#Ross definitely said he hopes the baby looks like you

[ladylooch]

Our Little Family [Miles Wood] Chapter 20- Meet The New Baby Woody

From B: I know we have some new followers around here! Yay and welcome! So I wanted to give a quick re-introduction to Little Family! It's a blog submission series by our lovely 👢 anon! I do not write this series. I am as much of a fan as the rest of you! This series is also completely independent of Shot In the Dark. KK enjoy!! 🍿

A/N from 👢 anon: Hi guys, it's been too long. I'm here with another update from little family. After this chapter, there is going to be 5 left and we will be closing the little family chapters.

Oh yeah, we have some smut here too.

Since the moment you told Miles that you are pregnant, things changed. He was the perfect partner and dad. When he was home, he took care of you and Lily. So you could have alone time, he knows it can be a lot being pregnant and your baby hitting 2 years old.

Every night that Miles is home, he's rubbing lotion and oil on your bump. Because he loves touching you, knowing that you're carrying his baby and the baby likes his touch too.

You're doing your best to give Lily lots of love. Let her be the baby, too. It's an adjustment, but it's amazing. You're not going to lie, your favorites moments are when she crawls into bed with you and lies on the bump talking to her sibiling.

All your appointments are around Miles' schedule. He wants to be there for you and the baby. Not that he didn't do that for you and Lily before. You're having more happy moments during this pregnancy because Miles is loving you, too. He's your partner and husband now, before he was basically just Lily's dad. You guys had fun, but not like this.

Finding out that you guys are having another girl makes him cry. And he doesn't cry much. Seeing Miles getting more emotional makes you emotional too, more than usual. That's on the hormones.

The first time she kicked was just perfection. All three of you were cuddling and watching a movie. Both Miles and Lily were lying on the bump. And then she kicked, Miles looked at you with teary eyes and a big smile on his lips. Lily asked what happened. And you explained that her baby sister said hi. It made her so happy. Lily kissed the bump and said hi back. You know you're lucky.

Sedona for babymoon was perfect. You and Miles had a really good time together. It was something that you guys needed. Having that alone time and connection was amazing. But getting home to Lily saying that she missed you was the best. It made you emotional talking to Miles later.

Miles' season ended short again, but this time he was down for a day or two and then he decided that he was going to enjoy all his girls.

……

The day finally comes, and your water breaks in the middle of the night. Miles was asleep, and you had to basically shake him to wake up.

As much you love his sleepy look, this time you need him to move his ass because you're going to be in pain soon. And you would like some meds.

You groan when the first contraction happens.

“Miles, for the love of God. My water just broke.” Miles blinks at you a few times before his brain catches up.

He curses getting up, he helps you get changed, and he goes to wake his parents. To let them know what is happening. He's so frantic because last time he was on the road.

You need to say goodbye to your baby before you go. Miles was preparing her for this moment, letting her know that maybe mommy and daddy would leave without her knowing, but grandma and grandpa would be there with her. And they're going to come back with her baby sister.

You only show that you're in pain when it's just you and Miles. The whole drive to the hospital was painful. Miles had to pay attention to your contractions while driving.

When you guys got to the hospital, Miles stayed downstairs admitting you while you went to your room. By the time he gets there, you are already in pain meds. They make you a little happier.

But then you're in pain again. Miles is by your side the whole time. You get him a cot so he can take a nap. Even if he doesn't want to. He wants to stay up with you.

You're in labor for more than 6 hours. Your doctor comes in to check you, and sees if it's time. Miles asks if it's time, and she says that it's.

He moves to your side and holds your hand. You curse at him, probably hurting his hand, and saying that you're not going to have his babies anymore. A few times during that process.

Miles just encourages you. He kisses your sweaty forehead. He praises you. You feel so weak by the end. He says that you're doing amazing, but hearing him say that she's almost here gives you that extra strength to push.

Hearing her crying filling the room makes your body go limp. You smile while taking a deep breath.

Miles kisses you. “She's here, babe, and she's perfect.” You nod, not having a lot of strength right then.

The nurse puts your baby on your chest. You kiss her head crying, and your baby is finally here. “Welcome to the world, Ella harper Wood.” You kiss her head again.

Miles rests his forehead on yours “she's perfect, babe. We made her.” He kisses your forehead.

The nurse comes in saying that they need her, and you pass her to the nurse.

“Go be with her.” You push Miles towards where she's getting cleaned.

Your doctor works on you to make sure that everything is okay. The few pushes after giving birth and the stitches.

Miles takes one last look at you before he goes with the nurses to follow your baby. The room starts to get less crowded, which is a relief. You close your eyes when you're alone. The only sounds inside the room are the machines connected to you.

You don't hear Miles coming in. He kisses your head, thinking you're asleep. You open your eyes to look at him. You mumble a soft “hey”.

“Are you okay, sweetheart?” He watches you with such a worried look in his eyes. You nod but ask for water, Miles goes to get you water. He rubs your arm when he's back, and you slowly drink the water.

“Is everything okay with her ?” You ask between sips.

“Yeah. She's perfect. You did a good job, Mama.” He kisses your head. He's so proud of you. He definitely has a new admiration for you.

You nod and smile. That's what you needed, to know that she's okay.

“Babe, I know I'm supposed to be resting, but I need to call your mom to talk to Lily.” Miles watches you for a second before nodding and grabbing his phone.

He texted her when he was with El saying that the new Wood was born. He facetimes her, Cheryl smiles, seeing her son's face on the screen. She says, "A congratulations and asks," How are you doing? " Miles says that you're tired, but all good.

He says that he's going to give you the phone. You talk to Cheryl a little before asking if you can talk to Lily. She takes the phone to your baby, seeing Lily's face, and you relax a little more.

You talk to her, asking how she's doing, if she's having fun with grandma and grandpa. She says that she is but that she misses you. You say that you miss her too and soon she'll be home with daddy and her baby sister. She gets excited.

You say that you love her before passing the phone for Miles. He talks to her, and you drift off hearing your loves talking to each other.

Miles plans with his mom for her to bring Lily in the middle of the afternoon. He knows you need that and that you feel guilty for leaving her in the middle of the night.

He lays in the hospital bed with you. He just wants to hold you. It doesn't take long for the nurse to bring El for her breastfeeding.

Miles wakes you. He helps you settle before passing El to you. You smile seeing that cute little face. You kiss her forehead, saying that you're her mommy.

It takes a little time for her to latch, but when she does, you relax big time. Miles gives you the space to be with her.

You brush your finger over all her features. Saying that she has the best daddy and the best big sister, that you guys are so excited for her to be part of your family.

Miles stays outside of the door, updating his family, his teammates, and ordering you food. He knows you're hungry.

