearing a white button up with a dark blue suit and matching tie. He wore dark-frame glasses and his hair was slightly tamed, but still showed his messy curls. He looked gorgeous.

But as you scanned his body you noticed that instead of dress shoes, he wore a pair of polka dot socks. He had a goofy grin and his one eyebrow was cocked. You grinned.

"All dressed up and nowhere to go," he said.

"You're a goof, P. But I appreciate the effort."

A pause.

"Also, you look really handsome" you nervously hit send before you had a chance to chicken out.

Bold. Probably shouldn't have said that. But hey, friends compliment each other.

"Why thank you. A big accomplishment like this requires all the stops."

He timed this message right to the minute. As you read his text, your doorbell rang.

You opened the door to find two boxes. One large, one small. A delivery boy was getting into his car. 

"Delivery from your biggest fan. 

-❤️, P"

He… he sent me some kind of care package?? And put a heart? And said he's my biggest fan?

You squealed and carried the boxes into the house. "What's this!?" You texted Pedro.

"Open them and see!"

You immediately open them. Inside the larger box was a variety of items. The first thing you noticed was a small vase holding a bouquet of your favorite flowers. To the right of that was a bag, which you opened and found your favorite meal, from your favorite restaurant. 

Wow, this is elaborate. 

Below the food was another small bag holding your favorite dessert, and finally to the left, your favorite drink.

I can't believe he remembered all of my favorite things.. This is so thoughtful.

When you moved the flower vase, you noticed one more small item. Is that a… corsage?? You texted Pedro the question.

"Yep!" He sent, with a photo of a matching flower on his lapel.

Remembering you still had the small box, you opened the box flaps, wondering what could possibly be left for him to give you. On top of it was another note.

"For a handsome boy.

- ❤️, your mom's friend, Pedro"

Under the note was a jar of peanut butter, a squeaky anchor toy, and…? What's this?

You unwrap a small paper wrapping to find a dog-sized black bowtie. Shut up.

"SKIPPER!!! Look what Pedro gave you, buddy!"

He padded over to you and let you hook the dressy accessory around his neck. With the clip adjusted, he sat back, looking proud of his new fashion. You quickly snapped a picture and texted it to Pedro.

"I can't believe you did all this, Pedro. Not only did you send all this, but you remembered my favorite things? You remembered all the details from when I first met Skipper. My favorite food, dessert, drink, and flower? That's so sweet, this is all too much Pedro..  Nobody has ever done anything like this for me. I.. I don't even know what to say."

You're amazing and I love you. Is what I want to say.

"You're welcome." He texted back. "Like I said, you deserve a celebration. Plus…"

Pedro sent a photo of his table, set up with the same food and drink, with the caption "now it's like we're having a dinner party."

It was nearing the time to meet, but you still had to do one more thing. You had pondered it earlier in the day, but fully decided it when Pedro sent the photo of himself dressed up. It's now or never.

_____

6:45 PM.

Pedro sat waiting for a reply after he sent his dinner photo. It had only been a couple minutes, but his hands were sweaty and his leg was shaking under the table. Finally, his phone went off. You sent… a video?

He opened it and pressed play. There, he saw you rotating your wrist with the corsage on it. The first time he's ever seen your wrist, hand, or arm before. The first time he's even seen your skin tone.

Geez you act like you're in the Victorian ages, pull yourself together, he rolled his eyes at himself for being so overjoyed.

Next, the video panned to Skipper in his bowtie, looking handsome as ever. The camera zoomed in on him and he looked up into the view with his big brown eyes. 

And then…

The camera panned to the side, and showed a mirror. A full length mirror, where you stood. He scanned your body from your perfectly done up hair and makeup, down your body to your dress. You wore your favorite dress, (in your favorite color, he noted) which showed off your body in the best ways. He looked down to the floor and noticed that you too were wearing fun socks instead of shoes. You wore a pair of striped socks and wrote in your caption "all dressed up and nowhere to go."

His heart picked up and he could feel himself breathing unevenly. He finally saw you. And you were gorgeous. He couldn't help the smile that enveloped his face.

Fuck. She's beautiful… I'm screwed. 

She loves someone else. She loves someone else. She loves someone else. Forget your feelings.

Despite his struggle, he knew he wanted, and needed, to tell you how beautiful he thought you looked. This was a big step to show yourself, and he also knew how self-conscious you felt about your body.

"Wow, you're so beautiful."

You blushed, replying with a quick thank you with a heart, then sending a second message asking if he was ready to listen. The video wasn't the only trick you had planned up your sleeve tonight.

______

The clock turned to 7 PM and Pedro hit the dial for your number. You answered the phone and said a quick "hang on" to set up the shared listening party link for your album. Once sent, you took a deep breath and steadied your nerves. Then, you took the plunge.

"Okay I got the link! I'm so exci - what - wait, is this an accident?" Pedro's hand fumbled as he received your incoming video chat request, his heart picking up to a galloping pace.

"Nope! You can answer it. If you want.."

He quickly swiped the accept button and there you were. Clad in your favorite dress, sitting at a table with the meal he sent in front of you. He could see himself in the corner square, dressed in his suit, with nearly the identical table setup and food.

He couldn't help but notice on his own video screen that his cheeks were turning rosy and his mouth curled into a large smile. But he was too happy to be shy about his blush.

"So this is you," he said.

"This is me," you replied shyly, but still with a huge smile and blush plastered on your face, matching Pedro's.

"You look.." he sighed shakily "..wow.."

"You look pretty wow yourself there," you said with a shy giggle.

Both of you let out gentle laughs, feeling a warm glow as your stomachs felt matching butterflies of nerves, excitement, and… maybe something else.

"So should we listen, I guess?" You asked nervously.

He didn't answer. He was looking at the screen, eyes scanning the video. 

Is he blushing? You wondered. But why would he be? He doesn't like me back… right?

He still hadn't answered you when you finally said "Pedro?? Did you hear me?"

He snapped out of it, somehow turning more crimson. "Oh! Sorry… yeah! Let's listen."

Your nerves were off the charts. Some of these songs were so vulnerable. The ones at the end of the album were the most telling of all.

But as the two of you ate your dinners while listening to your new album, you began to relax. The night was filled with him giving praise and you giving background information on the meanings and production of the songs. 

"Are all the different instruments and harmonies played by you?"

"They are! The studio offered studio musicians but I had originally played them all when I wrote it and wanted to keep it a one woman show."

"You're incredible," Pedro said, shaking his head.

You blushed, for the billionth time today.

When it came to "Imaginary Love" Pedro grinned. "Hey I know this one! The one that started it all." 

"Yep!" You agreed and he began lip syncing to the lyrics dramatically. Little did he know, those lyrics were actually about him. You giggled as he acted out a soulful rendition of the chorus.

"You know, this whole journey has been a real rollercoaster and there have been times I've wished I hadn't posted that song..."

Pedro looked at you with that puppy dog look of his and you continued "but then I remember… that if I never posted it, I would've never started talking to you, and it makes it all worth it."

Pedro placed his hand on his heart and pouted his lip. "I agree. I'm glad to have met you. If I didn't love this song already, that alone would be enough reason for me to consider it one of my favorites.

You grinned and looked down at the table, suddenly feeling shy. The two of you continued to listen, having long finished your dinner. Conversation flowed easily, and you couldn't help but feel like you were on a date. Not that you had much experience with that, but from what you'd seen in movies and shows, this felt very date-like. And you didn't want it to end.

But as the album went on, you approached the last two songs. The ones you were scared of most. The most vulnerable of the album. 

The second to last began to play.

'It's hard to imagine craving something that I've never had.

Dumb to be so desperate for something I've gone without.

But when I'm alone and thinking to myself, I need it so bad.

I crave it like a drug, but one I know nothing about.

Your kiss on my lips, or any kiss at all.

It hasn't happened yet, no matter how hard I fall.

The years keep passing, but still no love.

The years go by, but still no kisses.

I keep wondering and praying up above,

I guess I'm unkissable, despite my wishes.'

Pedro furrowed his brow, looking at you, searching for something. He read the title of the song, "Unkissable," and looked up again, opening and closing his mouth to find the right words.

"Do-" he stopped himself and pondered his wording again. "Is- are all these songs true?"

You stared at the table, picking your nail against the wood. "Yes."

"You really believe that?"

"... I mean… I don't know… maybe… I guess…" you avoided his gaze, but could feel it.

"And you've never-"

"Kissed anyone before? No. I haven't."

"But you've wanted to?"

"Yes," you whispered, starting to feel tears prick at your eyes.

Pedro shifted his lips to the side in thought before finally saying "well… you're still young. It'll happen."

"I'm 26, Pedro. Most people have kissed by the time they've graduated high school. I just… missed the boat I guess. It's okay. I'm just being silly. I don't want it that bad. We can maybe listen to something else now."

"Hey, hey. Don't shut down on me," he asked pleadingly. "26 is still very young, and don't worry about whenever everyone else has done things. Everyone does things at their own pace. I'm sorry you haven't experienced it yet, especially when you want it so badly, but I know that when it does happen, it'll probably be better than any kiss you would've had with some 15 year old boy you would've had in high school."

You laughed, breaking your tears for a minute. "Thanks Pedro."

