#Last night as I was putting myself together for the charity dinner I felt like I was dressing up a doll. FULL out-of-body barbie vibes

[oscargender]

to knowis to be loved and to be known is to b eloved. I want transgender friends who will know me and love me in a way that cis people usually do not

[inriospocket]

last request for now i promise! i love the idea of y/n as rio’s girlfriend meeting his family for the first time officially as his girl after he feels like she’s the one. she encounters nick and he ends up asking rio if she could be his plus at a charity benefit and rio’s just like “nah.” and then nick says “always taking what i want” which is what i think he says in the scene while they’re eating in the bar? SO NOW as the family trying

*ask continued* to eat, make small talk, and find out how in the hell rio could have landed home girl, he’s hella protectively jealous now especially since his girl and brother/cousin whatever tf is having a charming conversation and rio’s just seething 🙃. also the idea of this moment seeping into a few days of rio only being cordial with her and keeping her at bay /being assertive to her @ work intrigues me especially if either nick stops by their shared home since he knows it’ll get on rio nerves/or he catches y/n trying out dresses with the notion of attending this event with nick bc she doesn’t underdtand the big deal (+she likes when rio’s possessive but obvi not like this?) and rio’s mad mad but not at her😅. feel free to do whatever you’d like with this. it mostly sounds like angst and possessiveness so can you mush everything together if it’s easier for you.

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❀❤ enjoy!!

word count ♡ 1,237

summary ♡ Rio finally takes reader to meet his family but tensions rise as Nick invites reader to a charity benefit.

warnings: possessiveness, aggressive behavior, fighting

situation ♡ angsty

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You could already see how tight-knit his family was when you and Rio both walked into his grandma’s house. So much laughter and shared conversations. It eased your nervousness until they started staring once you walked in.

You started to feel a bit insecure but Rio knew they were just staring at how beautiful you were. As cocky as he was, even a little part of him wondered how he got you.

“Close your mouths before flies get in!” You heard an older woman coming from the kitchen. You saw the resemblance between her and Rio and figured this was his grandma.

You smiled when she first came up to Rio and kissed his cheek before hugging you next. “You must be Y/N. It’s so nice to meet you, carino.”She smiled.

“Likewise.” You hugged her back.

Before sitting down for dinner, Rio introduced you to everyone individually, letting you get comfortable.

You started to connect all the characteristics that Rio had to his family. There was a lot of subtle influences but you finally figured out why Rio was the way he was.

Nick.

“You’re not going to introduce me?” Nick asked Rio, smiling towards you. You could feel the tension coming from Rio.

“Y/N, Nick. My cousin.” He said, reaching for the bowl with the rice.

“Brother.” He corrected, giving him a cold stare.

“Cousin.” Rio corrected again, dumping a ladle full of rice on your plate.

“Nice to meet you.” You said, trying to ignore the quiet battle between the two.

You continued answering questions that everyone had for you. What you did, where you met, etcetera.

“Oh, you’re a councilman.” You said to Nick after he was discussing a city issue that no one could seem to solve.

“I am.” He said, noticing your intrigue. You started to engage yourself in the conversation, giving pointers on the issue that no one had thought of yet.

Rio was proud that you had so much knowledge and insight about every topic but he knew Nick and this conversation made him seethe. He hated that everything he had, whoever he had, Nick always wanted it.

“I like this one, Rio,” Nick laughed.

Rio narrowed his eyes at him. “Yeah, I do too.” He said and you could feel the tension rising again.

“Say, Y/N. There’s a charity benefit next weekend. Why don’t you come?” Nick asked. He was charming, you noticed. Too charming and you realized that there was an underlying evil lurking.

“Oh, um...” You didn’t know what to say. You were so taken aback that he would make a subtle pass at you in front of Rio.

“Always want what I have, huh?” Rio pursed his lips. You saw Rio’s grandma shake her head subtly.

“Always get it too.” Nick smiled.

The next couple of days following and you noticed Rio distancing himself from you but also being unusually possessive.

“Rio, it’s just a benefit. Your grandma even asked if we were going to be there.” You said, placing the call on speaker while you tried on another dress.

“I’m not going to that shit and you aren’t either.” He said, his tone letting you know how serious he was.

You rolled your eyes. “What’s up with you? Your grandma’s expecting us so we’re going Rio.” You said showing him that you can be serious.

“I’m not going to say it again.” He said, getting more upset.

“You’re not my dad, Rio.” You shook your head as he laughed in response.

“That’s not what you were saying the other night.” You could hear his smirk through the phone and kissed your teeth.

“I’ll see you when you get home.” You said before ending the call.

You examined the dress in the mirror and decided to just take it off but before you could, you heard a knock at the door.

You hurried to open it and was taken aback to see Nick standing there. He made a quick glance at the way the dress hugged you before you said something.

“What are you doing here?” You asked.

You noticed how Rio’s smirk was not just a him thing. It ran in the family and also meant that Nick was up to no good.

“Just picking up a package.” He said as he invited himself in, scanning the room around you.

“Oh, well Rio isn’t home right now.” You said, closing the door behind him.

He didn’t seem to mind waiting and you started to wonder what his ulterior motive was. “Oh, the issue we were discussing the other night. What you said surprisingly worked.” He told you.

You smiled proudly and you were just about to say something before you heard the door open indicating Rio was home.

You felt the tension in the room similar to the other day. Rio hid it as much as he could but he wanted so badly to put his hands on Nick. His house, his girlfriend. Everything sacred to him belonged here and Nick still found a way to weasel in.

You told Rio he was here to pick up a package.

“I told you I would give it to you myself." Rio said, dropping his keys. “Well, I was in the neighborhood.” He smiled.

"Your business is on the other side of town.” He said, not buying his story. “Like I said, I’ll give you the package.” He said, emphasizing that it was time for him to go.

Nick laughed to himself and walked to the door to leave. He turned towards you.

“You should go with the red.” He said, hinting towards one of the dresses you tried on. You already saw it coming but you were too far away to stop it.

You flinched once you saw the punch landing on Nick’s jaw.

“Rio!” You called before Nick threw a punch back near his eye. You contemplated how you were going to try to stop their fighting.

You knew it was a possibility of you getting hurt but you tried your best to put your body between them to stop their fists.

“Stop now! Stop!” You yelled, trying to push Rio away. Luckily, they had enough self-control to make sure they wouldn’t hit you and stopped.

“Nick, leave.” You told him. He shook his head while holding his jaw.

“You’re gonna regret that.” He said once more before he left for good.

You pushed Rio, visibly upset with him. “What’s wrong with you?!” You yelled again.

“Y/N, Nick is not trying to hear your opinions on gun control. Dude’s showing up to my crib knowing I’m not home, trying to get you to some charity benefit because he wants you.” He explained, wincing at the soreness in his face.

“I don’t see the big deal.” You said and walked to the freezer to get an ice pack.

“I know you ain’t slow, Y/N.” He said feeling like you weren’t even listening.

You walked back over to him and held the ice to his face, holding it there. “I don’t see how it’s a big deal when you and I both know he can’t have me. You’re so wrapped up in your head that you don’t even realize he’s already succeeding in pissing you off.” You said.

You could see Rio’s defeat. “Yeah, exactly. Look at you.” You rolled your eyes at his blackening eye.

“Sounds like you might be the slow one, dumbass.” You laughed.

[rwprincess]

Head Over Feet (Brian Johnson x Fem!Reader)

Masterlist

Word Count: 4.8k

Synopsis: What’s that sound? It’s another anachronistic Brian Johnson songfic! (Based on Alanis Morissette’s Head Over Feet) You’re one of Bender’s trash-punk friends and things change drastically when he brings the scrawny brain from detention with him to meet you all. Set up in snippets, your relationship develops with Brian, even if you weren’t really looking for a relationship.

CW: Teenage smoking (including reader), swearing, parental abuse (being being kicked out), sexism, angst and fluff

“This is Johnson,” Bender indicated the boy he brought along to your group’s spot under the bleachers.

“Brian, please.” The kid corrected. You eyed the gangly youth from top to bottom; in his sweater over a crisply-ironed collared shirt and khakis, he definitely didn’t fit in here with you all. You’d be called grungy punks at best. You didn’t think any of you even owned an iron and crisp definitely wasn’t your style. You blew out a puff of smoke, exhaling the nicotine from your lungs and shifted your gaze to Bender, wondering what he was at with this. He wasn’t the best guy, but pranking this preppy little nerd by bringing him down to your hangout? That seemed beneath him.

“You, uh, running some kinda charity here, Bender? We’re not exactly Make-A-Wish material, kid.” Scorch told the blonde dweeb and you snorted at the thought.

“Shut the fuck up,” was all Bender said in response. The rest of the twenty minutes of Brian Johnson standing there was of course, incredibly awkward and it was clear to everyone that he didn’t fit in. But that didn’t stop him from coming back a week later. And again a few days after that. And again and again until, well, that dork had grown on the lot of you. While he didn’t partake in cigarette smoking like most of you, he did take Bender up on his weed on several occasions and was actually really funny while high. He did weirdly spot-on impressions and had a sense of humor that none of your group had anticipated.

And, as much as you would vehemently deny it, you liked him when he was sober, too. He was incredibly smart and helpful and while his jokes were different without marijuana in his system, he could be amusing. That first awkward encounter was back in March, maybe April. But now you spent time with him without the convenience of school pulling you together. Now it was June and you sought to spend time with him, even without the group. Tonight, you were laying in a field not far from the high school, just the two of you. You liked to listen to him ramble on about the constellations and the myths about why they were named as they were. You remembered liking that as a kid, but you didn’t remember most of the stories. You knew you could ask him questions about the actual stars, too. Like, the science of it, and he would know. But you’d rather let him ramble and tackle one subject at a time. Even though he focused more on science and math, he was a pretty good storyteller, and right now that provided you with more of an escape than talking about the chemical composition of a star. When he finished his retelling of Ursa Minor’s story, however, he remained silent and didn’t start up a new piece of lore. After a moment, you looked at him to see what the hold up was, but you just caught his eye as his gaze was already fixed on you. Your heart started pounding in your chest because you knew what was coming.

“You know, we could go on an actual date some time.” Brian suggested, breaking the silence. You closed your eyes, almost wincing at the words. He was generally more subtle than this, but the same idea had been brought up before. It wasn’t that you didn’t like Brian. In general, you did, and in the honest depths of your soul, it was as more than a friend. But, every time it came down to this subject, you panicked. You had never been serious with anyone and the thought of dating was completely foreign to you. You had messed around with some guys before but you never had feelings for them. You didn’t know how to depend on another person, to have an actual relationship with them.

I had no choice but to hear you

You stated your case time and again

I thought about it

You sighed, your eyes still closed. You didn’t know what to tell him. Before, he always left it as more of a hint and it was easier to dodge. Now he was just coming out and saying it. Basically asking you out, so you would actually have to turn him down this time. The terrible thing was, you didn’t really want to. The conscious side of you wanted to agree and go out with him, on a proper date. But your subconscious kicked you into fight or flight mode and if you weren’t in the middle of a field, you might have picked flight and walked away. But that didn’t seem to be an option.

“Look, Johnson. It’s not that easy. Just...don’t waste your time on me.”

“I’m already wasting my time on you.” He pointed out, but when you took a peek at him, he didn’t seem upset about it. He was actually grinning about it. “We’re already wasting our time out here. Or at the library, or under the bleachers… So why not like, a movie theater or dinner, or my house?”

“Oh yeah, your mom would love having me around.” You joked, humorlessly. The smattering of times you had met Brian’s mother hadn’t gone swimmingly. You could read the derision in her voice and knew she did not approve of her good little baby hanging out with a ne’er-do-well like you.

“She’d come around. You’re different once someone actually gets to know you.” He meant it as a compliment, but you took it as your out.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” You leapt up, indignantly and he just gaped at you like a fish out of water.

“I didn’t mean anything bad by it, I swear!” He put his hands up defensively as you looked down at him. “Forget it, I’m sorry.” You had victory, he dropped the subject and your friendship could last another night and you could try to pretend like he wasn’t right, that you two weren’t meant to be something more.

*~~~~*

You treat me like I'm a princess

I'm not used to liking that

You ask how my day was

For the most part, working at Bert’s auto shop felt worthwhile and valuable. Other days, it chewed you up and spit you out. It was hard being in such a masculine environment and not fitting into that type. Customers (mostly men, but even the women too) thought that you were less knowledgeable and handy than your cohorts. Bender’s teasing didn’t help that image, either.

Now you slid into the booth at Gino’s pizzeria utterly deflated and defeated. Of course, Brian took notice right away. “Rough day?” He inquired, pushing a menu towards you even though he knew you ordered the same thing every time.

“That’s not even the half of it. Why does Bender hafta be such a dick all the time?!” You asked, incredulously but sincerely, diving right into your problem.

“I don’t know. I think he thinks it’s part of his charm? Maybe it is. I mean, we’re still friends with him.” You nodded at his point, but clenched your fists just the same.

“I just wish he knew when to back off sometimes. Like, he never realizes he’s taking it too far and digging you further into a shithole.”

“What did he do this time?” Brian’s gaze on you was unbroken; it made you feel important, like your opinion, your story, was the only thing that mattered.

“So we got this old guy in the shop today. Beautiful car, so of course he was hesitant with me touching it.” You began and his eyebrows furrowed, already not liking the direction this was going. “And I’m trying to prove myself worthy to work on this car, even though I would just be doing an oil change, which isn’t like a big deal anyway, right? Simple stuff.” You looked to him to get acknowledgement to move forward.

“I mean, I guess. I don’t really know about oil changes or anything about cars. But I know you do.”

“Right, so Bender has to go and make a crack to the old guy about how they won’t let me near it and I’m just the secretary for the shop or whatever. Just a total dick move. But of course the guy believed him and laughed with him and sent me to go get him a cup of coffee? I mean, what the hell is that?”

“That’s not right. And you wear a mechanic’s uniform at work, why would he think--?”

“Because macho man Bender told him I was! He was more believable than me.” You sank back and put a hand up to brace your forehead as the waitress approached the table. You prepared to order your drink when she set down exactly what you would have ordered in front of you and walked away, promising to come back in a few minutes. You blinked at the cup as if it magically had appeared.

“I uh, figured you’d get the usual and you’d need it when you got here, so I ordered for you. I hope that’s okay.” Brian said and then looked away, suddenly embarrassed by the idea. Since he wasn’t looking at you anyway, you allowed your lips to twitch up into a smile threatening to break out on your face...but only for a moment.

“Yeah, whatever. So anyway, Bender…” you carried on, pretending nothing happened, but secretly cataloguing his gesture in your memory.

*~~~~*

The only thing worse than arguing with Brian or him pissing you off was him making you laugh. There were times that you would go home with sore sides and itchy eyes from the tears that formed while laughing so hard. Then you would always, always reflect on the hours you just spent together, feeling the warmth and butterflies tickle your insides and a nervous heat would prickle your skin as you thought about how happy Brian made you. He never pushed you to do anything; he liked you the way you were. Sure, he would drop hints here and there about how you should stop smoking or give you advice when you had a particularly bad argument with one of your friends, but overall, he just accepted you. And you knew how hard that was to find.

You had never been popular and when junior high rolled around, you accepted that you never would be. You found your own little group of outcasts who understood what it was like to be kicked down time and again, and now he had somehow joined that group too. You knew he understood how it felt. Even though he looked different and came from a very different social circle, he had been looked down upon by his peers all his life. You were guilty of judging him the same way when you first met him, but now you couldn’t imagine life without him. He was cut of the same cloth and you could see yourself in him, which is why you just clicked. And he was so kind and so patient with you. You tried to push him away dozens of times, to put up the barriers and the walls that worked so well for everyone that came before him; you couldn’t be hurt if you never got attached. Where most people gave up and only saw the cold, distant bitch you gave them, Brian always saw something more. He didn’t give up in breaking down those walls, and even accepted just being your friend. That made you love him even more.

Shit, wait. Did you just think about loving Brian? A crush is one thing. Having a buddy to fool around with is one thing. Being in love was quite another.

You've already won me over in spite of me

Don't be alarmed if I fall head over feet

Don't be surprised if I love you for all that you are

I couldn't help it

It's all your fault

*~~~~*

Mercedes Johnson was all about keeping up appearances, but that didn’t mean you couldn’t hear her arguing with Brian on the other side of the door, about you. Again. You had known from the second you met her that she didn’t like you. She was instantly worried about the influence you’d have on her son; it was a common reaction from parents based on the way you looked and the company you kept. You would think you’d be used to it by now.

However, it truthfully bothered you more because this was Brian’s mother. You were hoping that she would be different and see the person underneath like her son had, or at the very least, that she would eventually warm up to you. You had no luck with either.

“I’m not comfortable with having her over at the house right now.” You could hear her tell Brian.

“She’s my friend, ma. Of course she’s going to come over--”

“I’m aware of that but you know I wish she weren’t. I would prefer that you keep the company of other friends.” The formality of her sentences while she was still cruelly putting you both down made you cringe.

“You don’t know her because you won’t give her a chance. She’s not that different from my other friends.”

“You have friends in the Physics Club, from Knowledge Bowl, Honor Students. You don’t need the association with a hoodlum like that or John Bender and I don’t know why you keep insisting on bringing them into my home when I have repeatedly told you no. I don’t want them around your sister, or even you!”

“Fine. Then we’ll leave.” You heard the door swing open harshly and Brian was motioning for you to follow him out of the house.

“Brian Ralph Johnson!” You heard his mother cry after the two of you. Brian held open the front door for you and you looked at him cautiously before rushing out. You knew you weren’t wanted there, but you were worried that he wouldn’t come with you. You were even more worried that he would. “You are not leaving this house.” Mercedes put on the most intimidating tone you had witnessed her use.

“No, I am. We are. I’ll see you later.”

“Don’t bother coming back tonight if you walk out of this house!” She was now pink-faced and losing all of the reserved, polished look you had seen her have. She had never been so...uncomposed.

“Don’t worry. I won’t.” Brian said and grabbed you by the elbow as he escorted you down the driveway to your car. He immediately got into the passenger seat and as you sunk behind the steering wheel, you glanced at him.

“Brian, this is stupid. You don’t have to---you shouldn’t do this.” The whole situation reminded you of the many times you had been kicked out of your house. This was just another home you weren’t welcome in.

He clenched his jaw in response. “Let’s just go. I’ll figure it out later. Please, just drive.”

Your love is thick and it swallowed me whole

You're so much braver than I gave you credit for

That's not lip service

“Your mom gave you a choice, you know. It’s not like she told you to get out. She actually told you not to leave.” You said as you both sat on the trunk of your car, looking out across the field that was slowly turning to a golden hue, both from the afternoon sun and the change into autumn. Neither of your houses were really an option to go to, so you just chose the empty field that you would look at stars in during the summer.

“It’s not like it was really a choice though, was it? I’m tired of her trying to control every part of my life. I need to start thinking for myself, doing things for myself. She needs to understand that I’m going to do what I want, and like who I want to like.” He looked at you meaningfully for a moment, but you looked away quickly. It was too heavy for you to process right now.

“That’s a big step. I’m really impressed with you for standing up for yourself.” You told him, and he gave you an appreciative, heart-stopping smile in return that caused your cheeks to flush. Your parents had shouted at you to leave so many times before, any time you were ‘inconvenient’ for them, that it was hard to relate to someone who chose not to stay. But you wanted to support him and you did feel proud of him today. You thought back to the most recent event in which you had been dismissed from your family, and how you had tried to take it out on Brian:

You slammed your locker and watched him almost jump out of his skin. “I don’t want to talk about this.” You growled at Brian.

“I understand that, but you need to. You can’t just--”

“Just what?”

“You can’t just act like nothing happened or run away from it...run away from here.” You had been disciplined at school yet again and your parents had had enough. You had a big fight with them the night prior and did not sleep in your own bed. The tiredness racked your body today and you were stiff from sleeping in your car. If it weren’t for the social aspect, you wouldn’t have bothered coming to school. But you quickly realized you weren’t in the mood to talk to anyone, and you were only making the situation worse.

“Like hell I can’t.” You stated, quickly turning to walk away.

“Y/N, don’t. Come on, talk to me. Tell me what happened. We can figure it out together.”

“There’s nothing to figure out, bucko. I’ll be fine. I’ll do this on my own. I’m used to that anyway.”

“But you don’t have to be alone, Y/N. That’s what I’m saying! That’s my whole point: I’m here for you!”

“I didn’t ask you to be, Brian.”

“No, because friends don’t have to ask.” His words scared you. Nobody had so adamantly offered to be a safety net to you before.

“Yeah,” you scoffed, “we’re great friends. We’ve bonded so much in the, what, four months you’ve known me?” You rolled your eyes, trying to make him feel uncomfortable, to drive a wedge between you. You only knew how to put up walls, how to run.

“You know we are.”

“Yeah, sure, right. Friends. Not like you want to sleep with me or anything.” You tried to drive another knife into him, to play it off like he was following you only because he had a crush on you, one you tried to pretend wasn’t reciprocated. “It’s not going to happen, Brian. So just accept that we’re not friends.”

He let you get about three steps away before you heard him say, “No. I know what you’re doing, and it’s not going to work. Sure, part of me wants something more, but...I care about you, Y/N. And if we can just be friends, I am happy with that, I swear. But don’t do this to me. Don’t try to shut me out or walk away or act like you’re fine. I know you well enough to know you’re not.” When you turned around, you could see that he had tears rimming his eyes, threatening to fall, which made your own tears spring up as well. “I am your friend. I’m not going to just let you go and do something stupid. You are going to talk about this. If not to me, then someone else. But you can’t just run away or sleep in your car or, or…”

“Okay.” You said, softly.

“Okay?”

“Fine, let’s talk about it. I screwed up again and my parents kicked me out. So what do I do?”

“Y/N, I’m so sorry. I...we’ll think of something.” He began to tell you, but you bit your lip and drowned him out in your own sobs. Everything crashed in on you at once; you hadn’t escaped in time. You slid down your locker wall and sat on the floor. Brian joined you and put his arm around you tentatively.

You are the bearer of unconditional things

You held your breath and the door for me

Thanks for your patience

After that day, you knew he wouldn’t let you go. You tried your best to brush him off, to hurt him, to land irreparable blows. But it was all in vain; he stuck by you. You admired how he stood up for you, for your relationship, whatever that meant. He didn’t back down, even though you knew he genuinely cared what you thought. He was willing to put everything on the line just to be with you, in whatever capacity you would allot him. And today, he had chosen you again. He had picked a fight with his mother and chosen you. He placed you above being safe and comfortable and at home right now.