When he comes back, he sees you counting El's little toes and fingers. Miles is still a little worried, but he sees that you're more like yourself now.

He moves closer to you. “Can I hold her ?” You look at him a little confused.

You chuckle, nodding because, of course, he can pick his baby. Miles picks her up, settling with her in his arms. You watch El stir a little before settling completely in her daddy's big chest.

“Babe, do you mind if I take a nap ?” Miles is shocked that you asked him that.

“Not at all, rest, sweetheart.” He kisses El's head to settle her a little more. You nod before turning to your side.

Miles holds El as long as he can while you're asleep. The nurse comes to get her. He gets your food and then just sits there looking at you. You wake up to those piercing blue eyes staring at you. You blink a few times, getting him focused.

“Can I have more water, please ?” You lick your lips, feeling a little dry.

“Yeah.” Miles picks the cup and helps you drink. “I brought food for you, babe.” You take a big sip before nodding.

“What about you ? Did you eat ?” You pass the cup to Miles. He looks at you, and you know he didn't.

“Why were you staring ?” You ask, lacing your fingers.

“I'm worried about you, babe.” He sighs, running his hand through his hair.

“Why ? I'm okay.”

“You don't look like yourself, I just don't want something to happen to you.”

“Hey, c'mon here.” You cup his cheeks moving to the side to give his big body space.

“I'm okay, I promise you that. I'm exhausted, being in labor in the middle of the night is not fun, and I miss Lily too.”

“Yeah, I know.” He closes his eyes, feeling your fingers brush along his cheekbone.

“I didn't like leaving her like that in the middle of the night. I know she's okay with your parents. And I promise you, it doesn't change my feelings for El. I love her and I'm so happy she's here with us. I'm exhausted and hungry, probably not the best combination.” You smile, seeing you smile brings a smile onto Miles' lips.

You kiss him before asking if he can bring you the food. You hear that giggle as Miles goes to get you the food.

You thank him before putting a lot of food in your mouth. You give him a look, for him to eat too. If you need food, he does, too.

Miles picks your tray of food as you drink a little more water. You pat empty space beside you for Miles to join you. You need hubby cuddles. He's so careful with the wires and iv on your arms. He doesn't need the nurses to come running scared into the room.

You bury your face in his chest, just needing to feel secure. This is one of the most vulnerable moments that he ever saw you, and he'll take care of you.

You guys cuddle until you hear a knock on the door. Miles kisses your head before getting up to open the door.

You hear your oldest voice saying hi, dada. You smile, getting a little emotional, and Miles squats to give her a kiss. Then, he holds her hand to help her walk towards you.

She's holding a bouquet to give to you. Miles helps her to jump into the bed. “Mama” she's so excited as she settles against you. You kiss her head, holding her close to your body. You thank her for the flowers and then bring her to your lap.

“Baby, mommy is so sorry for leaving like that last night.” Lily looks at you with her big blue eyes.

“ ‘s okay mama, I have a new baby sister now.” She's so excited, and it's adorable. You kiss her head before putting her beside you. You guys talk, and the nurses bring El for another one on one with Mommy before feeding.

While you guys talk, Miles shows El to his parents. Then you ask Lily if she wants to meet her baby sister. Lily says that she does.

Miles brings El, placing her in your arms. Lily's little face moves closer to El, she wants to meet her baby sister. She kisses El's forehead, blushing a little at El's reaction.

“She loves you too, baby.” Lily smiles at you as she brushes her finger on El's hair.

Miles snaps a few pictures of his girls together. You kiss Lily's head, letting her have a moment with her sister. Cheryl sends Miles to be with you guys so she can take a few pictures of you.

You cup his cheek, looking at him with heart eyes. You mouth a thank you for him, he rests his forehead on yours and Lily kisses El's forehead again. It's the perfect picture.

He pecks your lips before looking at his family. El starts to get fussy.

“Baby, can you go with Daddy while mommy feeds baby El. After she is done, you can come say goodbye before going home with grandma and grandpa.” Lily nods and makes grabby hands for miles.

He picks her up, giving her lots of kisses, making her giggle. You smile as they leave the room. You shift El for her to be comfortable. This time, she latches right away.

“You're going to have the best big sister, baby.” El wiggles a little because she feels that too, Mommy.

You watch your baby eat, slowly at her own pace. She's so adorable, lots of Wood's genes in her. The caramel hair, the bone structure, she has your nose and mouth. So you're happy. Miles will be in trouble when his girls grow up.

Miles comes in a few minutes later, and Lily has her mouth full of chocolate. And you give him a look, shaking your head.

“There are wipes in the bag.” You point to the bag, Miles nods and picks the wipes to clean Lily's mouth.

Lily comes to join you with a clean mouth. You pass El for Miles to hold her. You kiss Lily's head and tickle her belly. Her laugh is a good sound to your ears.

You look at Cheryl, biting your bottom lip. Then you look at Miles. He's entertained by El.

“Cheryl, can you help me with something ?” Miles almost snapped his head, looking at you.

“Of course, sweetheart.” She grabs your bag before moving to your side to help you get out of bed.

Randy moves to be with Lily, and you move slowly to the bathroom.

“Babe…” You hear Miles calling for you as you enter the bathroom.

Cheryl helps you sit on the toilet, and she closes the door. You take a big deep breath.

“I'm sorry, I couldn't ask anyone else. I understand if it's too personal for you, but I don't think I can have Miles looking at my body right now.” Cheryl is taken aback for the personal part, but she understands not wanting Miles to see you right now.

“It can be a little personal, but you're my daughter too. And I'm here to help you. Not only Miles, you too.” She moves to hug you. “But you need to talk to him. He needs to know that.” You nod, hugging her back.

You and Cheryl work on getting you undressed. You pee and change your pad. Putting on some normal clothes makes you feel happy.

You guys go back into the room. You thank her before moving back to bed again. Miles is holding El and talking to Lily.

You tell Lily that she's going home with grandma and grandpa. Mommy and Daddy will be there soon. You give her lots of kisses before Randy helps her out of the bed. She blows kisses to you from the door. You smile and blow her kisses. El is passed out in her daddy's arms.

She looks so peaceful in his arms. The nurse comes to get El, saying that she'll bring her soon for another feeding. You nod and thank her.

Miles comes closer. He fixes your blanket before hugging you. Your head rests on his abs.

“I'm sorry.” Miles looks at you confused before lifting your chin to look at him.

“Why are you apologizing, love ?” You shrug as Miles give you the look. Don't hide.

“Ahh, I thought I hurt you by asking your mom to help me.” His face goes soft, hearing that.