"Of course. And hey, don't think of yourself as unkissable. Any guy should be so lucky to be with you. Maybe the guy you wrote about in your song will be your first."

"Maybe… I hope so. Thank you."

While your heart bloomed at the kind words and prospect of maybe kissing Pedro in the future, Pedro's heart began to ache. Not only was he sad for you when you wanted love so desperately, but he also couldn't help but feel sad hearing you want to kiss another man. He wants to be that guy for you. He wasn't joking when he said any man would be lucky. But especially knowing now your true age, 22 years younger than him, he knew for sure your crush couldn't be him. You were way too young to be interested in a 48 year old man. He was silly for even entertaining the idea.

But at least he had a new friend. And as he thought longer, he thought about his best friend Sarah, and her relationship. They have a huge age gap, 32 years, but they're happy. And he's happy for her. It doesn't feel weird with them. Could he have that with you? Or is he in over his head?

The last song on the album began to play. This one was less vulnerable, but if he decided to look at the lyrics and notice patterns, he'd see it in the chorus. 

'People have a lot to say

Everyone loves or hates me

Don't know what I did today

Right now you're all I can see

Only want to be with you.

Please, love me too.'

You're sure the obsessive listeners will figure out the acrostic, and if Pedro looks up the lyrics, he might too. But either way, it's out there. All you can do is hope for the best and eventually you're sure it'll come out anyway.

 This wasn't one you were sure about putting on the album, but when the studio read through your personal songbook, they went insane over it. They figured it out quickly, and they promised they'd keep it to themselves. Luckily they have so far, but if money came calling, you think they'd sell your heart faster than you could say no.

The song, and album, came to a close and Pedro looked up at the screen once again, staring into your eyes. "Once again your music has blown me away."

Whether he put together the end or not, he wasn't letting on.

"Thank you Pedro. I really appreciate it. And thank you for tonight. It was truly special and I mean it when I say it's the most thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for me. You didn't have to go through all that trouble," you said thoughtfully.

"It was no trouble. You deserve congratulations for your album," Pedro replied with a smile.

Right.. it's just a congratulations. Nothing else. You sighed.

"Thank you. I'm really glad we did this. Talk again soon?" You asked.

"Absolutely. It was wonderful to meet you finally," Pedro said, finishing the sentence with your real name and smiling.

"It was great to meet you too, Pedro."

__________

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you for reading.

Looking for more? Next chapter!

Taglist: (Want in? Let me know!)

@pedrotonin @starcrossed02 @lightupsketchersperson @cartoon-garbage04 @tyferbebe @maryfanson @gwendibleywrites @faithfullyyours2000 @brilliantopposite187 @hc-geralt-23 @jenniferpendragon @winchestergypsy90 @red-red-rogue @theendwhereibegin @lottieellz101 @oliversaurus @kyga01 @milly-louise @titabel @taz-97

[reareaotaku]

You're an Idiot

Summary: Eddie realizes he's inlove with an idiot Pairings: Eddie Kaspbrak x Reader Tw: Slight Angst, Slight Jealousy

He doesn't know when he came to the conclusion that you were an idiot, but it must have been all the little things adding up. The first incident was a few months ago.

----

The group was at a party, buying stuff to celebrate New Years. You, Eddie, and Richie were looking at party hats and noisemakers. The last thing the party needed was noisemakers, which is what Eddie and Richie were arguing about.

"I don't want to have my fucking eardrums blown out by those stupid things," Eddie says, taking the noise makers out of your hands.

"Oh, you're such a wet fucking blanket, Eddie," Richie rolls his eyes, snatching the noisemakers back and giving them to you.

"You guys New Years Revolution should be to stop arguing with each other," You offhandly remark, causing them both to stop and stare at you.

"Revolution? Do you mean RESolution?" Richie mocks you, causing you to blush. "God, that's so funny. You're such a stupid bitch."

"Leave her alone, you asshole."

"Aww, does this princess need her knight in shinning armor to save her?" He makes a clicking noise as he taunts you both.

Eddie grabs your hand, dragging you off, leaving Richie there to make a fool of himself.

---

Eddie hadn't thought about it much, but then another incident happened less than a week later.

You had been holding a can of Tuna by Chicken of the Sea and you turned to him and said-

"Is this chicken or fish? I know it says Tuna, but it says..... it says Chicken of the Sea?"

In that moment he had questioned every life decision he made. He thought maybe he had misheard you, so he asked you to repeat yourself. Though, you just repeated yourself, making him lightly sigh.

The final straw, when he really had to accept you were the stupidest person on earth.

He was at your house, just the two of you and you wanted a burrito. You put it in the microwave and he watched when you took it out, threw it away and grabbed another burrito.

"Why did you throw it away?"

"It wouldn't heat up."

You had said it like HE was being stupid. His jaw was nearly on the floor. When he finally gathers himself, he decides to question what the hell that meant.

"What do you mean?"

"It was still cold."

"Why didn't you heat it longer?"

"I heated it for the time on the package and it was still cold."

You were so simpleminded and he was actually impressed. He respected you, but not in the way as one respects someone. He just respected you lived this long being so stupid. He couldn't go another day without saying something.

"You're so dumb."

You turned towards him, confused, "What?"

"I love you, like a lot. But, god you are so stupid."

"That is so rude." You were looking at him wide-eyed, as he covered his mouth, trying not to laugh.

"You're so dumb, though. Like don't get me wrong, I DO love you, but come on."

You frowned and didn't speak to him for a solid week.

Fast foward to now, you were sitting across for each other at a cafe. Neither of you were talking, but he was looking at you, wanting to talk to you.

"So..."

You looked up at him, glaring. He could sense your anger and he leaned in, reaching for your hands.

"You know I love you-"

"Oh really? I thought I was an idiot."

"You are-" When he saw your glare sharpen his eyes widened and he coughed into his hand. "I mean.... Sometimes, your light isn't as bright as it could be."

"You're just calling me stupid in a metaphorical way."

"That's not true." He tried to justify, and your head dipped, your face going blank.

"Oh, don't patronize me."

There's a moment of silence as he watches you, trying to think of what he's supposed to say. Finally, he speaks-

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine. Richie's called me worse."

"Well, you and Richie aren't dating and he's just an asshole."

"Thank god," You joke, lightening the mood, "Imagine if we were though." You close your eyes, thinking about it. Though, with your eyes closed, you couldn't see Eddie's glare.

"You like Richie?" He accused, causing you to quickly open your eyes.

"What? No- God, no." You repeatedly shake your head, "I'm just saying, imagine. God, that'd be terrible," You laugh and Eddie finally lightens up.

"Nightmare fuel," He jokes, "I'm sure I'd be mad if you were dating."

"Oh yeah?" You lean on your hand, smirking. "Why would you be mad?"

His eyes follow you, a light smile growing on his face, "I'd be jealous, because that idiot would be dating the most incredible, amazing, pretty-"

"Oh, flattery? You're really trying to win brownie points."

"Is it working?"

"Well, it sure isn't hurting you."

"Then I won't stop."

[ray4hotchner]

Fate's Gentle Nudge

Chapter 3: Magnetized

<< previous chapter ❀ next chapter>>

❀ 𝕡𝕒𝕚𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘: aaron hotchner x reader

❀ 𝕤𝕦𝕞𝕞𝕒𝕣𝕪: The Hotchner boys unexpectedly encounter Y/N at the park, and a few days later, she helps Jack when he falls sick at school.

❀ 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕕 𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕥: 9.4k

❀ 𝕒𝕦𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕣’𝕤 𝕟𝕠𝕥𝕖: I'm not sure how this chapter ended up being so long. Initially, I had planned for two separate chapters, but fuck it. Let me know what you think and comment if you want to be tagged in the next part🤍

❀ 𝕞𝕒𝕚𝕟 𝕒𝕔𝕔: @iyv-ray24

┌─❀*̥˚──❀*̥˚─┐

On Ao3

└──❀*̥˚──❀*̥˚┘

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The weather today was on the better side, considering it was already early October. So, Y/N chose to go on a jog in the park rather than go to an overcrowded gym on a Saturday afternoon. Drawing near the end of her second mile, Y/N once again jogged past the playground. This time, her attention was drawn to two figures she would recognize anywhere. On the swing, the familiar mop of blond hair belonged to the little boy she saw nearly every day. Behind him stood Aaron, gently pushing him. It had been a few weeks since Y/N last encountered Aaron. She had grown accustomed to Jack's aunt picking him up from school, but she wouldn't deny that she occasionally found herself waiting for the sight of the familiar FBI agent entering the school gates.

In contrast to his usual suit and tie, Aaron was dressed in casual attire. He wore black jeans paired with a dark blue quarter-zip sweater over a grey shirt. He looked effortlessly handsome. Y/N hesitated for a moment, torn between approaching them to say hello or simply continuing her run. She didn't want to appear like a creeper, just standing there and observing a kid and his dad at play. As Aaron stood there, she realized that, somehow, she had missed him. It might sound ridiculous, given they had only talked twice before, but the feeling was there nonetheless.

A slight smile tugged at the corner of Y/N's lips as she watched the scene unfold, the sight of him with his son brought a soft warmth to her chest. Their interaction was so heartwarming that she pulled out her headphones to listen more closely to Jack's laughter. Jack noticed her and his eyes immediately lit up. "Ms. Y/L/N!" Jack's voice rang out with excitement, and Y/N's heart warmed at the sound of her name. She turned towards him, a bright smile on her lips, and saw him hopping off the swing with uncontainable energy. His small legs carried him towards her, his enthusiasm infectious.

