#Michael fails at matchmaking | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

jule1122 · 3 years ago

Note

Love confession prompt: “We need to stop dancing around it. All it does, is hurting us both!”

Dear Anon, thank you for the prompt. I am sorry it took so long, but the story got away from me. I hope you enjoy it!

It was only ever you on AO3

Summary: Five times Michael tried to interfere with Alex's love life and one time he didn't have to.

Yet another Malex getting back together story that includes a Forlex breakup, a brief positive mention of Miluca, some OCs that appear briefly. It is not S3 compliant.

Huge thank you to @im-the-punk-who for amazing beta work that not only made this a much better story, but also saved everyone from my repetitive sentence structure. All remaining mistakes are mine.

Title from "Afterlife" by Nothing But Thieves

“You should take Forrest,” Michael tells Alex, handing him a flyer as they finish up yet another night of trying to figure out what Jones had been up to before he’d been sealed in that cave. “I mean there aren’t any Nazi’s, but it’s the right time period.”

Alex studies the advertisement for an exhibit on the role of Navajo Code Talkers in WWII featuring an opening night presentation by the grandson of one the original Code Talkers. It’s at the closest UNM branch, only about an hour outside of Roswell.

“Thanks?” Alex isn’t sure what Michael’s intent is.

“Come on, I can be thoughtful,” Michael responds playfully, bumping Alex’s shoulder as they exit the bunker.

“Sometimes,” Alex concedes, knowing how true it is. As the mysteries surrounding Jones multiply, Michael has been the voice of reason with his sibling - handling Max’s mood swings as he deals with losing Liz and discovering a possibly evil version of himself without reacting to them, supporting Isobel when she feels overwhelmed with Max’s issues. Alex considers himself lucky if Michael wants to extend his thoughtfulness to him.

Michael is right, Forrest is thrilled when Alex asks him about going to the opening night of the exhibit. He takes notes during the presentation and carefully studies each piece in the exhibit, filling Alex in when there is overlap in the research he’s been doing.

Alex follows along quietly. He’s almost overwhelmed by the amount of information, things he knows should already be familiar to him. Alex can’t help thinking about the family and history he’d lost when his mother left and he’s never been brave enough to reclaim. Part of him wishes he were here with Greg, and he wonders if Greg would come another night if Alex asked him.

“Are you ok?” Forrest asks, placing his hand on Alex’s arm to get his attention.

Alex attempts a smile, “It’s just there is so much information, and I wish it wasn’t all new to me. It makes me realize how much I’ve let that part of my heritage go. I was thinking about Greg, whether all this would feel familiar to him now. If he feels like a part of it now.”

“Is he the one who told you about this?”

“No,” Alex corrects him, although it is a logical assumption. “Michael gave me the flyer; he thought you might be interested in coming.”

“Alien guy,” Forrest brightens as he makes the connection.

Alex tried to hold back his smile at the nickname, but something must show on his face because Forrest’s expression dims.

“Oh,” he says softly. “Alien guy is also Song guy.”

There is no reason to deny it so Alex remains silent. He thinks about trying to explain, considers telling Forrest that he and Michael haven’t been together in years, but it’s not the whole truth, and he’s never been able to explain his relationship with Michael, even to himself. It feels wrong to even try, standing here surrounded by reminders of the courage and sacrifice of his ancestors when he’s never managed to find a way to talk about the man he’s loved for almost half his life.

“I guess we have more in common than just a love of the microfiche,” Forrest tries to joke, but it falls flat and they both know there isn’t anything left to say.

They leave shortly after and the ride home is long and silent. When Alex pulls into Forrest’s driveway, their relief is palpable, and they say goodbye quickly without an attempt at a kiss. It’s easier than it should be to let Forrest go. Alex enjoyed their dates, they’d made out a lot, even got each other off a few times, and while it wasn’t serious, Alex had thought it had the potential to be. But one mention of Michael, and he realizes he isn’t as ready to move on as he wants to be.

He doesn’t see Forrest again until the next open mic night a few weeks later. Even though he isn’t performing Alex is happy to support Maria and the event as an audience member. Forrest is the last performer before intermission, and he recites his poem without once looking at Alex. When he finishes, Alex claps politely before going to the bar for another drink.

Max is too busy to make much conversation so Alex doesn’t linger. On the way back to his table, he sees Michael and Forrest talking off to the side of the stage. Michael is speaking intently, leaning in with one hand on Forrest’s arm and the other gesturing around the bar. From what Alex can see Forrest is just listening; watching Michael with a combination of amusement and resignation.

Alex reminds himself that it’s none of his business and forces himself to continue back towards his table. He’s too far away to hear what Michael is saying anyway. A few minutes later, Michael sits heavily in the chair next to him, frustration evident on his face.

“What’s wrong?” Alex asks.

“Nothing,” Michael snaps before looking away and visibly forcing himself to relax. “Sorry, it’s just there’s a problem with the equipment I thought I had worked out-” he pauses to glare at Forrest, “but apparently I need to find another solution.”

Everything seems to be working just fine as far as Alex can tell, and Michael doesn’t seem to be in the mood to talk about it so Alex lets it go and focuses on bracing himself for the sheer volume of Bert’s upcoming performance.

“I was hoping you could do me a favor,” Michael says as he steps out of the airstream and hands Alex another beer.

Max had left about ten minutes ago, and Alex had considered heading home as well, but Michael had offered another round of drinks so he stayed. “Sure,” he replies, figuring there is nothing Michael would ask for that he would refuse.

“You know those online classes I’ve been taking?” Michael pauses long enough for Alex to nod. “One of my professors mentioned his laptop got some crazy virus and the school’s IT department couldn’t fix it. I may have told him I knew someone who could look at it.”

“That’s fine,” Alex agrees. “Just set something up and let me know. You know my schedule.”

“Thanks, maybe this will get me some bonus points.”

Alex rolls his eyes even though Michael isn’t looking at him. “Considering how often you remind me that you’re a genius, I don’t think you need any help with your grade, but I’ll try not to make it worse.”

“I guess I’ll have to trust you to have my back,” Michael teases. “Unlike Sanders who I swear is trying to ruin my life.”

“What did he do now?” Alex asks as he settles more comfortably into his chair. He knows from experience he could be here a while once Michael gets going about Sanders.

“He doesn’t listen for one. There’s this form we have to fill out when we take a car in for service. A form he had long before I started working there I might add. If I forget one little check box I never hear the end of it. Do you know what he does when he takes a car in?” Michael leans forward as he gets into the story.

“No, but I guess you’ll tell me.”

“He sticks a note on it that says ‘fix me.’ A note, Alex, not even a sticky note, just a ripped off piece of an old yellow legal pad he actually tapes to the windshield,” Michael throws his hands up in the air. “What am I supposed to do with that?”

“Fix it,” Alex replies, laughing when Michael sputters indignantly. For all Michael’s complaining, Alex can hear the warmth in his voice when he talks about Sanders now. Michael’s always been loyal to Sanders, but Alex doesn’t think he ever understood that those feelings were returned until he learned about Sander’s connection to his mother and his reasons for helping Michael.

“You’re as bad as he is, thinking I can read minds and figure out what’s wrong with it. That’s Isobel’s deal, not mine.”

“I don’t think that works on cars,” Alex counters. “So what did you do?” he asks, already knowing the answer.

Michael hangs his head, “I fixed it.”

They both laugh, and Alex accepts another beer.

A week later a man approaches his booth when Alex is on his second cup of coffee at the Crashdown.

“Alex?”

The laptop he’s holding gives him away as the professor Alex has been waiting for. He’s younger than Alex expected, probably less than ten years older than Alex. His pressed jeans, button down shirt and casual blazer make him look like he stepped off every college brochure Alex remembers getting in the mail.

“Professor Taylor,” Alex smiles but doesn’t stand up.

“Yep, how’d you know?” When Alex looks pointedly at the laptop he’s clutching, he laughs and runs his free hand through his hair. “Right, please call me Ben. And you were easy to find. Michael told me to look for the best looking guy in the place.”

Alex quirks an eyebrow at him because that doesn’t sound like something Michael would say.

“Well, he told me you would be the guy who looks irritated by life because he’s on his third cup of coffee instead of drinking the milkshake he really wants, but I think my description stands.” He blushes slightly and that’s when Alex notices the rainbow and bisexual flag pins on his jacket. He wonders what else Michael said about him.

“That sounds more accurate, but this is only my second cup of coffee,” Alex reaches for the laptop. “Michael said you had a virus you can’t get rid of?”

Ben sits next to him in the booth instead of across the table. He opens the laptop and slides it over to Alex. “I promise it’s not from watching porn.”

Alex doesn’t even try to hide his smirk, “So it’s definitely from watching porn.”

“I won’t tell if you won’t,” Ben winks at Alex.

“Right.” Alex starts working. Ben looks disappointed when Alex moves to the far side of the booth but he doesn’t follow.

Once Alex gets into the computer, he knows it will be a relatively easy fix. He asks Ben about the classes he teaches and his enthusiasm for his subject matter makes for pleasant background noise. He reminds Alex a bit of Forrest, only focused on engineering instead of history.

After he takes care of the virus, Alex installs a stronger protection software and strengthens the firewall settings. He hands the laptop back to Ben. “You’re all set. I don’t think it will happen again, but I definitely recommend having separate computers for work and,” Alex clears his throat, “your more personal pursuits.”

Alex lets his amusement show clearly on his face. And while Ben blushes a little, he doesn’t look away. Once his laptop is back in his bag he stands up, and waits to see if Alex will follow. When Alex remains seated, Ben leans against the table, and reaches for Alex’s hand.

“I can’t thank you enough. I have some research on here I really can’t afford to lose.” He shakes Alex's hand, holding on for longer than necessary and smiling warmly. “If I have any more problems, I know who to come to.”

“You shouldn’t,” Alex repeats as he pulls his hand free. “But just let Michael know if you do. He can always hook us up again.”

“Of course,” Ben’s smile falters slightly. “Well, thanks again.” He waves on his way out, stopping at the counter to pay for Alex’s next coffee.

Alex texts Michael to let him know how it went. He barely has time to set his phone down before Michael slides into the booth across from him.

“Were you waiting outside the door?” Alex asks, surprised at the speed of Michael’s arrival.

“Nope, just running some errands,” Michael holds his hands up, trying to look innocent. “That didn’t take very long.”

“Pretty simple fix, not much to do,” Alex shrugs.

“So are you meeting him again?”

“No, why would we? I told you I was able to take care of everything.” Michael is the one who suggested Alex look at the computer. He’s not sure why Michael seems so surprised he was able to fix it.

“You guys got along though, right?” Michael asks.

“I didn’t do anything to jeopardize your grade if that’s what you’re worried about. He should be completely satisfied with my work.”

Michael snorts loudly then tries to cover it up with a cough when the diners at the counter turn around to look at them.

“Anyway,” Alex glares at Michael. “He was nice, and I told him he could let you know if he had any more problems.” “Huh,” Michael leans back in the booth. “I guess that’s that.”

Before Alex can ask what he means, Javier finally comes over with the refill for Alex, and they decide to order lunch. Burgers and fries for both of them, and while Alex drinks the coffee Ben bought him, Michael orders a milkshake. When their food comes, Michael slides his milkshake to the middle of the table so Alex can dip his fries in it.

When Alex walks into the Wild Pony he doesn’t see Michael straight away, so he heads to the bar. Maria looks busy but he catches Max’s eye and holds up two fingers, knowing Max is familiar enough with what he and Michael drink to take it from there.

Instead of delivering the drinks Max waves him over and when Alex reaches him he’s surprised to see three bottles on the bar. “Hey, you remember Danny Price, right?”

Alex shakes his head, the way Max is trying too hard to appear casual already setting him on edge.

“He was a few years ahead of us in school - he graduated with one of your brothers.” When it becomes clear Alex still has no idea who he is talking about, Max sighs. “Well, I guess he just moved back to Roswell, and Michael brought him in tonight.” Max points to a table in the back.

Michael is leaning forward in his chair, talking animatedly to a man who looks completely out of place in the Pony. He’s wearing what looks like an expensive suit and is sitting stiffly across the table from Michael. Alex reluctantly takes the beers and heads in that direction. He’s not sure why Michael would have invited him for a drink without telling him he was bringing someone else.

“Hey,” he sets the bottles on the table and tries to give Michael a questioning look, but Michael avoids his eyes.

“Alex,” he greets him with exaggerated cheer. “You remember Danny?”