“I’m sorry, this must seem so stupid to be complaining about. I know I don’t have it that bad, it’s just that--”

“No, your problems are valid, too. Your mom sucks.” You told him and he laughed, “But I would be lying if I said it wasn’t...weird to have someone be given the choice to stay instead of being yelled at to get out and that you’re worthless and---I’m sorry. I don’t mean to make this about me.” You said softly, looking down at your hands.

“No, I get it. It’s gotta be on your mind a lot, the uncertainty. Plus, I don’t mind talking about you.” He nudged your shoulder with his own, trying to be playful but you knew he meant that. He always put you first. You couldn’t help your next impulse as your hand shot up to cup his face and you leaned in and kissed him roughly. You weren’t entirely sure why you had done it. It would probably change everything and you couldn’t tell if you were doing it selfishly to feel like someone cared or to keep him around or because you truly wanted to. Of course, he kissed you back, and the feeling it gave you pushed a lot of those doubts from your mind.

You're the best listener that I've ever met

You're my best friend

Best friend with benefits

What took me so long?

*~~~~*

The kiss in the field still didn’t mean you were “together.” Realistically, it complicated things for a while. You avoided Brian for a couple of days and didn’t discuss it when you finally caved in to your desire to see him. He didn’t bring it up either, even though there were many times he would look at your lips like he wanted to make a move again, but you never talked about it. Things began to look “normal” after about two weeks. You spent time at the record shop, or under the bleachers with your friends or in the library with his friends. He nagged you about giving up smoking and you finally listened, much to his surprise.

“What made you finally decide to quit?” He asked, looking at the nicotine patch on your arm. You shrugged, not wanting to tell him the truth.

“I guess I just finally got tired of you being a broken record, mother hen.” You teased him, but he just smiled because he was happy with your choice. The truth of the matter was, you had done it for him. While you weren’t with him, you wanted to be. You didn’t want to keep doing something that bothered him so much, but you also knew that eventually, your habit of smoking would cost time with him and you didn’t want that. You lied to yourself that you didn’t want a relationship and weren’t thinking about a future with Brian, but you were. Every time he helped you study or encouraged you to do your best, the time your parents were out of town so he had made you his “specialty” of spaghetti in your kitchen, when you drove him around singing songs together on the radio...you thought about doing those things with him forever and instead of the fear you used to feel at such a thought, you felt happiness. You anticipated a future with him, something to look forward to.

I've never felt this healthy before

I've never wanted something rational

I am aware now

I am aware now

*~~~~*

“It’s kind of weird, yeah. But they’re cute together, I guess.” You had just returned from a movie with Bender and Claire. You were surprised at how long their relationship had lasted, especially since you had hated Claire at first. You assumed she was dating Bender as a statement, but it had been over six months and they were still together and it just seemed to work.

“It must be nice to have someone like that. Even if they don’t make sense, they care about each other. It just must be a nice thing to have a relationship like that.” Brian looked at you for a moment before backpedaling, realizing he must have made it sound like he was guilt-tripping you. “Don’t worry, I won’t ask you out again. I really just was complimenting them--”

“Well, maybe you should.” You cut him off.

You realized how rare a find like Brian truly was. He always put you before himself; he listened to all of your problems and knew when to offer solutions and when to just listen. He was endlessly supportive, and kind. He kept taking giant risks just to be with you, to show you that you mattered to him. You knew, without him saying it, that he loved you. Why else would someone go to the lengths he did, just to make you happy? You had tried everything to shake him, to get rid of him so neither one of you would be in too deep to get hurt. But he stayed, and now, you wouldn’t want him to go anyway. It was too late; you were both already in too deep.

He just blinked at you, sure he had heard incorrectly. “Wh-what?”

“I said, maybe you should. Ask me out again.”

“Y/N, do you want to go out with me?” He asked, unsure. It felt like a setup, but he knew you wouldn’t do something so cruel to him.

“Yes.” You replied, softly.

“Why?” He asked with furrowed eyebrows.

“I don’t know. I guess you won me over.” You chuckled, but he failed to see the humor in it, so you changed to a more serious tone. “Brian, I thought that these feelings would go away, that you would go away. Lord knows how hard I’ve tried to push you. But...you didn’t and the feelings didn’t. I-I love you. And I’m pretty sure I’m going to keep loving you, I don’t want to waste my time with anyone else. And...And I think that you love me.”

“I do.” He breathed quietly, with zero hesitation.

“So, why fight it any more? I was afraid that I would hurt you, but I think I’ve already done that and you’ve stuck around.” He nodded in confirmation of that fact. “And I was scared that I would get hurt but...but I’ve realized that you won’t do that to me, either.”

You've already won me over in spite of me

Don't be alarmed if I fall head over feet

And don't be surprised if I love you for all that you are

I couldn't help it

It's all your fault

He took your hands in his, “You’re serious? You really want this? Because, you know how I feel. How I’ve always felt.” You nodded in response, tears quickly filling your eyes, which was a rarity for you. He leaned in towards you to kiss you, for the first time since your conversation in the field over a month ago. He waited for you to be ready in every aspect of your relationship and you had never known so much love and respect before. It took some adjusting to, but he had pulled you in and made you fall for him again and again.

Just gonna tag my buddy...

@90sinequity

[ahockeywrites]

4 times you stayed at his + the 1 time he stayed at yours - Matthew Tkachuk

A/N: Hi everyone! I had this idea and within 48 hours I had it fully written. I hope you enjoy this 5k of fluffy Matty! Thanks to @calgarycanuck for proof reading this!!

Warnings: swearing, mentions of sex, explicit fem!reader

One

It was a typical Saturday night for the Calgary Flames who were celebrating a big win over the Canucks. Your best friend, Matthew Tkachuk, had invited you and your roommate out to come to the bars. Jess had been quite friendly with Noah Hanifin, and you just hoped they wouldn’t be using your apartment as a place to spend the night.

You tugged down the sleeve of your deep green bodysuit and looked across to the bar, hoping to see Matthew ordering you another rum and coke but instead saw him surrounded by 5 beautiful women. Women who you thought were more beautiful than you. As you let out a small sigh, you turned to Lauren and struck up a conversation with her. She had persuaded you to join her for a hot yoga class followed by a brunch in the next few days to catch up properly as you had been working so much. The friends you had made through meeting Matthew were amazing, but it didn’t take a genius to notice that the feelings you had for him were slightly more than friendly. 

“I’m gonna go and get myself a drink,” you announced to no one in particular. As you pushed your way to the bar, you felt a strong pair of arms wrap around your waist. “Hey you,” you heard the voice of Noah in your ear. “You want a drink?” he asked. You nodded and asked him for a double dark rum and coke. If Matthew was busy with girls, you thought, you might as well let someone else get you a drink.

Noah passed you the finished drink and you took a large gulp of it. “Please tell me this isn’t a bribe so I can let you and Jess go and fuck in our apartment?” you groaned, figuring out what he was doing. Noah did this often; when he wanted you to take Jess out of the apartment to set up for a dinner date or more often than not when he wanted the apartment to be empty so the two of them could spend time wrapped up in each other.

“I’m sorry, it’s not my fault she’s so hot,” he complained. You rolled your eyes telling him that you’d find somewhere to crash. Usually, it was the Giordano’s spare room, but after you quickly scanned the bar, you noticed they had already left. It turns out, the only people left at the bar were Matthew and his entourage, Jess, Noah and you. You had no choice but to try and pry him away from the girls surrounding him.

You finished your drink and made your way over to where he was sitting at the bar. As you tapped him on the shoulder, he turned around to see you and offered you a huge smile. Matthew got up out of his seat, pushing the girls away and gave you a large hug. “How are you going?” he asked, genuinely as he hadn’t seen you much during the night. A few of the girls gave you a dirty look, but you ignored them knowing that Matthew would rather spend quality time with you.

“I’m good, just not sure where I’m gonna be sleeping tonight,” you mentioned hoping he would get the hint.

“Noah and Jess going at it like rabbits again?” he questioned, knowing what you had to deal with. You nodded and told him that Gio had already gone home so using their spare room was out of the equation. “Just stay at mine, it's no bother,” he said with a smile. “You wanna go now?” he asked.

Matthew had never offered you his spare room to stay at, no matter how close the two of you were. Or was it that Lauren always took you under her wing and he wasn’t able to offer you the room? He thought that it was a simple offer but you were freaking out inside. The not so little crush you were harbouring on him was going to be made more obvious, surely?

“Yeah, I’m working an afternoon shift tomorrow so kinda need the sleep,” you replied. 

“Sure, lemme close up my tab and order an Uber,” he smiled back. Matthew reached over to grab the attention of the closest bartender and passed across his credit card. He pulled you into his grasp to make sure you didn’t blend into the crowd. As he pulled out his phone from his jacket pocket, he led the two of you to a slightly less crowded area so he could easily order the car home.

The outside air was cold, and Matthew noticed that you began to shiver as the wind picked up. Quickly, he slid his jacket off and placed it over your shoulders, “the car is only a minute away,” he informed you as you tried to warm up under his jacket. It wasn’t like Matthew was warm in just his jeans and t-shirt, but he knew his mother would kill him if he didn’t even offer you his jacket.

Matthew didn’t know why he just got up and left the girls at the bar as he was sure one of them would have come home with him. The friendship the two of you shared was strong and slightly flirty, but he also knew that the girls who were at the bar all arrived together and if he didn’t take you home safely, he would be worrying about it all night. For his sanity, this was what he kept telling himself, not that, god forbid, his feelings for you exceeded the bounds of friendship.

As if the car he ordered knew he needed to stop thinking, it arrived stopping directly in front of the pair of you. The driver lowered the window and Matthew checked it was for him and going to the right place. Once he was sure this was actually for the two of you, he opened the door for you allowing you to slide into the back seats. You shuffled your way across to let Matthew have some space. The drive back to his place was short, but he never let go of your hand, even letting his thumb brush over your knuckles occasionally. It felt more than friendly to the both of you.

The car abruptly stopped outside of Matthew’s apartment building and he jumped out to open the car door for you. It was strange, his behaviour, you thought, but maybe it was because you had never stayed the night in his guest room. He greeted the concierge in the lobby and directed you towards the elevator.

You had been to Matthew’s apartment before, but not like this. You knew he lived on the 35th floor and he had an amazing view of Calgary out of his bedroom window, but you had probably spent a total of one hour there, aside from the pre-drinks he occasionally held. He led you into his apartment quickly and stood in the kitchen, unsure what he should do. “I don’t know what you usually wear to sleep, but I can grab a shirt for you? And I think Taryn left makeup wipes in the spare bathroom when she was last here?” he seemed to be questioning himself more than asking you. One of his arms reached up to scratch his neck to add to the awkwardness.

“Yeah,” you said quietly, “a shirt would be great thanks.” Matthew pointed you in the direction of the spare bathroom and you started taking your makeup off. You looked at yourself in the mirror and just hoped that Matthew wasn’t gonna see what you looked like barefaced. In your mind, he couldn’t see you without your additional layer of confidence. You walked back through to the spare room to see him sitting on the side of the bed with a shirt in his hands. “Urm, I hope this is comfy enough,” he stuttered, unsure of what he should say.

“Thanks, Matty,” you replied, taking the shirt from him but not wanting to undress in front of him. He stood quiet for a second before realising he should leave and let you sleep.

“Goodnight Y/N, sleep well,” he said, bringing you in for a hug.

“Goodnight Matty,” you replied.

You walked back into the bathroom to change out of your restricting jeans and bodysuit to put on the soft shirt. Initially, you didn’t notice what he had given you, but when you looked in the mirror you saw the logo of the London Knights. And sure enough, on the back was the number 7 and the name Tkachuk. You laughed softly, he knew you weren’t a Flames fan so he would never be able to get you to wear his current jersey, but this was a step closer to him getting his best friend in his jersey.

Two

He didn’t mean to let you stay over again, you were just so tired after being his plus one to a Flames event. It wasn’t like you had found the event boring at all, just after an afternoon shift at the restaurant, followed by getting ready with Lauren and Jess and then having to control Matthew at the charity event, you were tired and ready to sleep.

Matthew had to almost drag you out of the Uber because you had fallen asleep on his shoulder in the car. “Y/N, c’mon, just a little further then you can crash for the night,” he encouraged you. You lifted your arms up, indicating that you wanted him to carry you up to his apartment. He groaned but lifted you up to carry you bridal style through his apartment complex. Somehow, you had fallen back asleep in the elevator on the way up and he had to try and open his apartment door without waking you up. He was successful and gently walked through his apartment to lay you down on his guest bed. 

It took a few moments for him to remember where the makeup wipes were but as soon as he figured it out he went to find them and started slowly removing your makeup. He thought he was doing a good job until he figured out you had put on a pair of fake eyelashes. There was no way he would be able to take these off without waking you up or hurting you and he decided that the former would be the safest option.

“Hey,” Matthew whispered softly whilst gently shaking your shoulder. You stirred slightly in your sleep so he shook your shoulder again with a little more force. Slowly, your eyes fluttered open to see a shirtless Matthew with a slightly dirty makeup wipe in one hand and a confused look on his face.

“You didn’t have to take my makeup off for me,” you spoke with a lot of sleep in your voice. 

“It’s okay,” he replied, “I was almost there but you’ve got these things stuck to your eyes and I really don’t want to hurt you.” You laughed having forgotten that you had put falsies on and told him to wait there and you’d try and take them off without your usual products. Luckily, Matthew had been able to detach the inner corner of both sets of lashes and you quickly pulled them off. It was slightly painful as you didn’t use your normal cleanser to help them detach, but they were removed and that was the main thing. You quickly disposed of them in the trash can in the bathroom and saw Matthew waiting on the edge of the bed with a shirt for you to wear. He handed it across and let you go back into the bathroom to change into it.

“Matty,” you began, “do you still have the makeup wipes out there?” You wanted to take off the rest of your eye makeup but were pretty certain that he had them somewhere near him.

“Yeah I do, come back out here so I can take the rest of it off for you,” he replied. You were slightly confused but went back through to sit opposite Matthew on the bed. He tugged you so you were straddling his lap and started removing the rest of your makeup. He was so deep in concentration that he didn’t notice you placing your hands on his hips to keep yourself still. If you didn’t do this, you were almost certain his hockey strength would have sent you flying. 

You asked him if he was done and he nodded telling you to get comfy in bed. Obliging, you made your way under the comforter and almost instantly you fell asleep. Matthew walked back in to see you completely knocked out and went to brush some hair off of your face. “Goodnight Y/N,” he whispered.

Three

Best friends stay over at each other’s houses, right? You convinced yourself that staying at Matthew’s house whilst he was on a week-long road trip was okay, simply because he had a better kitchen than you and his bathroom had a bath compared to just a shower in your apartment.

Matthew had given you his spare key to use when you needed to go in and check on the houseplants his mother had given him as an apartment warming gift. You did question why Chantal had given him a selection of plants but you didn’t complain as it meant you could take advantage of the amazing kitchen set up he had. As you dragged your bags filled with baking ingredients into the apartment, you noticed that there was a note left on the kitchen counter. It read:

Y/N, thanks for watering the plants on this roadie! I may have taken the extra brownies you made for me on this trip because the boys wanted something to remind them of Calgary. Stay safe, Matt :)

You smiled, knowing that the team always devoured any baked goods you brought along and you had even helped some of the children who were at the events with decorating fairy cakes. The kids adored you to the point some of the parents would get you to babysit them when they wanted a date night and how could you resist? It seemed like each of the children had you wrapped around their little finger as you found it hard to put them to bed at their usual bedtime as all they wanted to do was something creative.

The memories you had made with the children had to be pushed aside as you were here to bake, and you were unsure of how much you were going to make. First, you put the milk and butter in the fridge to make sure it was cold and unpacked everything else onto the kitchen counter. Then, you grabbed your laptop out of your backpack and loaded up the recipes you were planning on making. A batch of chocolate chip cookies, a tray of brownies and an apple pie was the bare minimum you wanted to make. You hoped that there would be enough time to make a set of 24 blueberry muffins too but would be happy to snack on the blueberries throughout the day. 

You fiddled with the dials on the oven to allow it to preheat and connected your phone to the fancy speaker system Matthew had in his house. The playlist you chose was one you and Matthew had curated to be perfect for relaxing days and it was exactly what you needed on your day off. The music allowed you to become lost in the baking and you didn’t realise the time was so late until you looked out of the large windows. The sun had set so you took a quick look at your watch to notice that it was nearing 9 in the evening. How you had become so engrossed in the cooking was a mystery to you as this seldom happened.

Notifications lit up your phone and you chose to reply to Matthew first, letting him know that his plants had been watered and you had even bought some fertiliser to help them grow. Then you dropped a quick text to Jess letting her know you were just going to stay at Matthew’s apartment for the night rather than risking an Uber alone at night. Sometimes you hated being a woman and not trusting society but you knew that Matthew wouldn’t mind you staying at his place as long as he knew you were safe.

It seemed as if your tiredness hit you quickly because once you ordered some food for a late dinner and had watched the Flames game, you were half asleep on the couch in the living room. Slowly, you peeled yourself off the couch and removed the blankets you had been hiding under to the other couch. The walk to the spare room seemed too natural and you noticed that there was a small collection of skincare products sitting on the counter next to the sink. You realised that they were minis of the same things you used. Matthew couldn’t have gone out of his way to figure out what you used and get some for you in case you stayed over again, could he? It seemed like something he could do but you thought he would do that for someone he considered to be more than a friend, unless? No, you thought to yourself, he couldn’t like you in the same way you liked him. 

Shaking your head to try and rid yourself of these thoughts, you started to cleanse your face and then add the moisturiser on top. Once you had finished your nighttime routine, you walked through to Matthew’s bedroom and his closet to try and find something to wear to bed. The shirt you were looking for was the same one you had worn the first two times you had stayed over at his place. It was slightly hidden behind a few pairs of jeans and the occasional St Louis t-shirt but you found it and it was just as soft as you remembered. You slipped back into his spare room and quickly changed into the shirt.

There was just one more thing you needed to do and that was to box up all the baked goods you had created earlier. You made your way back to the kitchen and found the Tupperware you brought along solely for this purpose, then popped them on the kitchen island with a note for Matthew telling him that you were in his spare room and that he could eat as many of the snacks as his meal plan allowed him to. You also sent him a text warning him that you were staying at his in the spare room for the night as you didn’t want to head back to your place by yourself in the dark and he should be quiet if he arrives back before you were awake. He did reply, but much later so you were already asleep.

Matthew gently opened the front door to his apartment, not wanting to accidentally wake you from your sleep, seeing as it was 5 am. He placed his equipment bag down in the hallway and took in a deep breath, inhaling the smell of many different baked goods. Even if it was 5 am, there was no way in hell he was going to turn down something you had made. He waltzed his way across to the kitchen and was greeted by multiple boxes, each with a label on informing him what was inside each of them. A small giggle left his mouth as he read the note that you had left on top of the boxes and he chose to have a piece of the brownie before he went to check on you in the spare room.

The large comforter engulfed your body and he noticed how at peace you looked. Matthew wondered if you would ever be the one he came home to after a long road trip.

Four

6-0 loss. 10 minutes in the penalty box. Ejected from the game. This was the worst game you had ever seen from Matthew and knew that he would need space, so The text you received from him was unexpected.

Come over

Short and straight to the point. You were unsure what to expect but replied saying you were catching an Uber and were gonna be over in about 15 minutes.

Knocking on the door felt more appropriate rather than using the key he had gifted to you to use as you didn’t want to walk in to see him destroying plates and glasses. As the door swung open, a dishevelled Matthew silently greeted you. He was shirtless, displaying the bruises he had obtained from a night of hockey. You followed him into his place and went to get two glasses of water because you knew that he wouldn’t have drunk anything for himself.

The sounds of muffled crying filled the apartment and it tugged on your heartstrings. The feelings that you had developed for the St Louis native made you almost drop the glasses, but you were able to make your way back to the family room. 

Matthew was curled up, in the foetus position, on the largest couch. Tears flowed from his eyes, he was feeling emotions that he rarely felt after a game. He was a player who left all his feelings from a game on the ice, but it was impossible to do this when you’ve been ejected from a game. 

He knew you wouldn’t turn down an invitation to see him because he had noticed the extra time you spent at his apartment. But he thought it was for the kitchen, not the feelings you had for him.

It wasn’t like Matthew didn’t have feelings for you, ever since the first night you had spent at his place, he knew he wanted to be more than friends with you. But he was respectful, he knew how he would want someone to treat Taryn, so he treated you the same way. He assumed that you wanted to be no more than friends, and he was happy with that. 

The advice you gave him, the jokes you made (often at the expense of his teammates), just the company you offered him when he needed it. He couldn’t lose that, you were too good of a friend for him.

You placed down the drinks on the coffee table and just looked at him. He looked broken on the outside and it just made you think how broken he must be on the inside. It wasn’t a good game for the entire team, but his individual performance wasn’t brilliant either. Matthew was competitive, anyone who had ever seen him knew that.

“Matty,” you said. There it was, he thought, the one nickname that no one else could call him except you. 

You ran your hands through his hair, letting his tears continue to flow. It was hard for you, as a friend, to see someone this close to you go through this. But you knew that he needed to let his feelings out, and just be there for him when he needed you, whenever that was.

His right hand reached for one of yours and you offered it to him. It grounded him, knowing that he was safe in his house, safe with you, safe with his emotions. “I played shit, I don’t deserve to play in the NHL, let alone have the ‘A’ on my chest,” he spoke aimlessly. 

“Matty,” you consoled him, “one game does not define you as a player, you as a team member.” After this, you pulled him into your body, hoping that he would accept it. You remembered that he liked hugs when he wasn’t feeling amazing, so you knew it wouldn’t be pushing his boundaries. 

He continued to cry, wetting your T-shirt in the process, but he needed this. You pressed a soft kiss to his forehead, hoping that wouldn’t be too far.

“Y/N,” Matthew sniffled, “I just wanna be held as I sleep.” 

“Of course, anything for you,” you replied softly. You gently unwrapped yourself from around him and offered him your hand to walk to his bedroom. He followed you and sat down on the side of the bed. “Just gotta brush your teeth, Matty,” you encouraged. He sighed but followed you to his en-suite.

“I’ll let you brush your teeth, I’m gonna find something to wear to bed,” you informed him. He pouted slightly but let your past. You were familiar with his closet and the exact shirt you were looking for. A London Knights game-worn jersey, it was soft and perfect for sleeping in.

It wasn’t the first time Matthew had seen you in his jersey, and he hoped that it wouldn’t be the last time. He smiled to himself, the first time he had been genuinely happy all night. He tried to stop you from going to the bathroom to brush your teeth and take your makeup off but you were able to make your way past.

You tried to be quick with your skincare routine, somehow you had a bottle of everything you needed in Matthew’s bathroom, but knew you couldn’t rush any of the steps. As you were applying your final product, you felt a pair of arms wrap around your waist. “I thought you were gonna be quick,” Matthew complained as he nuzzled his head into your neck.