“Sweetheart, you just had a baby. You can basically do whatever you want. At first, I was a little disappointed, but then I remembered that you're doing what makes you feel comfortable.” He pecks your lips as the tears stream down your cheeks.

“Yeah, I'm not comfortable with you seeing my body right now.” Telling him that shows how far you guys come together.

“I understand, baby. And I'll help you in any way that I can, keeping the boundaries you just set for us.” You nod thanking him.

Your doctor comes in to check on you, and how are you doing. If everything continues like this, you can go home tomorrow.

You ask Miles for food, and if he wants to go home, shower, change, and take a nap, you'll be fine in the hospital. He looks offended by your suggestion.

“I'm not going anywhere until you and El are discharged.” You sigh, closing your eyes.

“Babe, you need to rest too. I'm going to be okay for a couple of hours. I need you to take care of yourself too.” Miles has his debating face.

“Okay. I'll go home, change, and shower, but not nap.” You nod. If this is what you can get from him, it's fine.

You and Miles cuddle as you fall asleep on him. When you wake up, Miles says that he'll go home and bring you food after. You thank him softly.

While you wait, you decide to scroll through your phone to pass the time. You have a bunch of texts from the halves congratulating you, his teammates too. Some say that they hope she looks like you and not Miles. It makes you laugh.

You see Miles post, a picture he took of you holding both of your girls. With the caption:

“My world right here, welcome to the family baby”

It makes you smile, but there is one just for you. With different pictures from your dating years.

“To my strong wife, thank you for giving me these greatest gifts. But also you loved me before I could do the same. I want our girls to grow up to be strong like their mother. You're the best, babe.”

And this one makes you cry, not hearing what he thinks of you often and your hormones. It make you soft. Miles is becoming the best husband.

When Miles come with food, you're feeding El after spending some mommy and daughter time with her. His hair is still wet, and you know he showered and left. You just hope he loved Lily before leaving.

Miles comes closer, he pecks your lips and brushes his finger over el's head. Little girl stirred but didn't stop eating.

“I love you.” That big grin shows on his lips again. “I love you too.” He kisses you before putting the food on the table.

While El eats, he takes the containers out to put them on the tray for you. His mom made food for you. You get emotional again, Cheryl is just amazing.

El finishes eating, and you shift her for a burp. Then Miles picks her up for cuddles while you eat. You're half way through your dinner, and she starts to cry and get fussy. You stop eating to tend to her.

Miles stops you saying that he got this. He sits with her, strips his shirt, and does skin to skin with her. It takes a couple of minutes, but then she settles.

You smile at them. Miles is really an amazing dad. Miles looks at you, so in love. He still can't believe you agreed to have more of his babies.

The rest of the night flies by. There are some moments where El gets super fussy. But you guys work it out as a family.

The next morning you get discharged, going home makes you so happy. Miles is so careful that it's a little funny.

The whole family is waiting for you guys. Lily comes running to you, and you give her lots of kisses. You take a shower at home and then just cuddle the rest of the day.

Later that night in Miles' arms, “Thank you for giving me this life.”

Miles pecks your lips. “Always sweetheart, it's what you deserve.

You snuggle closer, enjoying the quiet for now.

……

Life at home has been an adjustment for sure for the next couple of months. El struggled a little bit, but thankfully, you had Miles and his parents.

Lily was perfect the whole time. Thankfully, hers and El's nap schedules were different. So you could love both of your babies, giving Lily that mama and daughter time.

She's getting so smart, definitely a little sassy. Miles doesn't know how to handle it, and you think it's funny.

Miles has been perfect, too. Your marriage continues getting stronger and closer. All the bumps made you guys better.

Then Miles' season started, you all had to make another adjustment. You called Miles crying a couple times in the middle of the night. His heart broke every time. He hates seeing you like that.

But when he's home, he's home. He's taking care of Lily and El, so you can have some me time. For you to have a long bath and things like that.

You're glad that you and Miles made sure Lily continued as a toddler. She didn't need to grow up because of her sister. That's so important to you.

You and Miles started taking date nights with each other but also with Lily. And you like how things are going, that's something you always wanted. Her being a kid.

Miles is such a gentleman and respectful when it comes to your body issues after pregnancy. He gives you the space necessary to feel comfortable enough.

One night, you decided to be bold. Your doctor cleared you a while back, but you didn't feel good enough to go through it.

You're in the bathroom looking at yourself in the mirror. You bought lingerie that looked good, but now they feel a little off. You're nervous, taking one last look in the mirror. You take a big deep breath before sliding the robe on and moving to the master.

Miles is scrolling through his phone. He lifts his eyes, looking at you with a soft smile. You just go for it, opening the robe and letting it slide from your body. Miles puts his phone to the side and shifts so he can be closer to you.

“Holy shit, babe. You're fucking gorgeous.”

Your cheeks get warm at the way he's looking at you. Miles moves to where you're standing.

He stops in front of you, pulling your hands to touch his body. “Can I touch you, gorgeous ?” You take a deep breath as you nod.

“Baby, I need to hear you say the words.” It's important to him that you say what you want.

“Yes, you can.” His smile brights the whole room. He leans to kiss you. First, he just rests his hands on your side. As you stop overthinking, his hands wander more through your body. Your hands start to wander his body too, shoulders, hair, neck, his arms.

He likes that a lot and humms into the kiss. Miles cups your ass cheeks before scooping your legs to wrap around his waits. Feeling his bulge between your legs makes you moan.

You missed that feeling for sure. Miles starts to gives your body love. He looks at your face, to see if you're uncomfortable. He kisses every possible inch of your body.

As much as he would like to go to town on your boobs, he just cups them softly. Because he knows they're still uncomfortable for you.

“Woody, I need you.” Miles chuckles as he kisses your ribs. He sits on his heels, and you lift your head to look at him.

“Babe, we need a little more foreplay. I don't want to hurt you.” You know he's right, but it doesn't make it easier for you to wait, after waiting for so long.

Miles makes his way back to your lips. He kisses your jaw line, cheeks, the corner of your mouth, and your lips. You sigh, having his lips attached to yours again. You nibble his bottom lip to have his attention. Miles moans before facing you.

“Please.” Your voice is like a whine and Miles agrees. He pulls your underwear down before stripping himself. Your eyes go wide seeing his big cock erect for you.

You moan as he smirks. Miles strokes himself and uses his fingers on you to open you up a little. He lines himself and starts to slide inside you. But your body is resisting him big time.

“Babe, we can stop. It's clearly painful for you.” Miles moves your hand from your face.

“But I want it, I need you. It's time.” Miles chuckles a little bit. He pecks your lips. “Do you want to try with the lube ? We worked for us before.” Your hand plays with his abs while you think.