The other man scowls at Michael and immediately corrects him, “It’s Daniel.”

“Alex Manes, nice to meet you,” he shakes Daniel’s hand, not bothering to pretend he remembers him at all.

“Pleasure,” Daniel replies coolly, quickly pulling his hand away and dropping it into his lap. He completely ignores the bottle Alex places in front of him.

Alex sits next to Michael and kicks him under the table. This is not the relaxing night he had in mind.

“So Daniel,” Michael emphasizes his name, “just moved back to take over his family’s law firm. I gave him a tow today when he blew a tire out on the highway. Thought I’d show him around a bit, get him caught up on the social scene since his boyfriend decided not to make the move.”

Now Alex knows who he is, or at least who his father is. Daniel Price Sr. was the go to lawyer for people like the Longs and his father. He knew how to make things go away if you had enough influence and money to grease the wheels of justice. Alex had been forced to speak with him a few times when Jesse filed for divorce on the grounds of abandonment. He’d made a point of telling Alex how lucky he was that an important man like his father was willing to make the sacrifices necessary to ensure Alex was raised in a civilized environment. From the way Daniel is looking down his nose at the Pony, Alex expects he shares his father’s attitude.

“You’re a lawyer, as well?” Alex asks when Daniel doesn’t respond to Michael and the silence starts to become awkward.

“Yes, my father’s been after me to join the firm ever since his last associate was killed in an accident. I finally agreed,” Daniel doesn’t look happy about his decision.

At the mention of the dead associate, Alex shares a quick look with Michael, knowing Daniel must be referring to Isobel’s husband. But Michael doesn’t look concerned and with a quick shake of his head, he lets Alex know the connection is nothing to be concerned about. Roswell is a small town, if Noah was looking to cloak himself in prestige, he didn’t have many other options. Alex decides to accept Michael’s assessment of the risk, at least for now.

Michael turns to Alex, picking the conversation back up,, “I thought you could give him some tips on readjusting to life in Roswell. He’s used to being a big city lawyer, and you came back a war hero.”

Alex doesn’t even try to hide his reaction. He looks at Michael incredulously. Michael has never said a single positive thing about Alex’s time in the Air Force, let alone called him a hero.

“Maria needs me to look at something in the back so I’ll leave you two to talk,” Michael stands up and claps Alex on the shoulder, which feels more like he’s trying to hold Alex in place.

Alex glares at Michael as he walks away and then tries to school his expression into something more pleasant. It’s not Daniel’s fault Michael is acting like a completely different kind of pod person.

“Michael didn’t say where you relocated from,” Alex asks politely.

After several minutes of listening to Daniel drone on about his fabulous life in Chicago, Alex has finished his own beer and reaches unapologetically for the other one on the table. Daniel clearly isn’t going to drink it, and Alex feels he’s more than earned it. Initially he had tried to be sympathetic, but if Daniel really was the star of his high powered law firm and could afford a waterfront apartment and active social life, there is no reason to leave it all behind for a family law practice in Roswell. Alex finds himself thinking he should call the ex-boyfriend and congratulate him on ridding himself of this pompous asshole.

Mainly because he still has one beer left to drink, Alex makes a final attempt at conversation. “It’s definitely not Chicago, but I am sure you will find Roswell has its own appeal.”

The overture backfires, launching Daniel into a diatribe about Roswell’s isolation, lack of culture, poor economic outlook and even the Pony’s inadequate wine cellar. Alex is patient as long as he can be. He remembers his own bitterness and disappointment at finding himself back in the town he swore he’d left for good, and grudgingly admits some of Daniel’s complaints have merit.

“I am pleased - surprised but pleased - that some of the fine, upstanding families like the Longs haven’t abandoned this town. Considering how some of the more unsavory elements continue to flourish, their presence is all that is saving this town. I doubt without people like them and your father, my own family would still have a business worth passing down,” Daniel concludes with a condescending smile.

Alex reads that for the racist bullshit that it is. He smiles back, but there is nothing friendly about it. “You said you practiced corporate law in Chicago?” Daniel nods. “Well, I think you’ll find the Longs, Wyatt in particular, are more likely to keep you busy in criminal court. Might want to brush up on your defense skills.

Instead of being offended, Daniel looks pleased with himself. “I will be reminding the Sheriff of the important contributions the Longs make to this town and the consequences of ignoring those when faced with Wyatt’s more high spirited behavior. I am sure she will see the wisdom in restraint.”

And Alex is done. He stands up fast enough that his chair scrapes loudly across the floor, catching Max and Maria’s attention. “Looks like you’ll fit in just fine here as a small time, I mean small town, lawyer. I’ll have to thank Michael for allowing us to get reacquainted in case our paths cross again.”

Max waves him away apologetically when he heads to the bar to pay. Maria, on the other hand, takes one look at his face and starts laughing so hard she doesn’t see him flip her off on his way out the door. Michael’s truck isn’t in the parking lot, and Alex can’t help but feel relieved. He’d been expecting to spend a few hours with Michael drinking beer and talking, and instead been subjected to...whatever the hell that was. He’s more agitated than he was when he arrived and he’s not in the mood for whatever excuse Michael has. The next time Michael invites him for a drink, he’s going to make sure there aren’t any surprises. And Michael is paying.

Alex watches Maria and Rosa belt out Don’t Speak from one of the tables Isobel reserved for the night. He normally avoids Thursday Karaoke nights at Planet 7, preferring somewhere less crowded and quieter after work, but he made an exception for Kyle’s birthday.

When one of the bartenders came over with another free birthday shot for Kyle, Michael sighs dramatically and rolls his eyes. “The Valenti love fest is killing me. You think they’d know by now it's not going to get them laid.”

“It’s his birthday,” Alex shrugs. “Which you are here celebrating, I might add.”

“Isobel’s paying the tab tonight, can’t pass that up,” Michael holds up his own shot glass then lets out a cheer when Maria and Rosa transition to Say My Name. “Trust me, another year with Dr. Doolittle is nothing worth celebrating.

Alex shakes his head and turns his attention back to the stage. While Michael’s animosity toward Kyle may have faded, he never turns down a chance to insult him.

“Speaking of getting laid,” Michael nudges Alex to get his attention again. “I think that guy at the bar is eyeing you.”

Alex looks over at the bar to see who Michael is not so subtly pointing to. The only person paying attention to them is Trent, one of the regulars Forrest made a point of intruding Alex to months ago. When Trent notices Alex looking over at him, he winks and Alex doesn’t know whether to laugh or throw something at Michael. He’s too tired and too sober to deal with this tonight. It may have taken Alex a while to catch on, but he realizes Michael has been trying to set him up ever since he and Forrest broke up. Ben was a nice enough guy, and Alex could see why Michael thought they might click; Daniel was a clear miss, but this is a new low.

“Yes, Trent is eyeing me, and anyone else he thinks might give him fifty bucks for a bathroom blowjob.”

“What?” Michael stutters.

“You just tried to set me up with a hustler,” they both watch as another patron approaches Trent and after a short conversation, they walk toward the bathroom together.

“Sorry, I didn’t know,” Michael slumps back in his seat.

“Yeah, I get that,” Alex pinched the bridge of his nose. He’s not sure what it says about him that Michael thought his type would be someone in a mesh see-through tank top, ripped skin tight teal jeans, a cowboy hat and what might be a pair of boots made by the murder twins. Maybe Michael thinks he’s desperate enough that ‘likes guys’ and ‘breathing’ is his new standard, or maybe Michael is just that desperate to focus Alex’s interest on someone else. Either way, it’s not something Alex is prepared to confront tonight.

“Trent’s a nice kid,” Alex offers at Michael’s defeated look. “He’s using the money to help pay his undergrad tuition which means he’s about ten years younger than me. And there's no way you didn’t notice that.” Alex doesn’t wait for Michael to answer, before he stands up and decides to call it a night.

He catches Rosa and Maria as they are walking off the stage and hugs them both. He waves at the rest of the table before stepping up behind Kyle. “Happy Birthday. I’m going to head out, early morning on the base tomorrow,” he covers so that Kyle won’t try to persuade him to stay.

“Thanks for coming, man,” Kyle gives him a half hug, half handshake made even more awkward by his drunken clumsiness.

Alex passes Kyle off to Max and heads for the door. He can feel Michael’s eyes on him, but Michael doesn’t say anything or try to stop him so Alex heads home alone.

Alex tries to listen to the speaker as they explain the importance of raising enough funds to support a domestic violence shelter in Roswell, but his attention keeps drifting to Michael. Other than those few minutes at Prom he’s never seen Michael in a suit, and he’s beautiful. No longer an adolescent trying to be comfortable in unfamiliar clothes, he wears the charcoal grey suit with confidence. No tie and shirt unbuttoned at the top, it’s elegant and Michael all at once.

But Michael doesn’t want that kind of attention from him, so he tries again to focus on the speaker. Normally he would have made a donation and avoided the fundraiser entirely, but Isobel had organized the event and purchased a table, handing out tickets and insisting attendance was mandatory.

Another woman comes to the stage and begins to explain how a shelter saved her life. Alex finds himself thinking about his mother, and what, if any, difference a safe place like this could have made in her life. He remembers so little of his parent’s relationship, but he can’t imagine it was healthy, and he can’t make himself believe his mother would have left them all behind if she had a choice.

As if sensing his thoughts, Maria places her hand on his arm and squeezes gently. He turns and smiles at her, grateful for her silent support. In an attempt to redirect his own thoughts he excuses himself to get another drink as soon as there is a break in the program. On his way to the bar, he sees Michael nudge Isobel who then heads over to another table, but he doesn’t give it much thought.

Alex takes his drink and steps off to the side, content to watch from a distance for a while. He’ll rejoin the table soon enough, but he needs a break to push the thoughts of his mother from his mind. He’s almost done with his drink when he notices another man approaching him. Alex doesn’t recognize him, but he is clearly on his way to speak to him.

“Captain Manes,” he holds out his hand and Alex shakes it automatically. “I was hoping to get a chance to talk to you tonight. Major Sam Whitmore,” he introduces himself. “Please call me Sam.”

“Alex,” Alex isn’t sure how to respond. Even out of uniform, Alex would have immediately recognized him as military. He looks to be about Clay’s age, some grey creeping into his blond hair, but his eyes are kind, and Alex doesn’t sense a threat from him.

“Isobel mentioned you would be here. She’s a friend of yours?”

“Hmm.” Alex is noncommittal, not willing to claim Isobel as a friend when he’s not sure why she mentioned him to Sam. “Mostly through her brother. You know her well?” He glances over at the table and sees Michael watching him while Isobel and another woman stand a few feet away also looking in their direction.

“Not well,” Sam admits. Sam gestures to the woman talking to Isobel. “My ex-wife is one of the board members, and she helped Isobel plan the event. I try to be supportive of her work when I can be.”

“That’s admirable.” His thoughts drift briefly to his mother again. There had been nothing admirable about how Jesse had erased her from their lives the moment she left.

“We were always friends, and we’ve managed to keep that connection even though we didn’t have children to keep us tied together. We were probably always meant to be friends, and I don’t know what I would do without her. She was able to accept that I was gay before I could.”

And now Alex understands what this is all about, but it isn’t Sam’s fault, so he smiles politely. “She sounds like a good friend to have.”

“She definitely deserved better than I gave her, but I didn’t know any other way to live. I came from a military family, and just followed the same path as everyone else in my family. Joined the Air Force, married my high school girlfriend and pretended it was enough.”

“Sometimes that’s the only way,” Alex agrees. For all his teenage rebellion, he’d ended up exactly where his father wanted him. Then he still let him down by coming back rather than dying a martyr to the Manes’ legacy.

“You and I have a lot in common. You know what it’s like to grow up with that pressure to fall in line, to serve. I can’t think of a single man in my family who wasn’t part of the military. In fact I think my father served with both your father and grandfather.”

Sam is still talking, but Alex can’t concentrate on what he’s saying. The idea that Sam could be connected to his family sends his thoughts spiraling. He’s already been thinking about his father, and another mention of him has Alex’s skin prickling like he’s being watched. What if there were more people involved in Project Shepherd? Alex was sure he buried Project Shepherd deep enough that it will never be found, but what if he missed something? With his attention focused elsewhere is it possible he’d missed something - some other threat to Michael he didn’t notice?Is Alex failing to protect him once again?