“I was trying,” you replied as you turned to face him. He was so close that your foreheads were touching and you were able to look directly into his eyes. “We should-,” you started.

“Bed, yes,” he finished for you. All you wanted to do was kiss him, but you couldn’t take advantage of him when he wasn’t feeling good. He unwrapped his arms from you and offered you his hand so you could walk back to his bedroom. Matthew refused to let go of your hand as you both got into bed, and you allowed him to be the little spoon because he needed to be in someone’s embrace tonight. 

“Goodnight Matty,” you whispered, but he didn’t hear you as he was already asleep.

plus one

It was a drunk mistake that should never have happened he said, but nothing he said could prepare you to see photos of your now ex-boyfriend making out with some random girl when he had been on a ‘work trip’. Jess tried her best to help you by bringing you ice cream and watching shitty television with you but there was only so much she could do when Noah came over to take her out on a date. You were happy for her, you really were but seeing someone happy in a relationship was not what you needed right now. 

You allowed yourself to think over the good times you had with him, but they were so few and far between. He had pulled you away from the friends you had made out of the Flames players and they all became worried about you and suddenly you realised how toxic the short relationship was. Quickly, you scrambled to find your phone and noticed it had been two weeks since you had last texted Lauren when usually you would be texting daily and you hadn’t spoken to Matthew in three weeks. Normally, it was common for the two of you to physically see each other at least every day.

But then it clicked, your ex must have been jealous of the friendship you had with Matthew and his teammates. You understood slightly as you did have a crush on Matthew but that died down when you started dating him. It was a trust issue, he didn’t trust that you would stay just friends with them so he had to pull you away. It was slightly ironic, how he didn’t trust you as he thought you might cheat on him, but then he went and cheated on you.

There was only one person who could make you feel better and he would understand how shitty your ex was and how you needed to rebuild the friendship with him. As soon as you sent him a message, he was quick to reply saying that he was on his way to your apartment with Chinese food and a pint of your favourite ice cream. It was at this you noticed the butterflies forming in your stomach, the crush you had never went away, did it? 

You were brought out of your thoughts by a knock on your apartment door and went over to open it. As soon as you saw Matthew’s face you broke down in tears again. Quickly, he brought you into a tight hug, somehow not dropping the food he had brought. “C’mon, Y/N, let’s head to the couch and enjoy the takeout I’ve got?” he asked, unsure if he was asking you or himself. Your head might have been pretty much attached to his chest but he could feel you gently nod in response. 

He offered you his hand and walked towards the couch. You sat down first and he started unpacking the food onto the coffee table. “Just sit back and find something to watch,” he instructed. You followed as he said and he quickly left to grab some cutlery from the kitchen. You flicked through Netflix and settled on Brooklyn 99 because it could just stay on in the background. Sighing, you picked up your phone and reread the DM you had received from the girl’s best friend. You didn’t notice Matthew standing behind you until he picked your phone out of your hands and put it in his pocket. “Tonight, we’re gonna watch Jake Peralta attempt to solve some crimes, enjoy the takeout, maybe drink some wine, and forget about that asshole,” Matthew affirmed. You sighed again but knew that he would be getting his way. 

Matthew passed you a plate and some cutlery before disappearing back into the kitchen to collect a bottle of your favourite wine and some wine glasses. He sat down next to you on the couch and poured two generous glasses of wine. As soon as the food was opened, it was like the two of you hadn’t spent any time away from each other. The conversation flowed perfectly, as did the wine and after two episodes of B99, the two of you were slightly wine drunk, which you continued to tell Matthew was the best type of drunk.

“I missed you, Matty,” you admitted. He sent you a soft smile but knew that he felt the exact same way. Your ex was toxic for you and he was glad that you had gotten out of that relationship. The smile you had on your face was real and one of the purest he had ever seen in his entire life. Your happiness radiated to him too and he started laughing as you began to make silly faces at him.

You were lucky that Matthew had seen you wine drunk before and knew you were getting close to crashing and needing to be near a bed was almost a necessity. He wasn’t sure how, but he was able to get you to your bathroom, even as you were stumbling the entire way there. There was no makeup on your face so he quickly used a face cloth to clean your skin and was able to find some moisturiser to use on both of your faces. It was the most genuine smile he had seen you ever have in a long time and he was able to adore your beauty. 

“‘M sleepy,” you groaned, giving Matthew a small shove to try and encourage him to move out of your way.

“I know babe,” he replied, not noticing the term of endearment he had used for the first time. “You just need to put something on that you can sleep in.” You nodded your head and dramatically walked to your dresser and pulled out a matching set of short black satin pyjamas. It wasn’t a pair you usually chose to wear, but they looked nice. Clearly, your drunk head was trying to impress Matthew. You jumped directly on top of the soft comforter and didn’t care that you should have been underneath the blanket because you fell asleep almost immediately. 

Matthew came out to see you sleeping softly on the bed and gently picked you up to place you under the duvet and onto the mattress. A soft kiss from him was pressed to your temple and you subconsciously smiled in your sleep. He moved around to the other side of the bed and wrapped you in his arms, hoping this was the last night you were in his arms but not his girlfriend.

[deannaroxannewrites]

Tropetember Day 7 - Mutual Pining / Requited/Unrequited Love / Angst with a happy ending

My boys

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x GN!Reader

Fandom: Criminal Minds

Rating: Teen and up

TW: Angst (all of the angst), Angst with a happy ending, Witness Protection

AN: Day 7 of @tropetember. Another Hotch story that could be expanded into a small series. Enjoy the angst (and fluff because I CANNOT HELP MYSELF)

You've been looking to spending a quiet day with your boys, until a phone call turns your world upside down.

Find this story on Ao3 here.

Word Count: 1.6k

You were in the middle of pottering around the kitchen putting your groceries away when the phone rang.

Glancing at it, you realise it’s Aaron. Why would he be ringing you right now? Jack’s soccer game wouldn’t have been finished for very long and they usually got a treat before coming to visit you.

You answer with a smile, you were looking forward to spending the day with your boys.

“Hi sweetie, what can I do for you?” You ask.

Aaron says your name and his voice shakes. You instantly stop what you’re doing. Something is wrong. Something really bad is happening. You can tell.

“Scratch.” He takes a shuddering breath. “Scratch was at Jack’s game.”

You gasp and panic floods through you.

“Is he ok? Are you both ok? He didn’t get to either of you did he?”

"No, he didn't."

There's a pause and you feel your heart start to calm. At least they're OK, although you can't figure out what's happening. Unfortunately, your relief at them both being unharmed is immediately destroyed.

"Jack and I are being put into witness protection."

You hear the glass you were holding smash as it connects with the marble floor of the kitchen. It's funny, you feel like a spectator in your own body. The only other thing you're aware of is that you feel like you can't breathe.

Aaron calls your name a few times but you're hyper fixated on one thing he says. 'Jack and I.' Not we. Why hadn't he said we?

"Can I not come too?" Your voice is small. Lost. "If this madman is following Jack, he'll know who I am, Aaron."

You hear him exhale.

"I know. I tried to get the Marshals to offer you the choice of coming with us." You imagine he's scrubbing his hand down his face in frustration. "They said that, since Scratch's focus is the team, and I will no longer be around or know what's happening, you will no longer be at risk." He lets out a scoff.

Tears silently trace down your face. Your world was ending but, no matter how much you wanted to beg and scream and demand they stay, this was already a done deal. Jack's safety was the most important thing in the world and you wouldn't dare risk it for your selfish desires.

"OK." You take a moment to breathe and clear your throat. "Can you do something for me?"

"Of course."

"Tell Jack I love him? Give him a big hug and kiss and tell him that I'll see him when this is over?"

That breaks him, and he quietly sobs out your name.

"You're going to be OK. Both of you. And I'll be here waiting." You take a shaky breath. "Is there anything I can do?"

"I'm putting everything into your name. I don't mind if you move into the apartment or if you rent it out and put everything in storage. Just try to hold onto the keepsakes and Jack's stuff."

"I've got it. Don't worry. It's in good hands."

"The very best." He gives a shaky laugh. "I love you so much. I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault Aaron. God, I love you so much."

You both go quiet, knowing you don't have long until the Marshals disconnect his number.

"I can't ask you to wait for me." He tells you. It makes a sob break through your restraint. "That would be selfish of me. Just know that I love you. And, once this is over, we'll see you again."

"I know, it's OK. I love you."

"I…."

The line goes dead and, like the glass spread across the floor, you break.

---------

The weeks following are hazy in your memory. You imagine it's not totally dissimilar to a bereavement. After all, you'd discussed seeing each other again, but you both knew that there was a chance it may not happen. Scratch had been evading law enforcement for months with ease. He was watching Jack and no-one even knew. It didn't bode well.

Time continued to pass. Eventually, from around the 6th month mark, people started offering to set you up with friends/relatives/colleagues. You weren't getting any younger they kept saying. You can't miss out on the rest of your life.

It was something you were well aware of. You were only a couple of years younger than Aaron so you were moving past your prime, particularly if you wanted to have kids of your own. You couldn't do it though. It just felt wrong when Aaron was out there alone somewhere with a new name and identity. How could you move on? Instead, you focussed on work, even getting a promotion for your efforts.

You didn't move into the apartment, you couldn't bring yourself to. You and Aaron had been discussing moving, and potentially purchasing a proper house with a garden Jack play soccer in in the future, mere days before everything happened. It was just another thing that didn't feel right. Instead, you moved the important things out to Dave's basement. He had the space and it would be much safer than a storage locker. It also helped sooth his guilt over the fact that none of the team were supposed to have much contact with you to try and keep you off Scratch's hotlist.

Since you didn't need the income from the apartment, you instead approached a charity who worked with women and families escaping domestic violence. You'd offered them the apartment at a reduced rate for short term lets that rolled month by month, with potential to go up to a year. The plan was to give people time to get back on their feet and regain their independence in a safe and secure environment.

You'd had two small families in so far. Both had moved on after securing jobs with good salaries and new full time accommodation. They were both keeping you updated about how they and their kids were doing, and you were happy that you were able to help them even just a little. It was empty at the moment and you were busy organising some basic maintenance and were going to repaint some of the rooms to freshen it up.

You'd just been on the phone with Derek, who'd offered to do the small repair jobs you needed doing, when someone knocked at the door.

Glancing at the clock and seeing it was nearly 9pm, you paused and texted Derek as a safety precaution. It was probably nothing, but better safe than sorry.

The knock sounded again, a little more urgent this time, and you hustled to the door to open it.

When you realised who was on the other side, your knees gave way.

There in front of you, looking almost exactly the same as when he left, was Aaron with Jack peeking out from behind him.

Realising what was happening, he reached out to steady you and you threw yourself into his arms, sobbing as if your life depended on it.

He held you just tightly, rocking from side to side until you pulled back. You lower yourself into a crouch and hold your arms out to Jack, who collides with you with enough force to knock you on your behind.

You both laugh as you land on the floor, a light, carefree combination of sounds that tinkles around the room as you press kisses all over his face. Aaron bobs down to join the hug before helping you both to your feet and guiding you all to your sofa.

"I'm so glad you're both back" you tell them. Jack is snuggled into your lap and you're snuggled into Aaron. Declarations of love pass easily and frequently between the three of you and it fills you with warmth.

You spend the evening catching up with them. Apparently Scratch had been caught at the end of last week but it had taken this long for word to get through to the Marshals and for them to organise transferring them home.

Jack tells you over dinner (pizza, Jack picked) about his school and all the things he's learnt since the last time he saw you. Aaron tells you about his cover job as a law clerk in the backwater town of Nowhere, Iowa. In return, you tell them about how you got promoted at work and what you've done with the apartment in their absence. Aaron's eyes shine with pride as you explain the cause and you know it's one that's close to his heart.

Before you know it, it's almost midnight and Aaron is suggesting they go back to the hotel that they've been set up in for the next few days. You won't allow that though. They'll be lucky if they're allowed to leave your sight ever again.

You all brush your teeth together in the bathroom while joking around before getting sorted and all clambering into your bed together.

Wrapped in Aaron's arms, with Jack tucked up against your side, you finally feel whole for the first time since that dreaded phone call.

"My boys," you gently sigh. "I love you both".

Aaron presses a soft kiss to your forehead, and you let the sound of their breathing calm you as you fall into the deepest nights sleep you've had in forever.

Even better, they're still there when you wake up.

[toastedside]

Mothers

Damian had dinner with Talia and they talked about Batmom.

===========================================

Damian didn’t know what he should feel about this.

It’s been a very long time since he had a peaceful meal together with Talia. Or it felt like one, he didn’t know. Certainly, he had spent significant amount of days and night not having a peaceful meal together with his mother that he started to lose any strands of memories on how it should really be. Or does he never have any peaceful meal with her before? He wasn’t sure.

Should he really let his guard down? He wasn’t sure. It sure is felt wrong to let his guard down in the presence of his mother. After all, he knew her. She always had so many tricks underneath her sleeve. But it had been almost twenty-five minutes passed, and the dinner had been nothing but… pleasant.

“Hmm,” Talia made a sound. “They sure do make a great samosa. I admit your judgement is right. This is the best restaurant they have in the city.”

Damian pressed his lips together. “I am pleased to know you enjoy it as much as I do, Mother.”

Talia threw him a small smile. Or what he could considered as a smile from her, anyway. Damian did not have the smoothest relationship with his mother after all the odds happened. He certainly had seen her in different light after she had attempted to murder him with one of her clones of his own freaking self. But Damian certainly held a dear memory of days when his mother is warm to him.

She had not been perfect, but she tried, and she loved him dearly and fiercely too. In her very own twisted way, as she had tried her best to shield him from any bad influence that his grandfather is. But a powerful man of menace that he is, sometimes all of his mother’s best had not been enough to protect him from his grandfather. So, she had to send him away all across the country, gave the custody to his father, and had lived underneath the same roof with him ever since.

It certainly was a surprise that Talia showed up on the doorstep. Being civil and all, knocking the door and actually announce her presence. Not showing up out of nowhere sneaking her way into the Batcave or strike him in the daylight out of thin air. She wanted to rekindle and reconnect with him, that’s what she said, and Damian was hesitant. But Mom was enthusiastic with the idea – she had always been a very positive lady, bless her soul – and Father, surprisingly, did not opposed the idea.

Grayson did not. He was ready to throw a fit. But eventually begrudgingly agreed after a stern and long talk with Mom.

Besides, Mom and Father were supposed to attend a charity event in Star City this weekend. It’s a perfect occasion for him to have a day out with his mother while his other parents are away. God, it felt weird to address them that way. Grayson gave him a pep talk and a panic button that he certainly did not need in case things go south.

So far, things had been quite pleasant, if not good. They had stroll around the city, visited a zoo, went to a museum, and ready to end their day in this restaurant he had accidentally discovered few months ago. He didn’t even check his phone – well, once to text Grayson back and assured him that he was, in fact, very much alright – and surprisingly enjoy his time.

“If you have anything to say, then talk,” Talia’s voice snapped him out of his train of thought.

“Nothing. It had been a very good day with you, Mother,” Damian answered. He had almost forgot how straightforward his mother could be.

Talia pressed her lips together to form a thin smile. “Y/N…” she paused for a moment as if she was testing the way it rolled out of her tongue. “She had made you soft, hadn’t she? Or was it the work of your father?” Talia tilted her head to the side, studying him.

Damian didn’t say anything, but his hand tried to reach for his non-existent weapon on his pocket out of instinct. He and his mother agreed not to bring any sort of weapon on their day out together today.

“Y/N, what a bright woman she is. Too bright.” Talia’s finger traced the outline of the table. Damian braced himself for any words that would come next. “I understand why you take a liking on her.”

“You do?” the word came out before Damian could stop it. Talia’s head perked up at his question, the corner of her lips turned upwards.

“Yes. I admit she is a very likable woman. Even Jason Todd seemingly adore her, and we both know the man usually reluctant to put his guard down so easily.”

“In case it escapes your attention, Todd grew up with her.”

“And with your father too.” Talia raised a questioning eyebrow. One that she usually gave him when she questioned all of his method in training. Or progress. “Look at their relationship now. A little rough around the edges, if you ask me.”

“That’s just how they work.”

“That’s just how they work, indeed,” Talia agreed. “That’s just how it works with Y/N too.”

Damian nodded, understanding his mother’s point of view. But he couldn’t see where this conversation led them exactly, and why the matter of Mom had been brought into the table in the first place.

“You know, I only had met her once or twice. Not so much. But it certainly felt like I had known her for years. Your father used to talk fondly about her a lot back in the days when he was still in the League. Besides talking about his parents and Alfred Pennyworth, he had the habit to talk about Y/N too. Or should I call her Y/N Wayne, now that she is married to your father?”

Damian remained still. Talia waited for a few beats for him to answer, but the lack of response from his part was an enough answer. Talia shrugged it off. He knew she did. It wasn’t a first time.

“Any person would’ve known that it was love. He swore it was just a childish crush, he would say that a lot in his defence. But I know. I had always known. You should see the way his eyes shine when he talked about her,” Talia told him. Damian knew what his mother had talked about so well. He had witnessed it so many times. “Because he used to look at me with the same shine in his eyes, Damian.”

Damian’s breath caught in his throat. He remembered the early days of him arriving at his father’s doorstep, upset at the presence of another woman that he fondly calls Mom now. He recalled days of wishing his parents would just talk and reunite, before eventually made a peace with the fact that his father is very much happy with his marriage.

He couldn’t find any words to say, and Talia did not expect him to. An invisible weight had been lifted from his shoulders magically. A small amount it seems, the one he barely noticed. But it was a comical amount of relief to knew that he was brought here by love his parents used to had with each other. For a short amount of time, perhaps, but it was still one.

“I am actually glad that you get to grow up with her.”

“Are you really?” Damian was a little skeptical, albeit hopeful and a little surprised.

“I am, Beloved,” Talia reassured him. Damian closed his eyes; it had been a long time since he had heard his mother addressed him that way. “There are many reasons why I had to leave you with your father, but I mainly wish you to have a better path and future than I do. Y/N had not been on the plan, but now I am glad that she is. She is capable to give you breaks and normalcy that your father used to had when he was your age. The one that I unable to give. I understand why your father had chosen to marry her; she is capable to give him the breaks he needs from his battles. I couldn’t give him that. I certainly couldn’t give that to you.”

Damian blinked. He didn’t know what to say.

“She had raised you and nurture you as if you are her own. Besides, she is bright and very well-educated. Maybe not the best fighter, if she ever learned at all.” Talia paused to formed a smile. “I like her.”

Damian let out a shaky breath he did not notice he was holding. He experienced a rush of many emotions at once, many that he couldn’t register and understand. He felt a hot prickle in his eyes, and if his mother notice there were tears welled in his eyes, she didn’t point it out.

There are few moments of silence exchanged between them. Talia was the first one to broke it off. “Let’s finish this off and I’ll drop you off at your father’s house. It’s already dark outside, and I’m certain Dick Grayson would explode if you don’t come back any time soon.”

Damian grimaced. “He tends to worry about me a lot. Sometimes I am convinced that he forgets I can protect and defend myself very well.”

“It is a good thing to have someone care about your well-being. Count it as a blessing,” Talia said with furrowed eyebrows. “Y/N told me you joined a soccer club in your school. Tell me about it on our way to your father’s house.”

Damian didn’t have any expectation on how his day would go, but certainly he did not expect to talk about his soccer club experience to his mother as they take a route back to the manor. He talked about his practice and an upcoming tournament that sadly his mother couldn’t attend.

It soon become a tradition between two of them. Talia would take Damian out somewhere whenever she could, which wasn’t that often considering her condition and line of work. Sometimes it would take days, sometimes it was a mere quick day out that last few hours. His mom and his mother would sometimes engage in a nice small talk whenever Talia visited. All of his siblings conspired that they had secrets shared with each other and had a secret girl’s night out no one knows about.

Damian didn’t want to dwell on that. He was happy and content with the life he led on now. Even though this wasn’t the initial output he had wished, he was still very much happy to receive love from two amazing women he had privilege to call Mom and Mother, respectively.

[grey-water-colors]

Missing You Damian Wayne X Reader Part 2

I really wanted to get into the writing scene here on Tumblr, so I thought I’d start with my latest fixation, the Batfam, specifically Damian Wayne. This is my first time writing him, so please be kind. Just so you know, The reader is a singer and an artist and is popular for both. I hope you enjoy it. If enough people like it I hope to open up requests, but that's only a maybe right now.

Warnings: Drugging. Attempted kidnapping I guess, it doesn’t happen but I’ll throw this in there.  It happens twice.

Pairing: Damian Wayne x Fem!Reader 

Word count: 1,311

Part 1 ~ Part 3

Big thanks to @oreosmama for the title

~~~~~~~~~

He was bored. His homework finished hours ago, Titus was napping on his bed, and he would never ask his brothers to do anything with him. He decided to put on a movie hoping it would pass the time until patrol, and then sleep.

~~~

Your next event was a Hotel in Florence, Italy that was inviting popular singers from around the world to perform. You were excited to go there seeing as people made it sound so beautiful, and you were sure it was, but first you had to get there and the person who booked your flights seemed to hate you. You had 3 stops between your destination and a huge layover at the first stop.

As you found your seat on the plane you closed your eyes and thought about the Charity Event last night. It had gone pretty well. All of your art had sold, and the money was going to giving homes and food to children. People seemed to enjoy the set of music that you had performed. You were exhausted by the time you got back to your hotel room and you barely got out of your magnificent dress before you had collapsed on your bed and promptly fell asleep.

After about 40 hours of flying, you were overjoyed at being out of the airport. You were escorted to the hotel hosting the event and you had about 30 minutes before rehearsals, so you decided to call Damian, needing to hear his voice. He picked up almost immediately.

“Hey, Dami.”

“Beloved. How are you?”

You smiled. “I’m doing ok. I just got to the hotel, it’s beautiful here. You?”

“I’m doing well enough. I miss you. How did the Event go?”

“It was a success; they raised a couple hundred thousand over their goal.”

“That’s good beloved.”

“How are classes going? Anything exciting happen?”

“No. I find myself bored without you here.”

“You should paint something. That always keeps you from being bored.”

You loved when he painted. While your artwork sold for a lot, and people all over the world enjoyed it, you loved his art more. It was always from the heart and his pieces always dragged you in. You could feel the emotion in his works. He hadn’t been painting a lot recently though, claiming he was too busy. Between spending time with you, school, and being Robin, he didn’t really have time anymore, especially with crime rates going up.

“I hadn’t thought of that. Maybe I will.”