“Yeah, we can try.” He smirks before getting up to grab the lube. He settles himself again between your legs, pouring lube on his hands.

Miles strokes himself, spreading the lube. He puts a little on you too.

“Are you ready, babe ?” You watch Miles line himself with your entrance.

“Yeah, I am.” Miles smiles before sliding in.

“Tell me, if I'm hurting you or it's uncomfortable, babe.” You nod, before mumbling an okay. Miles slowly slide inside you as your nails dig in his shoulder. But when it doesn't hurt, your grip is lighter. You open your eyes to see Miles staring at you with a smirk on his lips. You look down seeing that he's completely inside you.

You smile at him as you brush your thumb on his cheekbone before bringing him for a deep kiss. Feeling adjusted to his size, you wiggle so Miles can start moving to build up the tempo.

You missed this so much, Miles is careful building up the tempo. He knows that it's going to be tricky making you cum today, but boy he's struggling himself. Having your tight heat around him again after so long, makes him crazy. He's going to focus on you for now.

He moves his thumb to rub circles on your clit. You moan moving your hips toward his finger. Miles changes your position to go deeper inside you.

“OH, fuck.” You cover your face, but Miles moves so he can see you.

“Babe, I'm hurting you ?” He slows down his movements.

“Nope, it just feels so good.” Miles smirks as he leans to kiss you. He increases the tempo again, knowing that you're okay.

You call for him a few times, and Miles know that you're close. He rubs a few more firm circles, bringing you over the edge and bringing him over the edge too. It's not a crashing orgasm but enough to make you happy and make yourself tight around him.

Miles groans as he moves his hips. “God, I love you.” You smile, bringing her for a kiss, you lick his bottom lip. “I love you too.”

He chuckles and pecks your lips. He pulls out and settles before pulling you to his body.

“Thanks for waiting for me.” Miles kisses your head seeing you play with his chest hairs. “Always, I'll always wait for you,sweetheart.”

You kiss his chest, enjoying his body before needing to pee. “I'm going to shower. Do you want to join me ?” He looks at you a little surprised because it's been a while that you asked to be this intimate with him.

“Yeah, I do. And I got El next, you can rest.” You smile thanking him with a little smooch before you get up to move to the bathroom.

You guys take a shower together. Miles is so soft and gentle, touching your body. He makes sure that you're feeling okay with his touches. He smiles softly. He knows that it's not easy, but he's so proud of you.

“Babe ?” You look at him with soft eyes.

“Yeah ?” Miles kisses your cheek.

“I'm so proud of you.” You look at him confused.

“Why ?” Miles pushes your hair from your face.

“Because you took your time, you reached out when you were ready. You gave me another baby, you make my life better every single day.” You smile as your cheeks get warmer.

You kiss him, because that's the only way you can express what you're feeling. Miles helps you get out of the shower wrapping around the towel, he lets you finish your night routine.

You come back to the bedroom and Miles is holding your underwear.

“We can keep these babe, they look so good on you.” You shake your head before joining him in bed.

He wraps those strong big arms around you. And you fall asleep so quickly, the girls got that from their mama for sure. Just like he promised, Miles takes care of El in the middle of the night.

[thestarrynightslover]

Discreet Not Detached

Pairing: Harvey Specter x Fem!Reader

Word count: 1,397

Warnings: None, really.

Summary: Mike goes to Harvey's apartment to deliver some files only to be proved wrong about his boss being a lonely workaholic.

Disclaimer: I don’t own the show Suits, or its characters, also not associated with it in any way, or know anyone involved with it.

A/N: My first Harvey fic in a while, I had the idea based on an episode (I don't remember exactly which) and tried to elucidate to it here. Anyways, I hope it doesn’t suck and feedback is appreciated as usual!

(y/n) = (your name) (y/l/n) = (your last name) (y/n/n) = (your nickname)

| masterlist |

Another day in the office, another drama for Harvey Specter: this time it was his associate, Mike Ross, wanting to tell his girlfriend the whole truth about the terms of his employment and Harvey couldn’t let him do it, for obvious reasons. But, as you’d expect, namecallings happened and it all ended with Mike throwing in Harvey’s face his being an alleged workaholic in lack of a personal 一 and, in this case, love 一 life. Emphasis on alleged, cause what Mike didn’t know was that his boss actually did have someone to go home to…

It had been a long day but at least you got to go home to your excentric puddle of comfort of a boyfriend: New York City’s best closer, Harvey Specter. Once you got to your place, where the two of you lived together, you were welcomed with the smell and the view of a freshly cooked dinner that Harvey probably had someone making for the two of you.

As you started taking off your coat and shoes by the door, Harvey came out of your shared bedroom wearing nothing but sweatpants and looking like he’d just taken a shower. “Oh, hey, honey!” He greeted you with a smile on his face. “Sorry I didn’t wait for you to shower but I mingled too much with people of dubious hygiene today, so I kinda really needed to get clean.”

“Ah, that’s okay,” you said while pouting cutely at the same time. “At least dinner is ready, 'cause I am starving!”

“Ha! You say it like it’s cutting-edge news!” He tells you, as he puts on a shirt 一 much to your disappointment. 

“What is that supposed to mean?!” You ask feigning offense while putting away your bag, shoes, and coat.

“It means that you’re always starving, sweetheart,” Harvey answers nonchalantly like it’s nothing.

“That is not true! Or at least it’s not entirely true: I’m always starving if it’s past mealtime and I haven’t eaten!”

“Sure, whatever you say, baby!” He says it already knowing that your hunger and all the pet names will only soften you.

“You know what? After today I don’t even have the energy to bicker with you…”

“That bad, huh?”

“The ED was a complete chaos today, apparently all hospitals were swamped, which is why they called more surgeons downstairs to help out. I’ve been on my feet the entire day! I’m basically dead.”

“Dramatic… But I’m sorry you had a shitty day, baby.” He said coming to hug you from behind in your bathroom. Looking at your reflex in the mirror 一 both of you, together like that 一 filled your heart with love and your mind with peace. Harvey was definitely your happy place.

Some time later, after you’d had your dinner, gotten ready for bed, and watched a sappy rom-com you chose, you and Harvey were already cuddling, almost asleep when you heard insistent knocking on the door.

“Stay here, honey, I’ll go see what that’s all about.” You sorta heard Harvey say to you as you lost your personal space heater.

Out in the living, Harvey opened the door only to find his associate Mike Ross standing there looking all tired and disheveled. Before his boss could even say anything, he went ahead entering the apartment mumbling about the case they were currently addressing in the office.

“Harvey, you’re not gonna believe what I found about our not-so-innocent school teacher!” He said to the older man with such energy that sounded like he had had a few too many energetics.