"Hey, buddy," she greeted, bending down slightly as he approached. "How's it going?"

"Hi!" Jack exclaimed, his eyes shining as he stopped in front of her. "I'm good! Look, Dad, it's Ms. Y/L/N!"

Aaron was walking over to them, and Y/N thanked all the gods that she had worn her extra-strong deodorant today. She glanced down at herself for a second and cursed inwardly. She didn't feel presentable at all, wearing running leggings with an old, oversized t-shirt thrown on top. Her baby hairs were probably flying in every direction, and she could still feel the flush on her face from her run.

"Hello, Mr. Hotchner," she greets Aaron with a smile, her heart racing slightly at the sight of him standing beside Jack.

"Hi," he replies, a warm and genuine smile gracing his lips as he meets her gaze.

"Dad and I are playing here every weekend when he's not working," Jack chimes in, his eyes lighting up with excitement.

"I remember you telling me about it, Jack," she says, her voice tinged with a mixture of curiosity and delight. She gazes between the two Hotchner boys, her eyes lingering on Aaron for a moment before returning to Jack.

"Are you out for a run?" Aaron inquires, his voice carrying a hint of curiosity.

"Oh yeah, the weather was too nice today to be stuck at home," she replies, a small laugh escaping her lips.

" Mrs. Y/N, can you play with us on the playground? Dad is pushing me, but not high enough. He says it's dangerous" Jack pleads with an excited grin.

"I think he's right about that, buddy," she responds with a chuckle, giving Jack an apologetic look before glancing back at Aaron.

"Uh, well, you know," Aaron starts, "if you want to, you're welcome to join. But you don't have to, we don't want to hold you up in your free time."

Y/N can't help but notice the tinge of shyness in his voice, and she smiles reassuringly. "Oh, it's no trouble at all. I'd love to join you guys if that's okay."

Aaron's lips curl into a small smile, a mixture of relief crossing his features. "Really? Well, that's great. Jack would love it."

They walk over to the swings, and Aaron starts gently pushing Jack again as Y/N stands beside him. They begin a casual conversation, talking about their weekends and other light topics.

A couple of minutes later, Jack's enthusiasm for the swings wanes, and he announces that he wants to go on the slide. "Sure thing, buddy. We'll sit here and watch you," Aaron agrees, giving his son an encouraging smile.

Turning towards Y/N, Aaron gestures towards the nearby bench. "Would you like to sit down?" he asks, his tone warm and inviting.

"Kids have so much energy," she giggles as she takes a seat on the bench.

"Tell me about it," Aaron adds, chuckling softly.

"I haven't seen you in a couple of weeks," she says, looking at him with a hint of curiosity.

Aaron raises an eyebrow playfully. "Oh, did you notice my absence?" he asks, a playful glint in his eyes.

Y/N smirks. "Well, let's just say the school gates have been a little less eventful, without your intimidating FBI presence, Mr Hotchner."

He feigns offense, placing a hand over his heart. "Intimidating? I prefer 'authoritative'," he quips, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

He laughs, and their playful banter continues, both of them finding it surprisingly easy to talk and flirt with each other.

Even after weeks of not seeing her, it only takes one smile from her to rekindle all the warm feelings he felt on the first night they met.

As they talk, Y/N can't help but notice how his eyes light up when he laughs, and how he seems genuinely interested in every word she says. She tries to keep her emotions in check, reminding herself that they're just getting to know each other and that he's still the dad of a student, but the crazy attraction between them is undeniable.

"Work was just really busy these past couple of weeks," he answers her initial question.

"I guess you being busy means bad things happened to people?" she asks, not sure if he's even allowed to share details from his job.

He lets out a sigh and begins to explain the recent case, which involved a serial killer on the loose. He goes into detail about the case, describing the patterns and methods of the serial killer they were tracking. Y/N listens intently, her eyes focused on his face as he speaks. Despite the grim topic, there's a certain intensity in his voice that captures her attention.

As he talks, she can't help but feel a mix of emotions—concern for the victims, admiration for his dedication, and a strange sense of closeness that comes from sharing a part of his world. She nods sympathetically, understanding the weight of the responsibility he carries in his job.

"I can't even imagine dealing with something like that," she says softly once he's finished explaining. "It must be tough."

He meets her gaze, his expression somber. "It is," he admits, his tone heavy. "But it's also why we do what we do, to protect people and bring justice."

She offers him a small, supportive smile. "Well, I'm glad there are people like you out there doing that."

He smiles back, appreciating her understanding. "Thank you. It's not always easy, but it's worth it."

Their conversation takes a serious turn, but even in these moments, there's an undeniable connection between them. They're sharing parts of their lives that they might not normally reveal to others, and it creates a sense of intimacy that's hard to ignore.

As they continue to talk, Jack's laughter can be heard from the nearby slide, reminding them that they're still in the middle of a playground. They both turn their attention to him, chuckling at his exuberance.

"Well that was not the typical playground conversation," Aaron agrees, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "But I appreciate you listening."

She smiles back, her gaze warm. "It's not every day I get to hear about the inner workings of the FBI. It's kind of fascinating, in a twisted way."

He chuckles softly. "Twisted is a good way to describe it."

They sit there for a moment, caught in comfortable silence, the sounds of children playing around them. It's a strange contrast—the serious topic they've just discussed and the carefree atmosphere of the playground.

Jack runs up to them and whines, "Dad, I'm so hungry."

Aaron looks at his watch and says, "It's already lunchtime, so how about getting you something to eat?"

"Can Mrs. Y/L/N have lunch with us?" Jack asks Aaron.

Aaron hesitates for a second. He doesn't want Y/N to feel forced to join them just because Jack asked. Y/N notices his reluctance and answers before Aaron feels obligated to invite her. “Weekends are for you and your dad, buddy. I don’t want to get in the way.”

"You are not. You are not getting in the way,” Aaron says immediately, his voice slightly urgent, a hint of desperation in his eyes as he meets her gaze.

She looks back at him, surprised, her lips curving into a faint smile. “You sure?”

“Definitely,” he confirms, his smile warm and inviting, his eyes holding a mixture of hope and eagerness that he can't quite conceal.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

As Y/N stood in line at the taco truck, Aaron excused himself to accompany Jack to the nearby bathroom. Just as Y/N is about to pay, a gentle grip on her wrist makes her look up. Aaron stood there with Jack in his arms, his warm smile urging her to put her card away.

“We invited you, so it's our treat,” he insisted, pulling out his wallet and gesturing her not to worry about the payment. The small, genuine gesture touched her, and she couldn't help but smile in response.

Sitting at one of the empty tables with an umbrella overhead, Aaron carefully slices apart Jack's quesadilla, making it easier for him to eat.

“I don't know how you take care of 20 kids at the same time. I sometimes get overwhelmed with this little one,” he said with a chuckle, his expression a mix of fondness and amusement.

Y/N chuckled, taking a bite of her own taco. "Well, I guess it's a bit like handling multiple cases at once. Just with more crayons and fewer suspects."

Aaron smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "I never thought of it that way."

"Yeah, well, you've got the whole FBI thing going on," she teased, raising an eyebrow playfully. "I'm just a humble teacher."

His lips quirked up into a grin. "A humble teacher who managed to capture my son's heart with those amazing cookies."

"Oh, so it's the cookies that won you over?" she asked, feigning surprise.

He chuckled, shaking his head. "I meant both of you, actually."

She laughed, the sound light and genuine. "Well, I'll take that as a compliment, Mr. Hotchner."

"Please, call me Aaron."

She smiled, her cheeks flushing slightly. "Alright, Aaron. But only if you call me Y/N."

"Deal," he said, raising his taco slightly as if sealing the deal.

Aaron found himself captivated by Y/N's presence, her laughter resonating like a sweet melody in the air. He couldn't help but be drawn to the way her eyes sparkled when she smiled, and the way her expressions shifted with every topic they discussed. As she took a bite of her taco, he couldn't help but notice the way her lips curved around the food, and he found himself imagining what it would be like to kiss her.

As they playfully bantered back and forth, he realized that her quick wit matched his own, making their conversation feel like a comfortable exchange rather than a forced interaction.

But beyond her professional qualities, there was something about Y/N that resonated on a deeper level. Maybe it was the kindness in her eyes, the way she paid attention to every word he said or the genuine interest she showed in getting to know him. Or perhaps it was the way her laughter seemed to light up the whole area around them, creating a sense of warmth and comfort that he hadn't felt in a long time.

As Jack chimed in with his cheerful comments, Aaron couldn't help but notice the easy way she interacted with his son. She was patient and attentive, responding to Jack's questions and stories with genuine enthusiasm. It was clear that she had a natural rapport with children, and seeing how she made Jack laugh and smile only deepened his appreciation for her.

"I want to try something," she says, her tone playful as she takes another bite of her taco.

"What is it?" Aaron asks, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

Y/N grins mischievously. "I want to test your profiling skills."

His lips twitch into a half-smile. "Alright, shoot."

"Tell me something about me that you've observed so far," she challenges, her eyes dancing with amusement.