You could tell from his voice that he was thinking of what he was going to do, and it warmed your heart to think that you had helped him.

~~~

He was tempted to get a flight to Florence just to see you, but that wasn’t reasonable. He thought back to when he had scoffed at the movies Grayson watched, where the love interest would fly out to only spend a couple hours with their love, but part of him understands it now. His brothers had thought you had bewitched him when he had brought you to the manor the first time. They didn’t believe that someone could like him or even want to stick around of their own free will. They meant it with that kind of brotherly love, but they teased him relentlessly while you were around.

You two had first met at Gotham Academy. You had been in his class when he had first enrolled there. You hadn’t talked to him, and you wouldn’t until many years later in Junior year. Along with being partners in chemistry, you were also in his art class. You were as smart as he was and just as talented, you made a killer team.

It was at the beginning of the summer before senior year when you both got together, and even a year later you were still going strong as a power couple. Of course there had been rough patches, like when you had found out he was Robin, and when you were given the opportunity to travel around the world to show your art, and even when the paparazzi had gotten wind of your relationship and all the tabloids had their own story. You hadn’t gone out in public for weeks, but it had died down and you were able to continue life together, a little stronger than before.

He adored you and everything you did. You were his anchor to who he was when being Robin threatened to take over his life. His lifeline when he had his first interaction with Fear Gas and couldn’t sleep. You were the perfect balance that he needed in his life, a perfect give and take, and he wouldn’t give that up for anything.

~~~

The Hotel Event was going smoothly. You had sung at 10am and again at 1:30pm, and now you were mingling with the other singers that were there.

Soon, you were being escorted to the dining room for a fancy dinner, then a ball where rich Italians could meet the singers.

After dinner, you mingled with people, and even danced with a few gentlemen who knew you for your art more than your singing.

The event was going smoothly, until it wasn’t. You started to feel sick and tired.

You knew what it was, as much as you wish you didn’t. You had experienced this at your first Wayne Gala.

Damian had left your side for a moment to talk to an important person, and you were alone, or as alone as you could be surrounded by so many people. A young man only a couple years older than you had come up and complimented your dress. While making small talk he gave you a drink, plucked right off a server’s tray. With a fancy gesture, he offered you the cup, and not wanting to be impolite, you drank it.

The man asked if you wanted to dance, and while you didn’t, you accepted anyways. You had always been too willing to please people after all. You had started to feel faint and asked to go sit down but he hadn’t let you. You felt worse and worse as the dance continued, so nauseous that you were sure you’d see dinner again and so tired that black was creeping into your vision.

You had spotted Damian a short distance away and you tried to catch his eye. With all your willpower you tried to get his attention, and by some miracle, you succeeded. You gave him what you hoped was an alarmed look, as the young man practically dragged you across the dance floor.

Just as you were about to pass out, you felt yourself falling, but then being caught. You were carried bridal style out of the venue, away until darkness consumed you.

The man was taken away by police for drugging a minor. You had been on bed-rest for a couple days and Damian had stayed by your side the entire time. He swore to you that he wouldn’t leave you alone ever again at a Gala, and he’s kept that promise, but he wasn’t here now.

You knew you had about 15 minutes max to get to your room before you lost consciousness. You looked around carefully to find an older gentleman staring at you, and you identified him as someone you had talked to earlier and probably the person who had drugged you.

You walked up to a group of female singers about your age. “I’m not feeling too well, can one of you help me up to my room please?”

A girl slightly older than you agreed, and she helped you out and up to your room. You debated calling Damian but decided against it. He’d only tell you to stay where you were and hop on a jet over here. He didn’t need to worry about it since you were safe in your room. Just to be safe, you locked your door using the deadbolt and pulled the chair under the handle so no one could get in. With no energy to spare you collapsed on your bed.

[tomtenadia]

Island Dreams - Chapter 17

Chapter 17 for you all.

It's finally moving in day and they have some fun and their relationships takes another step forward.

Rowan gets into an accident and he finds himself married :)

I hope you will enjoy this.

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

Moving day had arrived and gone. Aelin had been sad about leaving her house but the idea of living with Rowan was far more exciting. In the end they did manage to move everything on the Saturday. After Lysandra had gone back to London, Aelin had asked her to ship all of her boxes there and that felt like the final step. She was definitely not going back. This was it. This was her new life. Hopefully with Rowan in it. Moving boxed had been exhausting and now it was Sunday and she was staring at the mess that was her bedroom and was trying to decide where to start to tackle the indecent amount of boxes.

Luckily Rowan had solved the book problem for her. Her thirty five boxes of books had joined his extra book storage in the attic. He had joked that he might eventually turn the place in a library and Aelin had responded telling him that it was a brilliant idea. She was busy unpacking her clothes when Rowan’s head popped in her room announcing that lunch was ready. “You are wonderful.” She joined him in the kitchen isle and was ready to tuck in in another one of his wonderful meals. “Did your aunt teach you to cook?” “She did.” He answered without elaborating any further. He had briefly mentioned once that he had lost his parents but never expanded on the subject and she was not going to press him on a topic that was clearly going to cause him pain. She ate the food with a happy face and Rowan thought he would be happy to cook for her forever just to watch the smile of satisfaction painted on her face. After they polished their meal, Aelin offered to help clean. It seemed only fair. Once done she went back to her room and deal with the boxes that were still staring at her. All of her clothes were spread on the bed and she was trying to divide them into categories. At the bottom of a box she had also found a couple of her old scrubs and nostalgia had hit her hard. One box was full of knick knacks and she pushed it aside. Definitely low priority. One last box had pictures frames to be hanged on the walls. Most of them were of her and Lysandra but at the bottom she had found one of her and Chaol that had survived the purge. She threw the thing on the bed and went back to her mission: organise her wardrobe. A few hours later she was half way through her boxes and she had not noticed Rowan leaning against the door staring at her with a half smile. Aelin was sitting on the floor and seemed defeated. “Unpacking not going well?” “I hate it. I never realised how much stuff I had. When I packed everything I had Aedion and Lysandra and all we did was just dump stuff in boxes. They were trying to get me out of that house as soon as possible. Rowan sat on the edge of the bed. His eyes caught the photo abandoned on it. He took it “Is this him?” “We took that the night we got engaged. I have scrubs on because he proposed at the hospital where we met. That photo survived the purge. It needs to be destroyed.” Rowan noticed the pain in her eyes. No matter how much she hated her ex husband, he could tell that whatever they had it had mattered to her and she was still hurting about it. He put the photo down and noticed a black dress. He leaned forward and grabbed it out of curiosity. “I bought for a charity event. Wore it once and never had the chance to use it again.” She explained when she saw him staring at it in curiosity. In reality Rowan was imagining her in that dress. All of a sudden he was glad he was sitting down. Aelin saw his stare and grabbed the dress from his hands, a wicked smile on her face “Stay there,” she told him, leaving him alone in the bedroom. When she came back ten minutes later Rowan noticed her and almost had a heart attack. She was stunning. The dress hugged her curves perfectly, it had a cut on one side exposing her leg up to the knee. It was sleeveless and the top of the corset reached just under her collarbone. She turned around and showed him the whole thing and Aelin noticed desire burning in his eyes. “What do you think?” He took a step to her and his hands were on her waist “That I don’t want you to wear this dress outside. I want this view all for myself.” His voice was rough and a bit breathless. Aelin laughed and kissed him and Rowan pushed her against the wardrobe and pinned her there. Her hands went to his butt and pushed him closer to her body. His hand sneaked through the cut of the dress and cupped her butt and gasped when he realised she was not wearing anything underneath. “You will be the death of me.” He breathed against her neck where he was depositing hot kisses making her shiver. “Against a wall is another one of my fantasies…” she whispered in his ear and she felt his hand move in between her legs. “Good.” He added locking his mouth on her “it’s another one of my special skills.” Rowan deepened the kiss, her mouth opening to him. Her tongue gently brushing against his. His fingers slipped between her legs and gently brushed her sensitive spot. Aelin moaned and arched her back against him. Then all of a sudden the magic broke as he pulled away from her, kissed her forehead and walked away. Aelin’s growl of frustration was loud “Whitethorn!” Aelin shouted following to the living room “You can’t.” She groaned, frustration now rising high. What was his problem? “You always do that, you tease me, you get me all hot and then you leave.” Rowan gave her a tight smile and took a step closer, his mouth to her ear “So that when I can finally have you it will be amazing.” “And very short.” She lashed back “Because I will be so horny that I will have an orgasm at your first touch and it will last seconds.” Her eyes now fixed on his. “Who said that we can’t have a second a third and why not a fourth time? I have stamina.” Aelin growled and ran back to her room and slammed the door quite hard. She groaned for another few minutes while she changed back in her comfortable clothes. “Damn he is infuriating.” She threw the dress in one of the drawers and lay down on the bed staring at the ceiling. She wanted him so badly that she was sure she was going to combust very soon. She took a deep breath and then got up again and finished to tidy up everything. An hour later the boxes were finally gone and she had finished decorating it with her stuff and the pictures and eventually it started to feel like her place. She looked at the place and smiled happily at the final job. She picked up the flattened boxes and left the room. Rowan was in the living room reading a book on the sofa and she ignored him as she passed behind him and headed outside to bin the boxes. When she came back Rowan was looking at her. “All done?” She stormed to her bedroom and slammed the door again. Later on when she was sitting on her bed reading, she heard a knock on the door and Rowan’s voice telling her that dinner was ready. She gave in and joined him in the kitchen not without giving him a cold stare. “I am sorry,” he said. She sighed “it’s okay.” He gave offered her a plate with some food “I didn’t mean to piss you off this much.” “I am not.” He scoffed “Yes, you are.” She slammed the fork on the table “Fine. I am. I am, because damn it but I want you, okay? It’s been driving me nuts.” She finally let out her frustration “And I get it, we have a promise and I will wait but this is new. Chaol never made me feel like this. None of the guys before him did. You do. You set my body on fire with just a touch and all I want is for you to slam me against a wall and fuck me so hard that I forget my name.” “I am really good at that…” he smirked and Aelin’s heart lightened. She could not be mad at him. Not when he smiled at her like that. “Someone has a high opinion of himself.” “I definitely can make you forget your name. To be honest, I am positive I can do that just with a kiss.” He kept eating never averting his gaze from her. “You can do that by just be beside me sometimes.” She admitted. That’s how mad about him she was. “Dinner is lovely, by the way. Thank you.” She finally conceded. He smiled at her warmly. And like that their little fight was over. “So, what do you do in the evening?” “Read mostly. As you can see I don’t have a tv.” “I have a laptop with Netflix.” Explained Aelin and he looked at her with confusion. “Netflix is a website where you can watch movies and series. I pay a small amount every month. They add loads of content very regularly.” She took a bite of the chocolate cake she was sure came from his aunt. “We can watch something together.” “I guess we can do that.” “Perfect.”

After dinner Aelin had offered to clean up the kitchen since he had cooked. Once she was done she joined him in the living room and brought her laptop with her. She sat beside him, a blanket on their legs and the pc on it. She snuggled close and started browsing Netflix. “We can watch Brooklyn nine nine. It’s one of my favourites. It’s a bunch of detectives in New York. It’s hilarious but has some great storylines as well.” “We can watch something new. You don’t have to rewatch it just for me.” Aelin turned to him “I rewatch it regularly. I love it so much.” “Okay.” He said kissing her head. Ten minutes later she noticed that Rowan was actually quite involved “I like her.” He said pointing at Detective Santiago. “She is awesome.” “Those two are ending up together. I bet on it.” He commented pointing at Santiago and Peralta and Aelin squeezed his hand. “I like the new captain.” Aelin looked at him but his stare was fixed on the screen and she loved his relaxed face. Her hand caressed his hair and his eyes closed at the contact. Then trailed down and traced his ear and finally placed a very brief kiss on his neck. “She is hot. Santiago I mean.” And Aelin laughed. They binged watched the first season that Aelin decided to call it a night. She was tired from all the moving. “We can continue tomorrow.” He nodded happily. “Good night, my heart.” She said kissing him.

Their home arrangements slowly set into a regular rhythm and Aelin adapted to his way of living. She still felt like a guest and she wanted to make sure she was not disrupting his life too much. He would cook and she would clean the kitchen. She would help him with chores around the house. In their free time Rowan took upon him the task of teaching her to cook. They began with something very simple. Aelin was a quick learner and she also managed to prepare lunch a couple of times without burning down the house.

One night he was in bed and sleep was evading her. She tossed a few times and then her arm extended to the empty side of her bed. She sighed. Since she and Rowan had gotten back from their little holiday she had missed his presence at her side at night. His arms around her and his warmth. She closed her eyes and tried to go back to sleep.. “Damn,” she groaned in frustration throwing the sheets at the bottom of the bed. She sat up and decided to get up. After pacing for a few minutes in her bedroom she walked out of the room and reached his. “Rowan?” “Are you okay?” He asked switching the light on and sitting up in his bed. His hair was tousled from sleep and she thought he looked sexy. “I can’t sleep.” She said not moving from her spot on the doorstep. She would not move until he gave her permission. “Come here.” He said patting the bed beside him. She smiled and joined him. He lay down again and she snuggled against him and smiled when she felt his arms wrap around her, one around her chest and the other lower around the waist. His head tucked in the crook of her neck. She turned to face him “Since our trip I miss not having you beside me at night.” “Do you now?” He huffed against her skin. Aelin nodded and squeezed closer. Gods it felt so good to be in his arms. Rowan sighed “Do you want to sleep with me?” Then he heard how his sentenced sounded like “I mean you can stay in my bed and sleep in here if you like it.” Aelin looked up at him and smiled “I’d love to.” A kiss on his nose “But I am leaving my stuff in my room. I can’t move my things again.” “It sounds like a plan.”

From that night Aelin had officially moved in his bedroom. She had finally started sleeping soundly again. They had added another milestone in their relationship.

It was of the weekly mornings when Rowan had gone to teach his swimming classes and she was in charge of the bookshop and she was loving it. Aelin looked at her watch for the billionth time in the past ten minutes. Rowan was late. He would always come back at the same time but that day he was late. Over an hour late now and panic began to settle in her. He hadn’t texted her and that was unusual as well. He had always texted even if he was going to be five minutes late to open the shop. Which he knew it was not going to be an issue since he had given her a set of keys a while ago. She paced and could not concentrate on anything. In the end she caved and phoned him. The phone rang a few times. She was about to hang up when he answered. “Rowan Whitethorn, were the fuck are you?” A woman’s voice replied at the other end and Aelin’s heart started racing. Why was another woman answering his phone? He would not cheat on her. “Hello?” Said the voice on the other side and Aelin woke up. “Yes, who are you? Where is Rowan?” “My name is Dr Jamieson. Are you a relative of Mr Whitethorn?” And she almost felt sick. She had done plenty of those phone calls to know that it was not a good sign. She sat down on the chair behind the counter and placed her free hand on her knee to stop it from shaking. “Mr Whitethorn has been admitted to the hospital following a car accident.” Aelin’s brain stopped working. She could not think and definitely she could not breath. “Is… he…” “We should discuss it here at the hospital. Are you a relative?” Aelin froze. She knew hospital policy and they were not allowed to disclose the situation of the patient to someone who was not family. And they weren’t and a roommate was not in the list of the people allowed. Fuck. Her brain was too shocked to think properly. “I am his wife.” Her mouth uttered and she froze “I am on my way there. Is he still in the A&E?” “He has been taken for a CT scan. When you arrive ask for me.” Aelin thanked the woman and took a deep breath and coerced her brain to start working again. Quickly she closed the shop and went back home to get her car. Within ten minutes she was at the hospital, dropped the car at the parking and ran as fast as she could to the A&E. At the reception she asked for Dr. Jamieson and to tell the woman that Mrs Whitethorn was here. She had to remember her act. Five minutes later the doctor arrived and shook her hand. “How is he? Can I see him? Is he out of the CT?” “Mrs Whitethorn, your husband will be back from the CT exam quite soon. He was involved in a frontal crash. The paramedics found him unconscious and his head took a hit. We believe it was from rebound from the seat belts. Very likely his head hit the window pretty hard, that’s why the CT scan. He has few bruises on his ribs and torso due to the seat belts. Nothing is broken but he will be sore for a while.” “Have you checked his abdomen for internal injuries? Are his legs fine?” Her A&E training kicked in and she went through all the possible injuries from such an accident. The woman in front of her looked at her with the type of look that Aelin used to give to family members that tried to tell her how to do her job. Aelin sighed “I am a cardio thoracic surgeon. I have worked in an A&E long enough and seen enough accidents…” “I had a feeling. You did not ask the usual questions family members ask.” The doctor gave her a faint smile “I guess he will be in his room by now. If the CT comes back clear you will be able to take him home tonight but he will need to be at rest for a while.” “Thank you.” The doctor accompanied her to his room and she stopped outside for a moment. She took a deep breath and finally opened the door of his room. A sigh of relief left her when she saw him awake. “Hey…” she ran to him and kissed him while tears ran down her cheeks. She had been terrified. He tried to hug her back but his body protested at the idea of him moving. “Don’t move. You bruised your chest and your ribs.” Then she looked at the cut on his head and noted that luckily was not deep enough to require stitches. Gently she kissed it “No stitches.” And she sat down on the bed beside him and took his hand in hers. Dr Jamieson entered the room while she was kissing his forehead. “Mrs Whitethorn, your husband’s CT is clear. He has a very mild concussion and might experience some headache. If…” “If he gets dizzy, has double vision, gets confused or struggles to stay awake bring him back to the A&E. I know the drill.” The woman smiled and nodded “I will have your discharge paper ready in an hour.” And she left and Rowan was staring at her with wide eyes. “I can explain,” she said knowing full well the reason of that stare “Hospital policy is that they can’t disclose information to non family members. So I had to lie. I couldn’t say I was your sister because well, it was not believable so… my only option was to say that I was your wife. I am sorry.” Rowan started laughing but he stopped when his ribs caused him pain “It’s fine, I think it’s cute.” “I think it’s the concussion speaking.” And she kissed him again “I was terrified.” She took a deep breath “although before that I was mad at you for being late and not telling me anything. Then I phoned you and a woman picked up. Until she told she was a doctor I thought you were cheating on me.” He leaned his forehead against hers “Never. I would never do such a horrible thing to you.” “We are going home soon, and once we do, you will have to listen to me.” He tried to reply but she put a finger on his lips “No. I don’t care. I am the doctor and you will do as I say. You will stay at home and rest. I will look after the bookshop. And this is not open for debate.” “Looks like I got myself a very stern wife.” He kissed her. “Jokes aside, how do you feel?” “A bit of a headache and very sore.” He leaned back on the pillow. “How did you get in an accident. You are such a careful driver.” He flinched “I left the school, at a roundabout an idiot with a van did not respect his turn and I drove straight into him. The car—” “Shh… we’ll deal with the car later.” An hour later the doctor came back with the discharge paper “I prescribed some painkillers. He will need rest. No work for at least three days.” “Thank you doctor.” And the woman left again. “Come, let’s get you back in your clothes.” Rowan pushed his legs off the bed and Aelin helped him remove his hospital gown. Of course he was naked under it and she almost gasped at his bare body. “Dear wife, never seen your husband naked?” He joked and she tried to keep her eyes up. As a doctor she had seen naked men plenty of times, but seeing him was different. “Ok, let’s try to put the t-shirt on. This may hurt.” And it did. Because of his bruises he was in pain and lifting his arms was not an easy task. “Slowly…” they finally managed and he decided to ignore the hoodie. It was not cold outside. Then she helped him with his underwear and trousers. He leaned against her and she tried to hide her massive blush when she caught a peek by mistake. Gods, the man was perfect. “How is your shoulder?” “It’s fine.” Aelin looked at him with the expression of a doctor who caught his patient lie. “Look.” He moved it in circles and she noticed that he was moving it easily and without discomfort. “If you are lying, your are dead, dear husband.” He kissed her “I love you, my dear wife.” Before heading home Aelin stopped at the pharmacy and got the medicines the doctor had prescribed. Once at home, she pushed Rowan to the bedroom. He protested saying that it was day and he could stay on the sofa but he discovered very quickly that Aelin in doctor mode was a bit of a despot. “Just for today. Tomorrow we’ll organise the living room so you can camp there during the day but today I am home and you will stay in bed.” “Fine.” He yielded. She went to his drawer and got some clean bed clothes. “Not again.” “You are not coming to bed with that t-shirt. First, there is blood on it. Second it’s dirty and I changed the sheets this morning.” “You are so mean.” He complained. Aelin grabbed a tube “wait.” She told him when she noticed he was about to try and put the t-shirt back on “This gel will help reduce the bruises and reduce the inflammation.” She spread a bit of the gel on his chest with circular motions being very careful not to cause any more pain. Once she was done she helped him put the t-shirt back on “We’ll put a bit more tonight before bed.” “I have my very own sexy personal nurse.” She grinned in response “Yes, and you’d better listen to her.” She helped him to get into bed and then left the room and came back with a glass of water and some pills “Take these, they will help the headache and reduce the pain in general.” Rowan followed orders and she then sat happily beside him on the bed. “Do you want me to get you a book?” Rowan shook his head “I don’t feel too great to read just now.” She caressed his head and kissed his forehead “just sleep a bit, then.” “We can watch one of your shows.” She grinned. Rowan did not have a tv but she had Netflix on her laptop so she had introduced him to some of her favourite series. At the moment they were to season two of Brooklyn nine nine and Rowan seemed to love it. “I’ll be back.” When she did she had a bed tray and her laptop. She made sure Rowan was comfortable and not in a position that would cause him pain. Then she placed the tray on the bed and her laptop on it. She put her pyjama on and snuggled under the blankets with him and curled up to his chest, and her arm around his waist. “Are you okay?” “Perfect.” He kissed the top of her head. “Are we continuing with Brooklyn nine nine?” He nodded and she started Netflix. A few hours later Aelin woke up and noticed they had both fallen asleep. She closed her laptop and placed on the floor on her side of her bed. Rowan woke in that instant. “Shhh go back to sleep.” She soothed. He lay down again and she snuggled against him. Her hand went gently on his chest and brushed it gently. She had been terrified when she was told he had been in an accident. Until she saw him in his room awake she could not push away the terror in her heart. She felt his heart beat steadily and she finally relaxed and eventually fell asleep as well.

[imaginingsoftly]

Wedding Date Pt. 2 - Tyler Seguin

Type: strangers-enemies-lovers, series

Requested: no

Warnings: swearing, asshole exes

A/N: Hey guys! I know I said these installments were going to come out on Thursdays, but I feel like my fellow Americans currently losing their shit could use a distraction. Remember that it’s out of our hands at the moment, and you deserve to take a break from the news coverage. Breathe. We’ll get through this. I love you all.