“What the hell, Mike?! Why are you showing up on my doorstep this late at night?”

“Because I knew you’d wanna see this as soon as possible, besides, it’s not like you’d have anything important going here, would you?” Mike asked sorta mocking Harvey.

Ignoring his employee’s last comment, he took the papers Mike was offering and said: “This better be good, Ross, otherwise you’re gonna meet a whole different side of me.

As Harvey started reading all the documents, Mike started having a look around, cause when would he have another chance at taking a peek at his boss’s house like that again? And he couldn’t believe what his eyes were seeing, he would definitely be making a few thousand jokes about it in the near future: there was a romance novel lying on the table, one of those with drawings on the cover that were becoming so popular then.

“Oh my God, Harvey, when were you gonna tell me about your love for reading?” He asked while pointing at the book with his head. 

As Harvey’s eyes emerged from the papers in his hands with a confused look to them, Mike continued: “You know you could have told me, in fact after seeing the kinda genre you like I might actually ask for some recommendations, you know, to get my grandmother a few as presents.” The younger man said already starting to laugh loudly.

“That’s not mine…” Harvey began to answer with his mind still on the documents at hand.

“Oh no? You know there’s no need to lie to me, I promise I’ll try not to judge!”

“Funny. But that’s actually-”

“Mine!” You said as you came out of the bedroom wearing nothing but one of Harvey’s expensive dress shirts. “I don’t think we’ve met yet!” You exclaimed, already extending your hand to shake Mike’s. “I’m (y/n), Harvey’s girlfriend.”

“Girl- g- girlfriend?” Mike looked so shocked he almost choked on his laughter.

“Yes, but it’s doctor (y/l/n) for you.” He answered instinctively moving to your side. “What are you doing out of bed, sweetheart?”

“Sweetheart?” Mike murmured to himself in disbelief of the version of Harvey he was seeing, especially after their argument in the office and the things he’d said to Harvey.

“Well, I assumed it was something work-related when I noticed how long it was taking you to come back and came to drag you back to bed!” You announced to your boyfriend entangling your bodies with certain disregard for the other man standing there in shock.

Only then did Mike notice a framed picture on the sideboard behind him and it displayed both you and Harvey looking at each other with love in your eyes as he carried you bridal style into the water on a beach. Which was another surprise to the young attorney since he didn’t even know that Harvey was a fan of beaches.

“So you’re the famous Mike Ross, then?” You asked, catching his attention again. “You know, it’s very rare for someone to impress Mr. Specter here like you did!”

“Oh, honey, don’t do that, or he’ll spend an entire month finding new ways to subtly bring up in every conversation-”

“Oh, there won’t be anything subtle about it, Mr. Specter,” Mike said mockingly, finally coming out of the shock he had been on. “But I’m curious now, how long have you two been together?”

“About three years, isn’t it, babe?” You answered quickly not paying any mind to the mockery on Mike’s voice.

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Wow, I never would’ve guessed it. Harvey never talks about you. Like ever.” Mike impolitely announced. “I mean, I didn’t even know he had a girlfriend and it’s been months since we started working together.”

“Well, that sounds about right since we don’t like to display our personal lives at work.” You said nonchalantly.

“But do Jessica and Donna know?”

“Of course they do. Must I remind you that you’re not a Donna or a Jessica, Mike?”

“Ouch. But do Lewis and Rachel know?”

“No, and no. And as interesting as your findings were, it’s time for you to leave. We’ll talk more about it tomorrow at the office.”

“But-”

“Mike. Now!”

“Oh, Harvey, don’t be like that.” 

“He needs to go now and we need to go back to bed, so bye, Mike!” Harvey said while shoving Mike out the door.

And after he was gone, just like in the picture, Harvey picked you up from the floor and started carrying you back to the bedroom.

“Harvey!” You squealed out. But he didn’t mind it as he tossed you on the bed, got on top of you, and started kissing you. Apparently, Mike’s visit had put him in a good mood. And, apparently, it was going to be a long night.                                                                 

[ichorai]

blueberries ; three.

pairing ; joey tribbiani x gn!reader chapter synopsis ; the one with lumpy potatoes, new years parties, and mother-kissers. wc ; 9.0k warnings / includes ; talks of sex/suggestive content, mild cursing, reader wears a dress but obv still gn, and a new love interest !!

series masterlist. main masterlist.

“Are you wearing makeup?” Chandler asked Joey as the actor sauntered into Central Perk, sinking into a chair beside you. 

“Yes, sir, I am,” replied Joey, rolling up his sleeves with a smirk. “As of today, I’m officially Joey Tribbiani: actor-slash-model.”

Snorting, Chandler piped, “That’s so funny, because I was thinking you look more like Joey Tribbiani: clown-slash-mime.”

You wanted to laugh, but you kept a straight face, sending Joey a reassuring grin. “Don’t listen to him, you look great!” Tilting your head to inspect him further, you added, “Though—your foundation could be a shade darker, you look like a ghost!”

“What were you modeling for, anyway?” asked Phoebe.

“Well, you know those posters for the City Free Clinic?” he asked excitedly.

Monica gasped, “Oh, wow! So you’re gonna be one of those healthy, healthy, healthy guys?”

Practically dripping with pride, Joey struck a ridiculous modeling pose, which made the rest of you scoff with laughter. 

“The asthma guy’s really cute,” you chimed. When Joey sent you a glare, you were quick to tack on, “And you’ll definitely give him a run for his money!”

“You know which one you’re gonna be?” asked Chandler.

“No,” the actor-slash-model sighed. “But I hear lyme disease is open, so…”

Patting Joey’s shoulder, Chandler said, “Good luck man, I hope you get it.” That earned strange looks from the rest of you while Joey just beamed brightly, blissfully oblivious to his phrasing.

It was then that Ross stormed in, a strained mope marring his features. He sank into a chair with a heavy sigh, prompting you to roll your eyes and ask, “What’s wrong now, Ross?”

“Monica told me mom and dad weren’t spending Thanksgiving here—and I didn’t believe her at first, but it turns out she was right. How could they do this to us?”

Sighing, the black-haired woman proposed, “How about I cook Thanksgiving dinner at my place? I’ll make it just like Mom’s!”

“Will you make the mashed potatoes with lumps?” he asked.

Monica hesitated. “You know they’re not actually supposed to have—” She cut herself short at Ross’ sour expression. “Fine, I’ll work on the lumps! What are the rest of you doing tonight? Joey, you’re going home, right?”

From beside you, he nodded enthusiastically, excited to finally go back home and visit his parents.

“And I assume, Chandler, you’re still boycotting all the Pilgrim holidays?”