Aaron takes a moment to study her, his gaze thoughtful as he tries to put his profiling skills to use. "You're highly organized, but you have a spontaneous side that you let out on occasion. You're the oldest child in your family, and I have a feeling you've taken care of a younger sibling at some point. You're ambitious and dedicated – top of your class when you finished school. And," he pauses for a moment, a twinkle in his eyes, "green is your favorite color."

Y/N's eyes widen in shock. "Wow, Agent Hotchner. You're good”, she concedes, still looking amazed. "But I must admit, I'm a bit speechless at how accurately you just described me. How did you guess my favorite color?"

His expression softens, and he smiles at her warmly. "Sometimes, the most observant people are the ones who understand others the best."

True," she concedes, her eyes still fixed on him. "But here's something you might not have deduced yet."

Aaron raises an eyebrow, intrigued. "And what might that be?"

"I've thoroughly enjoyed our conversations," she admits, a subtle blush dusting her cheeks. "And I hope we'll have more of them in the future."

His heart skips a beat at her candid confession, and a warm smile spreads across his face. "I'm looking forward to that too, Y/N."

Y/N's lips curve into a genuine smile, and for a moment, the world around them fades away as they share a connection that goes beyond mere small talk.

A brisk breeze rustles through the air, causing both of them to look up. It's then they notice the sky has grown darker, and massive rain clouds are gathering on the horizon. The weather is shifting, a typical occurrence for this time of the season.

"Maybe we should start heading back," Y/N suggests, eyeing the gathering clouds warily.

Aaron nods in agreement and starts to clear their trash. Just as he's about to toss something away, rain starts to pour down suddenly. They quickly seek shelter under the umbrella, but it's not enough to keep them dry. With a laugh, Y/N sits down on the table, motioning for Aaron to join her. Jack finds the situation amusing and joins in the laughter as he perches on Aaron's lap.

"Looks like we'll be here for a while," Y/N comments, her voice lighthearted despite the unexpected rain.

As they sit close together, Y/N can't help but feel a rush of warmth. The accidental touches of their arms and legs send tiny sparks through her, and she's acutely aware of the proximity between them. Her heart beats a little faster, and she finds herself stealing glances at Aaron, wondering if he's feeling the same electric charge in the air.

Meanwhile, Aaron can't ignore the sensation that his skin is on fire when it touches Y/N's. Her laughter and the playful energy that surrounds them seem to resonate deep within him. He's keenly aware of her presence, the way she fits perfectly next to him on the table. The rain's rhythm mixes with the thumping of his heart, creating a melody that he wishes could stretch on forever.

They sit there for nearly 15 minutes, the rain showing no signs of letting up. Jack's patience is wearing thin, evident from his growing restlessness. "I think someone is getting antsy," Y/N chuckles, looking down at Jack.

Aaron's suggestion interrupts their little sheltered haven. "Let me drive you home," he offers, his voice warm and genuine.

Y/N begins to shake her head in polite refusal. "Oh, you really don't have to, Aaron. It's not that far, and I don't want to trouble you."

But as she glances upwards, the steady fall of raindrops from the grey sky convinces her that it's a wiser choice to accept his kind offer. "Actually, that sounds like a good idea. It doesn't look like the rain will stop anytime soon."

Aaron gives her a reassuring smile. "I promise, it's no trouble at all. Plus, Jack here seems ready to go," he says, glancing at his son who nods in agreement.

With a chuckle, Y/N concedes, "Alright, you win. Thank you."

"The car is parked around the corner," Aaron informs them.

"Let's have a quick run then, so Jack doesn't get soaked," she suggests and Aaron agrees.

Jack buries his head into his father's chest, using him as a shield from the rain, and Aaron and Y/N set off toward the car. The rain pelts down around them, the sound of it creating a soothing backdrop to their hurried steps. Jack's laughter punctuates the air, ringing with pure joy despite the wet weather. It doesn't take them long to reach the car, but by the time they do, both Y/N and Aaron are laughing too, caught up in the contagious energy of the moment. Aaron unlocks the car and helps Jack into his booster seat, the raindrops running down his face like tiny rivulets. Finally settled inside the car, they exchange amused glances before Y/N turns to Aaron with a grin. "Well, that was an unexpected adventure."

Aaron navigates the rain-slicked streets with ease, glancing at Y/N from the corner of his eye now and then. The patter of rain on the car's roof fills the silence, and he finds himself enjoying the quiet companionship. As they near her apartment building, he slows down and smoothly parks the car along the curb.

Turning off the engine, Aaron swivels in his seat to face Y/N. "Here we are," he says, a small smile playing on his lips.

Aaron watches Y/N as she turns her attention to Jack, who fell asleep in the backseat. A soft smile plays on his lips as he sees the tenderness in her gaze. He can't help but feel a swell of affection for both of them.

"He must be really tired," she giggles, looking at him fondly. She unbuckles her seatbelt, "Thank you for the ride, Aaron," she says sincerely.

Aaron meets her gaze, his eyes warm and sincere. "He had quite the day. It was a pleasure having you join us for lunch."

Y/N smiles back, her expression a mix of appreciation and something more. The rain outside seems to have softened, casting a calm ambiance in the car. "Thank you for everything, Aaron. It turned out to be a much more eventful day than I expected."

As she opens the car door, she turns back to him with a small smile. "Take care."

"You too, Y/N," he replies, his voice carrying a hint of something more.

With that, she steps out into the fading rain, leaving Aaron in the quiet cocoon of his car. He watches her for a moment longer, her figure illuminated by the soft glow of streetlights. He lingers there, the feeling of their shared moments filling the space around him.

With a sigh and a small smile, he shifts the car into gear and drives away. The rain-soaked streets seem to echo the emotions swirling within him, and as he heads home, he can't help but feel that their paths will cross again soon.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

As Aaron steps into the bullpen, his team of profilers pauses their work momentarily to glance at him. A few exchanged curious glances, noting the subtle change in his demeanor. Emily and Derek raise an eyebrow exchanging looks, Rossi smirks knowingly, and Penelope's fingers pause over the keyboard sitting at Spencer's desk, as she's helping him with a problem on his computer.

"Hey there, Hotch. Did someone slip you a happy pill this morning?" Derek teases, a playful grin on his face.

Aaron chuckles, shaking his head. "No, just feeling a bit more optimistic today."

Emily smirks and raises her coffee cup in his direction. "Well, whatever it is, keep it up. We could all use a little positivity around here."

Garcia, always the one to pick up on details, leans in and narrows her eyes at him. "So, did you have a good weekend, boss? Do anything fun?"

Aaron gives a nonchalant shrug, "Just spent some time with Jack."

Spencer, engrossed in his book, chimes in without looking up. "It's nice to have quality time with family."

"Yeah, and maybe some other things too," Penelope adds with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

Aaron raises an eyebrow at her, a hint of a smile playing at the corner of his lips. "I don't know what you're talking about, Garcia."

She winks at him, her fingers dancing across the keyboard again. "I've got a knack for spotting a man with a secret, boss. But don't worry, your mysterious aura is safe with me."

As the team goes back to their work, Aaron retreats to his office with a small smile tugging at his lips. He knows he can't hide everything from his observant team, but for now, he's content to bask in the residual glow of a weekend spent in good company.

Rossi follows Aaron into his office a couple of minutes later, a knowing smile on his face. He leans against the doorway, arms crossed, and raises an eyebrow at Aaron. "Feeling chipper today, Hotch?"

Aaron chuckles and gestures for Rossi to come in. "Just a change of pace, Dave. The weekend was good."

Rossi nods knowingly. "You know, we're all a bit curious. The team noticed the shift in your mood. Something you care to share?"

Aaron leans back in his chair, his fingers steepled. "Spent some time with Jack over the weekend."

Rossi raises an eyebrow. "Quality father-son bonding time?"

"Yeah," Aaron nods. "And a little extra."

Rossi's interest is piqued. "Oh? Do tell."

Aaron briefly explains how he and Jack had run into Y/N at the park, the unexpected rain, and the impromptu lunch. He recounts their conversation, the laughter, and the connection he felt. He doesn't elaborate on the subtle undercurrents of attraction, but Rossi seems to catch on.

"Sounds like you had quite the weekend," Rossi remarks with a knowing smile. "And Y/N?"

"She is just… wonderful. Smart, kind, and easy to talk to. But she's still Jacks teacher”, he says and lets out a big sigh.

Rossi raises an eyebrow. "And is that all she is to you, Aaron?"

Aaron's lips curve into a small smile. "Honestly, I don't know. We're just getting to know each other."

Rossi chuckles. "Well, my advice? Enjoy it. Life's too short to ignore sparks when they fly."

J.J. enters Aaron's office as he and Rossi are still talking. She wears a focused expression that immediately signals that something important is happening. "Hey, guys, we've got a new case."

Aaron and Rossi exchange a glance before they both stand up and follow J.J. to the briefing room. The rest of the team is already assembled, their expressions serious and alert.

As they settle into their seats, J.J. projects images on the screen at the front of the room. "We've got a serial shooter case in Indiana. Four victims so far, all in different locations. The local authorities believe it's the work of a single unsub. They're looking to us for help."

Emily leans forward, her brows furrowed. "Do we have any leads on the shooter?"