He looks back to the table, irrationally needing to see that Michael is still there and unharmed. Michael is there - still watching him. He’s frowning like he can tell Alex is upset. Alex forces himself to resume listening to Sam.

“So I thought we could get coffee or something, get to know each other better?”

“Sounds good,” Alex agrees while looking for somewhere to set his drink down. Between his father’s ghost and Michael’s attention, he feels like the air in the room is suffocating him. “Excuse me, I have to go.”

Alex quickly heads outside, not allowing himself to look back at Michael. Once he’s clear of the building, he loosens his tie and tries to slow his breathing. All he wants to do is go home, but he knows he’s not ready to drive and the lingering paranoia from Sam’s mention of his family leaves him on guard and needing to be close enough to protect Michael. So he sits on one of the benches surrounding a small pond and reminds himself that his father is dead. That Project Shepherd is gone. That Michael is safe.

Just as he’s worked through his fears - convinced himself they are unfounded and begun to relax - he feels a hand on his shoulder. He stands up and spins around quickly, ready for a fight. Of course it’s Micheal, and as relieved as he is to have visible proof that Michael is fine, he doesn’t want to face the other emotions Michael stirs in him. He wishes Michael hadn’t followed him, not with his latest attempt at matchmaking is still a bitter reminder of what Michael doesn’t want.

“Hey,” Michael says soothingly. “They’re about to serve dinner. You should come back in.” Michael steps back hesitantly and shoves his hands back in his pockets.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why, you’re not in the mood for overcooked chicken?” Michael smiles and jerks his head back toward the banquet hall. “It won’t be that bad. Isobel swears the potatoes are to die for.”

Alex ignores his attempt at levity, angry that Michael is still pushing this. “What I’m not in the mood for is finding Major Whitmore in the empty chair at our table. You’ll have to be the one to tell Isobel she wasted her time orchestrating this meeting. Although I have a feeling it was your idea.”

“Come on Alex, it wasn’t like that,” Michael winces a little at Alex's directness.

“Michael,” Alex sighs and sits back down, suddenly tired of all of this. “We need to stop dancing around this. It’s just hurting both of us. I know it’s hurting me.”

Michael looks down for a moment before meeting Alex’s eyes, somehow both apologetic and defiant in the face of Alex’s admission. “Isobel really wanted everyone here; she’s proud of this event. But when she told me about her friend’s ex-husband, I thought it would be a good chance for you to meet someone. That’s all.”

“And what about the rest of them? It’s not like this is the first time you’ve tried to set me up.” Now that Alex has asked the question, he’s not going to let Michael avoid telling him the truth.

“I just want you to be happy, Alex. You tried to help me out with Maria - more than once she told me. And I tried to fix things with Forrest, but when that didn’t work out, I got creative,” Michael shrugs.

“This goes back to Forrest, Jesus,” Alex swears. He remembers Michael’s animated conversation with Forrest at open mic night and is embarrassed just imagining what Michael might have said in the effort to get Forrest to give him another chance. “What were you thinking?”

“You helped with Maria,” Michael repeats as if that explains anything.

“I talked to Maria because the two people I loved most in the world were falling in love with each other. You could have made each other so happy and everyone could see that. How could I not encourage the two of you to be happy together?”

Alex had never considered anything but helping Maria when she had doubts about Michael. Maybe it didn’t make sense to anyone else, but he understood when Michael told him he wanted something good, that he wanted to be good for someone - and that someone was Maria. He just wanted to help her understand. He knew they gave each other something he could never provide, and it blunted some of the pain of his own failure with Michael to see their happiness. “What you did wasn’t the same thing at all. You’ve been throwing random men in my path and hoping one would stick. That doesn’t feel like caring, Michael, it feels like you are trying to get rid of me.”

“Alex, no,” Michael protests, looking upset.

“I get it, but it needs to stop. I’m sorry if I’m making you uncomfortable. I thought I was respecting your wishes and controlling my feelings,” Alex laughs bitterly and runs a hand through his hair. “But you make it so hard. We’ve never spent so much time together, and I keep seeing all these different sides of you. The way your mind works faster than anyone else’s, the way you’re trying to meet Max in the middle, how you tease Sanders, but always come through for him, the way you explain things to Kyle using twice as many technical terms as needed, half of which I know you made up, just so he has to ask you to explain it again. And I keep falling in love with you again.

Alex looks over at Michael not sure what reaction he’s expecting, but Michael is just standing there, frozen in place, so Alex keeps talking. “I’m going to keep my distance for a while because if this is your way of forcing me to move on, it’s not going to work.”

“I really fucked this up, didn’t I,” Michael shakes off his surprise and sits down next to Alex, looking as frustrated as Alex feels. “I was trying to help with Forrest. I thought it would - I don’t know - even us out after what you did with Maria, that I owed you that chance at happiness.”

“That’s not what I want,” Alex never wants anything from Michael out of obligation. And he certainly doesn’t want Michael thinking he needs to find Alex some kind of replacement.

“I think it could have worked between you and my professor. He seems like a good guy - smart, handsome, but the day you two met up, I panicked. I parked across the street from the Crashdown before he got there. I couldn’t see you so I just sat there imagining the two of you talking and flirting and dreading the moment you walked out together holding hands.”

Alex can’t help but laugh a little. “You think I move that fast?”

“Never said I was being rational,” Michael smiles, but quickly sobers. “I felt like shit for being relieved when you told me you weren’t meeting him again. That should have been the end of it, but apparently guilt makes me stubborn so I felt like I had to keep trying. But I wasn’t trying very hard.”

“I was starting to wonder what you thought of me when I realized you were trying to set me up and your choices were Daniel and Trent.”

“I’m sorry,” Michael apologizes, looking embarrassed. “After that night at Planet 7, I knew I screwed up.” Michael looks at him. “Tonight. I told myself tonight was real - not another half-hearted attempt. But I know that a guy in the military with a family like yours isn’t what you want. I get what it looks like, Alex, but I’m not trying to get rid of you. It’s just - I saw how hard you were trying with Forrest. That you wanted a relationship that could be open and happy and I want that for you.”

“Maybe that is what you were trying to do, but I still need you to stop,” Alex says. Knowing Michael’s motivations should make him feel better, but it doesn’t. No matter the reason, Michael still wants him to be with someone else. “You’re not completely wrong,” he continues because at this point there’s no reason to be anything but honest. “I was trying with Forrest, but the reason it didn’t work is that we both realized that open, happy relationship I wanted? I want it with you.”

Alex braces himself for Michael’s reaction. Admitting he still wants a relationship with Michael is blunter than saying he loves him. Michael has made it clear he doesn’t want to be with Alex. He doesn’t know if Michael will be angry that Alex can’t let it go, or understanding and kind. Alex isn’t sure which reaction he dreads more. But Michael surprises him by laughing, open and incredulous.

He takes Alex hand, “You weren’t listening when I told about my reaction to realizing you and the professor might actually work out, were you? My first attempt at matchmaking, and I’ve never wanted to fail so much in my life. You aren’t the only one who keeps falling in love, Alex.”

Alex makes a sound of disbelief and tries to pull his hand back, but Michael holds tight.

“I used to have all these dreams for us, you remember?” Michael waits for his reaction, continuing once he nods. “I thought I knew exactly who we would be together. And for a long time. I was angry at you for changing. You joined the Air Force, and every time I saw you, you were further and further from who I thought you would be when I imagined us together. Seeing that was like losing another piece of those dreams every time, and it made me look at how I was never going to be the person I dreamed of either. It took me a long time to figure out that even if all my dreams came true - if we stayed together,got out of Roswell together - we still would have been different than I imagined. And when I finally let go of those dreams, I thought that meant letting go of you. Of us.”

Alex looks away. He remembers how painful it was to finally accept that he and Michael were never going to have the future they planned in whispers in the back of Michael’s truck. But even saying goodbye to all of that hadn’t been enough to force Michael out of his heart.

“Hey,” Michael says softly, pulling Alex’s attention back to him. “As much as that hurt, it left me free to fall in love with who you are now. I didn’t even realize it was happening, but eventually when I thought about loving you, it wasn’t past tense, it wasn’t some idealized version of you, but the guy sitting next to me doing everything he can to protect me and making me laugh and listening to me.”

Michael pauses, but Alex feels as frozen as Michael was earlier, unable to react. When Michael starts speaking again he rubs his thumb over the back of Alex’s hand, and the soothing motion gives Alex something to focus on besides the almost painful honesty of Michael’s words. He watches the slide of Michael’s skin against his and lets it ground him as he listens to Michael. “I still see glimpses of him sometimes, the boy I fell in love with, the one who loved music and loved me and made me feel like I belonged here and gave me hope. And I still love him, but I don’t need him anymore. I want to make new dreams with you, now, tonight.”

Overwhelmed by the love he sees in Michael’s eyes, Alex tries and fails to blink back the tears filling his own eyes. He’s been on edge all night, battling memories and fears, then facing the anger and hurt he’s felt ever since he realized Michael was trying to set him up. To have it end like this, with honesty and hope, maybe love, feels like too much.

Michael brushes away the tears with his thumbs. He cradles Alex’s face gently in his hands, and meets his eyes, silently asking permission. When Alex nods, the most beautiful smile graces Michael’s face, Alex catches just a glimpse of it before bringing Alex’s face in so that he can kiss away the tracks the tears have left behind. Then Michael’s lips meet his. The kiss is soft and sweet, and Alex feels so loved it almost hurts. He lets it fill him, pushing his insecurities away.

After they pull back, Alex rests his head on Michael's shoulder, pressing his face into his neck and breathing in the scent of rain and whiskey and oil, the scent of Michael. Michael runs his hands down Alex’s back and presses gentle kisses into his hair. When it stops feeling so overwhelming, so much like a dream that will slip through his fingers, Alex looks up and kisses Michael’s cheek, just catching the corner of his mouth. He stays there, letting his lip catch on the corner of Michael’s smile and savoring the closeness he’s been craving.

Michael turns into the kiss, and it lingers, hot and open mouthed this time, until he finally breaks away looking entirely too pleased with himself. “The way I see it we have two choices. We can go back in there and make sure everyone knows you’re taken. Or I can follow you home and we can talk some more, hold each other and maybe do some of those things we’ve both been pretending we don’t want.”

“Home,” Alex immediately seizes on the idea of having Michael in his house where they can have some time to themselves. “Home sounds good.”

“And since I doubt we'll get much sleep,” Michael looks at Alex suggestively. “We can go to the Crashdown for breakfast. Or maybe lunch. You can lend me some clothes or I will proudly do the walk of shame in this suit.”

Alex sees a little of Michael’s confidence falter as he mentions going out together, and he doesn’t want that. “If you put that suit back on,” he lightly traces his finger along the exposed skin the open collar shows off, smiling when Michael shivers. “I won’t be able to let you out of the house, so I’ll find you something to wear.”

“So what are we waiting for?” Michael asks as he stands up.

“Nothing,” Alex replies as he lets Michael pull him to his feet and they walk to the parking lot together, hands still joined.

Michael finalizes the hotel reservations with an excited “Yes,” loud enough to startle Bailey who was laying across his feet. Michael pats her head in apology.

He can’t wait to tell Alex. Ever since he saw Alex looking at the website for an independent music festival in Austin, Michael’s wanted to find a way for them to go. Now that Jones is dead or ascended - Michael isn’t sure which and doesn’t really care - he and Alex aren’t pulling double duty with work and yet another alien investigation. The peace probably won’t last long so he wants to get away while they can.

The music festival is the perfect excuse. Michael’s never heard of any of the bands playing, but he knows that’s not the point. In addition to the concerts, there are plenty of other events going on - and enough amateur open mic nights that it’s worth driving so they can bring Alex’s guitar, and not have to deal with airports.

His phone alerts him to the email confirmation of his hotel reservation. The Austin Proper Hotel is probably too fancy for him or Alex, but he’d fallen in love with finding a place that had the adaptations Alex needed without being utilitarian. He had a feeling they would be spending a lot of time enjoying all the amenities the tub and shower promised. The spa and emphasis on tequila were also big selling points. If he was going to spoil Alex, he was going to do it right. And Austin was queer friendly enough that he hadn’t hesitated to tell the hotel staff about his plans and ask for recommendations.

Michael wishes this is something he could have done sooner. It amazes him how much more relaxed Alex is whenever they leave Roswell even if it is just for a few hours. The first time they went to Albuquerque, Michael had been surprised at how quick Alex was to hold his hand and kiss him without checking his surroundings first. Outside of Roswell, where Alex still couldn't shake the feeling of being watched, he finally felt comfortable being himself, he explained to Michael, and that included showing Michael the affection he’d always felt. Michael couldn’t wait to have days of Alex’s undivided attention.