The man snorted. “Yes, every single one of them,” he sarcastically quipped.

“Pheebs, you’re going to be with your grandma?”

“Yeah, and her boyfriend. But we’re celebrating Thanksgiving in December because he’s lunar, so—”

Slightly confused, Monica asked, “So you’re free Thursday, then?”

“Yeah, why?” replied Phoebe, equally miffed before realization dawned upon her. “Oh, can I come?” 

Monica nodded with a grin. “And Rachel’s planning on going to Vail—so what about you, Y/N?”

Tracing the rim of your teacup with a finger, you pursed your lips to the side in thought. “I think I’ll be free! You have room for one more?”

Ross crossed his arms in Monica’s kitchen, making him look abnormally burly in his chunky, woolen sweater. “If she’s talking to it, I just think I should get some belly time, too!” he complained. “Not that I believe in any of this.”

“I do,” you chimed, helping Monica season the turkey in the kitchen. “Babies begin developing ears well before thirty weeks, so I’m sure they’d be able to hear a little bit of what goes on outside the womb.”

Phoebe nodded her agreement. “I think babies can totally hear everything! Here, lemme show you, Ross—this might seem a little weird, but you put your head inside this turkey and then we’ll all talk and you’ll hear everything we say!”

“I’d like to say that I’m totally behind this experiment,” said Chandler. “In fact, I’d very much like to butter your head.”

You snorted in laughter, before turning to see Rachel walking into the apartment, sulking. 

“Hey, Rach,” you greeted, hopping up to grab her coat for her. She sent you a half-hearted smile. “Did you make enough money to go to Vail?”

“Forget Vail,” she sniffled. “Forget seeing my family, forget shoop, shoop, shoop.” She mimicked skiing down the snow as tears pricked her eyes. 

From the kitchen, Monica handed you the envelope, and you tapped Rachel’s shoulder. “Hey, honey, you’ve got some mail.”

“Just leave it on the table,” she replied, burying her face in her hands.

“I think you’re gonna want to see this,” you responded softly. When Rachel didn’t move, you rolled your eyes and smacked her arm lightly. “Now!”

She jolted in shock, before snatching the mail from you with a mildly offended look. The expression immediately melted away when she ripped it open, pulling out crisp dollar bills. “Oh, my God! You guys are great!” she exclaimed, lunging forward to drape her arms around you and pull you into a hug so tight that it was a wonder your ribs didn’t cave under the pressure.

“We all chipped in,” you assured her. “Except Ross, who now owes me twenty bucks.”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” She pressed a chaste kiss to your cheek, before pulling away and streaking into her room, yelling out something about packing her suitcase. 

When she was gone, Monica headed back to the kitchen, shoving a bag full of goodies into Chandler’s awaiting arms. “Here you go, your standard holiday feast—canned tomato soup, grilled cheese fixings, and a family-size bag of Funyuns for one!”

“You sure you want to spend Thanksgiving alone?” you asked him, peering into the bag with distaste. “What is it with you and this holiday, anyway? I never got around to asking—honestly I was too scared to know the answer.”

Sighing, Chandler placed his hand on your shoulder. “Alright, I’m nine years old—”

Ross and Monica and Phoebe all groaned, muttering how much they absolutely hated this story.

“We’ve just finished Thanksgiving dinner. I have, and I remember this part vividly, a mouthful of pumpkin pie. And this is the moment my parents choose to tell me they’re getting divorced.”

“Oh,” you said. “Oh, my God, Chandler, I’m so sorry.”

Holding a finger up, Chandler shook his head. “Ah, but it gets worse—you see, it’s really hard to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner again when you’ve seen it in reverse.”

He began miming throwing up all over you, and you wrinkled your nose, bile rising up your throat.

“Oh, stop! You’re going to make me puke, too!”

There was a knock on the door, and before anybody could get up to answer it, Joey walked into Monica’s apartment, shoulders slumped.

“Jo?” you asked. “What’re you doing here? I thought you were spending Thanksgiving with your family?”

“They think I have VD,” he sighed, moving to pull you away from Chandler who had frozen mid-puke, and wrapping you up in a tight hug. 

A bit surprised, you awkwardly patted his back, mouthing to Chandler to shut up when he began to say, “Be careful, Y/N, wouldn’t want you to get VD, too!” With a stout nod, Chandler bid himself adieu, claiming that he needed to ‘get away from all the merriment’. 

When Joey finally let you go, he wound his way into the kitchen, following Monica around like a lost puppy as she cooked. “Hey, Monica, I got a question—I don’t see any tater tots.”

“That’s not a question,” she replied, cocking a sharp brow at him.

“But my mom always makes ‘em—it’s like a tradition! You get a little piece of turkey on your fork, a little cranberry sauce… and a tot!” huffed Joey, sitting down at the kitchen table by Ross. “It’s bad enough I can’t be with my family, you know���because of my disease that I don’t actually have.”

Rolling her eyes, Monica blew out a heavy sigh. “Alright, fine. Tonight’s potatoes will be both mashed with lumps for Ross, and in the form of tots for Joey.” 

The two men grinned at each other victoriously, fist-bumping beneath the table. 

“I’m off to talk to my unborn child! I’ll be back before dinnertime,” announced Ross, grabbing his coat, waving goodbye to the rest of you and disappearing out the door. 

You took his spot at the kitchen table, resting your arm on Joey’s shoulder as the two of you watched Monica berate Phoebe for whipping the potatoes.

“Ross needs lumps!”

“Oh, well,” the blonde started sheepishly, “I thought we could have them whipped and then add some peas and onions.”

Frustration flooded across Monica’s features. “Why would we do that?”

“Then they’d be, uhm, be just like how my mom used to make it before she died,” said Phoebe, which made Monica blanch out of part-guilt and part-exasperation.

“Okay, three kinds of potatoes coming up! Unless you have a specific kind of mashed potatoes, too, Y/N?” she glared at you expectedly, eye twitching.

You raised your hands in a placating manner. “No, ma’am, I’m fine with whatever you’re making.”

The glare melted away and was replaced by one of relief. “You’re officially my favorite.”

Right at that moment, Rachel stumbled out of her room haphazardly carrying about half a dozen bags that looked to be on the verge of breaking open because of how stuffed full they were. She was beaming radiantly nonetheless, rushing to the door. 

Before she could leave, however, Chandler ran back into Monica’s apartment, out of breath and blurting out, “The most unbelievable thing just happened! Underdog has gotten away!”

Joey’s eyebrows quirked upwards. “The balloon?”

Chandler shot him a sharp look, before leering, “No, the actual cartoon character. Of course the balloon! It’s all over the news—he broke free and was spotted flying over Washington Square Park! I’m goin’ to the roof, who’s with me?”