J.J. nods. "We've got witness reports that might help us with the profile. Our unsub seems to be targeting random individuals, but there's a pattern emerging in the locations. We're thinking it might be someone familiar with the area."

Rossi leans back in his chair, his fingers steepled under his chin. "Any connection between the victims? Similarities in background, maybe?"

J.J. taps a few keys, bringing up more information on the screen. "Not that we can find so far. Different ages, genders, occupations. No obvious links."

Aaron takes a deep breath and leans forward. "Alright, we need to hit the ground running.. Garcia, I need you to dig into the locations. See if there's any connection we're missing."

Garcia nods, her fingers flying over the keyboard. "On it, boss."

Morgan leans forward, his gaze intense. "We need to find this guy before he strikes again."

Aaron's expression hardens. "Agreed. Let's get to work. Wheels up in thirty."

On the flight there, the team launches into a detailed discussion, analyzing the evidence and checking possible leads.

They work diligently, honing in on the profile and strategizing their approach. The jet is filled with the hum of brainstorming, a mix of tension and determination in the air. The case has taken over their focus, but somewhere in the back of his mind, Aaron can't help but remember the warmth of the conversation he shared with Y/N just days before.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

Meanwhile, Y/N is at school, taking her first break. Instead of heading to the teachers' room, she stays in her classroom, needing a moment to herself. She knows the second Liz lays eyes on her, she will know something is up.

As Y/N sits at her desk, looking out the window, her thoughts drift back to the events of the weekend. The past few days have been a whirlwind of emotions. She can't deny that Saturday was one of the best days she's had in a long time. The easy conversation, the laughter, and the genuine connection she felt with Aaron and Jack were something she cherished.

But along with those positive feelings comes a swirl of guilt and uncertainty. Y/N can't help but question herself and the situation. She feels conflicted about her growing attraction to Aaron. While she enjoys talking to him and being around him, there's a nagging voice inside her, reminding her that he's a parent to one of her students. It's not just about her feelings, but also about Jack and his wellbeing.

"Why couldn't he be a random guy I met at a bar or a coffee shop?" Y/N thinks to herself, her emotions a mixture of longing and frustration. She sighs, taking a deep breath, and tries to push aside those conflicting thoughts for now. Focus is key, especially with a classroom full of kids waiting for her.

"Your overthinking is starting to stink up the room," Liz jokes, poking her head through the door and pretending to fan the air. She enters the room, her concern genuine as she walks over to Y/N's desk. "Seriously, what's going on? You usually don't hide in here unless something is up" she asks, her eyes full of worry.

Y/N hesitates for a moment, debating whether to share her thoughts with Liz. She knows that Liz's enthusiasm might not help her current state of mind, but she also knows that she can trust her best friend. With a sigh, she finally decides to open up.

"It's just... Saturday," Y/N starts, her voice soft as she looks down at her hands, fidgeting with a pen. "I ran into Jack and his dad at the park. We talked, and it was really nice. But now... I can't stop thinking about it."

Liz's eyes widen in excitement. "Oh my God, finally. You wouldn't shut up about him for weeks" she laughs, unable to contain her enthusiasm.

“Hey, rude!”, Y/N exclaims, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

Liz lets out an excited squeal, causing Y/N to chuckle despite herself. "Okay, tell me tell me!" Liz demands, pulling up a chair and sitting down next to her friend.

As Y/N recounts the events of Saturday, she feels a mixture of emotions. Liz listens attentively, interjecting with gasps and exclamations of delight. When Y/N finishes, Liz places a supportive hand on her shoulder.

"It sounds like you had an amazing time," Liz says gently. "And I can totally understand why you're conflicted. But you can't control who you're attracted to. Maybe there's more to this situation than you realize."

Y/N sighs, appreciating Liz's understanding. "I know, but he's a parent of one of my students. It's complicated."

Liz nods sympathetically. "It's not an easy situation, but life isn't always straightforward. Maybe you should give it a chance, see where things go."

Y/N leans back in her chair, gazing out the window. "Maybe you're right. It's just... I can't shake this feeling of guilt, like I'm doing something wrong."

Liz gives her a reassuring smile. "You're not. Just follow your heart and take it one step at a time. And hey, if it doesn't work out, at least you'll have a great story to tell."

Y/N chuckles softly, feeling a bit lighter after talking to her friend. "Thanks, Liz. You always know how to make me feel better."

Liz winks. "That's what friends are for. Now spill more details about this handsome dad!"

And just like that, Y/N finds herself caught up in Liz's excitement, talking about Aaron, Jack, and the unexpected encounter that has her heart in a whirlwind.

It's later in the afternoon, during the last period of the day, and the classroom is filled with a quiet hum as the kids work on their assignments. Y/N is at her desk, grading papers, when she notices Jack approaching her table. She immediately senses the discomfort in his face and the way he clutches his stomach.

"Hey there, Jackie. Are you okay?" Y/N asks, her concern evident as she stands up and places her hands gently on his shoulders.

Jack looks up at her with teary eyes, his lower lip quivering. "My tummy hurts, and my head hurts too," he murmurs, his voice small and strained.

Y/N's heart melts at the sight of his distress. She crouches down to his level and smiles softly. "I'm so sorry you're not feeling well, sweetie. Let's get you to a comfy spot."

She guides him to a corner of the classroom with a small couch, helping him sit down. Y/N rummages through her bag and pulls out a small water bottle and a pack of tissues. She hands him the water and he takes a sip, sniffling as he wipes his eyes.

"Take your time sipping the water, Jack. It might help your tummy feel a bit better," she says gently, her hand rubbing his back in soothing circles.

He nods, still looking a bit miserable. "Thank you, Ms. Y/L/N," he says softly.

Y/N smiles and pats his shoulder. "You're welcome, sweetie. Is there anything else I can do to help you feel more comfortable?"

He sniffles and looks up at her with a shy smile. "Can I have a hug?"

Y/N's heart melts even further, and she pulls him into a gentle embrace. "Of course, you can, sweetheart. I'm here for you."

She places her hand on Jack's forehead, noticing that it feels a little warmer than it should be. Concerned, she gently brushes his hair away from his face. "How about we call your dad, and he can come pick you up? Maybe getting some rest at home will help you feel better. What do you think, Jack?"

Jack nods weakly, his eyes still watery from not feeling well. "Yes, please," he replies in a small voice.

Y/N offers him an understanding smile and pats his shoulder. "Don't worry, buddy. We'll make sure you're well taken care of."

Returning to her desk, she takes a moment to locate the list of emergency contacts that parents had filled out on Parent's Night. With a quick glance, she finds Jack's father's number and dials it. After a few rings, it goes to voicemail. She leaves a message, her tone reassuring, explaining that Jack isn't feeling his best but assuring him that it's nothing serious.

Next on the list is Jack's aunt, Jess, listed as the second emergency contact. Y/N dials the number and waits as it rings, hoping for a quick response. However, it goes to voicemail as well. She leaves another message, her voice maintaining a calm demeanor, explaining the situation and requesting a call back as soon as possible.

Feeling a bit frustrated that she couldn't reach either of the emergency contacts, Y/N returns to Jack's side. She crouches down beside him and offers a soft smile. "Well, buddy, it looks like we're going to wait a little bit."

Not long after, she moves on to the next contact option and uses the email that Aaron had provided on the emergency contact list. She quickly types out a message, detailing Jack's condition, the fact that she couldn't reach him or his aunt, and her intention to contact Penelope Garcia as the last resort. After sending the email, she waits anxiously for any sign of response.

Ten minutes pass, and there's no reply from either Aaron or his aunt. Y/N begins to feel a growing sense of unease. Deciding not to waste any more time, she dials the final number listed, which belongs to Penelope Garcia.

"Penelope Garcia," a woman's voice answers the phone.

"Hi, I'm Ms. Y/L/N, Jack Hotchner's teacher," Y/N introduces herself quickly, her voice a mix of concern and urgency. "Your number was on my emergency contact list. Am I speaking to the right person?"

"Oh! Yes, yes. Is everything okay with my Jackie?" Penelope's voice is filled with genuine concern.

"Yes, don't worry," Y/N reassures her. "He's not feeling well, and I couldn't reach his dad or his aunt. I wanted to make sure he's taken care of. Do you think you could pick him up?"

We are on an important case, and he's out of town right now,” she informs the teacher.

"Oh, you're from the FBI too?" Y/N asks, a touch of surprise in her voice.

"Yes, technical analyst," Penelope explains, her voice sounding more and more concerned. "But I can't leave the office right now.” She thinks for a moment and suggest, "Let's do it like this, I will send over an agent to pick Jack up and bring him here to me. I can take care of him until we get a hold of Aaron or Jess”

Y/N considers the situation carefully. She looks over at Jack, who appears even more tired and flushed. His fever seems to have worsened. The idea of sending a random agent to pick him up doesn't sit well with her, as it might only stress him out further.

"How about I drive him over to you? Would that be alright? I... I don't want to send him off alone when he's not feeling good," Y/N asks Penelope, her concern evident in her voice.

There's a brief pause on the other end of the line, and then Penelope's voice sounds pleasantly surprised. "Oh, you're an angel! I'll send over the address right away. Just bring him here, and I'll be waiting."