Tyler hadn’t asked any questions about Melissa’s sudden disappearance from the brunch after she woke up grumpy and disoriented before the rehearsal dinner, and she appreciated the hell out of him for it. Instead, he’d brewed her some coffee and talked about his dogs and life in Dallas. Somehow he could tell that she needed some time to not think about anything significant, and he’d given that time to her like it was nothing. 

Attending the rehearsal on his arm was almost fun, and he helped get her back to the suite early. Most of the group probably thought they were breaking off to go hook up, but that was fine as long as Melissa could get into her bed faster. He’d walked her all the way to her bedroom, despite her laughter that she could walk across the living space by herself, and she’d smiled that night as she fell back to sleep. 

Now they were getting ready for their respective roles in the wedding, Tyler as a guest/ wrangler of the middle-aged relatives, Melissa as the Maid-of-Honor. Tyler grinned appreciatively as Melissa handed him a cup of freshly-brewed coffee, and she turned back to the french press to make herself a cup when her phone began to ring. It was probably Kirsten freaking out about something, even though the wedding was a good 8 hours away. “Tyler, could you get that for me?” He could handle his cousin just as well as she would have, and hearing Tyler answer Melissa’s phone might put Kirsten in a good mood. 

“Hello?” Tyler’s voice, gravelly from sleep, sent a shiver up Melissa’s spine. Hearing that first thing in the morning was something she would be interested in getting used to. She snuck a glance over at Tyler to see him already looking at her, smirking like he knew what was going through her head. 

“Who the fuck are you?” The familiar voice, dripping in attitude and disgust, sent another sort of shiver down Melissa’s spine. Her ex, and not the hipster beer guy. 

“What the hell do you want, Liam?” Tyler looked at Melissa confusedly as she spoke, and she shook her head. Later, she tried to tell him with her eyes. He understood, and Melissa took the outstretched phone. “I told you to leave me the fuck alone.”

There was silence on the other end of the line, and for a second Melissa thought that maybe Liam had hung up. “I can’t believe you’re hooking up with someone else. This won’t look good to my parents, Melissa. It’s time to come home. Stop throwing fits.” Tyler threw a sharp look at her, like he actually believed what Liam was saying, and Melissa had enough. 

“I am not your goddamn girlfriend, Liam, so stop acting like I am.” He tried to interrupt her, like he always did, but she cut him off. “No. I’m not fucking finished. I love my job, I love my friends, and I love my freedom. I’m not interested in being some rich fucker’s trophy wife and I’m definitely not interested in being yours. Leave me the fuck alone before I get a restraining order.” She hung up before he could get another word in, throwing her phone on the counter in anger. “Motherfucker!” 

The timer for the french press went off, and Melissa prepped her coffee with jerky, angry movements. She could sense Tyler staring at her from his seat on the counter, but she ignored him as she continued to mutter curses under her breath. She should have blocked his number a long time ago, but she didn’t trust him not to just get a new one in order to reach out to her. At least this way she had proof of his continued calls and texts in one spot. 

Tyler’s voice broke through Melissa’s cloud of anger, and she actually jumped a little bit at the sound of his voice. “Bad breakup?” Melissa scoffed. He had no idea. “Well,” Tyler said with a bit of a laugh in his voice, “I can tell you one thing.” He waited until she turned to face him, an eyebrow raised, before he continued. “I’d be honored to have you as my trophy wife.” No he did not. Melissa gaped at him, more shocked he had made a joke about the conversation than about the actual comment. 

She didn’t really think, she just reacted. Tyler laughed as Melissa’s coffee spoon came flying in his direction, and he caught the utensil with ease. Her heart felt light, lighter than it usually did after phone calls from Liam, and Melissa found herself smiling back. “Hipster beer guy wasn’t my most recent ex. He was actually a guy from college, so a while ago.” Tyler nodded, and she noticed that he leaned forward like he was interested in the story she was about to tell. “I dated Liam for about 6 months last year. We met at a dinner for the university that I work at, some charity thing where the donors get to come and make sure we know that they pay our salaries.” Tyler cringed, and Melissa was sure he at least kind of understood where she was coming from. 

“Liam didn’t seem like the other donors. He’d gone to the dinner in place of his parents, and we talked for a couple of hours. He seemed sweet.” She didn’t see the red flags that she normally would have, mostly because he looked so friendly. Apparently being raised by rich and heartless parents taught you some pretty impressive false empathy skills. She wasn’t wholly convinced he actually felt empathy at all, actually. “We started dating, and it just felt easy. We were both so busy that we hardly saw each other, and I told myself I liked that. I realized later that I didn’t like the distance from a partner, I just liked the distance from him.”

“One night like a week before we hit the 6 month mark Liam invited me to dinner with his parents. I hadn’t met them yet, because apparently they were super busy running their empire, so I was pretty nervous. Liam is a pretty driven guy, and I had assumed he got it from his parents. The dinner went wrong from the beginning.” Melissa paused as Tyler patted the space on the counter next to him. She hopped up gratefully, and he squeezed the shoulder closest to him. 

“Just wanted you to be comfy. I have a feeling this next part is going to be a doozy.” 

Melissa laughed at Tyler’s choice of phrasing, though she nodded because he was correct. It was a doozy for sure. “You have no idea. So we get there, and I’m immediately othered when everyone shows up in cocktail dresses and suits and I’m over there in my teaching pants and a blazer. His mother looked like she had just sucked on a lemon when I walked into the room, and she glared down at my hand when I introduced myself like I was going to give her some kind of disease.” That wasn’t even half of it. She’d also made some snide comments under her breath about where the clothing had come from, though Tyler didn’t really need to hear that detail. 

“We finally sat down for dinner after some of the most uncomfortable cocktail conversation I’ve ever had, and then I make a giant mistake. I mention my job.” Tyler reacts perfectly, throwing a hand over his heart and fake gasping. Melissa chuckled a bit. “Yeah, exactly. So his mom gets this horrified look on her face, and turns to Liam and says, ‘she will not be working once you’re engaged, correct?’ I tried to respectfully state that I love my job, and I planned on working for the foreseeable future, but she wouldn’t take that for an answer. She kept insisting that I couldn’t work if we were going to be together, and Liam wouldn’t back me up. At one point he turned to me and said, ‘you know, I make more in a day than you do in an entire month. I can take care of you.’”

Tyler’s face looked disgusted for her, and Melissa felt a twinge of satisfaction that at least he was on her side. “I lost my damn mind. I stood up from the table and said that if the expectation was that I would be a brainless trophy wife with no ambition or intelligence then I was uninterested in continuing our relationship, and I stormed out. I’ve been trying to get Liam to realize that no means no ever since.” Melissa downed the rest of her coffee, suddenly in need of at least three more cups. 

She was halfway through making a second cup when Tyler responded again. “Isn’t one of your areas of expertise gender and stuff?” Melissa whipped around, surprised he had remembered. She nodded, and Tyler let out a scoff. “So they were pushing some idea from the 50s on you when your area of study is literally everything against that?” Melissa laughed. At least someone else understood the irony there. 

A knock sounded on the door to the suite before Melissa could respond. Tyler jumped off the counter before she could move to the door, and she admired the view from behind as he walked away from her. “Morning, cousin!” Kirsten flew through the door, sliding across the room and into Melissa’s arms with a laugh. “I’m getting married today!” The pair laughed, and Melissa hugged her friend close as she felt some tears prick her eyes. They’d been through a lot together since their days as college roommates, and today felt almost surreal. 

Kirsten pulled back with a slight frown. “Why do you look like you want to punch something?” Melissa tried to school her face into one of confusion, but her friend knew her too well for that. “Don’t bullshit me. Why the hell do you look so pissed?” 

She didn’t get a chance to make something up. “Liam called her.” Melissa turned to glare at Tyler from where he was sitting on the counter again. “He was an ass, but she handled him really well. It was kinda hot actually.” He winked at Melissa, and she flushed bright red. He had that effect on her, and it was kind of aggravating. 

“He still seems to think we’re still dating. I told him a restraining order was in the cards if he didn’t kindly fuck off.” Kirsten held up a hand for a high five, and Melissa slapped it gratefully. She had stayed in Kirsten’s guest bedroom for almost a month after that breakup because Liam kept showing up at her apartment. He stayed away from the house because John was a hell of a lot bigger than him, and John and Kirsten had been lifesavers as she tried to get over their relationship ending. 

Kirsten looped an arm through Melissa’s and began pulling her out the door, despite the fact that the latter girl was barefoot. Melissa managed to snag a pair of flip flops on their way out, though she couldn’t get them on her feet. “Ty I’m stealing your girl for a bestie breakfast, try not to miss her too much!” Melissa stiffened at her words. Maybe they’d been acting too well. She looked over her shoulder to mouth an apology at Tyler, her face bright red, only to find him smirking in her direction already. They were still staring each other down when the door slammed shut behind her. “You have a lot of explaining to do, Lissy.” 

She couldn’t keep pretending like this. “Kirs, it’s not like that.” If she wasn’t careful, Kirsten would be planning her and Tyler’s wedding by the time the night was over. Kirsten meant well, she really did, but sometimes she really just needed to chill out. “We get along really well. We’ve had a lot of time to talk, and it’s been fun. That’s all.” It was obvious that Kirsten disagreed, but she relented as they reached the patio where the brunch had been held the day prior. 

The tables were no longer set up to make one giant table, like they had been the night before. Instead it was an open area where several groups were eating, none part of the wedding party. Kirsten pulled Melissa over to a table set up for two in one corner of the patio. It was next to the vine and flower-covered wall she’d noticed the day before, and she leaned in slightly to sniff at the flowers brightening the space. 

“So,” Kirsten said with an air of mischief, “you and my cousin.” Melissa opened her mouth to protest again, but her friend cut her off. “Uh-uh. Nope. I saw the looks he was giving you, and you turned bright red every time you two made eye contact.” She was right, and they both knew it. Kirsten looked smug when Melissa didn’t try to disagree. “Listen. You’re moving to Dallas in a month. Why not hook up with him? See if he’s worth keeping around, and then have some fun. You don’t have to do the whole relationship thing babe, and you deserve to have someone appreciate your body.” 

A server came to take their order, and Melissa gratefully ordered another cup of coffee and some pancakes. “I think you’re reading it all wrong, Kirs. He’s just being nice.” The looks that he kept giving her, full of heat and interest, said otherwise, but there was no way he was really interested in her outside of a hookup. Although, would that really be so bad? Kirsten scoffed at her statement, and Melissa jumped in before she could say anything. “I don’t know if I really want to hook up with anyone this weekend, Kirs. If it happens it happens, but I’m not going to push it.” 

Her friend shrugged, though her face said she completely disagreed. “Well if you aren’t going to let me find someone to match you with, at least tell me you found a place in Dallas.” Their food arrived, and Melissa took a happy bite of her pancakes. They smelled heavenly, and tasted even better. “You were going to buy a house, right?”

Melissa nodded. ���Originally I had planned on a house, maybe just outside the city, but I fell in love with this townhouse right off of Main Street. It has three bedrooms, so right around the size I wanted, and there’s so much natural light. Plus, there’s a rooftop deck with a beautiful view of the city.” This place was going to be her new investment. She was fortunate enough to have gotten a lot of scholarships and grants to do her schooling with, and professorial pay allowed her to pay off those loans rather quickly. That meant that she could start saving for a down payment on her own place and a new start in Dallas. 

She took another bite of her pancakes while Kirsten contemplated what she was saying. “I’m really happy for you, Lissy. You deserve this.” They grinned at each other, and then Kristen broke down into giggles. “Look at us! You’re a badass in your field that got job offers from like half the universities in the country, and I’m marrying my soulmate. We’re killing this whole life thing.” Melissa chuckled as she nodded at her friend’s words. 

“It wasn’t half of the universities in the country, but I appreciate the vote of confidence.” Kirsten waved a hand in a ‘whatever’ kind of way, and conversation moved to people-watching and bets over who would leave with whom tonight or how long it would take for John to tear up.

[honestgrins]

requesting part 3 of pretty good bad idea. i'm curious as to caroline's reaction to klaus' gift & whether or not she'll reach out to him, klaus possibly trying to worm his way to getting a first date, etc

Part I & Part II

Pretty Good Bad Idea: Me and You

Klaus had just poured himself a glass of wine when his phone rang, an unfamiliar number blazoned across the screen. Frowning, he wondered who managed to slip past the phalanx of assistants to reach his personal line directly. He checked his dinner warming in the oven before he answered, his voice somehow clear of the suspicion he felt. "Hello?"

"You called my mom to get a copy of my elementary school newspaper?"

In an instant, his frown gave way to a grin, and he relaxed against the counter. "Miss Forbes," he greeted politely, "it seems I'm not the only one with a talent for procuring contact information. I'm impressed. Not even my security team has this number, so I can't blame your friend, Enzo."

Caroline sighed. "You can and you can't. You didn't hear it from me, but he's dating your brother Kol, who's not big on boundaries. All I had to do was complain about you calling my mother and he was airdropping me your contact."

"He's always enjoyed sowing a little chaos in the family," Klaus answered, pleased for once at Kol's antics. "As for the good sheriff, Liz is a stern negotiator - wouldn't give up the paper unless I made my intentions clear. Tell me, love, has she always been this tough on your suitors? I've half a mind to hire her away from Mystic Falls."

"You're not a suitor, you're a subject," she said. Whether to remind him or herself, he didn't know. "And she'd never leave, no matter how much you paid her."

His smile spread, and he sipped his wine. "I'm sure I could make an offer worth her while."

A flustered noise came through the line. "We- We're getting off track. Why would you call her in the first place? You don't even know me."

"I'd like to, I thought I made that quite clear." That only earned him silence, so he went in for the kill. "And it's only fair, since you've been chatting with my mother for the last month or so."

Caroline remained quiet, but he could practically hear the gears grinding in that magnificent mind of hers. Softly, she cleared her throat. "A reporter never reveals her sources. What makes you think I'm not protecting mine?"

The oven timer beeped, and he pulled out the casserole dish filled with his favorite pasta. "You're good at what you do, as am I," he warned. "I happen to have received an advanced copy of your article for tomorrow, and it wasn't terribly difficult for me to put the pieces together."

"Wow," she replied, not sounding thrilled in the slightest, "do I have to call out my editor for letting the news slip early?"

"It's not her fault." Klaus shrugged, stirring the dish and making himself a plate. "I'm in talks to buy your publisher, had a meeting tonight to walk through the printers and grabbed tomorrow's edition on my way out."

She scoffed, and he liked to think she was almost smiling in disbelief. "You're insane."

"Determined," he countered. "But the timing of it was a happy accident, these talks have been happening since I took over as CEO. Diversifying into traditional media is meant to be Original's new philanthropic arm, as stodgy as the board has been about the idea."

Her breath hitched, likely in surprise. "Can I quote you on that?"

He took his first bite and nearly moaned; his housekeeper was an angel among women to cook so well, and he needed to give her a raise. "Provided you embargo it until the deal goes through, yes. Until then, you'll have to deal with my PR staff, who tend to loathe the rare occasion I speak to the media directly."

"Lucky me," Caroline said, her voice an odd mixture of pleased and resigned. "And thank you for the gift, even if I still think it's weird you called my mom to make it happen."

"You're welcome, sweetheart, I was happy to do it."

"When do you even have time to do stuff like this? Aren't you busy playing master of the universe? Like, how do you find time to eat, or sleep?"

Personal questions were a good sign, he thought. "I'm actually eating now, only took until nine o'clock at night to get a chance to sit and relax."

"Oh, I'm sorry to-"

"Don't be, I'm enjoying myself," he assured her, hoping she wouldn't hang up. "How was your day?"

She laughed, and it felt like a victory. "Well, there was this rich guy who dropped into the office..."

"Sounds awful."

"I don't know," she said, and he could hear the smile in her voice. "There's something about him."

Digging at his plate again, Klaus couldn't help a smile either. "Still, I'd rather talk about you. What are you working on, other than Original?"

As she launched into an interview she did with a local charity, he was struck by the desire to keep the conversation going indefinitely. For a moment, he could see himself heating up meals for two, sharing a bottle with her as they sat in his kitchen and sharing their days. It wouldn't be quite that simple, he knew, but it was a nice image - one he wanted to make real.

And he usually got what he wanted, determined individual that he was.

[whatdoesshedotothem]

Tuesday 8 April 1834: SH:7/ML/E/17/0017

7 25

12 35

Fine morning F53° at 8 5 ready in 40 minutes - Had Charles H- sent him and James pulling down a way from the blue room stairs into the upper kitchen chamber - in fact, they began at 7 ½ having ordered all about it last night - breakfast at 9 ½ - out again at 10 ¼ with Pickels and his 6 men or with the 1 mason George Hardy in the morning pulling down and walling up for the passage into the upper kitchen chamber and in the afternoon at 12 began under footing the house ½ yard below where the terrace formerly stood -  Charles and James all day at the upper kitchen doorway - at one went up to look about the site for Whiskam toll house expecting Washington too set it out tomorrow - then sauntering in the upper land - saw Town - said he should offer Empsall £5 to tempt him to give up the Allan car - at 2 ½ for an hour had Isaac Green about Northgate - I said £8000 for the land 6DW.1qrs.8p. and £1000 for the buildings - and the money paid down on signing the deeds - would give him till this day-month to consider, and then, whether I had had an answer or not, all should be at an end, and I at liberty as if nothing had ever passed on the subject  - but, at last, on his pressing me to give him the refusal, said I would end all that by putting the place up to auction as soon as I could - well! but if he did not see it advertised might he come again about it - yes! but he might depend upon seeing it advertised as soon as it could - out again in the afternoon till 6 ½ at which hour a Mrs. St George came offering drawings to be bought of  her in charity - gave her a glass of wine, but declined making any purchases, having other charities more than enough for all I can spare - dinner at 6 ¾ - coffee - musing in the upper kitchen chamber what do to with it - wrote out last Friday with my aunt from 9 ½ to 10 50  - Kind letter this morning 3 pages and ½ page crossed from Miss Walker Heworth Grange York -  Dr Belcombe might well look grave – his oldest son had taken French leave and spent his Easter holidays at Beverley races – when I met the boy out of Monk bar on Saturday, who said he was returning from Beverley I little thought his excursion had been of such bad omen - letter also this morning from Mr. Cholmeley of Brandsby - ‘Mr. Cholmeley has the pleasure of informing Miss Lister that he considers James Clayton to be perfectly honest, sober and trustworthy, that he understands his business as a country footman and was always civil and well behaved - Brandsby April 6th 1834’ - very fine day - F50° at midnight - Letter 3 pages and ½ dozen lines on the ends from M- Leamington tonight – she had thought and felt me long in writing – ‘I attributed your silence to more absorbing interests than those which writing to Mary could give’ – had noticed the conclusion of my 2 last letters – very especially yours leaving out the word entirely earnestly prays for my happiness if I have in anyway interfered with it I have no less trampled upon my own for I have never loved any but you this you know a wife for eighteen years with nothing but the name your image alone awakened feelings for which otherwise I had no use I loved you dearly and fondly I do love you dearly and fondly and can neither understand nor account for the influence which circumstances in spite of inclination have had over me   ‘The mind was less strong than the feelings, and unable to bear its own weight of sorrow, too readily yielded to the compliant of having it shared by one whose sympathy I had believed had no other spring than what arose from a kind and affectionate regard’ Unfortunately the confidence which existed between us and which at first were on matters least connected with the heart became from untoward events of deeper interest yet I am quite satisfied that until that fatal folly at Newton which awakened the pity of all and in myself a mental indignation which so disgusted me with Mr δ- that it seemed to tear away the last link of anything like patience neither party were aware of anything more than a friendly and brotherly regard it was the affronting injustice then offered to us both and I tell you honestly my Fred if I had not been for the thought of you and the virtuous feeling of the individual who had shared the insult even stronger principles than Mary’s might have been periled my regard for you has been a never dying security for as the nominal wife of such a man as Mr δ- I might have been subjected to more than the ordinary trials of my sex had it not been for the too fortunate position in which you had placed me I always felt myself your individual property and forgot that other knew not this poor Willoughby sorrowed over the unappreciated wife his regard increased and I now believe his peace of mind might be end angered but yet he never told me so  all he now writes is that in leaving home country and friends one hope sustains him and that I may rest assured that the being dearest to his boys will not be forgotten by him I would give much to recall some part of the past but that which is to become is alone within our power to influence Freddy ‘It is almost difficult not to become a predestinarian – we seem allowed so little choice in what concerns us most – tantalized with an appearance of freedom when in fact we hardly seem to have it God grant that all may be for the best. I am sick I am sorry my Fred I could

SH:7/ML/E/17/0018

be miserable love me think of me in pity do both yes you have indeed been my friend ‘a tried and steady one’ and you are still the kindly prop which supports me under sorrows which even time has not taught me to bear with unconcern  would that you were with me am I not to see you this summer I am now alone Mr δ- is gone to Lawton  I did expect him back tomorrow but I hardly know whether he comes or not I enjoy my solitude for we have no feeling in common there are few subjects however matter of fact which somehow or other he does not contrive to turn into discord Freddy I cannot touch on indifferent subjects my mind is occupied by that on which I have written I can add no more than that I am still yours affectionately and entirely Mariana. Miss Cholmley had just come in and begged to be remembered to me - M- was going to spend the day with her What a letter! We should not have been happy together now this Crewe business even on her own stating  is too much I am better without her and rejoice at rather than repent having escaped.

[blackfemmecharacterdependency]

17. A Song About Simon

Word Count: 4369. I don’t think that there’s any triggers in here besides the fact that Grace is still in the institution (which will be maybe another chapter or two, depending on how writing goes), and her and Hazel’s issues from previous chapters. I just want to announce here, like I’ve already told fandom familiars... I do not hold any of you to trying to read this story or any story that I may write. I do appreciate if someone reads, but I also understand that everything is not for everybody, I’m not for everybody, and my work isn’t either. At no time do I feel entitled to your reading and nobody should feel pressured to try to read anything that I write. I will love to hear from y’all and know that you enjoy reading, but if you can’t or don’t, that is your right, Folks. This is an ugly story with ugly content and hard topics, but even if it wasn’t, you still wouldn’t have to read, review, or reblog. I just want to make that clear for those of you in my space. Thanks for your time.

Previous

Whenever she first arrived, she was scared to get the help that she knew she needed. She always thought about how her parents had shot down the idea of it whenever her old driver was concerned. How they seemed to feel like it would mean that the work that they put into her as parents would be ruined if she needed mental help. Then, she would think about her 16th birthday, when her mother said that maybe he was right… the way it felt like her mother was saying that at that moment, she knew that Grace was a waste. “You’ll regret it…” her voice echoed in Grace’s mind. “If only someone had warned you…” The last day that she saw her. 