Now he just has to convince Alex that taking an actual vacation is a good idea. Michael mentally runs through all the objections Alex might have. Alex has more than enough leave time available and will be giving enough notice to use it. Sanders can live without Michael for a week or two, hell the old man will probably just shut the place down and take his own vacation.

“You want to stay with Max and Jamison for a few days?” Michael asks Bailey.

Her ears perk up at the mention of her brother’s name, hoping for a playdate, and Michael laughs, “Not today.”

Max will be happy to take Bailey while they are gone, she’d even lived with him for a few days after Max found the two dogs outside the Pony. Then she’d taken one look at Alex and fallen in love, a sentiment Michael more than understood. Seeing Alex with a lapful of dog sealed the deal, and Bailey came home with them.

Isobel can take care of the house. She lives close enough to stop by and get the mail and take care of the plants. Of course, they’ll have to lock a few things up to counteract her natural nosiness.

The biggest challenge will be convincing Alex that he deserves to take some time off and relax. This is the first time in longer than Michael can remember that there wasn’t some crisis looming, and Michael wants to take advantage before something else goes wrong.

He waits until Alex is home and has had time to change before broaching the subject. They are sitting on the patio, throwing a ball for Bailey when he brings it up.

“I was thinking we should go away for a while, take a vacation,” Michael begins, mentally marshaling all his arguments for Alex’s objection.

“Yes,” Alex says immediately, and Michael watches the way his whole body relaxes just thinking about it.

Michael realizes they’d been dealing with Jones for so long he’d gotten used to seeing Alex stressed and tense. He can see now just how tired Alex is.

“I may have already planned something,” Michael admits. He gets up and plans to show Alex the information he has on his phone, but Alex grabs his hand and pulls Michael down onto his lap.

“I don’t care, anywhere is fine as long as it’s with you.” Alex slides his hands under Michael’s shirt and urges him to lean down enough so they can kiss.

They make out like that for a while, the sun still warm against Michael’s back, Alex relaxed and solid in his arms. Bailey eventually tires of being ignored and drops the ball at their feet, barking for their attention.

Michael gives Alex one last kiss before reaching down and blindly throwing the ball. He turns around and watches her tear through the yard. Alex wraps his arm around Michael’s waist, anchoring him as he leans back against Alex’s chest. He can’t wait to have Alex all to himself. He lets his mind drift to all the things he wants to do, and eventually to his final surprise - the rings he’ll hide in his bag. As excited as Michael is about going on vacation with Alex, he’s even more excited about coming home with his husband.

#malex fic #rnm fic #getting back together #Forlex break up #Maria DeLuca Friendly #Michael fails at matchmaking

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seanwinchester · 3 years ago

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so you're telling me the angels played matchmakers with john and mary, made them fall in love, have two sons, all so that they could be the perfect vessels for michael and lucifer, all so the apocalypse could happen, but then all this well-thought-out, long-term plan miserably failed because of the one thing the angels couldn't predict, and that's the insane codependency between the brothers.. ? oof...... that blows man :/

#wincest #gencest #I almost feel sorry for the god squad #all that effort and for what #sam and dean

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richincolor · 3 years ago

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If you're looking for something to get you into the Halloween spirit, we have five different books for you, each a different flavor of magical or spooky. Check them out!

All These Bodies by Kendare Blake Quill Tree Books

Summer 1958—a string of murders plagues the Midwest. The victims are found in their cars and in their homes—even in their beds—their bodies drained, but with no blood anywhere.

September 19—the Carlson family is slaughtered in their Minnesota farmhouse, and the case gets its first lead: 15-year-old Marie Catherine Hale is found at the scene. She is covered in blood from head to toe, and at first she’s mistaken for a survivor. But not a drop of the blood is hers.

Michael Jensen, son of the local sheriff, yearns to become a journalist and escape his small-town. He never imagined that the biggest story in the country would fall into his lap, or that he would be pulled into the investigation, when Marie decides that he is the only one she will confess to.

As Marie recounts her version of the story, it falls to Michael to find the truth: What really happened the night that the Carlsons were killed? And how did one girl wind up in the middle of all these bodies? -- Cover image and summary via Goodreads

Blood Like Magic (Blood Like Magic #1) by Liselle Sambury Margaret K. McElderry

After years of waiting for her Calling—a trial every witch must pass in order to come into their powers—the one thing Voya Thomas didn’t expect was to fail. When Voya’s ancestor gives her an unprecedented second chance to complete her Calling, she agrees—and then is horrified when her task is to kill her first love. And this time, failure means every Thomas witch will be stripped of their magic.

Voya is determined to save her family’s magic no matter the cost. The problem is, Voya has never been in love, so for her to succeed, she’ll first have to find the perfect guy—and fast. Fortunately, a genetic matchmaking program has just hit the market. Her plan is to join the program, fall in love, and complete her task before the deadline. What she doesn’t count on is being paired with the infuriating Luc—how can she fall in love with a guy who seemingly wants nothing to do with her?

With mounting pressure from her family, Voya is caught between her morality and her duty to her bloodline. If she wants to save their heritage and Luc, she’ll have to find something her ancestor wants more than blood. And in witchcraft, blood is everything. -- Cover image and summary via Goodreads

The Forest of Stolen Girls by Jane Hur Feiwel & Friends

Hwani's family has never been the same since she and her younger sister went missing and were later found unconscious in the forest, near a gruesome crime scene. The only thing they remember: Their captor wore a painted-white mask.

To escape the haunting memories of this incident, the family flees their hometown. Years later, Detective Min—Hwani's father—learns that thirteen girls have recently disappeared under similar circumstances, and so he returns to their hometown to investigate... only to vanish as well.

Determined to find her father and solve the case that tore their family apart, Hwani returns home to pick up the trail. As she digs into the secrets of the small village—and reconnects with her now estranged sister—Hwani comes to realize that the answer lies within her own buried memories of what happened in the forest all those years ago. -- Cover image and summary via Goodreads

How We Fall Apart (How We Fall Apart #1) by Katie Zhao Bloomsbury YA

Nancy Luo is shocked when her former best friend, Jamie Ruan, top ranked junior at Sinclair Prep, goes missing, and then is found dead. Nancy is even more shocked when word starts to spread that she and her friends--Krystal, Akil, and Alexander--are the prime suspects, thanks to "The Proctor," someone anonymously incriminating them via the school's social media app.

They all used to be Jamie's closest friends, and she knew each of their deepest, darkest secrets. Now, somehow The Proctor knows them, too. The four must uncover the true killer before The Proctor exposes more than they can bear and costs them more than they can afford, like Nancy's full scholarship. Soon, Nancy suspects that her friends may be keeping secrets from her, too. -- Cover image and summary via Goodreads

Witches Steeped in Gold (Witches Steeped in Gold #1) Ciannon Smart HarperTeen

Divided by their order. United by their vengeance.

Iraya has spent her life in a cell, but every day brings her closer to freedom - and vengeance.

Jazmyne is the Queen’s daughter, but unlike her sister before her, she has no intention of dying to strengthen her mother’s power.

Sworn enemies, these two witches enter a precarious alliance to take down a mutual threat. But power is intoxicating, revenge is a bloody pursuit, and nothing is certain - except the lengths they will go to win this game.

This Jamaican-inspired fantasy debut about two enemy witches who must enter into a deadly alliance to take down a common enemy has the twisted cat-and-mouse of Killing Eve with the richly imagined fantasy world of Furyborn and Ember in the Ashes. -- Cover image and summary via Goodreads

#all these bodies #blood like magic #the forest of stolen girls #how we fall apart #witches steeped in gold

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unalivejournal · 3 years ago

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u mentioned only reading kripke era fic do you have a reclist 👀👀👀and if not could you link some of ur faves cuz the stuff that gets circulated the most right now is all like late late seasons fic and kripke era is my favorite too but im having trouble finding that many fics for it or even seasons 6-10 era which im fine with also. its just that like. the last five seasons were so bad that it makes fic generally worse too because people have to jump off of just Thee stupidest plot choices no matter how good their prose skills might be. but anyway yea if u have recs that would be awesome :)

hi anon i was thinking abt making a reclist and u just gave me the perfect excuse thank u

jess adamilligan’s kripke era fic recs

from making this ive learned that i never bookmark ANYTHING. sorry all of these r like….. 10k and under. i DO read longer fic but i don’t have any kripke era longfics bookmarked & tbh i prefer short oneshots

season one gen

disclaimer because it’s unfortunately needed: NONE of these are w*ncest! they’re all completely tagged as gen and i did not read them with the intent of consuming ship content.

Coaster Park by fogsrollingin, 10.4k, G, gen

Coaster Park had been experiencing an unusually high frequency of technical difficulties. Dean wouldn't have pulled a shift treating nauseated, heat-stroked, or dehydrated park-goers for that if he could've helped it, but when 'technical difficulties' were accompanied by rumors of things moving and stopping on their own in front of the operators' eyes, Dean had to throw down.

No historical tragedies or disasters in the area, ectoplasm, or EMF. Dean's only lead was a battered-looking kid that'd been coming to the park every day since it'd all started.

really interesting au fic! slightly ‘it’s a terrible life’. dean winchester is a hunter/EMT and sam wesson is a college kid destined to die on a roller coaster ride.

two basic motivating forces by sahwen, 7.8k, T, gen

He can’t cry, it’s not allowed; even as a child he was hushed into silence, whether his tears were from a long car ride or a late night or a raging fever. It’s never been an option, it’s never been an available outlet, and it’s not about to start being one just because he’s having an emotional breakdown on the bathroom floor.

Sam isn't only afraid of clowns.

BIG emetophobia tw (both for graphic depictions of nausea/vomiting and for the fact that this fic is about sam suffering from emetophobia) for this one but it’s my favorite sickfic. portrays anxiety over getting sick really well and is a fascinating examination of the different ways that sam’s fear of loss of control can manifest itself. also has lovely brothers content <3

Let’s Start at the Very Beginning (Remix of Just as Easy as 123) by nwspaprtaxis, 4k, T, gen

Dean’s functionally illiterate and Sam’s determined to remedy it...

PLEASE READ THIS ONE god it’s so sweet. dean never learned how to read properly due to his nomadic childhood and sam teaches him how.

dean/cas

Broadway Musical by Griftings, 9k, M, m/m

This is the day that marked the Holy and Blessed Union of Dean Winchester and Jo Harvelle.

The merging of prominent bloodlines is always a grand occurrence, but breeding pedigree hunter families like Winchester and Harvelle is something to be rejoiced. It is also something to be meticulously planned, which thankfully the Host is very good at.

Or, the romantic comedy where Dean Winchester and Jo Harvelle are destined to get married, Castiel is given the task of playing matchmaker and fails terribly, the entire Heavenly Host becomes a sitcom audience, God warns against male pregnancy, and Jimmy Novak is incredibly unimpressed with angels in general.

somewhat of a fandom classic and the humor holds up wonderfully. a very silly fic completed with commentary from angel radio throughout the entire thing.

Sappiest Season by dollsome, 2.7k, G, m/m

In which Dean and Cas have to stop an evil Christmas tree (like you do), and it requires a little fake couple action.

hilarious little s5ish fic. one of the first i read when getting back into spn. i don’t want to spoil anything but this is my favorite pick me up and i still giggle randomly whenever i think about it

The (Mostly Accidental) Courtship of Dean Winchester by tuesday

Angelic marriage rites were never intended to go quite like this.

another fandom classic. ik this one is recced a lot but how could i NOT include it. dean and cas get married (mostly by accident) and they’re huge cunts about it

the one thing in the galaxy god didn't have his eyes on by prufrock, 2.4k, T, gen + m/m

“Wait,” Dean says. “Let me get this right. You can fly, right—you can teleport—but you can’t drive a car?”

or, after the events of S5E03 "Free to Be You and Me," Dean teaches Cas to drive. Cas finds it stressful

im always a sucker for a good ftbyam fic. also i can’t drive so. resonation

So Says The Sword by komodobits, 85k, E, m/m

The briefing was simple: ‘Stand guard over the Michael Sword until the battle is ready to commence. Await further instructions.’