As Y/N hangs up the call, a sense of determination fills her. She turns her attention to Jack, whose eyes are drooping from the exhaustion of being sick. She gently rubs his back to comfort him. "Hey, Jack, I'm going to take you to Aunt Penelope okay?"

Jack looks up at her with a small smile. "You're nice, Mrs. Y/L/N."

"Thank you, Jack," she says softly, touched by his words.

Before they leave, Y/N quickly dials Liz's number. "Hey, Liz, I need to ask you a huge favor. Would you be able to watch over my class for the last half hour? Something came up, Jack is not feeling good and Aaron is out of town. I need to take him to someone who can look after him."

Liz agrees without hesitation, offering her assistance without questioning. "Of course, Y/N. I've got you covered. Take care of Jack, and let me know if you need anything else."

Feeling grateful for her supportive friend, Y/N ends the call and focuses her attention on Jack once more. She helps him gather his belongings and guides him towards the exit, holding his hand as they navigate the school hallways, after Liz took over the class.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

The FBI building appears even more imposing than Y/N had anticipated. As she and Jack make their way towards the entrance, she can't help but feel a bit overwhelmed by the serious-looking individuals rushing about. However, the thought of helping Jack overrides her nerves.

Thankfully, Penelope had already informed the reception of their arrival, so the process of getting a visitor pass is relatively smooth. Y/N can't help but notice that Jack is clutching her hand a little tighter, his big eyes taking in the surroundings with a mixture of awe and trepidation.

Once they have their passes, Y/N guides Jack towards the elevators.

As they step out of the elevator and onto the sixth floor, a woman with flowing blonde hair, dressed in a vibrant pink butterfly-themed dress and high heels, approaches them. Her appearance and warm aura are a stark contrast to the typically formal atmosphere of the building. The woman wears a large pearl necklace and matching earrings, standing out from the sea of suit-clad individuals.

"Oh my little baby angel Jackie. Are you not feeling well, my little prince?" she coos, her voice incredibly sweet and endearing. Y/N can't help but smile at the woman's affectionate words.

“My tummy hurts, Aunt Penny,” Jack replies and rushes forward to hug her.

Penelope looks up at Y/N, her expression grateful. "Hi, thank you so much for driving him here."

Y/N smiles and extends her hand. "Hi, Agent Garcia. Nice to meet you, and it was not a problem at all."

"Call me Penelope," she insists warmly. "Come, I'll bring you two to Aaron's office. Jack can lay down there."

Aaron's office is just as Y/N had imagined. Piles of paperwork clutter the desk, surrounded by an array of impressive-looking plaques and sports trophies displayed on the shelves. The room carries an air of professionalism, yet personal touches are evident. Y/N notices several pictures of Jack placed around the office—a baby picture, a recent one, and one with his late wife. The photo of Aaron's wife stands out; she looks radiant, and it's evident where Jack inherited his blond hair from.

As Jack lays down on the couch, he quickly drifts off to sleep. Penelope gestures to an empty chair. "Please, have a seat," she offers with a warm smile.

“So you're the Ms. Y/L/N that Jack talks about all the time?" Penelope smiles warmly, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

"That would be me," Y/N replies, returning the smile.

"Now I know why he adores you," Penelope continues, her tone carrying a mix of admiration and appreciation. "You truly care about your students. Not many people would have gone out of their way to drop him off like this."

Y/N glances at the peacefully sleeping Jack and responds, "Thank you for saying that. It means a lot."

Penelope's expression softens as she looks at Y/N. "It's not just about saying it. It's obvious you're a wonderful teacher."

The two women share a moment of mutual understanding before Penelope breaks the silence. "I managed to get a hold of Jess. She's in a conference but will be here in a couple of hours. There seems to have been some miscommunication between her and Aaron. She thought he was picking Jack up today."

"That's good to hear. And what about Aar-... Mr. Hotchner?" Y/N clears her throat, changing her wording at the last moment to avoid using his first name in front of Penelope. She doesn't want to give the wrong impression.

Penelope notices the switch but doesn't comment on it. "The team is on an operation right now, but one of our agents, Agent Jareau, knows what's going on. She'll pass the message on to Hotch as soon as possible."

“Will he be alright?”, Y/N finds herself asking without thinking, "I mean, will the team be alright? They have such a dangerous job. It must be really worrisome waiting for them back here." She blushes a little, embarrassed by her rambling.

Penelope smiles warmly at Y/N's concern. "You're absolutely right. It's not an easy job, and we do worry about them. But they're a strong team, and they look out for each other."

Y/N nods, appreciating Penelope's reassurance. "It must take a lot of courage to do what you guys do."

Penelope's expression grows serious for a moment. "It does, but it's all about making a difference, keeping people safe, and kicking bad guys asses.", she laughs.

As they chat, Y/N begins to feel more at ease in Penelope's company. The initial tension she felt when she entered the building has faded, and Penelope's friendly nature helps her relax.

Jack stirs on the couch, letting out a small sigh in his sleep, and both women glance over at him. "He looks so peaceful," Y/N comments softly.

Penelope nods with a smile. "He's in good hands here. We'll take care of him until Jess arrives."

Y/N's gratitude shines through in her eyes. "Thank you, Penelope. I really appreciate your help and it was really nice to meet you."

Penelope waves it off. "No problem at all. That's what we're here for and I'm glad that I finally met Jack's favorite teacher."

With that, Y/N says her final goodbyes to Penelope and drives home.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

In Indiana, the team returns to the police station after their first unsuccessful attempt to catch the unsub. The tension from the case hangs heavily in the air, mixing with their exhaustion as they re-enter the familiar surroundings of the bullpen. Despite their collective fatigue, their sense of duty remains strong.

J.J. approaches Aaron with a mixture of concern and urgency etched across her face. She's the bearer of news, and as she delivers her message, Aaron's eyebrows furrow, his worry etched into the lines on his forehead.

"Is he alright?" Aaron's voice carries an undertone of concern, his thoughts immediately shifting to his son's well-being. The mere thought of his son not feeling well triggers an instinctive sense of protectiveness.

JJ reassures him, "Penelope says he has a little fever, but Jess will be there shortly to pick him up. He's sleeping in your office."

Aaron's concern deepens as he processes the information. "In my office? Why is he there?"

JJ's explanation brings some clarity. "Jessica was at a conference, but she's on her way now. She mentioned that she told you, but you might've forgotten."

The realization hits him, and he curses softly under his breath. The whirlwind of the case had momentarily overshadowed his responsibilities as a father. His worry for Jack mixes with a hint of self-criticism for not being more vigilant about his son's situation. His colleagues exchange knowing glances. The team is used to Aaron's dedication to his work, but they also recognize his deep attachment to his son. Despite his frustration, Aaron manages to maintain a composed exterior, even as his worry for Jack continues to chew at him from the inside.

A frustrated sigh escapes Aaron's lips, and he mutters, "Did Penny pick him up?"

JJ shakes her head gently. "No, Ms. Y/L/N, Jack's teacher, actually brought him in. She contacted Garcia, and while Garcia was ready to send someone to pick him up, Y/N decided to drive him herself."

Aaron's surprise is evident in his raised eyebrows. "Y/N? She took care of Jack?"

JJ confirms with a nod. "Yeah, apparently she's been really helpful and genuinely concerned about Jack."

Aaron's heart warms at the thought. He hadn't anticipated that Y/N would step in to help, and the gratitude he feels is undeniable. "I should thank her," he states with determination.

JJ smiles at him supportively. "I'm sure she'd appreciate that."

As they talk, Aaron's thoughts are divided between the current case and the unexpected kindness Y/N has shown to his son. He finds himself admiring her more with each passing moment, and despite the stress of their work, there's a glimmer of hope in his heart. He's beginning to see that there might be something more to their interactions, something beyond just chance meetings.

As he listens to her voice message and reads her email, a mixture of emotions swirl within Aaron. Gratitude, surprise, and a growing fondness for Y/N all mingle together, creating a unique warmth in his chest. He contemplates reaching out to her, wanting to express his appreciation, but a sense of hesitation holds him back.

He hovers over his phone, considering calling her, but then decides against it. He realizes that a call might not be entirely appropriate. Instead, he starts typing an email, carefully crafting words that convey his gratitude. But even as he types, he pauses and deletes what he wrote. A simple email doesn't feel like enough.

Closing his laptop, Aaron makes up his mind. He wants to thank Y/N in person, to show her how deeply he values her kindness toward Jack. The idea of seeing her again stirs a mixture of excitement and nervousness within him. He's determined to let her know how much her actions mean to him, face-to-face.

The night stretches on, filled with tense moments as they close in on the unsub. Finally, after hours of hard work, the case is resolved, and Aaron and the team catche their flight back home. Throughout the flight, he's anxious to return to his son, knowing that he's been through a challenging day himself.

Once back, exhaustion tugs at him, but his first priority is Jack. He quietly enters his son's room, relieved to find him sleeping soundly and no longer feverish. He gently touches Jack's forehead, a small smile forming on his lips as he watches the peaceful rise and fall of his chest.

After changing into more comfortable clothes, Aaron's thoughts turn to Y/N. He wants to express his gratitude and also, he must admit to himself, he's eager to see her again. Taking a moment to compose an email, he sends a short message, a request for a conversation.