Months had passed. Her parents didn’t even visit. Someone still controlled her social media. Because videos of her singing at the facility and captions insisting that she was getting the help she needed would show up. Grace didn’t know who was responsible for that, at the time, but all of the comments were disabled on all of her accounts. She didn’t want to imagine what people would have to say about her trying to recover.

Eventually, she warmed up to her doctor and the staff. She warmed up to her treatment, to the fact that she had to get better before anybody would let her go anywhere. Her goals became forgiving Simon, accepting responsibility for the things that she did and potentially reaching out to him to suggest that he try to get help as well. She knew that the first and last ones would be the hardest for her, so focusing more on self growth and accountability became her brand of help, at the moment. At least, she went through the motions.

Some days were better than others. Sometimes, she got onto the computer in the library and searched his name. He seemed like he was doing fine, in terminology, but he didn’t look great. That was a lie. He looked great. He was a little more muscular and his hair had grown out. He looked like maybe he had tattoos, though she couldn’t see what. But, he didn’t look happy. Good, she told herself. Even if she wondered in the back of her mind if that was an accurate observation, wishful thinking or unconditional love causing her to worry. Sometimes, she checked his social media pages to see what he was talking about. 

She watched him receive badges, be crowned prom king, be valedictorian, travel to go to MIT… He really seemed like nothing was bothering him. He had thrown her to the wolves and just smoothly carried on… She would always be mad all over again, that he didn’t even care. It wasn’t even everything that he did to her! It was… but more importantly, it was the fact that he was able to do it and live like it was nothing to him. 

But, that usually made for a very progressive therapy day, and a productive music session. She’d asked her caregiver about the posts on her social media. That was who she eventually found out was responsible for curating the content during her stay in here. “What about my rights?” Grace wondered. She had been creating a lot lately and whenever something got posted, she didn’t know the copyright status or anything legal pertaining to her very personal art! 

“Your team takes care of all of the details like that. I basically just post and properly word updates about your healing process and progress. Your team decides which posts to make public or private. (I always post them privately, and sometimes someone comes in later to make things public).”

“It just doesn’t seem fair. I’m being my most authentic self, trying to be my best self and things that I use to get there are now being subjected to my mother and her team of handlers for me.”

“I can’t speak on feelings about it, but as of right now, you are still a minor and still in our care. That means that your welfare and decisions are decided by your parents, who are your legal guardians and us, who you’re a ward of. Whenever you turn 18, if you are mentally capable enough, you will be able to have more control over that type of thing.”

“I’m 18 pretty soon! But… mentally capable… I mean… I feel like I’m mentally capable enough to discuss my legal rights to my art, but I don’t know if I’m capable of like… rejoining society…”

“Well, whenever you do turn 18, we’ll talk about how you’re feeling and assess what you’re capable of. In the meantime, you can always tell me if there’s something that you just want to keep for you, and I promise, I won’t post it. But, your music and the fact that you’re creating in here is inspiring a lot of young people struggling with mental illness and it is warming people up to you since the scandal that led to you being here.”

“I… don’t care about those people right now. I just�� want to heal and create.” 

“Fair enough.”

Stingray Lyrics

You were burrowed in the sand.

I didn't know that you were there.

I reached out my hand, 

only to connect with someone…

But you weren't prepared for my touch.

You didn't know that I would never hurt you.

I dug in a little too much,

And in your startled state you made me regret it.

Like a stingray, you were so cute.

Just living life, just doing you.

But I had to reach for something else, I HAD to have you for myself and it stung me.

Getting too close to you really stung me.

She scribbled the words down, humming the melody. She wasn’t sure if Simon was out there somewhere being bothered to even think about her, but if he was, she wanted him to have to see or hear things about himself.

There wasn’t sheet music in here, but she could use her notebook and sort of guess where the lines would be. She had requested sheet music weeks ago! She was trying to teach Hazel how to read music, too. They usually were able to spend time together twice a week. Technically, they weren’t assigned to the same areas, but one of the caretakers would always make an exception and help them to see each other, because they just seemed to be really good for each other. Neither of them had any other friends there. 

They weren’t antisocial, but they just only really clicked with each other, and Hazel had not been thinking she was a turtle nearly as much since she met Grace, and Grace’s almost entire first year there had been monotonous and for the most part stagnant until she met Hazel. Hazel seemed to make her want to be better, want to move forward on something other than the pendulum of attacking herself and defending herself for things she did and didn’t do. Hazel helped her to really seem to grasp empathy. 

.

They were stretching, silently, getting ready for the dance lessons that Grace would give her near the playground, during activity time. Grace was really quiet, with Hazel was singing to herself. Suddenly, she wondered, “Grace, did either of your parents sing to you when you were a child?”

Grace scoffed and shook her head, “No. Neither of my parents did any of the TV parent stuff. My dad was a lawyer, politician, and ambassador. My mom was a high paid performer turned model turned socialite, the daughter of someone just like my father. Most of their parenting was instilling a certain image on me, or having a nanny take me away if I didn’t quite fit the bill in time enough for guests or appearances.”

“What’s ‘appearances?’”

“It’s like when you have to go somewhere just to be seen. For my dad’s job, there were political or business meet and greets, sometimes charity functions, auctions and stuff like that, and at times it was simply an extremely elegant dinner party or some dignitary’s kid’s birthday event. My last birthday party was…” She frowned, thinking about how that night ended. The beginning of the end in her mind. She looked at the charm bracelet that she had managed to still never take off, despite everything. 

“Was what?” Hazel wondered.

“Too much. It was too much. I’ve always lived pretty extravagantly, but I think whenever I leave here, I might like to get an isolated place and sort of just live there with maybe a pet or something. I’m never going to have guests over for dinner parties or house any ambassadors.”

“Can I come over?” Hazel wondered, timidly.

“Yes! Of course, if your parents let you…”

“I’m never gonna have parents.”

“Hazel!” Grace called. The younger girl just shrugged her shoulders. Grace sputtered air out of her lips and shrugged too. “Well, who needs them, anyway?” 

Hazel threw her a look. “I do, Grace. I need them. I’m 6.”

Grace frowned. “I know. I’m sorry. You’re right. I have a really bad habit of saying whatever I think is gonna make people I care about feel better. It's one of the things that I need to work on. Of course you need parents. Every child needs parents… which is why I’ve gotta believe that you’ll get some! And whenever you do, they’ll hopefully let us be friends. We have a very big age gap, so I don’t know how comfortable they’ll be with you just coming over.” Hazel looked like she was thinking about something as she stared ahead, but she was still standing, so Grace figured she wasn’t a turtle right now. “Ready to learn our new hip hop routine?” Now, she blinked and looked at Grace with enthusiasm, nodding vigorously.

.

Making time to put together figures was hard, but Simon had all of his figures with him whenever he moved from his family house shortly after the clash with the void. The fame that he had risen to over his scandalous book deal and all of the allegations against it had gotten him a very comfortable situation. He was wealthy, in his own right, and schools that he might have needed Mr. Monroe to get into previously were no longer something to be dangled in front of his face. He actually missed the Monroes. Mrs. Monroe less than her husband, but both of them. They really weren’t as bad as she made them out to be. He believed that much. But… they belonged to her. He could have them on his side for a while, but not after all of this. He hated not having Mr. Monroe to bounce things off of. He’d sacrificed a mentor to get rid of the void. 

He had tried not to pull them into it, but eventually, the narrative began that her parents were using him, as well. That he was something to taper their wild-child and as soon as he stood up for himself was financially cut off. Mr. Monroe had been very public about the fact that unfortunately, they knew nothing of their daughter’s extreme condition until she viciously attacked her mother. Simon would have paid money to see that cat-fight. Simon felt bad for them, having lost their daughter to the void, so he withdrew accusations of the crimes, though several of them couldn’t be taken back, as the victims wanted to sue personally. But, the Monroes fared fine, after all of the settlements or wins. Simon wondered whatever happened to the charm bracelet, but he pushed that from his mind. 

He still carried the name The Apex, though many companies used that or had it in their name, so he couldn’t trademark it, but the general of his Apex was that if you were tagging The Apex, Simon Says was also there.

He took his book opportunity as his big chance to move forward with his other works. They didn’t sell as well, but he could say at 17 that he was a bestselling author for Free From Grace, and that by 18, he had published several books from throughout his adolescence and had a huge trilogy deal that he intended to have released by the time he was 20. 

Senior year in high school was a blast. He was worshiped and kids who had only held allegiance to him via the void either came around or were fun to alienate as nulls. Shana rose to popularity and the two of them continued their banter, a little will they won’t they brewing, as far as he was concerned. She got rid of her weave and replaced them with braids for going natural. Apparently, she was going to be going to an HBCU and she wanted to finally wear her hair “the way it was intended,” when she got there. It made her look ever more like Grace to him, despite the fact that Grace had never worn braids, only locs, and the full out afro she had whenever she left. 

Maybe he was just weakening again… missing her… “Hey, Shana - we should attend the prom together,” he said, as they sat across from each other at their desks in the newsroom.

She looked up at him with only her eyes, not lifting her head from her work, but he could still see the disdain in her eyebrows. “For what reason would I ever even consider something like that?” 

He laughed and leaned back in his seat. “We’re the apex of the student body.” She groaned at the word that she was BEYOND sick of hearing. “You’re the most popular girl in school now, and while not my equal, the best of what we have. We both know that you and I will be class favorites and prom king and queen. Might as well make an entire thing out of it.”

She raised her head now and he was confused by her expression, because it was still clearly disdainful. “Simon. I don’t care if I was going to win a cash prize of a million dollars. I would never even so much as think about attending anything with you. Thanks for asking.” She shook her head in disbelief and continued working.

“Why not? Did you not hear the reasons this works out perfectly?”

“I heard the reasons that you think I’m a status symbol that for whatever reason would actually want to be seen with you. They weren’t reasons that I would overlook who you are as a person and how I feel about you as such to put on some sort of publicity show for a bunch of kids that I’m never going to see again, because if I ever come to a class reunion, it would be to see if Grace showed up and how she’s doing.”

“Nothing that you said makes any sense. Me as a person? I…”

“You’re a bad person,” she said. He laughed, then stopped. Oh, she’s serious? “Simon… I, along with the entire student body watched you destroy a girl that we knew you were once like this with.” She crossed her fingers. “We watched you lie on her, make her out to be worse than she was, and bring her so low that she’s in an institution!”

“You hated Grace, and now you’ve taken her place as the boss bitch.”

“Grace and I did not get along. We argued. We dissed each other. We competed. We hurt each other. We were mean and nasty to each other, and even I can see that what you did to her was fucked up.”

“You didn’t try to stop me.”

“That’s not my business. But what IS my business is the company I keep. It would never be somebody who would turn on even his day 1. Nobody even would have cared about you if it wasn’t for Grace and I still to this day think that you’re the one who shared that video of you two. Your lost and found again laptop story was always corny to me.”

“You seemed to get a kick out of it at the time.”

“Yeah, of humiliation! She got a kick out of it whenever my father was arrested for white collar crime! Fucking with each other was our dynamic! But you were supposed to be the girl’s friend, and you didn’t just fuck with her, you fucked her up. Everybody thinks it’s so funny? They’re only amused because they’re scared that you might fuck them up too. If you did it to her, there’s no telling what you’d do. You’ve got people thinking that the old rumors are true..” He furrowed his eyebrows and glared at her. The old rumors. That he killed his sister. They were true, but it was an accident. “In short, I don’t care about any of your reasons. You asked me to prom. I decline. End of discussion.”

“So… you don’t like me anymore because I stood up to Grace, something you did all of the time. We’re on the same side now!”

She stared at him and for a moment, he saw fear. That wasn’t something that Shana showed very much. She cleared her throat and wondered, “When… When did it ever cross your mind that I would EVER like you, Simon? You have been a jerk the entire time that I’ve known you. When Grace and I were rivals, you were disgusting to me. You’ve called me out of my name, tried to tear me down about my looks and my family. Where in the world would you ever get an idea that I could possibly like you, even as just a person that I know of?”

“Because of our banter…”

“Arguing.”

“All of the flirting…”

“Clearly happened in your mind, but did not happen in mine.”

“The way that you always blush whenever we talk! I know what it looks like when somebody your skin tone blushes. I knew Grace like the back of my hand.”

“And you tossed her in the trash like nothing. I don’t like you. I have never liked you, and I have never BLUSHED when we talk. What you should know, as the young genius that everybody tries to make you out to be, because this is science related, biology, if you will… Is that what you’re describing as blushing, is actually heat rushing to one’s face. My heartbeat accelerates, I may even sweat a little as I get hot and my blood rushes. That’s not because I have a crush on you. It’s because you are one of the most infuriating people to have a conversation with. Because in addition to being a rude jackass, you are a delusional egotist. Every conversation I have with you makes me want to punch you in the face. And I know that if I do, they’ll toss my ass out of here and that will mess up me following my mother’s footsteps as a Spelman College Delta Sigma Theta! You, Simon Laurent have never been worth anything to me, certainly not my future. I’m sorry for Grace that she didn’t know that, but my parents raised me with the utmost love and confidence. I don’t need anybody like you to upgrade me, and I love myself too much to even entertain you as a friend. And my father, who you love to try to weaponize against me, after serving his time is still worth at least five times as much as yours…”

Simon threw over things from her desk and she jumped. His eyes went wide. He surprised himself with that outburst. Shana was moved for a moment, when she thought he was about to attack her, but when he didn’t, she got up. “Please pick up this mess, Simon. I will not mind reporting you for it.” She left the newsroom for a breather. Simon rushed to pick everything up before anybody else came in and wondered what happened, but a lot of Shana’s words cut him for a moment. She’s lying. Girls lie, he reminded himself as he picked things up from the floor. But, he wasn’t going to beg her to go out with him. She declined. Okay, whatever. He’d have been doing her a favor.

Sometimes, he thought about her words, though. Blushing because she was infuriated by him… That made sense after a while, especially when he conflated her with the void, who he knew never loved him. He and Shana were prom king and queen, but she declined dancing with him and said on the microphone, “We all know this is Grace Monroe’s sloppy seconds.” There was an uproar of laughter in his mind. 

Actually, only a few people laughed. Some looked shocked and horrified that Shana would make fun of who they believed to be an abuse survivor. Shana shrugged her shoulders like Kanye and doubled down, “You all know good and well that Grace never harmed a split ended hair on this boy’s head! She was as obsessed with him as he was with her. You’re all wild to go along with that narrative. You would never believe all that mess about a white girl..” The dean snatched the microphone from her and gave her some warning that the other students couldn’t hear. Simon was livid. He waited for her outside.

“Shana,” he said. Shana yelped in fear whenever she saw him at her car, then reached into her clutch for a weapon. She didn’t have much, but she did have a nail file. Whenever he came near her, she stuck him in the neck with it and he groaned. She set off her car alarm trying to get inside of the car before deactivating it and Simon just smiled at her as she did. Shana was driving and crying and that was the last time that Simon saw her. 

He was questioned about assaulting her in the parking lot, but informed them that he only wanted to talk to her about what she had said in front of everyone and that she actually assaulted him. Now… once, people might believe, and people might even have believed that Shana was entirely capable of it. But, most of the kids and staff knew that Shana was a mean girl, but never violent. The only physical exchanges she had were the ones with Grace Monroe and now Simon Laurent. She finished out the end of school how Grace had finished her junior year. Simon finished it out with people beginning to doubt some of his stories about Grace. But, that didn’t matter! 

He hated that school, those rich kids, the system that worked for them but made him work for it. He was on his way to becoming better than all of that. He still wanted to make time for his art - writing, photography, creating figures and scenes… but he had gotten really into the robotics program whenever he was in engineering and decided that was what he was going to focus his education on. MIT was his first choice and he had been accepted by the end of junior year. He got his small living space as close as he could, since he prepared on spending the bulk of his time enrolled. He knew that he was destined for greatness. 

But, sometimes, his social media would think he needed to see something, like today, when he opened a video of Grace, playing a piano at wherever the undisclosed facility she had been at was, singing something captioned as “Stingray,” and looking… beautiful. He watched it more times than he would ever admit. 

He opened his own treasure chest and pulled out images of her, them… things that he had made and just didn’t have the strength to destroy when he purged the void. He picked up a photo from the pumpkin patch, when they were 14. She had her tongue stuck out at him and he was blushing. It was one of his favorite photos of them. 

“You should take every photo of me, from now on!” She said, looking at her ones on her page that had gotten her the deal. “You always seem to make me look my absolute best in every photo you take of me. Like, you have a real eye for it.”

“I have an eye for you,” he corrected. “Two…” He blushed a lot. He hadn’t meant to say THAT.

“You’ve got eyes for me, Simon?” she teased, making him blush more and his heart rate speed up. And in the midst of him trying to collect himself, she grabbed on to him, pulled him into a hug and took another of her many selfies. She groaned, “I just can’t make any photos look as good as you can… but you’re adorable in this,” she said and showed it to him. “I’m putting this on my Christmas cards this year.” 

She didn’t lie about that. He tossed it back into the box and picked up the torn out foreword that she had written for his fantasy novel. He went through the entire box before locking it back up and throwing it into the trunk of his car. One day, he was going to find the strength to throw it in a river or burn it, or something. It’s just that… she was his entire world… for half of his life…

“And you tossed her in the trash like nothing,” he heard Shana’s voice say… or was it Grace’s voice? He was starting to forget it. Like… of course he knew what it sounded like, but his head couldn’t place it in the chorus of girls’ voices that haunted him: his sister, his mother, the void, Shana… Shana was interchangeable with the void. His brain kept trying to tie them together and perhaps that was why her words affected him. Or maybe it was because they sounded so true, when he knew that they couldn’t be. The Void betrayed him. He counterattacked. “Getting too close to you really stung me.” He heard her singing. Simon bit his lip, picked up his phone and took a deep breath before liking the Stingray post.

Next

[kindofcashton]

𝕕𝕚𝕤𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕟𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕖𝕕  •  chapter 2  (Calum Hood AU)

THE REST OF dinner was much more enjoyable once Calum left.  Luke, Michael, and Ashton had no problem making me feel at home, and soon I was laughing and free from the stress of the day.  

From what I'd gathered, Luke and Michael about a year younger than Ashton.  They'd all finished high school and decided against university, much to their parents' pleasure.  Ashton however had landed a pretty lucrative gig at an advertising firm, even without a degree, and he said that it was the kind of job good enough to support him as long as he needed.  Luke and Michael had odd jobs here and there, preferring the care-free bachelor life to a scheduled, overworked routine.  I envied their easy-going attitudes; if only I could afford to live as freely as they did.

"We're not total bums though," Luke defended himself, blue eyes smiling.  The five us were sipping beers around the table, lights dimmed since it was so late.  "Mike is wicked good with video games and is helping this guy with his startup.  And I work down at the music shop, but the manager says he's gonna try to hook me up with an internship at a record label."

Michael snorted.  "I can not imagine you fetching people coffee.  And they'd probably force you take out that lovely lip ring."

Luke rolled his eyes and took a swig of his beer.  "You work for a guy with a purple tiger tattoo, of course you can keep your eyebrow piercing."

Ashton waved his hand dramatically, other arm slung over Hannah's shoulder.  She'd moved her chair so close to his she was practically on his lap.  

"Yeah yeah, you're little startup and you're little internship are cute, but I am working on the next campaign for Fido Feed."

Everyone burst out laughing, and I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.  "What's that?"

Hannah slid her hand down Ashton's cheek lovingly, and said, "It's a dog food brand, and he is single-handedly pioneering their success."  Ashton grinned and gave her a kiss.

"Hey, Ash, what happened to the wheat crackers ad?  I thought you were killing it with the cracker game."  Michael bat his lashes innocently.

Ashton flipped him off and I took a sip of my beer, happy and buzzed.  This was the most fun I'd had in a long time, and only hoped it would be like this every day.  Leaving university had been a difficult but inevitable decision, and I'd feared I wouldn't be happy for a long time.  Anxieties still plagued the back of my mind, but right now I found it easier than ever to ignore them.

"Alright, I don't know about you morons but I'm pretty tired."  Michael stood up from the table and motioned to me.  "How about I show you you're suite now, madam?"

I smiled and nodded, as Luke reached over to throw away my empty beer for me.  His blue eyes were so warm and kind, and I think I was most grateful for his calming presence.  

Michael led me up the stairs into a darkened hallway, and I noted four doors upstairs.  One was partially open, revealing the bathroom.  One at the end of the hall was shut tight, with quiet music reverberating softly from it.  I guessed this was Calum's room, and as Michael led to me to his my stomach sank.  I'd be right next to Calum, bumping into him as we went downstairs or tried to get to the bathroom.  

Great, more opportunities for him to hate me.

The room was fairly small, but not cramped.  The bed was big with dark blue sheets, and the gray walls were plastered with posters of all different types.  A closet had been cleared out for me, as well as a set of drawers and desk in the corner.  It was definitely a nicer place than I thought I'd be staying in.

"I don't know how to thank you," I admitted, still embarrassed at Michael's charity.

He crossed his arms, goofy smile on his face.  "You'll figure something out.  I like anything with cheese or frosting, so maybe start there?"  I laughed, and he gave me an encouraging thumbs up before turning out of the room.

"Night, Scar!" he called, and I closed the door gently behind him.

My bags were all arranged in one corner, and I reminded myself to thank Luke later.  Blowing out a sigh, I fell onto the bed.  The events of the past couple months truly felt like bricks on my shoulders, and every day was a struggle to get by.  The ache in my heart never seemed to subside, even during happy times like tonight.  Pulling the blankets over my shivering body, I simply hoped for a good night's sleep to be able to tackle tomorrow.

Unfortunately, my prayers were not answered.  I tossed and turned all night long, partly because of the unfamiliar atmosphere and partly because of my never ending anxieties.  Pale dawn light was peeking through the curtains when I finally opened my eyes, and I frowned.  

Quietly getting up, I checked my reflection in the mirror and yawned.  My hair was tousled, the hoodie I wore nearly covering my shorts.  I didn't look too great, but I decided it was better for people to see this me early on, seeing as she'd be around a fair amount.

Padding down the stairs, I didn't notice anyone awake.  Ashton had stayed the night with Hannah, both of them down in the basement on the futon.  Michael was passed out on the living room couch, red hair disheveled.  

Suddenly a sound from the kitchen made nearly jump out of my skin.  I whirled around to see Calum fishing through the cupboards, clad in only sweatpants.  He must have heard my surprised gasp, because he turned to me with a scowl.

"Of course you'd be up this early."  He faced away from me as I entered the kitchen, pausing as I gripped the back of a dining chair.  His back muscles were taut and tan, his bare shoulders rimmed with shadow in the dim light.  His hair was curly and messy, laying just over his eyes.  

"You're up this early," I countered innocently, meaning it more as a joke.  He gave me a distracted glance.

"Never really went to bed, I guess," he grumbled, moving to set up the coffee maker.  His movements were clumsy and confused, and I could tell he had no idea what he was doing.