Castiel doesn’t mind working security duty; he was briefed shortly after the initial salvation of the Sword from the pit, and again before taking up his position. He knows what to do. However, it’s easy to forget that the green room isn’t real. Time moves differently there, the space ever-changing to make a prison of mountains, cathedrals, salt flats, orchards, and whatever Castiel was led to believe about Heaven’s greatest weapon—Dean Winchester is something entirely unexpected.

NO introduction neede. i think everyone on spntumblr has read this already but still. if you haven’t then i am demanding that you read it NOW. tbh i’m just adding this one so that i have at least one long fic here 😭

the weight by @myaimistrue, 3.5k, T, gen + m/m

“Do you…” Bobby sighs. “Listen, Dean, do you have something you wanna tell me?”

It’s the conversational equivalent of being punched in the stomach.

Or, Dean works through some things with Bobby's help.

WHEN I SAW THE USERNAME I GASPED I HAD NO IDEA THIS WAS U. anyway i Love coming out fics idk why i just do. the world is ending and dean comes out to bobby

canticles by 2street2car, 10.3k, T, m/m

“But you know something? If I couldn’t get you laid, at least I gave you a good first date.”

feat: footsies at a Ruby Tuesday, stargazing, the recreation of an iconic "Dirty Dancing" scene (no, not that one—the other one), and practicing for When You're With A Girl.

another ftbyam fic that skepticalfrog (i believe?) recommended a while back. made me feel at least 28 new emotions

Epilogue by JayneL, 28k, E, m/m

Bobby is here, swearing somewhere above and behind him; and Dean is here, talking about 2014 like it's a foreign country; and Sam is here, and is not Lucifer. Which means-- Bobby is here, swearing somewhere above and behind him; and Dean is here, talking about 2014 like it's a foreign country; and Sam is here, and is not Lucifer. Which means--

Cas is no longer when he was. Lucifer sent him back.

Coda to 'The End'.

2014 cas gets sent back to 2009, feelings ensue etc. i don’t remember all the details of this one bc it’s been a while but it’s really good

bonus

currently reading

Fragile As We Lie by perilously, 11k, E, f/f

Dragging Bela Talbot out of perdition isn't so much a decision as it is a frantic choice based on gut instinct. Her soul is bright, if fractured, and Anna yearns to do good again after the perversion of free will that immediately preceded her death.

Bela's no ordinary human, though; she's prickly and damaged and beautiful, and Anna doesn't want to leave her side. So maybe they can figure out how to navigate post-resurrection, post-Apocalypse-that-wasn't Earth together.

#sorry i took a few days to answer this haha #asks #anon #fic recs

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homoose · 4 years ago

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Teach Me Something I Don’t Know: Part IV

Summary: The Halloween parade. Will and JJ are adorable. Anita suggests that Spencer become a classroom volunteer. Reader has a rough week.

Pairing: Spencer Reid x fem!reader

Category: fluff, a smidge of angst

Warnings/Includes: none

Word count: 4.4k

a/n: I wish we’d seen more of Will and JJ as parents because I imagine it would be adorable and hilarious. Let’s see if you can guess all of their costumes before the reveal lmao. Your only clue is that Spencer loves keeping with a theme and the brown vest (I literally learned how to make my own shitty gif bc I couldn’t find the right one in the search and I do not understand embedding lmao) makes an appearance.

Series Masterlist

———

“Did you grab the bags?” JJ swept the pleated, platinum braid out of her face as she bent over to zip up her boots.

“No, I thought you did,” Will called, bouncing down the stairs.

“I put them in the car already,” Spencer informed them, popping his head back in the front door. “There was just the one box, right?”

“Yeah, that was it,” Will confirmed. “Shit— where’s Michael’s sword?”

“Should be on the counter,” JJ huffed, standing up and adjusting the bodice of the blue dress.

“Got it.” Will came around the corner of the kitchen, patting his hips where his pockets would be— if he weren’t wearing an adult-sized onesie. “Keys?” Spencer held them up. “All right then, let’s get this show on the road.”

The trio headed to the waiting SUV, Spencer climbing into the backseat as Will and JJ got into the front. Will and JJ chattered on about dinner plans and schedules for the following week, and Spencer smoothed down the brown wool vest layered over his white linen shirt. He’d spent entirely too long putting together the costume over the last week (with a little help from Penelope). He’d scrapped the Spock getup he’d been working on since September— he could always wear that next year. But he’d only get one chance to attend the Room 105 Halloween parade, and once the idea had wormed its way into his brain, he had to make it happen.

“Spence?” JJ’s voice pulled him from his thoughts.

“Hmm?”

“Would you be able to pick Michael up on Monday?”

He ran his hands down his thighs over the mint green cropped trousers. “Sure, as long as we don’t have a case.”

Will smirked at him in the rear view mirror. “How’s Ms. Y/L/N?”

“You’re about to see her yourself, so you can ask,” Spencer replied.

Will laughed, and JJ turned in her seat. “Whoa, coming in hot with the snark. You really do like her.”

Spencer fought and failed to keep the blush from rising, irritation at being teased blooming sharp inside his chest. He tried to shrug as nonchalantly as possible. “She’s a great teacher.”

“That’s not a no,” JJ noted, eyebrows raised.

“She’s Michael’s teacher,” Spencer said, like it meant something.

“Yeah, so?” Will shrugged his shoulders. “You’re his godfather. Technically, you’re not related, so it wouldn’t be breakin’ any rules.”

“Well, it’s not like that, so it doesn’t really matter,” Spencer insisted.

Will hummed and JJ turned back around in her seat. Spencer drummed his fingers on his knees and watched DC roll past through the SUV window. It really wasn’t like that. Y/N was just… very nice. A nice, beautiful, sweet, silly kindergarten teacher that he couldn’t stop thinking about no matter how many books he read or coffees he drank or chess games he played.

Monday was the last day of his sabbatical, and he was even more relieved to be headed back than usual— grateful that he’d have something to occupy his mind other than her. Because his mind was, indeed, occupied. The way her smile beamed like the spotlight on a stage, illuminating whoever happened to be on the receiving end. The way her hands moved in unbound, buoyant illustrations of her thoughts. The way her laugh felt like the first warm sip of tea or the wrap of his favorite scarf. It was getting out of hand, to say the least.

Will pulled into the parking lot, and instantly Spencer’s palms began to sweat. He glanced at the headband on the seat beside him and felt the mortification clawing at his insides. The costume was ridiculous; he was ridiculous. He should have just worn the Spock outfit.

Maybe he could just wait in the car and pretend like he hadn’t been able to make it. Or he could just leave the headband in the car. But then he’d just be in mint green capris with a sweater vest and platform sandals, and she’d have absolutely no idea who he was supposed to be. Then he’d have to explain it, and it would be even worse.

Will parked the car, and he and JJ immediately stepped out. Spencer watched them near the hood of the SUV, enjoying a rare moment of co-parenting without work hovering right out of frame. Will pulled the hood of the onesie up and JJ laughed, brushing her hand over the brown fabric twigs sticking out of the top. He supposed that if Will Lamontagne, Jr. could strut his stuff in adult footie pajamas, his handmade costume was probably all right.

With one last resigned sigh, Spencer slid the headband on. He grabbed the box of Halloween treats, opened the door, and hauled himself out of the vehicle. He pushed the door closed and looked in the reflection of the window, adjusting the headband around his curls and blowing out a breath.

“Ready?” JJ called, peering around the side of the SUV.

“Yeah—yeah,” Spencer agreed. He moved around the vehicle to join them, the three of them walking to find a spot in the crowd of parents standing around the carpool loop.

When they found a suitable spot, Will looked up at him and shook his head. The sandals added three extra inches to Spencer’s height, putting him a good six inches taller than Will. “Those shoes make you look like an actual giant,” Will chuckled. “I know that’s the point, but I feel like even more of a shrimp next to ya now.”

Spencer set the box of candy bags on the ground and would have shoved his hands into his pockets if the linen trousers had any. Before he could respond, JJ pointed to the door of the school, cooing, “Oh my god, look. Remember when the boys were that small?”

The PreK classes came out first, and Spencer could acknowledge that they were very cute, barely out of the toddler stage and holding hands with a line buddy. But he was waiting on a very specific cutie.

He’d barely had the thought when the kindergarten classes started to emerge from the door. He almost didn’t recognize her at first— just an orange blob and green shrubbery. But the converse gave her away.

“How is she so cute?” JJ threaded her arm through Will’s. “Even when she’s dressed as a giant orange blob.”

“It’s a gift,” Will agreed. He glanced up at Spencer. “Right, doc?”

Spencer nodded but didn’t take his eyes off Y/N. “I think so, yeah.” Will grinned and bumped JJ’s shoulder, but Spencer barely even registered his own response.

Thankfully they’d picked a spot near the very end of the loop, so he had plenty of time to get himself together before she was in front of him. While Will and JJ waved at all the tiny superheroes and princesses, he watched Y/N. She was all orange fabric from her shoulders to her knees, with bright orange Chucks to match. On her head was a strange variation on a party hat, bright green ferns sprouting from the tip of the cone and falling into her face. She looked absolutely ridiculous and entirely adorable, and he was in so much trouble.

When the class finally approached the final curve of the loop, Will nudged Spencer and gestured to the box of goodie bags. Spencer crouched down and lifted the box, standing back up to see Y/N laughing at Will and JJ. “Very cute, Lamontagne Family.”

Her gaze traveled across, then up, and then her eyes went wide and her mouth fell open. Spencer wondered if maybe the earth could just open up and swallow him whole.

“Oh my god, are you—?” She stepped forward and ran her hand lightly over the vest, and he didn’t dare breathe. “Are you the BFG?!” Her hand dropped from his torso, and he didn’t have time to be disappointed before her face split into quite possibly the biggest smile he’d seen from her yet.

A tiny Superman shouted, “Ms. Y/L/N, we’re making a gap!”

Y/N came back to herself, gesturing to all three of them. “Don’t go anywhere.” She accepted the offered box of treats from Spencer and then turned to help her class catch up.

Will gave him a look. “It’s not like that, huh?”

“Oh my god, she likes you.” JJ clapped her hands together. “This is amazing.”

“I’m takin’ credit for this,” Will bragged. “I’m a regular ol’ matchmaker.”

Spencer couldn’t even be bothered to attempt a denial. He was still thinking about the feel of her palm on his chest, how it might feel to hold her hand, the way her eyes practically sparkled when she saw his ridiculous headband. He was in so much trouble.

Fifteen minutes later, the classes filed back out into the parking lot for dismissal. Y/N led the class down the sidewalk, grinning at the excitement coursing through her line. As they approached the end of the loop, Y/N caught sight of them and waved. The kids lined up in their normal spot, chatting excitedly about their costumes and candy bags.

“Lord, Ms. Y/L/N, you’re something else,” Will laughed.

“Is it not the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever seen?” She laughed and tapped the green shrubbery hanging in her face. “I have the kids do a little persuasive writing thing every year. They draw a picture and write a sentence about what they think Ms. Y/L/N should be for Halloween, and then we take a vote.”

She waved her hands in that way Spencer loved, the way that was so similar to his own. “Usually the options are pretty tame, you know—ghost, witch, bumblebee. This year was a near tie between runner-up Jojo Siwa and well,” she gestured at herself, “carrot.” Y/N cackled, and the leaves on top of her head shook with the action.

They all laughed along with her, and then JJ added, “The details are truly incredible. Is this an actual plant on your head?”

“I really thought about it,” Y/N laughed, “but no, it’s just fake ferns stuffed into a cardstock funnel.” She gestured at Will and JJ. “But also, excuse me— this family costume is ridiculously cute. Mr. Lamontagne, loving this onesie. Mrs. Jareau, I didn’t even know it was possible to look prettier than you usually do, but here you are. And Michael’s Anna costume?” She held her hands up. “Incredible. Show stopping. I wish I had an aunt Penelope to enlist the help of, because that cape is the actual height of fashion.”

“She helped Spence, too,” JJ prompted, stealing a glance in his direction.

“Oh yeah?” Y/N asked, turning to smile at Spencer.

“We um, 3D printed the ears,” he clarified.

“No way!” She took a step closer to him, peering up at the detail on the headband. He leaned down a little for her to get a closer look. “That is so cool. I’ve never actually seen anything 3D printed up close before— did you design them yourself?”

She met his eyes briefly, and he realized how close they were— close enough that he caught the faintest whiff of sandalwood and cardamom. Of course she even smelled like warmth and home. “Well. I, um— I drew a sort of sketch, I guess. And then Penelope did the software coding. I— I’m not very good with technology, honestly.”