Now in his pajamas, he walks back to Jack's room and crawls into bed with him, holding him close. His mind is filled with thoughts of Y/N, the events of the past few days swirling in his head. As he lies there, his mind replays their conversations, her kind gestures, and the way she cared for Jack. The feeling of connection and warmth he felt when he saw her smiling face flashes vividly in his mind, leaving a lingering sensation that he can't quite shake. It's a feeling that intertwines with the tenderness he feels for Jack, creating a sense of contentment that lulls him into a peaceful sleep.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

Y/N woke up to Aaron's email, and a pit formes in her stomach. His simple question, "Are you available for a chat today?" left her feeling slightly uneasy. She had expected a message from him, maybe a thank you, but the tone of this email made her worry a little. She began to overthink – had she overstepped by driving Jack herself? She types a response, suggesting they could meet in her classroom after school around 4 pm.

As expected, Jack isn't at school today, and she hopes that he's feeling better. Y/N has a busy day at school, but she can't shake the anxious feeling in her chest throughout the day, hoping that Aaron isn't angry at her. When her last student is picked up, she tidies up her classroom a bit as she waits for Aaron to arrive. Feeling a bit suffocated, she opens a couple of windows to let in fresh air. Just then, a soft knock on the classroom door catches her attention.

"Hi Aaron, come in," she says, offering him a little nervous smile.

"Hi," he says, shaking her hand. "It's good to see you again."

"Likewise. Please, sit down," she offers him the chair in front of her table. He sits down and places the big paper bag he had with him on the ground in front of his feet. She takes a seat as well.

"Aaron, I..." she starts, her nerves getting the best of her. "So I..." They both start talking at the same time, letting out a little giggle. Aaron gestures for her to go first.

She takes a deep breath. "Aaron, I'm sorry if I overstepped," she begins nervously, her words tumbling out. "I just wanted to make sure everything was okay with Jack. I didn't want to send him off with a stranger, especially when he wasn't feeling well. I'm sorry."

He gently grabs her hand, which is on the table, and squeezes it tight but tenderly. "Woah, woah, woah. Why are you apologizing for taking care of him?"

"You're not angry?" she asks, her eyebrows furrowing in concern.

"No! Why would I be angry at you for being an amazing person?" he answers sincerely, his thumb mindlessly caressing the back of her hand.

Their hands remain intertwined for a moment longer than necessary, and the air between them is charged with unspoken emotions. As they continue to talk, the initial nervousness fades away, replaced by a sense of ease and comfort. The genuine connection they've been building grows stronger with every exchanged word, promising the potential for something more.

Aaron's gaze is unwavering as he looks at Y/N, his eyes revealing a vulnerability he rarely shows. "I need you to know something," he begins, his voice soft but firm. "Being a parent is... it's a challenge, especially on my own. I'm always concerned, always worried about Jack. I want to be there for him, to protect him, but I can't always be. Knowing that there's someone like you, someone who genuinely cares and looks out for him, it... it means the world to me."

Y/N listens to his words, her heart swelling with understanding and compassion. She can see the weight he carries as a single parent, the responsibility he feels for his son. And in his vulnerability, she sees a side of Aaron that touches her deeply.

"I'm so thankful, Y/N," he continues, his voice gentle but filled with sincerity. "For what you did yesterday, and for being a constant presence in his life at school. It eases my mind, even in the midst of all the chaos I deal with at work."

Her eyes meet his, and the tenderness in his gaze resonates with her. Their hands, still entwined, convey a sense of connection that goes beyond words. The touch feels comforting and reassuring, a silent acknowledgment of the bond they've formed in such a short time.

They sit in that moment, a mixture of vulnerability and appreciation flowing between them. The weight of his words hangs in the air, and she can feel his emotions as if they were her own. As the seconds pass, neither of them makes a move to release their grasp. It's as if they're holding onto something precious, something that has the potential to change the course of their lives.

And as they continue to talk, their eyes locked, and their hands held, they both know that this connection, this understanding, is something worth exploring further.

"This is for you," Aaron says, placing the paper bag in front of her.

"Oh, you didn't really have to," she responds, her excitement evident as she opens the bag. With anticipation, she pulls out a pink bakery box and lifts the lid. Inside, she finds an array of delicious-looking cupcakes, instantly bringing back memories of the night they first met and shared treats.

"They may not be as good as yours," he adds with a smile.

She turns the open box towards him and suggests, "Have one with me," accompanied by a big smile.

Their conversation flows effortlessly, a mix of sincere moments and playful exchanges. With each passing minute, their connection deepens, and it becomes evident that the chemistry between them isn't just a fleeting attraction. There's something more substantial, something that has the potential to grow into a meaningful bond.

As the afternoon light begins to fade, Aaron finally stands up, a reluctant expression on his face. "I should probably let you get back to your evening."

Y/N nods, a touch of disappointment in her eyes. "Yeah, it's been a long day. And you should go back to Jack."

They both stand up, and he thanks her again, shaking her hand with a goodbye.

"I’ll see you around," she says, but it sounds more like a question than a statement.

"Definitely," he promises and lets go of her hand, immediately feeling the emptiness and loss of her warmth.

He turns around to walk away, but something inside him pulls him back to her with a force that’s almost suffocating. He swiftly turns around, not even sure what he wants to say, but he's surprised when she is right behind him, following him to the door. He bumps into her, and she stumbles, but his hands immediately find her waist to steady her.

Suddenly their faces are so close, their breaths mingling in the charged space between them. The weight of their unspoken emotions hangs heavy in the air, creating an intoxicating tension. Y/N's gaze drifts up to meet Aaron's, and for a moment, the world seems to fade away, leaving only the two of them standing there. Her eyes flicker down to his lips, and in that instant, Aaron's own gaze follows hers. Their desire hovers on the precipice, ready to tip them over, but both of them hold back, their restraint only adding to the intensity of the moment.

Their eyes lock again, the electricity between them crackling like a live wire. The temptation to close the gap is overwhelming, but something keeps them rooted in place. It's as if the universe itself is holding its breath, waiting to see if they'll succumb to the pull between them.

Their hearts pound in rhythm, the tension between them a symphony of longing and uncertainty. Y/N's fingers tighten their hold on Aaron's biceps, a silent plea for him to bridge the gap that separates them. Aaron's eyes search hers, his own breath hitching as he feels her touch. He inhales deeply, his warm breath mingling with hers, bringing them impossibly closer.

With a feather-light touch, he cups her face, his thumb caressing her cheek in a gentle, hypnotic motion. The world around them seems to melt away as his hand guides her head, their noses brushing against each other. Y/N's lips part slightly as she exhales, her anticipation almost tangible. Every nerve in her body is alight, her senses attuned to the electric charge that fills the space between them. It's a dance of restraint and longing, a battle of wills and unspoken confessions. And in that charged moment, time seems to stretch, granting them a suspended eternity where the weight of their emotions hangs heavy in the air.

Their lips are a mere millimeter away from that long-awaited connection when a sudden, loud clatter from the corridor shatters the fragile bubble of tension they had woven around themselves. The abrupt intrusion jolts them back to reality, their bodies tensing as the spell is broken.

As the echoes of the noise fade, they find themselves standing apart once more, heavy breaths mingling with the suspended atmosphere. Their eyes lock for a brief, intense moment, both realizing how close they had come to crossing a line they might not have been ready to confront. Unspoken emotions swirl in the space between them, a complex mixture of longing, attraction, and the realization of consequences.

Aaron's gaze flickers away from Y/N's, his expression a mix of turmoil and restraint. He clears his throat, the words hanging unspoken for a heartbeat before he finally speaks, his voice tinged with a trace of regret. "I should... go."

Without waiting for a response, he turns and strides toward the door, his steps purposeful and quick. The classroom door closes behind him with a soft click, leaving Y/N standing alone in the dimming light, her chest heaving with the weight of the moment that had just passed between them.

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𝕋𝕒𝕘 𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕥: @mrs-ssa-hotch @aaronhotchswife @aaronhotchner135 @lambsheepsheeping @teenagegoateecollectorposts @hmett20 @callm3c0nfus3d @superskittles tags don't work if your blog is private

[billys-pretty-babe]

Mr Stole Your Girl

Pairing : Billy Hargrove x Fem!Reader

Summary : Nearly 2 weeks after you drunkenly confessed your feelings for your best friend, your boyfriend had found out and the two of you broke up. Now, you're finally Billy's girl.

Warnings : Swearing, infidelity accusations, Billy is competitive

Word count : 1, 230

A/N : Part 2 of Mr Steal Your Girl. There's a time skip, but it's labeled!

"It's because of him isn't it," Chris asked you, eyes studying yours. "No, it's not. I feel like we're not a good fit. I'm a partier, you're not and that's okay." He nodded, still not believing you. "Okay, yeah, I understand." You nodded before leaving his house and sighing, thinking about what you'd do next.

Somehow you ended up on Cherry Lane, car parked right behind the Camaro. You didn't see Neil's truck and decided to round the house to Billy's window as you knocked. His curtains moved, the cherry on his cigarette burning and he smiled around it and unlocked his window.

"Boyfriend letting you come over? How nice of him to share custody." You flicked him off and climbed through his window. "We broke up, thank you very much." His smile fell, "Wait, what?" His heart raced, his stomach lurching slightly but his soul danced on the inside, couple hip thrusts here and there at the news.