"Here, let me," I offered softly, striding over.  His brown eyes tracked me as I dumped the ground coffee into machine, once again completely unreadable.  I worked quietly, my movements automatic as I had done this a million times at college in order to survive late nights and early classes.

"Ashton usually does this," he mumbled, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck.  I shrugged, flipping the lid down and setting the timer.  I turned so I was leaning against the counter, arms folded.  Calum backed away from me, choosing now to busy himself in the fridge.

I sighed, but was thankfully saved by Michael waking up over on the couch.

"I really hope that racket was coffee being made," he said, voice thick with sleep.

"Shut up, we weren't that loud," Calum snapped, finding the milk and grabbing some frosted cereal.  Soon Luke was awake and joined us in the kitchen, followed shortly by Ashton and Hannah from downstairs.  She looked lazy and happy, glowing almost.  Luke rolled his eyes and shot me a smile; we all knew why the two of them looked so content.

We all sat at the table, Calum included.  He ate his cereal silently, and didn't look up when I poured him a cup of coffee.  I took my mug and sat down, letting the warmth of the coffee seep into my cold hands.

"Cream and sugar?" Luke asked, but I shook my head.

"No, this is fine."

"You take it black?  Damn, badass."  He grinned, and I chuckled.  Calum snorted, and everyone turned to look at him.

He reddened at our stares, and said curtly, "What, she's some brave hero for drinking black coffee?  Please."

Luke didn't take his comment to heart, his expression amused.  "Right, I forgot no one is cool in your eyes.  You enjoy vodka straight out of the bottle."  Calum met his eyes, and for the first time I saw a spark of humor in the brown orbs.  Little flashes of the boys' friendship peeked through sometimes, and I knew despite his rough exterior the guys really loved Calum.

"What are we doing today?" Michael asked, stuffing some toast into his mouth.

"Some of us have serious jobs to go to," Ashton joked, and Hannah giggled as she ran a hand through his curls.  I was jealous of how close they were, wishing I had someone like Ashton to support me.  He would walk through fire for Hannah, and she for him.  Their bond was unlike anything I'd ever seen let alone experienced, and I wondered if I'd ever be lucky enough to discover that feeling.

"Ha-ha," Michael said dryly.  "Reggie doesn't need me today since we're waiting for a streaming service to get back to us, so I'm free."

Luke nodded.  "Same here, the Jared doesn't need me since he's training a new guy.  Looks like we'll all have the day together, eh?"  He shot me a wink, and I smiled.  I'd hoped to be introduced to the area, and what better way to do it then with all of them?  It would give me even more time to get to know the guys.

"Why don't we give Scarlett here a tour?  She's gotta know about all the good spots," Hannah proposed, and was met with sounds of approval.  The only one who didn't reply was Calum, who's eyebrows hung low over his eyes as he ate his breakfast.

"Count me out, I've got some shit to do."  No one questioned his vague answer, and I guessed this was routine around here.  Calum did what he pleased and no one pushed him.  To me it was peculiar, because I'd always been the kind of person to appreciate communication.  Clearly I had a lot to learn if I was going to stick around here.

They parted ways to get ready, but I stayed behind to clean up the dishes.  Small things like this made me feel better about staying at the house.  Calum was last to leave the table, and was watching me with steely eyes as I rinsed out the mugs.  Wordlessly, he stood up and stalked over to the sink, halting.  I stopped what I was doing and glanced up at him, intimidated when I met his gaze.  A beat went by, and then he set his bowl down and promptly left.

I let out a breath I hadn't known I was holding.

Soon after I'd changed and put on a bit of makeup, glad that my appearance looked slightly more acceptable.  I was nervous and excited for the day ahead; seeing a new city was always fun, especially one I'd be living in for a while.

Between the guys they had three cars, the nicest belonging to Ashton which he'd bought after his first promotion.  Luke and Michael shared an old station wagon since their jobs were fairly close together, and Calum drove a vintage mustang.  I whistled under my breath, wondering how he afforded such a nice car.  He climbed in and sped off within seconds, and I watched him disappear from view.

The rest of us piled into the station wagon with Michael behind the wheel and Luke riding shotgun.  

"Alright, where to first ladies and gentleman?"

"We gotta show her the music shop," Hannah proposed.

"Oh yeah, it's a real exciting place," Luke joked.  "Dusty, too."  

We drove off, and Michael lowered the windows.  The sky was sunny and blotted with clouds, a small breeze cooling down the warm air.  I rested my arm on the window, and leaned out to look at the trees blurring by.  Michael drove fast but controlled, and I could feel my heart flutter as we flew down the street.

The music shop was actually pretty cool, and Luke even took us to the back to show us where they stored the vintage and expensive stuff.  Guitars, basses, even a dismantled drum kit were hiding in the back room.  Michael and Luke were like little boys around all the stuff, itching to play and show us their chops.

"For a while we wanted to start a band," Luke explained, strumming a simple tune on an acoustic guitar.  "But life got in the way, I guess.  Besides, our parents basically told us we'd amount to nothing, so here we are."

I frowned.  "You shouldn't let someone else tell you what you should do."  He looked up, smiling sadly.

"Yeah, but when that someone pays for your entire life, it's pretty hard to say no."  I nodded, understanding what he meant.  Money was the ultimate decider in life, as I knew all too well.

After the music shop we drove by Michael's start-up, which he claimed was the "most legit garage in the whole city."  It was quite literally a garage attached to some guy's house, but Michael insisted all the geniuses started out small.

As we continued driving around, I briefly thought about Calum and where he could possibly be, and I even kept an eye out for his mustang.  But he was nowhere to be seen, and by lunch the thought of him had completely evaporated from my mind.

Lunch was at Michael's favorite place, which served the best cheese fries I'd ever tasted in my whole life.  As I was eating a thought occurred to me.

"Hey, do you guys know any places hiring?  I've gotta get a job now that I'm not spending all my time on school."  Back at university, I'd thrown all of my energy into schoolwork since my scholarships depended on it.  Now though, a job was a necessity.

They were quiet for a minute, thinking.  Then Hannah said, "Oh, I think the cafe on fourth street is looking for someone.  You have any experience?"

"I worked retail when I was seventeen back home, so I guess not.  But I think I'm a quick learner."

"Wanna swing by right now?"

"Nah, I'll go tomorrow.  Today's been too fun, I want to keep it going."

We finished lunch, and perused around town for an hour or so more, showing me various shops and places I'd want to know about.  When we finally got back home, the driveway was still empty.

"Think you're in the mood for a beat down in Smash, Lukey boy?" Michael goaded, and Luke shoved him good-naturedly.  

"Nobody's getting beat down here except you, my friend."

Hannah and I rolled our eyes, but followed them into the living room nonetheless.  We wasted the afternoon watching them play video games and arguing over it, until Hannah got so sick of it she begged me to do something else with her.

"How about we organize your closet?  I want to go out later, so we've gotta find outfits."

I readily agreed, excited at the prospect of going clubbing.  Hannah had been my partner in crime and always made sure to drag me out of my dorm so I had some fun instead of always staying in and studying.

We began to sift through my bags, and after emptying all of them I realized how little I actually owned.  Hannah didn't comment; she knew the reality of the situation, and gave me an encouraging smile.

"Don't worry, we'll go shopping once you get that job and fill this closet right up."  I knew I wouldn't be wasting my paycheck on party clothes, but I appreciated her idea nonetheless.

"Where are we going tonight?" I asked.

"Where we always go, it's a place Ashton discovered.  It's big, so it never feels cramped.  They have a killer DJ, which is rare in this town."  She pulled out a black skirt and long sleeved black crop top with a lace up back.

I raised my eyebrows in slight surprise.  "Kinda dark, no?"

Hannah rolled her eyes.  "Trust me, black is the way to go.  You look sultry and dark, and with the lights in the club it looks great."

I laughed but accepted the outfit.  "Who am I trying to look sultry for?"

Hannah put her hands on her hips.  "Scarlett, you're hot, you're single, and you've got nothing better to do.  Get yourself some."

I flushed, embarrassed at her confidence in me.  I'd never been the outgoing type of girl to go after guys I liked.  I'd been pursued only a few times, mostly by guys I found repulsive.  I'd had two boyfriends my whole life, one in high school who had no idea how to kiss with tongue, and one in the beginning of college who left me alone at a party where I knew no one and got thrown up on by a drunk guy.  Needless to say, I wasn't crazy about either of them.

Hannah left to get changed herself, and I sighed as I looked at the outfit on the bed.  You might as well let loose, I told myself.  Hannah was right; you have nothing better to do.

I pulled the skirt on and tied up the crop top flipping my hair over my shoulder as I combed through the reddish brown locks with my fingers.  Frowning in the mirror, I swiped some eyeliner on and curled my lashes, sticking out my bottom lip in a pout.  Hannah was right; I looked dark, but sultry was still up in the air.

Realizing I had no idea what shoes to wear, I went downstairs and saw Michael and Luke waiting to leave in the living room.  They both had dark jeans and leather jackets on, looking like hot bikers.  Luke whistled as I walked by, blue eyes tracking me.

"Looking good, Scarlett."

I blushed and thanked him before running into Hannah, who actually had boots in her hand.  They were the black knee high kind, and I snorted at her insistence of keeping to a black theme.

"Wear these, I'm going with heels tonight."  She looked hot herself; her black skirt was leather, and her shirt was off the shoulder and very low cut.  A wave of appreciation for her washed over me; I could always count on Hannah to make me feel good about myself.

We were all ready, and the sky was dark with only a few stars dotting the black canvas.  Michael had ordered a cab, and it was waiting for us as we descended the driveway.

As Hannah and I slid across the back seat, the driver glanced in the rear-view mirror.  

"And how are you ladies doing tonight?" he asked suggestively, making my face redden.

"Seriously, dude?" Luke said, glaring at the guy from the passenger seat.  "Just drive the car and don't say anything, please.  Or do you not want to get paid?"

He met my eyes in the mirror, and I hoped my expression showed my gratitude.  I knew I could rely on Luke to defend me if I needed it, and that was a comforting thought.

"Ashton and Calum are already there," Hannah told us, and I was slightly surprised to hear that Calum was coming.  He'd blown off the day with us, but I guess he couldn't turn down a night out.

When we arrived, I saw how big the club is and my jaw dropped.  I could hear the hammering music from outside, and watched as bodies waded in and out of the door.  Hannah stuck close by my side, with Michael and Luke leading the way.  I smiled nervously at the bouncer, who met my eyes with a blank expression.

Bright lights danced across bodies glowing with sweat, and a crowded dance floor pulsed with the heartbeats of dozens of people.  Girls hung onto guys, guys held onto girls.  Tables were piled high with empty glasses and bottles, and everyone's eyes were dull with a buzz.

I couldn't help but smile, and Hannah grabbed my hand as she led us through the throng of people.  My body itched to join them and dance, the music almost as intoxicating as the alcohol at the bar.

We found our way to the back, where Ashton and Calum were at the bar drinking.  Ashton spotted Hannah and grabbed her for a big kiss, whispering something in her ear that made her giggle and grip his bicep.  Calum emptied his glass and turned to greet Michael and Luke.  His dark eyes raked down my body, face barely illuminated by the roving lights.  He looked good; black jeans and boots, his staple apparently.  But today he had a leather jacket hugging his broad shoulders, and the glint of rings showed on his fingers.  He looked like a shadow ready to melt into the background.

"How was your tour?" he asked, leaning back on his forearms against the tabletop.  I couldn't tell if his question was genuine or mocking, so I decided to answer honestly.

"It was great, I think I'm really gonna like it here."

He didn't react to my response, instead motioned to the bartender to get him another drink.

"You good here?" Hannah yelled over the music.  "I'm gonna go off with Ashton for a bit, but I'll be back to dance with you later, okay?"  I nodded, and the two of them soon dissolved in the crowd.  Michael and Luke recognized someone, and went over to talk.  I was fine with being alone, and took a seat at the bar.

The bartender had a kind smile and bright eyes.  "What can I get you?"

I drummed my fingers on the table, thinking.  I don't know, what's good?"

Someone scoffed next to me, and I glanced over at Calum.  I hadn't realized he was still here, and suddenly regretted my juvenile question.

"Get her a juice box or something, Joe," he said, knocking back his second glass of dark liquid.  He was probably already drunk, but I knew he'd be mean even if he was sober.

Feeling like I had to prove something, I straightened up and said firmly, "I'll take a tequila."

Calum didn't react, much to my disappointment.  I wasn't a crazy drinker, but I could handle my alcohol.  I actually quite liked getting drunk; the buzz made me happy and loopy, and everything was funny when I was drunk.

Joe poured me the drink, and I inhaled deeply before taking a sip.  It burned as it slid down my throat, but I didn't wince.  Calum's empty glass was refilled, and he lifted it in mock cheers.

"Where were you today?" I asked, voice getting slightly drowned out by the music.  Calum scowled at my question.

"Why?"

Shrugging, I replied,  "I don't know, you missed a fun day."

He took a big gulp of his drink.  "Why do you care?"

I blinked, deciding to be candid.  "I don't, I was just trying to be nice."  My answer must have surprised him, because he actually shifted to face me.

"What makes you think I want you to be nice to me?"  His freezing stare sent chills down my spine, and I took another swig for some liquid courage.

"Generally speaking people are supposed to be nice to one another, but I can see how you wouldn't understand that concept."  With that, I finished my drink and flipped my hair behind my shoulders.

"See you later, Calum," I said before striding off onto the dance floor to find Scarlett.  I spotted her dancing with Ashton, and she gave me a big drunken hug before jumping around with delight.

As my hips began to sway and I danced along to the music, I could feel the heat of someone's stare on me, but it only made me dance harder.

[wordsfromthesol]

Forever Together…Hopefully Not. (2/2)

Author: @wordsfromthesol

Pairing: Jason Todd x Reader

Summary: Red Hood asks for your help on a case, but things go sideways quickly and now the two of you are closer than ever before.

Warnings:  Language (when is it not?), implied smut

Word Count: 1.7k

Part One

You had just agreed to suffer locked to each other for 24 hours in hopes of the spell wearing off. The next day the two of you tried to do as little as humanly possible. Jason propped a barstool for you to sit on while he cooked breakfast. After that, the two of you sat there reading or watching tv until Jason got a call from Dick.

“Alfred is expecting you in an hour. You know he’s the last one you want to piss off Jaybird.”

“I’m in kind of…a unique situation here Dick. Not sure I can make it.”

“Find a way. Or the next time Alfred will be knocking on your door.”

Hearing half the conversation was enough for you, “Jason. No. There’s no way we are going.”

“Listen, you were going to have to meet them sooner or later, Y/N/N.”

“Uhm, why?”

“I can only keep you off Batman’s radar for so long…”

“Why would…he’s your dad isn’t he.”

“The one and only.”

“Alright, but can we try to keep,” you raised your joined wrists, “this to ourselves. I don't need any more charity.” You lowered your voice and mumbled, “you’ve already given me plenty.” Thankfully Jason was too caught up with how the two of you were going to pull this off to hear your comment. You had always felt like Jason’s charity case, especially after you found out he was the lost Wayne heir. You hadn’t even told him your last name, though you were pretty sure he knew it.

**

The ride to the Manor was a silent one, Alfred had sent a car, so at least you didn’t have to endure the bike again. I can’t believe I’m doing this. What are we even going to say? Should we get our stories straight? Your thoughts were racing but you couldn’t bring yourself to form any words. Just as you turned into the gate Jason turned to you.

“So, they probably already know who you are. Especially after Dick met you. But you don’t have to tell them your…side business, if you don’t want to.”

“If I don’t, what are you going to say?”

“That I brought a friend. I’m very good at directing the subject elsewhere.”

You nodded, Jason was the only one you’ve ever told your identity to and you kind of wanted to keep it that way. It made the secret more special. The car pulled up to the door and Jason got out, with you in tow, and didn’t bother to knock but instead call out as he waltzed in.

“Alright, Alf, I caved! You got me here.”

You watched as an older man walked into the hallway, “Master Jason. How good of you to join us. You brought a friend?”

“Yeah, I thought she could make the night more bearable…with dad.” He winked at Alfred and began to walk to the dining room, you had no choice but to closely follow behind him. You grabbed his wrist to stop him before Alfred was out of sight.

“Sorry for his rudeness, I’m Y/N!” You called out before Jason continued walking.

He whispered, “Don’t volunteer information, rookie.”

You scoffed at him, “This isn’t an interrogation Jason, it’s dinner with your family.”

“A dinner where I hope to avoid vigilante talk. You come quite in handy for that.”

The two of you took your seats at the empty table, “Well then now you owe me two.”

“Two?!”

You side-eyed him, “The grappling hook incident.”

Jason let out a laugh remembering the startled look on your face as the two of you soared through the air, as Dick entered the room.

“What, couldn’t get rid of her?”

“Get rid of who Dickiebird?” Jason played the innocent victim and put his hand to his chest.

Dick gave the two of you a knowing smile and sat beside you, just as Tim and Damian came stumbling in.

“I had you!” Damian exclaimed.

“If you had me, it’s only because I let you.” Tim retorted.

“I call for a rematch –” Damian stopped short as his eyes fell on you. “Todd seems to have brought company.”

Jason shrugged, “Thought a buffer might be a good thing. Keep things…civilized.”

Two pairs of eyes shot in your direction, as if asking you to elaborate, but you headed Jason’s earlier warning and did not offer up any information. Dick, however, could tell what was happening and simply laughed. Bruce walked in and took a seat, his eyes never leaving you.

“Jason, I thought we could talk about family matters tonight.”

“Why do you think I brought her, Old Man?”

“Hm, perhaps after dinner then.”

“I don’t know,” a huge grin formed on his face, “I’m kind of attached to her.”

You quickly brought you free hand to cover your mouth as a laugh escaped. Though the rest of the boys just looked around confused.

“I’m sure you can spare a few minutes later.”

“Just for you Brucie, I’ll try. But I’ve found it quite difficult to have her not at my side.”

You were pleasantly surprised by the rest of the dinner. In fact, you don’t even think any of them asked your name, though Alfred did address you by it when he entered the dining room. As it came time to leave, you looked down at your watch and sorrow spread through your features.

“Something wrong, Y/N?” Dick noticed your sudden change in demeanor.

You looked at Jason, “24 hours,” as you tried pulling your wrist from his.

“Fuck.” He turned to Bruce, “Well Brucie, looks like we might get that talk afterwards.”

Tim, Damian, and Dick all looked up in surprise. “I’m sorry Jason, did you just agree to chat with Bruce?” Tim questioned.

“Well, you see. Me and the misses here are in a bit of a predicament –”

“Don’t call me that.” You huffed.

“We may be kinda stuck together.” He held up your wrists and tried to pull them a part, forcing you to be pulled and knock into him.

“Really?”

“Easiest way was to show them.”

“Jason, how did this happen? She’s a civilian.” You could hear the tension in Bruce’s words.

“Hate to break it to you, but I don’t think she is,” Dick piped in and looked at you, “Aurora, right? So that’s why you two were so close last night. By force.” Dick let out another laugh.

You rolled your eyes, getting annoyed with his amusement in the situation, “Yes.”

“It’s done, so whatever. Tim, can you –” Jason began.

“Already done. She’ll be here soon.”

“Who will?” You questioned, your vigilante stint had been short, and you didn’t tend to wander outside of Gotham. Before anyone could answer, Zatanna walked into the living room.

“Got yourself in some trouble, huh Jay?”

“Can you fix it, Z?” Jason looked at her with hope in his eyes. She took both of your hands in hers and mumbled some words.

“In time, though I think it might be easier for the two of you to do it yourselves.”

“Don’t you think we would’ve if we could’ve?” You scoffed at the unknown person in the room.

“Ha, well maybe if you understood how. It’s simple really, kind of a freaky Friday thing. You just have to understand the other’s point of view.” She waved her hand, “If that’s just too impossible I should have a reversal spell in…48 hours.”

“Two days?! Are you kidding me? I can’t be attached to him for 48 more hours!” You turned to look at Jason, who actually seemed hurt by your outburst.

“Well, then maybe try talking to each other…like a normal couple.” A mischievous smiled adorned her lips.

“We are not –” You didn’t finish your statement before she had vanished.

**

The two of you somehow made it out of the manor and back to your apartment before Jason spoke again.

“Am I really that bad?” His voice sounded defeated as he ran his fingers through his hair.

“Wha…no... I just…” You couldn’t think of the words you wanted to, especially when he still looked like a wounded puppy. The two of you stood in silence in your entry way until you watched his features shift.

“Why won’t you just talk to me?!” He turned his back to you and began walking to the bedroom, forgetting that you were forced to follow him until you let out a small yelp.

“Jay!” He turned and realized he was nearly dragging you behind him.

“Sorry…I forgot.”

You sighed, finally giving in. “I’m tired okay. I’m tired of being your charity case. I’m tired of having to ask you for help. I’m tired of…of not being good enough for you.” You watched as his face contorted with confusion.

“Why would you…why would you ever think that?”

“Why else would you help me? Because you feel bad for me.”

“I started helping you because I saw myself. You could hold your own in a fight no problem, but there’s so much more to it than that. I recognized the drive and more importantly, the recklessness.” He took your hands in his. “Then the more I got to know you, the more I did worry. I don’t know what I would do if you were hurt, so I kept you close. I want you to ask for my help, then I can make sure you’re being safe and being smart.” He scoffed, more to himself than to you, “And you. You are too good for me, in every sense.”

With those inner revelations, the bind was broken, though the two of you didn’t notice. You both stood there motionless, holding each other’s hands, until you finally broke the silence.

“You deserve so much more than you give yourself Jason Peter Todd.” You pulled him closer and pressed your lips to his. He backed away, looking at you in shock before taking your head in his hands and drawing you into a deep passionate kiss while slowly backing up to the bed.

[calumance]

LA Devotee - Part III

Warnings: cussing, mostly fluff

Word Count: 3.9k

Summary: Calum seems to be drawn to Emily, and as much as Emily wants to open up to him, she just bring herself to. That is until Calum takes her to dinner, then shows up at her apartment early the next morning. Maybe he’s worth opening up to.

A/N: Here is the third part to my Calum series. I hope you all enjoy, feedback is always welcomed! ☺️

Part I | Part II

          It was around six in the evening when I had finally finished emptying the last box, and it wasn’t until my stomach made the noise of an Orca that I realized I forgot to eat. Not only did I forget to eat, but I haven’t showered, and I was still wearing Calum’s clothes. Defeated, I fell back onto my couch, just as my phone rang. I answered without looking at who it was, “Hey, Emily. I just finished at the studio, I was wondering if you maybe wanted to grab some dinner with me, hopefully you haven’t had dinner yet.”