She ran her fingers lightly over the plastic, and he decided she was really trying to kill him. “Yeah, I’m not sure I really understand how it works.”

“Well, first you create a blueprint file of the design you want to print, which you can do through modeling software or three-dimensional scanning. Then you convert the file into an STL file— named for Stereolithography which was the first ever 3D printing process. The STL file is made up of triangular mesh polygons, which is the data that describes the surface of a three-dimensional object. After that, you use a software program to complete the process of slicing— essentially dividing or chopping the 3D model into hundreds or thousands of horizontal layers that the printer can print one at a time to create the 3D object. And then the printer prints each layer until you have your finished product.”

Y/N was quiet, and he pulled back to see her grinning at him. “I thought you said you weren’t very good with technology?”

“I’m not good with using technology,” he clarified.

She nodded. “Gotcha. So you just know everything about it.”

Her joking tone had a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “I read a lot.”

“How much is a lot?”

“I can read at a rate of 20,000 words per minute, so… a lot.”

Her eyebrows shot up into the tangle of ferns on her head, and he was just so overwhelmed by how adorable she was. “Well, if I ever have a question about anything, I know who I’m coming to.”

He was sure he was blushing, but he couldn’t really bring himself to care. “I’m happy to answer any and all of your questions.”

She let her gaze travel over the rest of the costume. “Oh my god, the sandals! Man, you really nailed it. I’m very impressed.”

“Thank you.” He cleared his throat. “I thought about being Trunchbull, but I couldn’t find the sweatshirt,” he joked.

She laughed, and he wanted to bottle it up to keep forever. “As much as I would have loved to see your hair in a bun… you’re much too sweet to have been able to pull that off.” She smiled softly at him. “Much more suited to our friend the BFG.”

He rubbed a hand down the back of his neck, and it was only then that he realized Will and JJ had gone to the car. He looked back to Y/N, opening his mouth but unsure of what he was going to say.

“Y/L/N!” He turned his head to see Anita jogging toward them. “Did you—” The giant cardboard box she was wearing knocked into one of the few kindergarteners left in Y/N’s line, nearly sending them to the ground. “Oh my gosh, sorry sweetheart!” She righted the startled child, and Spencer gave her a once over, completely at a loss as to what her costume could be.

“What in the world are you supposed to be?” Y/N asked, choking out a laugh.

Anita looked at her deadpan. “A monopoly piece. Remind me that I’m never participating in team costumes ever again.” She rolled her eyes and gestured at Y/N. “Next year I’m gonna wear an orange t-shirt, call myself a carrot, and be much more comfortable.”

“I’ll have you know this costume was a lot of work,” Y/N remarked, crossing her arms.

“I’m sure it was. You could have put on an orange dress, stuck a green pipe cleaner in your hair, and called it a day, but that’s not the Y/L/N way.” Anita’s eyes slid across to where Spencer stood. “Well, hello, doctor. I have absolutely no idea what you’re supposed to be, but I love everything about it.”

“Spencer’s the BFG,” Y/N said, and Spencer could have sworn she sounded almost proud.

“Ah, Roald Dahl, of course.” Anita smirked. “I see you, Spencer. I see you.” She put her hands on her hips— or rather where her hips would have been if they weren’t covered by a ridiculously large box. “So, when are you going to volunteer?”

“Sorry?” he asked.

“Like, when are you going to volunteer in Y/L/N’s classroom?” She held up her hand, palm down, and made a circular motion between the two of them. “You know, hang out, but professionally.”

“Oh my god, did you need something?” Y/N’s squeaked, eyes wide.

Anita ignored her. “You just have to do a background check, but I’m sure you’ll pass it.”

“Lopez,” Y/N said, staring her down. “Do you need something?”

“Oh, I was just going to ask if you got the email about the PD after school on Tuesday. But this was much more fun.” She winked at Spencer. “Bye, Spencer.”

They both stared after her as she nearly skipped across the grass to the building. Y/N turned to him. “I’m— so sorry.”

He met her eyes and took the leap. “Volunteering could be fun.”

He watched her press her lips together to contain her smile. “It could be.”

He didn’t bother containing his own. “I’ll um— I’ll shoot you an email.”

“I’ll respond to your email.”

…

When he walked in the door, Spencer made a beeline for his desk. He opened his laptop and pulled up his email account, writing as fast as his one-finger typing would allow.

Spencer Reid Re: Volunteering

Hi!

I’m just following up about volunteering. Anita mentioned a form that I needed to fill out? Now that I’ll be back to work, I’ll just need to plan around the BAU schedule. Could you give me a list of days that would work for you?

Really looking forward to seeing you in action.

Spencer

He checked his two other email messages, and then left the browser up while he thumbed through his most recent reading material.

He sat at his desk for the remainder of the afternoon, distractedly perusing his book and glancing at his empty inbox every minute or so. His gaze flew up to the screen at the ding of a new message at 6:30, only to find a promotional email from one of his favorite indie bookstores.

He closed his laptop with a sigh. It was a Friday night. Y/N probably just didn’t check her email on the weekend. He could wait until Monday. He’d see her on Monday.

He limited himself to checking his laptop twice a day on Saturday and Sunday. When Monday rolled around, he checked it in the morning. He leaned back against the leather of his chair, staring at the empty inbox. He had some errands to run, and for the first time in his life, he wished he had a phone that had email on it.

He ran his last-day-of-sabbatical errands and stopped in at his favorite coffee shop for most likely the last midday, sit-down coffee he’d have for a while. Before he realized, it was 2:30. He brought his empty mug to the counter and waved to the barista. Then he walked to the car and prepped his conversation starters.

“Did you get my email? I sent you an email, just wondering if you saw it? Hey— Hello— Hi, I wasn’t sure if you got my email.” He blew out a breath. “Hi. How are you?” He waved his hand. “I’m great. Did you get my email?” He laughed into the empty car. “Ridiculous, Spencer. You’re ridiculous.”

When he pulled into the parking lot, his heart was racing and his palms were slipping against the steering wheel. He pulled around the loop, looking with a furrowed brow at the area where Y/N should be. In her place was a short woman with cropped grey hair. She held a clipboard and looked generally overwhelmed.

Michael sprinted to the car as soon as he saw it. He pulled open the door and let out a world weary sigh. Spencer turned in his seat. “Everything all right?”

“No, everything is terrible,” he huffed dramatically. “Ms. Y/L/N was sick today. Mrs. Franklin was our substitute, and she smells weird.”

Spencer looked through the window at Mrs. Franklin, struggling to keep a few rowdy boys in the line. “I’m sorry, buddy. I’m sure Ms. Y/L/N will be back soon.” He was secretly relieved that he had a potential explanation for the unanswered email.

“I can’t take another day of Mrs. Franklin,” Michael sighed, buckling his seatbelt. “I hope Ms. Y/L/N’s back tomorrow.”

Spencer let out a breath and pulled away from the curb. “Me, too.”

…

JJ huffed out a breath, glaring at the stack of paperwork in front of her. Spencer was nose deep in a book, but he glanced up at the sound. “I can take a few of those if you want,” he offered.

“No, it’s fine,” she sighed. “I’ve really only got six left.”

He looked at his watch. “Each report takes you approximately 37 minutes. With eight minute breaks in between, you’re not going to be out of here until almost 6:00.”

JJ laughed. “I can’t believe I missed out on these scathing performance reviews for thirty days.”

“Suit yourself.” Spencer dropped his gaze back to his reading.

His first week back from sabbatical had been uneventful to say the least. The team had just wrapped a local case, and they’d spent the better part of the week going over consultations and potentials. It was finally Friday, and Spencer was finished with his stack of backlogged reports.

He was finishing the last chapter of the book when JJ dropped a string of quiet curses. He continued reading, waiting for her to ask. She was quiet for another minute.

“I forgot I’m on duty to pick Michael up today.” Spencer looked up at her, slight panic coming over him.

“I really don’t mind finishing your reports,” he offered.

JJ raised her eyebrows. “What, no offering to visit Ms. Y/L/N?”

Spencer closed his book. “I, um. I sent her an email a week ago, and she hasn’t responded.”

“So?”

“So…” Spencer ran a hand through his hair. “That’s weird, right?”

JJ laughed. “You don’t really use email, so I’d imagine your inbox is pretty orderly. But if you use it a lot, it can be easy for messages to get lost.” She looked at him pointedly. “I can almost guarantee that she’s not ignoring you, Spence.”

He sighed. “I guess there’s a quick way to find out.”

...

Spencer drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, watching the door of the school. He glanced at the clock, noting the class was later than they’d ever been. Without really understanding why, he pulled out of the loop and swung back around to park in the lot. He exited the car, and as he rounded the hood, he spotted them.

Y/N was at the front of the line, hands stuffed in the pockets of her jacket and mouth pressed into a thin line. The line behind her was unlike he’d ever seen it. No waving arms, no smiles, no giggles. Twenty small bodies followed behind her with absolute and total solemnity, and he felt uncomfortable just watching them. It would have almost been funny if it wasn’t so dramatically out of character.

The line weaved around the more rambunctious classes, maintaining their grave expressions and quiet pace. They reached their spot on the sidewalk, and Y/N didn’t even have to say anything. Spencer watched as the line took their spots behind her. She held one hand up to acknowledge parents as they pulled up, murmuring stoic goodbyes to students as they headed to their vehicles.

He hung back at the hood of the car until the majority of the class was gone, slowly making his way across the parking lot. Y/N’s line of sight was pointed in his direction, but her eyes were unfocused in the afternoon sun. He could see the moment that she registered his presence, her eyes widening slightly and bottom lip releasing from the place she’d been absentmindedly chewing. She shifted her weight as he closed the final few feet between them.

“Hi.” She held a silent hand up in greeting. He clenched and unclenched his fingers. “Rough day?”

“It’s not always sunshine and rainbows, despite what everyone thinks,” she snapped. She blew out a breath and rolled her eyes up to the perfectly blue sky, mocking her mood. “I’m sorry. Yes, it was a rough day.”

“You don’t need to apologize.”

“You don’t deserve my wrath.” She gestured vaguely in the direction of the students. “They didn’t either, but— too late for that.”

He watched as she lowered her head back down, rubbing a hand over her face. He desperately wanted to slay whatever dragons had given her normally brilliant eyes such a grey cast. “You have strong relationships with them, and kids are resilient. I’m sure they know you—”

“Please— don’t.” Her voice was thick, and she looked at him with desperate eyes. “I— I appreciate the thought, but I’m— I’m a frustrated crier.” Her shining irises proved her point. “And I’m just— I’m really just trying to keep it together for the last four minutes of my contract time.” Her words were practically a whisper, and she swallowed thickly and glanced down the line, just Michael and one classmate left, eyes downcast.

“I understand.” Spencer shoved his hands in his pockets to keep them from reaching out and touching her. “I’m sorry. I— I hope your weekend is better than today.”

Michael slowly left the line, murmuring a quiet goodbye to Y/N. Spencer put a hand on his shoulder and steered him toward the car, stealing one last glance at a crushed Y/N.

...

Y/N Y/L/N

Re: Re: Volunteering

Hi,

I meant to respond to this email, and then a bunch of things happened, and then I was out all week.

I don’t know if you even still want to volunteer after this afternoon, but it felt rude to not respond at all.

I’ve attached the background check form to this email in case you’re still interested.

Y/N

1 Attachment: Background Check

—

Hi,

I meant what I said this afternoon. Your students love you, and they know you love them. If my conversation with Michael in the car was any indication, they’re feeling rightfully embarrassed and guilty about their behavior while you were out.

Regardless of what happened today, your relationships with your students are strong enough that they will come to school tomorrow knowing that you still care about them. Children don’t hold onto things nearly as much as adults.

It would be a privilege to volunteer in your classroom, even on the worst day.

Spencer

1 Attachment: Background Check - Spencer Reid

—

If I wasn’t already crying, I would be now.

Thanks for that.

No sarcasm intended. Really. Thank you.

—

This might be inappropriate, and if it is, please just pretend like this email doesn’t exist.

I have a favorite cafe in the DuPont circle area, Soho Tea & Coffee. They have an excellent tea drink made with honey and milk that I like to order whenever I’ve had a particularly difficult day.

If you’re up for it, it’s on me.