You nodded, "I just felt like we were too different plus I lost feelings about two months ago." He winced, "Damn." You nodded, trying to insinuate that you were talking about the night that you told him you'd kiss him. He rubbed the cherry of his cigarette in the ash tray as he pushed his hair back. "Why'd you lose feelings? You seemed like you liked him a lot." You nodded, "I did but I also realized I was in love with someone." His heart stopped and shattered, a gaping hole now in it's place.

"Oh." You nodded. "Are you gonna tell the guy?" You looked at Billy, "I've been trying to give him signals since I showed up to his house but I think all the nicotine has gotten to his head." He looked at you, blinking slowly, trying to comprehend what you were saying. "Say it then." You looked at him and smiled, "I'm in love with you." He smiled, a genuine, smile with teeth.

"Glad the feeling's reciprocated. Swear I fucking fell in love with you when Carol introduced us."

That was three months ago and Billy was everything you could ever want and more especially now that the two of you didn't have the energy to hide your relationship anymore. He was still your flirty best friend but now he could kiss you without crossing a line.

Now

You talked to Carol at your locker, Billy's keys in hand as you waited for him. You knew he was trying to be sneaky but Tommy made it impossible and you laughed, "I know you're there, B." He sighed, "Damn it," he said in your ear, making you jump considering you didn't know how close he had truly gotten to you.

He smacked a fat, wet kiss to your cheek and you laughed, "Gross." He gasped jokingly, "Gross? Says the one that has a spi-" you cut him off by putting your hand over his mouth as he nipped and licked at your palm. "You're like a rabid dog, stop it." He bit you harder and laughed as soon as he was free.

Three lockers away from you slammed shut and the four of you looked over as Chris made eye contact with you, shaking his head and Billy snickered in your ear. "Someone pissed in his Cheerios." You hushed him. "Stop, he's just upset." He hummed and nodded. "I'll see you later, okay?" You nodded and quickly pecked his lips and he hummed, "Maybe I can skip practice." You shook your head. "No you can't. You said yourself that you suck." He scoffed and you laughed.

"Go." He nodded and walked with Tommy and Carol wolf-whistled and Tommy turned around and winked at her. You and Carol went outside to Billy's car and you turned his radio on, having to kill time.

Billy walked into the locker room as Chris shoulder checked him and Tommy looked at Chris. "The fuck?" Chris looked at Tommy. "Oops." Billy hummed, biting his cheek. "So, you guys fucked huh?" Billy looked down slightly, Chris being a few inches shorter than him. "That's none of your business." Chris laughed, "Man, I had a feeling something was going on with you two especially after I saw that Polaroid of all of you at that party, the way you were groping her made me think a little." Tommy scoffed, "He didn't fuck her while you were together." Chris hummed, "Sure, I'll believe it for now," he said as he left the locker room and went to the court.

"Bat shit, I tell you, man," Tommy said as he and Billy walked to their lockers. "He's bat shit because he lost her. Fuck, I'd be bat shit too." Tommy laughed, "You already are." Billy mocked Tommy's laugh and hit the back of his head before changing and going to the court. An hour passed and Billy and Tommy walked to the Camaro and he opened the driver door, "Out, you can't drive for shit." You mocked him and he laughed, gently swatting your ass when your back faced him.

Tommy and Carol bid the two of you farewell and Billy began driving the two of you to your house. You two bound up the stairs and he immediately laid on your bed and you wrinkled your nose, "Are you still sweaty?" He shook his head, "Showered at the school." You nodded and laid beside him and he hummed as you wrapped your arm around his chest.

You immediately removed it, hand going to his jaw and you turned his face and he winced, knowing you found the bruise. "What happened?" He bit his tongue gently, "Got into a little scuffle, nothing to worry about." You looked at him, "With who?" You knew who, they had been going at each other for months, even before you and Billy began dating.

He sighed, "It's not a big deal. It doesn't hurt, just a little bruise, fucked punches like a bitch anyways." You ran your thumb over the bruise and he winced, "Sure seems like it hurts." He looked at you, taking your hand off of his face, "Hurts because it's fresh, it'll be fine in a few hours. He kept saying I fucked you when you guys were together." You sighed, "Just ignore it, we know that we didn't." He nodded.

"But fuck, I sure wanted to kiss you that night." You laughed, "I did too, thankfully I didn't." You both laughed and he pulled you closer to him. "We can kiss now," he said as his face got closer to yours, "and no one would have to know, our little secret."

You laughed and pressed your lips to his and he hummed and held the back of your head as he slowly sat the two of you up, his lips slightly chapped against yours, his teeth nipping at your bottom lip occasionally as he held you as close as he could because this would never be close enough for him, he physically needed to be sewed to you, he was greedy like that, always needing you beside him, your skin on his to calm him.

The next day when Tommy saw the two of you, he laughed and dapped up Billy before calling him something that made the two of you laugh, "Morning Mister Steal Your Girl." The four of you laughed before going about your day.

[undreaming-fanfiction]

Sorry for being gone for so long, I haven't been feeling great both physically and mentally, so that was awesome...anyway:

Look, Eddie wasn't that picky when it came to companions. He wasn't much of a catch either - as a bard, it was already expected of him to cause chaos, but with his choice of songs, the result was less of a bardic inspiration and more of a "turn everyone against each other" or "make everyone extremely horny". Which...actually worked when they needed to avoid combat, but by ancient gods, he didn't need to see that group of orcs going at it.

Anyways. Eddie wasn't picky, but Steven Harrington was becoming a bit too much for him.

First: he was a rich kid. Eddie was a proud trash raised in a cottage that barely held together and he had no patience for people who never washed their own laundry (not that Eddie did, well, not too often, but still).

Second: he was effortlessly handsome. Annoyingly handsome. Bad hair day? Steven fucking Harrington didn't know those. His moles were placed in perfect places. Eddie had nearly invisible freckles and his only moles were - embarrassingly enough - near his groin and if you squinted hard enough, looked like a daisy petal. So uncool. But uncool was a word Steven Harrington apparently lacked in his vocabulary.

And third...this. Just...all of this.

Eddie didn't want to think of himself as a prejudiced person, he really didn't. But there were two things he didn't like in this world: lawyers and necromancers.

And Steven somehow managed to blend both of those into a horrible combination that just. Fucking. Worked.

Eddie was strumming on his lute and watched Steven open a bag full of old bones, yet another unlucky trader, adventurer or whoever had died in the woods before them. He placed them carefully on the ground, arranging them - admirable knowledge of anatomy, Eddie would give him that - and muttered an incantation. Green light, weird whooshing, some sparkles, yadda yadda and the skeleton reassembled itself. It sat in front of Steven and they started working in hushed tones over a pre-prepared contract. Eddie could only make out phrases as "a work opportunity," "being dead must be boring," "do you have any family that could use a percentage of the spoils from this quest" and the best of all, "no pressure, if you'd rather be left alone, just say the word." From what Eddie had seen in last few weeks, very few of them did say the word, and if they did, Steven would honor his word and bury their remains where they desired.

It was a really decent thing to do and Eddie hated himself for even admitting it.

One discussion about details ("do you want to be only reassembled when needed or would you like to accompany us the whole time?") and a bony signature later, Steven carefully stuffed the newest party helper (Arthur, Steven made sure to remember all of their names, another fucking decent thing!) in the bag and stretched himself next to the fire.

Eddie couldn't help but glare. That fucking guy. Built like a fighter from carrying half of a cemetery on his back, pretty, rich and for some reason also awfully nice and moral. Eddie wanted to barf.

"You know," smiled Steven and Eddie's traitorous stomach did a triple flip with a botched landing, "I love seeing you like this. Calm. Strumming those slow melodies. You look really pretty, too." He laughed to himself and turned onto his back, staring at the stars. "Well, you look really pretty all the time, especially when you're trying not to be bitchy, but these times you look the prettiest."

Eddie almost dropped the lute. Almost swallowed his own tongue as well. "Are you trying to kill me, Harrington?" he sputtered. "Don't you have enough to resurrect?"

Steven just shook his head, smirking. "That's a thought. But no. Breach of ethics - I'm pretty sure killing someone to resurrect them wouldn't make them want to join me. Plus, I was thinking less of a "fight for me" and more like "fuck me, possibly date me" - interested?"

Eddie stared at him with large eyes, moving his lips without any sound. "Uh...well, sounds good to me," he said, not very intelligently, but his brain was chanting kiss those moles pull that hair shut him up kiss him like right now maybe. "Do you...have a contract for that?"

Grinning, Steven - no, Steve, he asked to be called that several times and maybe this was the right time to give in to his wish - pulled Eddie to the ground with him. "For you? I'm sure I can draft something."

When Gareth, Robin and Chrissy arrived back from their supply run the next morning, they found Eddie and Steve curled against each other, fully clothed but very obviously satisfied. Robin just snickered and whispered to Steve that she wanted details, all the dirty, sticky and scandalous details, but Gareth just rolled his eyes. "And here I thought you disliked the guy when you said "Fuck him," he nudged Eddie as he unpacked healing potions.

Eddie closed his eyes and hummed a new melody that came to him with Steve's touches and gentle words. "It was open for interpretation," he laughed and reached for his lute.