           My heart jumped hearing Calum’s voice on the other end. His voice sounded as if he was just as exhausted as I was. Even though I knew I had given him my phone number, and he made it obvious he wanted to see me again, I still wasn’t convinced this was actually happening. I pulled my phone away from my ear and looked at my phone as if seeing his name on my screen would convince me this was real. I pressed the phone back to my ear, “No, I haven’t eaten yet. We can go grab some food, I just have to shower, got a little busy today.”

           He chuckled, which made him sound even more tired. “That’s fine, is it okay if I pick you up, or do you want to meet me somewhere?”

           I looked around the apartment, which was fully unpacked, just messy from the boxes and the bubble wrap, and the divorce papers that were still scattered on the ground. “You can pick me up, I’ll just meet you out front. Give me about an hour and I’ll be ready. I’ll text you the address.” After we hung up, I texted him the address. As I walked to the bathroom, I stepped over the papers, leaving them where they laid.

           After I got out of the shower, I pulled on a pair of jeans, and rolled them up just above my ankles. I pulled a black, form fitting, t-shirt on and flicked my wet hair out of the back. I dried my hair, leaving it straight, and put on the bare minimum of makeup. Just as I finished tying the laces on my white converse, my phone dinged with a text from Calum. I grabbed my bag and headed out the door, locking it behind me. As I walked out of the front door of the apartment complex, I see Calum’s black Range Rover straight ahead of me. I climbed into the passenger seat and placed my bag between my legs. “Thanks for picking me up.” I said, still unsure how I feel having him know where I live.

           “Not a problem, you look really nice.” He smiled and shifted the car into drive. I looked down at myself and thanked him even though I thought I looked like shit. As he drove, I looked out the window, thinking about what has conspired over the past twenty-two hours. When I walked into that club last night, I had every intention on sitting in the bar until Trevor, with a drunken Mikayla slung over him, came and grabbed me after hours of absolute torture. I was in no way expecting to find one of the most attractive human beings to be walking this earth there, let alone have him want to hang out with me, and more than once. Maybe he could tell there was something wrong with me, or maybe he needs a new charity case or something. My gaze shifted over to Calum, and he smiled catching my gaze. There was something about him, that even though I had all of thoughts running through my mind, this was different, this was real. His gaze went back to the road in front of him, his jaw flexing every so couple of seconds. His stubble becoming a bit more obvious than this morning, his eyes covered by a pair of black ray bans, even though the sun was starting to set. I swallow the lump sitting in my throat and direct my attention back out the window.

           Calum pulled into a parking spot and shut the car off. We opened our doors at the same time, however I took a little longer to get out of the car since I had to grab my bag. As he waited for me, he took his sun glasses off and put one of the arms inside his shirt, so the glasses hung off the collar of his shirt. He had changed since this morning, now he was wearing a pair of jeans that were form fitting, but not skinny jeans, a black tank top with a black button up over it but left open, reminded me of a casual version of what he was wearing last night. The breeze caught his shirt, causing it to flow behind him as he walked towards the restaurant. I followed behind him, my arms crossed in front of me. The consistent clicks of cameras going off from behind us. Not like it was something I wasn’t expecting, but I still hid my face, not sure what was going to come out of those pictures.

           We sat at our table, and I placed my bag on the arm of the chair. Once I turned around, I saw Calum smiling at me. I raised my eyebrows in a silent question. “Thanks for coming to dinner with me.”

           He begins to reach across the table. My eyes flicker towards it and see the tattoo on his hand says ‘DSH.’ I pull back, placing my hands in my lap as a sudden wave of insecurity washes over me. My eyes leave his hand and run up his toned arm and finally locking with his eyes. His eyes sparkle in the low light of the restaurant and I can’t help but look away from them with the fear of falling into them, “Why did you call me?” I whisper. The question was aggressive, and I realize that, so I expand, “Like I’m not anything special. There’s no way you called me because you actually want to hang out with me. I don’t even want to hang out with me.”

           Calum raises his eyebrows, obviously slightly offended, as the waiter poured some water into our glasses. Before he responded to me, he ordered two glasses of wine. I wrap my arms around my stomach wanting to crawl inside myself if it were possible. “Listen,” His eyes meet mine again, and he notices my insecurity. He pulls his hand back and places it in his own lap. “I’m not trying to get in your pants or anything, if that’s what you think I’m trying to do.”

          “That was made clear last night, if you were going to try anything, you would’ve done it last night. I’m worried,” I drop my head and sigh not sure if I wanted to tell him my thoughts or not, “I’m worried that you’re only talking to me because I’m a good charity case.” I held up my hands, palms facing him “Breaking news: Calum Hood seen with an ordinary person? What is he up to?” I mock, moving my hands to emphasize the point. He leans back and picked up his water glass to take a drink. My hands drop back into my lap, wrapping back around my stomach. My eyes flicker between his to try and figure out what he’s thinking.

         He sets his glass down and shakes his head. “That is probably going to happen, but here’s the reality, Emily. I liked talking with you last night, I felt like I could finally be myself around you. I don’t have to put on this act, per se. I feel a sense of security when I’m around you, I don’t know.” He shook his head as it dropped, showing his insecurity. He was silent for a second while the waiter set down two glasses of wine. Calum snapped his head back up and thanked the waiter. He looked at me and his eyes seemed sad, “I’m sorry you feel that way, but I can assure you I called you, and will continue to call you, because I want to.” He smiled and his eyes twinkled again before he reached forward and grabbed his wine glass. He held it out towards me. “I’d like to make a cheers to making new friends.”

           I reluctantly unwrapped my left arm from my stomach and reached forward to grab my glass. Our glasses met together with a gentle clink, and I forced a smile. “Sure, to new friends.” Calum lifted his glass an inch more before pressing the rim of the glass to his lips. I followed suit and watched him from over the top of my glass. He washed back the whole glass and set the glass down, licking both his upper and bottom lip. My eyebrows raised as I set my glass down, barely making a dent in the amount of liquid in my glass. “How was the studio this morning?” I cringed asking him the question, but what else were we supposed to talk about?

           He raised his own eyebrows and smiled, “It went well, what did you do all day?”

           I shrugged, “Cleaned. What are you going to order?” Are all of our conversations going to be this awkward? Were they going to get less awkward the more we hung out? Maybe I should tell him something about me. My fingers tapped the menu as I read the first few lines. His eyes scanned all of the pages of the menu, his eyebrows pulled together in thought. A sigh left my chest and I looked out the window of the restaurant. A car drove by and I looked back at Calum, “I moved here three months ago for a job. I’m originally from Colorado.” He looked up from his menu, not moving his head, just his eyes. After a second, he lifted his whole head and smirked in contempt. “That’s all your getting right now, maybe you’ll get more if you take me to more nice dinners.”

           He shrugged, the smirk growing into a smile, then he sat his menu down, “I might just have to take you up on that.”

           We walked out of the restaurant, next to each other, but a few inches apart. The sound of clicking cameras going off again. I looked at my feet, “Do you ever get used to that sound?”

           He shrugged as he walked to the opposite side of the car, “You do, most of the time I sound it out, but I’m still very aware that it’s there.” He said as he fell into the driver’s seat, but not before looking back towards the sound of the camera. He turned on the car and looked at his phone which had made the same ding mine does when I get a text message. After replying to the message, Calum placed his phone in the cup holder and shifted the car into drive. “I’m needed at the studio again, I’m going to drop you off at your place on my way there.” I nodded, understanding that work always comes before new friends. That’s why I’ve only made one friend the entire three months I’ve been in LA. I want so badly to make something of myself, that I’ve only concentrated on work. It doesn’t help that working also takes my mind off of everything I went through.

           Calum turned the radio on to combat the silence as we drove. A song by Panic! At The Disco came on, causing me to smile. I tried to hide it, but Calum must have seen it, because he reached over and turned the radio up. I closed my eyes and laid my head back, trying to remember the last time someone turned the radio up for me. Calum sang along, and I kept my eyes closed, listening to his voice more than the song. The car stopped shortly after the song ended, he turned the radio down and I looked out the window and the apartment complex I now call home. “Thanks for inviting me out tonight, I had a nice time.”

           Calum smiled and nodded towards me. “Any time, Emily. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Have a great night.”

           “Thanks, you too.” The door popped open as I pulled on the handle and I walked towards the door of the complex. He drove off once I was inside the complex. The elevator ride to my floor was slow, all I wanted to do was get inside and watch a movie. As the elevator stopped, my phone started to ring. Mikayla’s name and picture popped up on my phone. I stepped out of the elevator and placed the phone to my ear, “Hello, Mikayla.”

           “Where have you been for the past two days? I’ve called you like a hundred times. I literally thought you were dead.” She sounded genuinely concerned, and I felt bad for not calling her back, but there’s just been so much stuff running through my head lately, that talking to her was the least of my worries right now.

           I pulled my keys out of my bag and unlocked my apartment door. “I keep meaning to call you back, I’ve just been going through some stuff. I’m sorry if I worried you. I’m okay,” My apartment door swung open and I dropped my bag onto the floor, next to the stack of divorce papers that I have yet to pick up. I kick the door shut with my foot and make my way inside, “I actually think this is the most okay I’ve been in three months.” I thought about Calum’s smile, his voice, his laugh, his everything, and it made my stomach flip. A smile stretched across my face thinking about him. We’re just friends, Emily. My smile faded quickly, when I turned and my attention was directed at the papers.

           Mikayla let out a very audible sigh, “I was just worried because you told me you got a ride home from the club, I thought maybe something had happened to you. What do you mean this is the most okay you’ve been?”

           I held the phone between my shoulder and my ear as I bent over and picked up the papers. Feeling my fingers burning as if the papers were physically hot. I threw them back onto the counter and ran my hands down my sides. “I’ve just decided to get my shit together, to stop dwelling in the past. Yeah, it happened, I just need to stop letting the fact that it happened define who I am, you know? So, I spent all day unpacking. All of those boxes in my apartment are empty and broken down now. It feels good, this is my home now, this is my life now. Everything that I thought was my life is gone, and that’s okay. It’s time for me to start a new chapter.” I purposely left out the fact that Calum was a large part of the inspiration to move the fuck on from my past. She didn’t need to know about him yet.

           “That’s amazing, Emily! Who is it?” I pull my eyebrows together in confusion, “Who’s the guy?” She continues before I’m able to question. “I’ve known you for three months, and for three months you have continually put off unpacking, and for those three months you haven’t been on a date, you haven’t done anything. I can only imagine that this is all because you found yourself someone who makes you happy enough to want to move on from the past.” She can read me like a fucking book through the phone.

          I swallow, trying to not sound like I’m about to lie through my teeth, “There isn’t someone new in my life. It’s just time to stop wallowing in my own self-pity.” There is silence on the other line for a second and I swallow again thinking she has caught me in my lie.

          She hums in suspicion, but moves on, “Well, I’m so glad you’re finally breaking out of your funk. I can’t wait to come over and see the finished product. Maybe Trevor and I will come over tomorrow for some dinner.” She started yelling towards her boyfriend, telling him what she just told me.

           I liked the idea of having friends over for once. Mikayla has come over once or twice, but I knew she felt weird being here with boxes on top of boxes everywhere. “Sure, sounds great. Be here around six.” After Mikayla and I hung up, I stared at the papers on the counter, the one’s I didn’t want to keep looking at, but papers I knew I needed to keep. I grabbed them off the counter with haste and ran them to my bedroom, dropping them in the bottom drawer of my dresser, hiding the papers with my clothes. After I stood up, I wiped my hands on my shirt again, and pushed the drawer closed with my foot. I rubbed my hands together and made my way to the living room to pick up the rest of the random trash around my apartment, no longer wanting to feel like I was stuck within myself. After deep cleaning my entire apartment, I decide to not watch a movie, but to go to bed.

           The morning came quicker than I had expected it to, but I felt like a completely different person. There had been a huge weight that had lifted off my shoulders, and that weight continued to lift as I walked into my living room which was no longer filled with boxes. The coffee pot gurgled as it finished brewing. A sound I always loved, because it knew I was just that much closer to having the caffeine coursing through my veins. Just like a drug addict felt knowing they were about to get a hit. Maybe I was addicted to caffeine, but there were worse things I could be addicted to. I grabbed a mug from my cabinet and poured my first cup of coffee. As I smelled the delicious aroma of my coffee, I slid the door open that went out to my balcony. I sat on the cheap lawn chair I had out there and took my first sip and thought back to the mornings I used to have like this, before I got married, before my life was ripped out of my fingers. Mornings like this made me remember who I was.

           My phone ringing pulled me back to reality. A smile stretched across my face seeing Calum’s name. “Good morning, I didn’t think I’d hear from you this early.” It was my pathetic attempt at flirting. After I realized how pathetic it was, I placed my hand over my face and didn’t say another word.

           He also didn’t say anything and I suddenly felt like I had said something I shouldn’t have said. He sighed, “I didn’t mean to call you so early. I just left the studio, I haven’t slept yet.” His voice was raspy, full of exhaustion.

           My eyebrows pulled together, and I leaned forward in my chair, “Oh, shit, they really kept you there all night?”

           He hummed, obviously too tired to really say anything back. It made me want to reach through the phone and touch him. “I’m sorry, Emily, you can tell me no, but can I come over? I’m down the street from your place, and I’m so tired that I don’t think I can make it home.”

           My body turned towards my apartment, eyeing to see if there was anything in there that would make him run screaming. “Yeah, I’ll meet you outside. Park on the side of the building though, there’s a parking lot, park in one of the guest spots.” After he hung up, I ran inside and placed my cup on my kitchen counter. Without thinking about anything else, I ran down the stairs to the front door and found him walking towards the front door. He was wearing the same thing he was wearing last night, which made me remember I was wearing a long t-shirt and boy shorts.

          He looked up at me, black ray bans covering his eyes, a tired smile stretched across his face. “You’re still in your pajamas. Did I wake you up?” He stopped in front of me, looking around to see if there was anything that would capture anything inappropriate. He must’ve found something, because he quickly shielded me and pushed me inside. He took his sunglasses off, black circles sitting under his brown eyes. “Sorry, I just know how brutal those fuckers can be.” He pushes me further inside so there was absolutely no possibility of anyone seeing me.

          I looked down at myself, slightly embarrassed that I didn’t think to put on some pants before running outside. “No, it’s my fault, I should’ve put on some pants or something. And no, you didn’t wake me up. I was sitting on my balcony drinking some coffee.” Calum followed behind me as I walked toward the elevator. I could run down the stairs like a flash of lightning, but going up them would show how truly unfit I actually am. The elevator dinged and we both stepped in. Calum grabbing the hand rail and leaning his head back. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. As we reached my floor, I stepped out before him and walked towards my door. I stopped with my hand on the doorknob, “My apartment’s really small. It’s like literally the size of your living room.” He looked at me with a confused look, as if to ask me why I was telling him this, “I just don’t want you to think less of me because of where I live.”

          His eyebrows furrowed, and he shook his head, “I would never think less of you because of where you live. You could live in a box and I still would’ve asked to come over.” With that I opened the door and let him in.

          He looked around and I closed and locked the door. “Make yourself comfortable. Do you want a cup of coffee or anything?” He shook his head as he headed straight for the couch. He sat on one end and then flopped over onto his back, placing his right arm across his forehead, his left hand resting on his chest. He let out a sigh and I watched his eyes close. After I grabbed my cup off my counter, I made my way to my table, pulling out some work that I had brought home, thinking that I was going to accomplish everything this weekend. A snore came from the man on my couch, telling me he was already asleep. My eyes instinctually looked at him after hearing the breath. His chest raised and fell with every sleeping breath he took. I stood up and walked to my bedroom and pulled a blanket out of my closet. Returning to the living room while unfolding it. I draped the blanket over his body and returned to the table to get some work done. Completely forgetting I had made plans for Mikayla and Trevor to come over.

[camiddletonxox]

Pampering Her With Adoration and Food

Pairing - Damien Nazario x Charity Middleton (Perfect Match)

Rating and Triggers - Teen, mention of a car crash but this is fluffy

Note - This is a AU story, where Charity is a doctor, and Damien wants to make her feel better after her bad day.

Taglist - @drakewalkerfantasy @ao719 @princess-geek @polishchoicesfan @binny1985 @desireepow-1986 @i-bloody-love-drake-walker @hatescapsicum @itscassandral @gardeningourmet @heauxplesslydevoted @thequeenofcronuts @kaavyaethanramsey @storyofmychoices @regencylady1810 @choicesficwriterscreations

Note - Please message me if you want tagging

Synopsis - After a stressful day at work, Damien insists his girlfriend relaxes and spoils her.

Word count - 1430

💜💜💜

Damien had never knew anyone like Charity Middleton, she was charitable, creative and loving and there was just something about her that made his heart sing, she made him feel like he could just be him whenever he was with her, and he wanted to protect her from anything and everything that would cause her pain or upset.

Today was one of those days after a long 14 hour shift for her at the hospital where she worked as a fellow in paediatric surgery, there had been a awful accident and she was the most senior paediatric physician on, so she took the lead. She was exhausted and just wanted to curl up and be sad, but Damien knew her being sad about things never helps her so he was determined to make her smile.

She was curled up in bed, sleeping, even though it was 2pm, she was exhausted, she didn’t get home till 4am and he had no plans to wake her up until she was ready to wake up, so he got on making one of her favourite meals for later, he cut the asparagus and potatoes and got the steak from the local butcher last night, and went to the bakery to get her a cookie pie and planned to melt some chocolate to put over it for her and he made her a prawn cocktail on a bed of lettuce for starters and put the chocolate and wine she loved in the fridge.

He went upstairs to check on her and she was starting to stare as she woke up, and he got on the bed next to her, stroking her light brown hair out her face, and leaned over and gave her a loving kiss, and she moaned in pleasure.

“Good morning, you. How are you feeling?” He asks, stroking her hair and she looked up at him, smiling as she yawned and squinted, getting use to the bright daylight.

“I’m ok, yesterdays shift was horrific though” she sighed and she sat up, leaning into him as she remembered the small 4 year old who she couldn’t save and the look of anguish in the mothers eyes as she delivered the tragic news.

“You told me this morning, but today is your day off therefore I demand you have a nice day with me” He kissed her lips.

“What time is it?’ She asks

“2:30 but you needed your sleep as you were recounting your day to me till 5am” He uttered softly, as he stroked her cheek with the back of his hand and she smiled.

“Thank you for letting me sleep, D” she smiled and he just stroked her face, so proud of her for what she did in her job, she was the most amazing woman he had met.

“Go run yourself a bath and relax for as long as you want, I’m making you a three course meal and then I have a nice relaxing movie night planned for us both and I’m going to cuddle you and feed you all the chocolate you want” He winked at her and she grinned slightly, Damien was her morphine, he eased her pain and he made her feel like she was the most treasured woman to exist and was always there when she needed him, whether that was because she had a hard day, or was just really sad.

“Could you bring me a iced coffee?” She asked pouting sweetly at him and he chuckled and nodded, walking off to get her iced coffee, as Charity just sat there for a moment, before going through to their bathroom, going in her box of bath magic as she called it and found her favourite lavender bath salt and her favourite violet bubble bath and set the water on putting the salt and bubble bath in the bath before lighting the lantern candles which were just above the bath, thankfully she washed her hair at work so didn’t need to wash her hair, Damien walked through with her ice coffee as she puts her hair up into a bun.

“Your not naked yet? I’m shocked” Damien joked and Charity slapped his chest, shaking her head, as she took the ice coffee, and she sipped it and moaned in delight.

“Did you use the cinnamon coffee beans?’ Charity asks and Damien nods, giving her a kiss.

“Yep, now relax in your bath” He smiles and leaves the room and she strips down and she gets in the bath, the warm water caressing her body, it was lush being in this bath, she relaxed in her bath, sipping her coffee, and after 30 minutes she felt refreshed and got out, she dried her body off, moisturising her body before she pulled the plug on the bath and go changed into a blue top and black trousers, letting her hair down and she tidies the bathroom and puts her washing in the wash basket.

“Charity, are you finished in the bath?” Damien called up as he put the paprika on the prawn cocktail, and he put it on the table, pouring her a glass of wine as she comes downstairs.

“I have just been cleaning up after myself” she smiled and saw the table, the roses at the side of it, the prawn cocktail with iceberg lettuce and the bottle of her favourite wine. “Oh D, you spoil me” she wrap her arms around his neck, kissing him softly and he kissed back.

“You deserve it, now please sit down and eat” he grinned, checking on the steak.

“Oh you did me steak to?’ She asked and he nodded, sitting down across from her.

“Bon Appetite” he smiled and she dug into the prawn cocktail, which was delicious, the sauce was cream and just perfect and the prawns as a whole were a delight.

“Its so delicious, thank you D” she smiled and leaned over to kiss him and he met her half way, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips and they ate in a comfortable silence, happy to be in each other’s company.

“This is just what I needed, thanks D” she smiled and he takes their places from the prawn cocktail to the dishwasher and he starts to cook the actual steak, and Charity stood up wrapping her arms around his waist.

“Your just amazing” she grins, and he chuckled.

“As great as I am, I can’t cook with you distracting me” He murmured and she stepped away, watching him cook, he cooked the steak, mixed the peppercorn sauce, checking the asparagus and sautéing spinach.

“Shall I go sit down?” She asked and he chuckled.

“If you would like” He nodded, draining the water from the veg, putting them on the plate neatly and then he put the potatoes on it, checking on the steak, flipping it over, before putting the sautéed spinach on the plate, his girlfriend watching him in amazement. When the steak is done, he puts that on the plate and then drizzled the sauce on the steak and potatoes before he put the plate in front of her, and she sipped her wine.

“Oh my god, I have the most amazing boyfriend” Charity grinned, and cut the steak, and ate the mouthful, moaning.

“Is it good?” He asked, smiling.

“It is so good” she grinned and they both ate, talking about general things.

“Do you want to wait for dessert?” Damien asks and Charity finished her final mouthful of dinner.

“You even got me dessert?” She asked softly and he nods.

“Yep, hazelnut and dark chocolate cookie pie” He uttered.

“Lets have cuddles for a while” she nodded, and goes to tidy up but Damien stops her.

“You choose a movie or box set, I will clean up here” He insists and she smiled, he was a sweetheart.

“Are you sure?” Charity asks and he nodded, and she took her wine in the living room, choosing a box set they both loved as he returned to her, and sat with her, they watch a episode before Damien goes to get her a slice of pie, melting chocolate, drizzling it over the pie before bringing it through, and she looked at him, it was a chocolate heaven.

“Oh my god, this is so good” she said and turned to him, “I love you so much, Damien” she breathed and he held her close.

“There is nothing I wouldn’t do for you, Charity” he whispered, “I love you too, beautiful” he kissed her cheek and the couple continued their perfect evening together.