———

Tags: @spacedikut @uhuhuh @itsametaphorbriansblog @90spumkin @blameitonthenight21 @magenta145 @annesauriol @watermelongubler @ampal98 @rainsong01 @meowiemari @mrsmyaweasley @mggsprettygirl @ceeellewrites @coffeeandendlesswords @daybabyx @joalsglasses @chevyimpala00067 @misshale21 @sapphic-prentiss @danifaithkae @saspencereid @heyitssomegirl101

Permanent tags: @andiebeaword @averyhotchner @pinkdiamond1016 @shadyladyperfection @coffeeandendlesswords @justanothetfangirl @no-honey-no @ajeff855

#spencer x reader #spencer x y/n #spencer x you #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x y/n #spencer reid x you #spencer reid fanfic #spencer reid imagine #criminal minds fanfiction #criminal minds self insert #homoose writes #TMSIDK

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you-can-call-me-wanda · 4 years ago

Text

Locked In

Pairing: Razzle Dingley x Reader

A/N: Here’s another request! I’m really sorry these are taking so long to get out... I don’t know how I managed to let so many pile up.

“You’re sure he’s in here?” you asked, walking into Sami’s bedroom, and looking around for your friend and flat mate.

“I’m sure,” Sami replied, following after you.

You were about to ask just why Razzle would be hiding in Sami’s bedroom when you heard a loud banging coming from Sami’s closet.

“Is Razzle in your-” you began to ask, but before you could finish the question, Sami was hurriedly opening the closet door and shoving you roughly inside.

You collided with another body as you were forced into the dark cramped space, turning around only to have the door slammed in your face.

You reached for the handle, but it was too late. Sami had locked you in.

“Damn,” you heard Razzle say from next to you. He was forced so close to you that you could feel his breath on your face as he spoke. “They got you too. I thought for sure you were going to be the one to save me.”

“Why are we even in here?” you asked, trying the doorhandle again. No luck.

“I have no idea,” he responded. “Maybe it’s payback for putting plastic wrap over the toilet seats.”

“I knew you two were the ones who put plastic on the toilet!” you heard a voice shout from outside the closet.

“Nasty?” Razzle said. “Let us out of here mate.” He banged on the door.

“Sorry,” Nasty responded. “We can’t do that.”

“We?” you asked, wondering who else was in on this.

Four voices echoed their various hellos. It was no other than Sami, Nasty, Andy, and Michael of course.

“Sorry guys,” Michael spoke up. “You know what you need to do.”

“Um, we really don’t,” you said. You didn’t have the slightest clue how to get out of there.

Michael groaned like the answer was obvious.

“Ugh, just kiss already!”

****

You and Razzle had lived together for about eight months now and you were both just as wild and crazy as the other. From the start, it was clear to the rest of the Hanoi boys that the two of you were meant to be. You completed each other. You were always finishing each other’s sentences, knowing exactly where the other was going with their ideas. You both stayed up most of the night playing jokes or coming up with stupid ideas. You were partners in crime. It was obvious to everyone who met you that the two of you were more than compatible, but for some unknown reason, it seemed that both you and Razzle couldn’t quite see it.

The rest of Hanoi Rocks had been trying to get you two together for weeks now. Having grown tired of watching the two of you dance around each other, they had devised a plan. Unfortunately, Razzle and you were more oblivious than it first appeared and playing matchmaker was harder than it seemed.

They had first tried a more subtle approach to set you two up. They prompted Razzle to compliment you, they used every excuse under the sun to make sure the two of you were physically close to one another, they even mentioned how cute the two of you were together. All to no avail though. Every attempt they made at setting you up failed. Sami tried to get Razzle to compliment your outfits, but Razzle never took the bait. Andy always pushed Razzle into the seat next you, but that just led to Razzle shoving him back. Michael voiced his opinion on what a cute couple the two of you would make and you had just laughed. Nasty had even tried to rig a game of spin the bottle which ultimately failed as well.

When all that hadn’t worked, they had decided to crank up the heat.

Their next plan consisted of simply talking to you and trying to get you into admitting you fancied the other.

Sami had pulled you aside one night to speak with you when the boys were over visiting at your flat.

“What’s up?” you’d asked, completely unaware where the conversation was about to lead.

“Look,” Sami said putting on his best serious face, “I know.”

You had laughed nervously, a little concerned about what Sami could be potentially hinting at. “Know what?”

“I know that you’re in love with him,” he stated plainly. His hope was that you knew you were simply hiding your feelings for Razzle and they weren’t unrecognized.

That surprised you. You couldn’t think of anyone he might be talking about.

“I’m going to need a little more information than that,” you said. “In love with who exactly?”

“You know who,” he replied.

“Sami, please stop being so cryptic and just tell me what you’re trying to say here,” you said, growing more confused by the second.

“Fine,” he relented with a huff. “You and Razzle. I know that you two are a thing.”

You let out a surprised bark of laughter. “What? Me and Razzle?”

“Yes, you and Razzle. You know just as well as I do that you’d be perfect together.”

You let out another laugh, sure at this point that Sami had to have been joking. He had to be. There was no way Razzle would ever have feelings for you. He clearly only saw you as a friend.

“I seriously don’t know what you’re talking about.”

While Sami was busy having zero success with you, Nasty was having similar words with Razzle in the kitchen.

“So, you and (Y/N), huh?” the guitarist said, leaning against the counter in a poor attempt to be casual.

Razzle blinked at him. “Huh?”

“You and (Y/N),” Nasty explained. “You finally confessed your feelings then?”

“What are you talking about?” Razzle asked, just as confused as you had been with Sami.

Nasty groaned in frustration and wiped his hand down his face. Why was this so hard?

“C’mon Raz, I know you fancy (Y/N). I thought the two of you finally got together,” he said.

“Why’d you think that?” Razzle asked. Sure, you and he were as thick as thieves, but you’d never acted romantically with each other. There was no way you could ever reciprocate any feelings he had for you.

“Well, the two of you are so close, I just assumed,” Nasty answered.

“Yeah, well, you assumed wrong,” Razzle said, trying to stop his thoughts from wandering to you in that way. “Sorry to break it to you mate.”

****

So now, you and Razzle were locked in Sami’s closet. There hadn’t been another option the Hanoi boys concluded. If they wanted to finally get you and Razzle together, it had to be done.

“Are you sure this will work?” Andy asked, skeptical of the idea.

“Just give them time,” Michael said, motioning for the other three boys to stay quiet. “They’ll figure it out. They’re so close to already,” he whispered.

Meanwhile, inside the closet, you were starting to freak out a little.

“Did he say kiss?” you asked Razzle, shuffling a little to try and face him. You just ended up pressed closer to him.

Razzle reached out to steady you, worried that you might trip over his feet. His hands landed on your shoulders and he grasped at you a little to try and get a sense of where and how you were standing because even though you both were so close to each other, the pitch dark closet made it impossible to see one another.

“I think so, yeah,” Razzle responded.

You and he stood there for a moment both processing the situation.

“Well that’s weird.”

“Maybe we should just do it.”

The two of you spoke up at the same time.

“Oh,” you said at Razzle’s suggestion, feeling a bit awkward. Razzle was your best friend and you did not want to mess that up just because your other mates had some sort of secret agenda. Of course, you wouldn’t have minded, but you knew for certain Razzle didn’t think of you that way. You were best friends. Nothing more.

“You want to?” you asked.

This apparently was not the right question to ask because Razzle fell into a long and confusing rambling spiel after you said this.

“Well, I don’t- I didn’t- I mean, we always could, but that doesn’t mean we have to. I don’t want to- well, I mean I do but not like that! I just mean that if we did it wouldn’t be the worst thing because like, it’s not that I don’t like you or find you unattractive- not that I’m attracted to you! But you’re not ugly! That’s not what I’m trying to say. You are very attractive, that’s not why I want to kiss you though. I mean I don’t want to kiss you. I just think that maybe we should if we want to get out of here if that’s what the boys are saying we have to do. So, um yeah, I’m going to shut up now.”

It was silent as you tried to process everything Razzle had just said.

“Um.”

“Sorry,” he mumbled. You could practically feel the heat radiating from his face.

“Razzle?” you asked, reaching out for him, wanting to let him know everything was fine. Your hand ended up landing on his chest.

“Yeah?” he breathed out. You could feel his heartbeat speed up under your palm.

“I don’t have a problem with kissing you either, okay? You don’t need to freak out,” you said. “I just don’t want this to ruin our friendship is all.”

“Why would it ruin our friendship?” he asked softly. There was something odd about his voice. He sounded anxious. His feet shuffled closer to you.

“Well, um,” you stammered. “What if it changes the way we think about each other?”

“How so?” he asked. His voice was barely a whisper now, so quiet you had to strain to hear it, yet he sounded impossibly close.

“Razzle…” you mumbled, already moving closer to him, knowing exactly what was about to happen.

“Just let it happen,” he said before cupping your face with his hands and closing the gap between your lips.

It was a little clumsy at first, your nose bumping up against his, but soon enough you found your way and the two of you were engaged in a deep and passionate kiss. After what somehow felt like both an eternity and a millisecond, Razzle pulled away from you, panting slightly as he caught his breath.

“See,” he said, “nothing’s changed. I love you just as much as I did before.”

“You love me?” you asked, almost afraid to know the answer. What if after all this he still only saw you as his best mate?

“(Y/N), I’ve been wanting to do this since I first laid eyes on you,” he said. “Yes, I love you.”

“Aw! We knew it!”

Four excited voices cheered from outside of the closet before you could think of responding to Razzle’s heartfelt confession.

You groaned, a little embarrassed to know that Sami, Andy, Nasty, and Mike were listening in on all of that.

“Will you let us out now?” you called while Razzle chuckled good-naturedly.

“Depends,” Michael said. “Are you gonna tell Razzle you love him back?”

You nodded and smiled despite knowing that they couldn’t see you.

“Yeah, I am,” you said, leaning in to give the man in question another quick kiss.

“I love you,” you said, loud enough for the crowd outside of the closet to hear you too. “I love you.”

#Razzle Dingley #razzle dingley imagine #razzle dingley x reader #razzle imagine #razzle x reader #nicholas dingley x reader #nicholas dingley imagine #hanoi rocks #hanoi rocks x reader #hanoi rocks imagine #wanda writes

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delta-roseblr · 3 years ago

Note

Lol, all the new info about the solangelo and delix kids made me want to have a fic just about them. So I was wondering if that would be possible? xD

Hello, Anon!

I know it has been forever since you sent this prompt, but it wasn't forgotten!

I hope this is worth the wait

_____________________________________________________

The Kids

· Because Solangelo and Delix both set down in California, Solangelo in New Rome and Delix stays in Northern California; they see each other a lot, as do their kids.

· The fact that Michael and Lee (Nico and Will's twins) and Mason (Felix and Dean's son) are a little more than a year apart just added to their drive to get together as a family. The kids could entertain each other, and they always got along well. The twins were challenging to entertain when they were little, so this is a big deal.

· Will and Dean always figured the three of them would always get along because, well, that was how they were, but Nico and Felix had their doubts. They figured that as the three got older and if (when) the twins started showing their demigod powers that they would drift.

· Nico and Felix turned out to be completely wrong, and the three just got closer as they got older.

· You would think, since Mason is the oldest of the three, he would take on the leadership role in the group, but that isn't how it works out. Mason is a pretty even-keeled kid. He definitely got Dean's tendency to want to put his head down and do his work. He can and does take the leadership role during team things like sports but not when the twins are involved.

· The twins are a damn handful from the moment they are born, and they never really change. Both of them are outgoing in their own ways. Lee is more competitive and will jump at the opportunity to take on a challenge, while Michael is more social- he can (and will) start a conversation with pretty much anyone he meets. The two are also a perfect storm of trouble because Michael will come up with an idea like they should buy fake ids and sneak into a club, and Lee will view it as a challenge, so he wants to do it, and they will absolutely find a way to talk Mason into joining them. Mason definitely tries his hardest to keep them out of trouble and manages to be at least somewhat successful sixty-five percent of the time.

· The twins love showing up at Mason's mortal school events, so even though they do not go there, most of Mason's classmates recognize them. They are also pretty much honorary members of Mason's lacrosse team. While Mason gives them shit for being menaces, he really likes when they show up, it definitely stops things from getting boring.

· Mason visits New Roman as well, even though not as much because going to New Roman can be a process as a mortal going to New Roman. Still, he has teamed up with the twins and a few of the other children of the seven around their age to case a little harmless trouble on the weekend.