All of you began bolting for the door, except Rachel, who lamented that she had to leave for her flight.

“Come on, Rach, an eighty-foot balloon dog is flying loose over the city? You don’t wanna miss that!” you exclaimed, tugging her along. She reluctantly followed after all of you, dropping all her bags to the floor. 

“Got the keys!” exclaimed Monica as all of you rushed out her apartment.

“That moment when we first saw the giant shadow fall over the park!” squealed Rachel, eyes sparkling. “I felt like I was in one of those big action movies!”

You chuckled. “Yeah, and the big bad villain was an inflatable balloon in the shape of a smiling dog.”

“But did they really have to shoot him down?” asked Phoebe. “That was just mean.”

The group arrived in front of Monica’s door. 

“Okay, right about now the turkey should be crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside! Why are we all just standing here?” she said, rubbing her hands together anxiously.

“We’re waiting for you to open the door,” said Rachel in a ‘duh, isn’t it obvious?’ tone. “You’ve got the keys.”

Monica blinked. “No, I don’t.”

“Yes, you do. When we left, you said you got the keys!”

“I didn’t!” Monica’s voice went shrill. “I asked if you had the keys!”

“No, no, your voice went all flat at the end, like you already got the keys!” Rachel stressed, her own tone getting higher to match Monica’s.

“Do either of you have the keys?” Chandler unhelpfully asked, exaggerating the last word. 

Panicked, Monica jangled the doorknob. “The oven is on!”

“I gotta get the money and my bags!” Rachel cried out. “I’m gonna miss my flight!”

“Oh!” said Joey. “We have a copy of your key in our apartment, right?”

“THEN GET IT!” Monica screeched, which made the two men step back out of shock.

“Alright, jeez, that tone won’t make me go any faster, you know?”

At the raven-haired woman’s withering glare, Joey bolted into his apartment to grab an entire box full of keys, which made the rest of you groan in exasperation.

After about ten minutes of trying out different keys, Monica bit out, “Can’t you go any faster with that?”

“I got one keyhole and about a zillion keys—you do the math!” he replied, tossing another unfit key back into the box. 

“Why do you guys have so many keys in there anyway?” barked Rachel.

“Hm, for an emergency just like this?” deadpanned Chandler.

Rachel was practically vibrating with frustration at this point, grabbing Chandler by the lapels of his button-down shirt and yanking him down threateningly. “Alright, listen here, smirky! If it wasn’t for you and your stupid balloon, I would be on a plane watching a woman show me where the emergency exits are right now! But I’m not!”

“God, I swear I asked if you had the keys,” sulked Monica. 

“I didn’t! I wouldn’t say I had the keys unless I had the goddamn keys! I obviously didn’t have the keys!”

“Oh, my God,” you groaned, burying your face in your hands. “Really, guys, there’s no point in arguing about it anymore—blaming someone won’t make the door magically open.”

Ignoring you, Monica rounded back to Rachel, hissing, “Why would I have the keys? You were the last one out!”

“Because you said you had them!” Rachel replied, practically screaming at this point. Joey momentarily stopped trying to jam random keys into the door to watch them fight, but you swatted his arm to get him back to work. 

“Why?”

“Because!”

“Why? Because everything is my responsibility? Isn’t it enough that I’m making Thanksgiving dinner for everyone? Yeah, everyone wants a different kind of potato, so I’m making different kinds of potatoes! Does anybody even care what kind of potatoes I want? No! Just as long as Phoebe gets her peas and onions, and Joey gets his tots, and Chandler gets to watch from the side, and Ross gets his gross potato lumps and—and—it’s my first Thanksgiving all on my own and now it’s all burnt and I can’t—” She burst into a mess of tears and running mascara, and you shook your head sympathetically, walking to her to wind your arms around her and comfortingly pat her on the back. 

She hiccupped into you, about to hug you back when Joey said, “Hey, I got the door open!”

Monica ripped herself away from you and shot into her apartment, leaving you blinking in surprise. 

“Thanks for being there for me, Y/N, you always know how to make me feel better!” you muttered under your breath, before following the rest of the group in. 

The apartment was full of smoke, the stench of burned poultry lingering in the air. You waved your hand in front of your face just as Monica yanked the oven open and threw the ruined meal onto the counter. “Well, turkey’s burnt! Potatoes are ruined, potatoes are ruined, and potatoes are ruined!”

It was then that Ross strode into the apartment, whistling a merry tune beneath his breath, before noticing the smoke and the sullen expressions. “This doesn’t smell like Mom’s,” he quipped, which earned him a cuff to the shoulder. 

“No, it doesn’t,” grouched Monica. “But you know what, Ross? You want lumps? Here, you got one!” She yanked one of the burned, hardened no-longer-mash potatoes out of its bowl, waving it around with a manic look to her eye.

From across the room, Rachel slammed the phone onto the coffee table, screaming out, “God, this is just great! The plane is gone, so I guess I’m stuck here with you guys!”

Joey crossed his arms. “We all had better plans, okay? This was nobody’s first choice.”

You winced—technically this had been your first choice, but you opted to remain quiet.

“Really?” said Monica, clearly hurt. “So why was I busting my ass to make this delicious Thanksgiving dinner!?”

“You call that delicious?” Ross gruffed. 

The entire group erupted into screams and accusations and loud arguments.

You sighed, moving to the door, where Chandler was leaning. 

“Now this feels like Thanksgiving,” he whispered to you, which made you snort in laughter. 

“Guys, look!” Phoebe exclaimed from the window, interrupting everybody’s yelling. “Ugly Naked Guy’s taking his turkey out of the oven!”

Everybody was in too sour of a mood to care, until—

“Oh, my God. He’s not alone! Ugly Naked Guy is having Thanksgiving dinner with Ugly Naked Gal!”

All of you bolted to the window, both cooing at how cute they were and how gross it was at the same time. 

“Ugly naked dancing!” Monica pointed out, a smile breaking out across her face. 

“It’s nice that he has someone,” said Phoebe.

The rest of you sighed, before looking at each other fondly.

Soon after, all of you were seated at the kitchen table, watching Chandler cut grilled cheese sandwiches in half.

“Who wants light cheese and who wants dark cheese?” he asked.

“I don’t even wanna know what’s in the dark cheese,” replied Ross as he grabbed half of a sandwich. 

“You wanna split with me, Jo?” you asked, holding up an uncut sandwich.

Phoebe clapped her hands. “You guys have to make a wish! You know, like a turkey wishbone!”

With a smile, you held out the grilled cheese to Joey, and he clutched the other side, before pulling. He ended up with the bigger half, a wide grin split across his handsome features.