· Btw, Dean has had several conversations with a teenage Mason about precisely what to do if he finds himself being hit on by a horny god (with very specific things to say to Apollo or Dionysus). Mason considers these the most embarrassing conversations he has ever had with his days. It's bad enough that his middle-aged dads still act like teenagers half the time and CAN'T keep their hands off each other. He doesn't want to hear about how Greek gods had tried to bone them back in the day. Grandpa Solace jumping in with "Just remember, Apollo isn't nearly as good in bed as he claims, and you can take my word for it" doesn't help with the awkwardness. He would rather have to go through the birds and bees talk a million times over.

· All three of these boys are NOT STRAIGHT. Michael is gay, while both Lee and Mason are bisexual. It's hard to say that Michael or Lee "came out" because it happened so organically. There was no sit everyone down and tell them moment. Instead, it was just "I LIKE like that boy" or "that boy is really cute" when they were like twelve. Mason takes FOREVER to admit this to himself and even longer to admit it to anyone else. Michael and Lee KNOW way before Mason admits to anything, and neither of them lets him hid from it. Lee tries the comforting approach hoping Mason will admit it while Michael goes more the exposure therapy route- he'll point out cute guys and ask what Mason thinks. He tricked Mason into going to a few gay events without Mason knowing until it was too late to back out.

· FYI, Mason comes out to Lee first, but only because they get into a fight because Lee is flirting with a boy; Mason secretly has a massive crush on (or at least he thinks it's a secret, but everyone can tell). Michael is solidly pissed about this for months, but that doesn't stop him from trying to play matchmaker.

Dribble:

The rain had stopped, and Mason supposed he should have been happy about that, but the lingering sense of tension and danger made it hard to appreciate. He, Michael, and Lee had already walked one block north of Gypsy Bar, and Mason was hoping as they put even more distance between themselves and the bar that sense of unease would dissipate at least a little.

They had been walking in silence for several minutes. That was a rare thing, and Mason hoped it meant that it was one of those rare occasions that his cousins were thinking about how horrible their idea had been, but Lee killed that hope the moment he opened his mouth.

"Well, we had to try," Lee declared.

Mason looked over and up because, of course, Lee was at least three inches taller than him. That would have been more annoying if Mason was at all insecure about his height, but at six foot he was comfortable. Also, he had a couple of inches on Michael, which helped.

Lee's hair looked practically white instead of its usual light blonde under the street lights' harsh glare, and his complexion seemed extra fair. Even his freckles were lost in the artificial light. Not surprisingly, there wasn't a single sign of worry on his face.

Maybe if Mason had Greek god powers, he would have been relaxed too, but he didn't. That call for adventure that Lee and Michael had just seemed like asking for trouble to Mason, the mere mortal. "Not with the worse fake IDs in history," Mason pointed out yet again.

"They were not that bad!" Michael was quick to defend.

This was not the first time Mason had heard that, and it didn't make it any less ridiculous. One of Michael and Lee's dads was literally a doctor that could heal people by touching them. There was no fucking excuse for their inability to see what was right in front of them. Why Michael had even bought the IDs, having seen them, Mason would never understand.

"They looked like they were hand-drawn by a preschool," Mason pointed out, "And the names were ridiculous."

"Pictures didn't look much like us," Lee agreed.

Michael let out a long, loud sigh, pushed a dark strand of hair that had fallen out of his ponytail and into his eye line, and tucked it behind his ear. While Lee looked like the stereotypical California surfer dude, Michael almost looked Mediterranean. He had light brown hair that he had grown out over the last year and now almost exclusively wore tied up, and he naturally had a more tan, almost olive complexion. Even with the differences, it was impossible not to recognize the two as twins immediately. They both had the same sharp facial features, lean and athletic builds, and light blue eyes.

Mason was the obvious odd man out in the group. His hair was somewhere between a light brown and a dark blonde, and his eyes were hazel rather than blue. His build was boxier, and he was definitely wider in the shoulders than his cousins, but that might have been because he had been playing lacrosse since he was eight. His facial features were also a little more square and angular. It might not have been a stretch to believe the three of them were related, but no one was going to mistake them for triplets.

"Okay, that is enough with the pouting," Michael declared with just a little bit of annoyance in his voice. Mason was a little surprised it had taken that long because usually, the more outrageous and destined to fail one of Michael's plans were, the more annoyed he got when it did, in fact, fail. "At least we got a fun story out of it," he stated.

Knowing Michael, he really did see that as a win which was crazy. Mason fucking loved his cousins. They were literally his best friends and really always had been, but sometimes they were crazy to be around. Mason put that on all the demigod stuff. After all, if you have literally trained to fight monsters since you were a little kid getting fake IDs and trying to sneak into a twenty-one and over club probably didn't sound all that crazy.

Mason wasn't exactly a fucking nun. Sneaking into a bar didn't sound completely crazy but trying to get into a bar known for checking IDs with comically bad fake IDs did.

"We are lucky they didn't call the police," Mason pointed out flatly. The bouncer had decided to take pity on them for some reason after giving them one hell of a fucking lecture, and Mason would forever be grateful. "Or worse, our parents," he added with a shutter.

"What are you worried about?" Lee asked with a laugh, "Uncle Dean and Uncle Felix would have been totally cool."

Mason gave Lee a serious look. "Nothing about my parents is cool," he stated firmly, "No matter how many people say otherwise."

"You really are a master of denial," Lee commented teasingly before patting his shoulder and adding, "It's kind of impressive."

The fact was Mason was well aware that his dads were pretty cool. If they had been called and told Mason had been caught with a fake ID trying to sneak into a bar, they probably wouldn't have even yelled at him. Neither of them were big yellers. Mason would have gotten one hell of a disapproving lecture which Mason was convinced was worse than yelling ever could be. He definitely would have lost a whole bunch of privileges for the foreseeable future.

Unfortunately, Mason had been hearing about how cool his dads were since he could remember. The fact that Felix getting early releases of video games all the time helped. Dean always bringing Mason and his friends for ice cream after practice when he was younger didn't hurt. As he got older, he just became the one with the cool parents in all his friend groups. It got old after a while, and that was before the term DILF started getting thrown around.

He would have been more annoyed if it was anyone besides Lee and Michael. They had it just as bad as he did, even if it was slightly different. Uncle Nico was practically a legion among Demigods for all the questing he did as a teenager, and even if he had just sat on his ass, he was still the son of Hades, which was a big thing. Uncle Will didn't have the history with all the questing, but he played an important role in some battle, which was enough to give him some fame. The twins had to deal with their fair share of people going full-on hero-worship over their dads, and then there was the fact that Uncle Nico had worked as a model for like five years.

Mason might not have been truly pissed off, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to flip Lee off for that comment. He did grin as he did it, at least so it was clear that it was all good.

They had walked about half a block as they had talked, and they made it about a block more in silence before Michael huffed. "So what are we going to do now?" he asked. Mason went to answer but barely got an opportunity to take a breath before Michael held up a finger to cut him off. "And the answer of going home is not allowed, so just don't even say it," he stated firmly.

Mason didn't get why going home, playing video games, ordering a pizza, and hanging out was such a bad idea. His dads were out on a date night, so they probably would have had the house to themselves, not that that mattered. According to Michael, that was just not an acceptable way for them to spend their evening, and in fairness, he had made that clear before then. That didn't mean that wasn't exactly what Mason had been prepared to suggest, but he wasn't really surprised that Michael warned him not to before he got a chance.

Mason stopped and looked around to get a feel for where they were. Since they were in West Berkeley, it was more his stomping ground rather than the twins. If it were New Rome, the twins would have a list of places they could go and things they could do, so he guessed it was on him to at least come up with one suggestion.

If he was honest, he only had a vague idea of where they were, and it wasn't a part of the city he visited often, so he didn't have the best idea of what was around. Ultimately, he went with the first thing that came to mind. "There is a really cool vintage bookstore like two blocks from here," he stated, pointing in the direction he thought it was.

It might have been the first thing he had thought of, but Mason didn't think it was a half-bad idea. He had been to the place a few times with Dean because Dean had a radar for little bookstores, and it didn't matter what they were doing or where they were supposed to be; he had to go in. It was such a well-known fact that Felix always looked up where bookstores were when they went on vacation so they could plan when they went. The little bookstore that Mason couldn't remember the name of had actually been pretty cool.

"You found an answer worse than go home," Michael commented flatly, "Why do you hurt me like this?"

Mason rolled his eyes because now Michael was just overdramatic. "They serve coffee and stuff," he informed.

"Coffee actually sounds pretty fucking good," Lee admitted, which was a good sign. Of the two, Michael always wanted to do something big and over-the-top. Lee could be like that sometimes, but he was more likely to see reason when Michael was just suggesting something crazy. Usually, if Mason could get Lee on his side, he had a chance. If Lee backed Michael's idea, then it was only a matter of time before Mason agreed to whatever insanity had been planned.

Michael stared between Mason and Lee with clear disapproval. "We can not go from trying to sneak into a 21 and over club to drinking coffee in a used bookstore," he stated with disgust before just shaking his head with disappointment, "Honestly, what is wrong with you two?"

"Okay," Lee declared, managing to sound just as unamused by Michael as Michael was with them. Lee was infinitely better at dealing with his brother when he was being dramatic than Mason was. "How about we go into that pizza place-" he pointed past Mason toward a small pizza place just across the street from where they were standing, "-and talk to the cute girls that are walking in."

"Well, that doesn't sound like fun for me!" Michael grumbled as he turned and assessed the option for a split second. "Oh, there is a couple of boys that could be cute! I don't hate that idea."

Mason gave in and turned to see what they were talking about and immediately wanted to crawl into a hole and die. "Oh my god, could you too stop staring," he hissed as he turned his back on the scene and hoped no one saw him.

They should have gone to New Rome.

Of course, both Michael and Lee were staring at him, and he knew they were going to ask. Neither of them was precisely known for letting things go either.

"What?" Mason shrugged, sounding more defensive than he meant to, "They are people from my school."

Michael and Lee exchanged a look that was never a good thing. It was one of those weird twin silent communication things they would do, and it usually meant they were about to tag team, Mason. It never worked out well.

"You know them?" Michael asked, although he managed to give the question far more weight than such a simple question should have had.

Lee was even less subtle as he stared at Mason with obvious suspicion, "How come we don't know them?"

Obviously, Michael and Lee didn't go to Mason's high school because they were in New Rome, but they hung around with Mason enough that they knew all of Mason's school friends and a fair number of his classmates. It wasn't necessarily weird that they didn't know someone that Mason knew from school, but it was a more rare occurrence. On this specific occasion, it actually made a lot of sense because they were people Mason only recently started getting to know.

"It looked like Theo and a few of the other kids from the theater club," Mason explained. Mason was not a theater kid. Even if he had wanted to be, he never would have had time with lacrosse and soccer. Since he was a junior and apparently would benefit from diversifying his afterschool activities (so saith his guidance counselor), he joined the AV club and somehow ended up helping with the school play, so he got to know some of the theater kids over the last few months. Not a big deal in the slightest. "And for the record, you two aren't entitled to know all my school friends," he pointed out just to prove a point.

Michael and Lee exchanged another look.

"Theo?" Lee questioned.

"Interesting," Michael commented.

Mason's heart jumped into his throat. Had he said that name? He hadn't meant to, but it must have just slipped out. He was absolutely fucked because the twins weren't going to let that go, and that was the last thing Mason needed. Theo was just a dude with great hair that made Mason feel weird sometimes, and he didn't want to talk about that.

Play it cool, Mason told himself through his internal panic. He shrugged, which felt like the most unnatural gesture ever. "He hangs out with a lot of the AV kids helping with the play," he explained. More accurately, he hung around many band kids helping with the play, and Mason had to adjust the audio equipment a fair amount. After talking a few times, Mason may have invited him to hang out with the AV kids, and the guy took him up on that. There was no fucking way he was telling Lee and Michael that story. "I've learned his name. It isn't a big deal," he stated. That at least was true, and no one would convince Mason otherwise.

Michael and Lee were silent for a long moment, just staring at him before Michael broke the silence. "You know what? Pizza sounds fantastic," He declared before turning on his heels and starting across the street. He was halfway across before he called over his shoulder, "And I love a good theater club. Always fun gays."

Lee patted Mason on the shoulder, which turned into him practically pushing Mason forward toward the pizza shop. "So, which one is Theo exactly," Lee asked in a mischievous tone.

Now Mason wished their wrong fake IDs had worked.

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