“What’re you wishing for?” you asked, biting into your smaller portion.

“Duh, the bigger half,” Joey replied, which made you kick him beneath the table. He tilted his head. “What would you have wished for?”

“I don’t know, honestly. I’m really happy with what I have now,” you smiled at him, before turning to look at Chandler, who was clinking a fork against his glass. 

He cleared his throat. “I know this isn’t exactly the kind of Thanksgiving any of you had planned, but for me this has been really great. Mostly because it didn’t involve divorce or, you know, projectile vomiting. I was just thinking if Rachel had gone to Vail, or if you guys had been with your family, or if Joey didn’t have… syphilis and stuff, we wouldn’t be all together. I guess what I’m trying to say is—I’m very grateful all of your Thanksgivings sucked.”

The rest of you raised your glasses. 

“Here’s to a lousy Christmas,” said Ross.

“And a crappy New Year!” you chimed, before taking a long sip. 

“Hi, guys,” you greeted everybody as you sat down beside Ross on Central Perk’s largest couch. “I’ve got news!”

Ross was just about to ask what it was when Rachel came with a steaming cup of tea for you, smiling softly. “Hey, Y/N! Do you guys know what you’re doing for New Years?”

Suddenly, the entire group threw their arms up in the air, groaning loudly. 

“Jeez, what? What’s wrong with New Years?”

“Nothing for you, you have Paolo!” Chandler replied hotly. “You don’t have to face the horrible pressures of this holiday—the desperate scramble to find anything with lips just so you can have somebody to kiss when the ball drops! Man, I’m talking loud!”

Frowning, Rachel cocked her head. “For your information, Paolo’s gonna be in Rome this New Years, so I’ll be just as pathetic as the rest of you!”

“I am so sick of being a victim of this Dick Clark holiday! I say this year, no dates—we make a pact. Just the seven of us, dinner,” proposed Chandler, spreading his arms out invitingly. 

As the rest of them chimed their reluctant agreement, you winced, setting your tea down. “Sorry, Chandler.”

“Sorry? What do you mean, sorry?” he asked.

“Sorry, as in I already have a date for New Years.” Your words were a little hushed, and you sank further into the sofa out of mild embarrassment.

The entire group seemed to double-take at your words, practically bursting at the seams with questions.

“Who?” Joey asked.

“A guy from work—his name’s Connor, and he’s one of the head researchers for quantum photonics,” you said in response, playing with the fraying threads of your sweater. “I’m not even in that field but I’ve become more or less his consultant and peer reviewer for his papers and just this morning, he came up to me with flowers and asked me to be his date for New Years, and gosh, I just felt like a giddy teenager, you know?”

Monica slapped your arm, an excited smile spread across her lips. “That’s great, Y/N!”

“What does he look like?” asked Phoebe.

“He’s got the most gorgeous dark hair, and soft brown eyes,” you began describing, sinking your teeth into your bottom lip. “And he’s just so soft-spoken, you know? Honestly, I never really saw him in a romantic light until he came up to me this morning and it all just came rushing at me—it’s honestly a bit too good to be true.”

Joey scoffed. “Yeah, especially after the last person you were with.”

Stiffening, you clenched your jaw and shot him a half-hearted glare.

“Who was the last person?” Ross queried.

Purposefully, you dodged his question and said, “Well, good luck with your no-date pact! I’d love to spend New Years with you guys, but—”

“Why don’t you bring him?” asked Rachel.

“No! No, it’s for single people only, that was the whole point!” Chandler butted in.

With a sour glare, Monica said, “Come on, it’s Y/N! The last time we’ve met one of their partners was… come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever met someone you’ve dated. We can make an exception, Chandler. Just one. Besides, I’d really love to meet this Connor guy!”

“Fine,” he sighed. “Just Y/N, but that’s it.”

The next day, the entire group was gathered in Monica’s apartment, helping her decorate a small Christmas tree. Joey wasn’t here, however, having gotten a job as a helper elf at a local mall. You couldn’t shake the feeling of him being upset with you, he’d barely spoken a word to you ever since they had made the date-pact yesterday, but you tried not to read too much into it.

“I can’t believe he hasn’t kissed you yet!” Rachel told you. Untangling the silver tinsel, you wrapped it around the pine on Monica’s coffee table. “God, by my sixth date with Paolo, he’d already named both my breasts!”

You blinked in surprise. Ross made a choking noise from beside you.

“Ooh, did I just share too much?”

Ross huffed out of his nose. “Just a smidge.”

Hanging up another ornament, you shrugged. “I don’t know—I kinda like that he’s taking it slow, you know?”

Phoebe nodded enthusiastically. “David hasn’t kissed me either—are all scientist guys like that? Very methodical.”

You remembered Phoebe mentioning that she was seeing a physicist. “I can assure you, Pheebs, not all scientist guys are like that. A lot of them don’t waste any time with sex, much less kissing!”

“I think it’s romantic,” Monica chimed.

You smiled softly. “It’s really nice. Connor is just—he’s just so nice and smart and gentle and sweet. When he looks at me it feels… I don’t know, I just forgot what it feels like to be wanted by someone else, you know?”

Phoebe sank into a chair, grinning like a lovesick fool. “I know what you mean. I just want to be with him all the time, you know? Day and night, and night and day. And, uhm… special occasions…”

With an exaggerated gasp of betrayal, Chandler pointed an accusing finger at her. “Wait a minute—I see where this is going. You’re gonna ask him to New Years! You’re gonna break the pact!”

“No!” Phoebe vehemently exclaimed. After a moment’s pause, she sheepishly asked, “Can I, though?”

With a defeated sigh, Chandler propped his hands on his hips. “Yeah, cause I already asked Janice.”

“What?” you asked, nearly dropping a fragile ornament you’d been holding. “Chan, the entire pact was your idea.”

“I snapped, okay? I couldn’t handle the pressure and I snapped!”

Monica shook her head. “Janice, though? That was, like, the worst breakup in history!”

“Well, I’m not saying it was a good idea, I’m saying I snapped!” Chandler defended, face reddening.

The door to Monica’s apartment swung open, and Joey strode in, dressed head-to-toe in a ridiculous array of bright green, red, and white fabric that came together into a shoddy elf costume. His shoes were pointy and little bells hung off the ends, and jangled with every step he took. 

“Too many jokes,” Chandler gritted out, doubling over as he suppressed the urge to make fun of his roommate. “Must mock Joey!”

“Oh, stop it,” you said, grinning at him. “I think he makes a handsome elf.”

Strange, you thought. Joey almost completely ignored your comment, opting to head back to his apartment, claiming that he had to change because around a dozen kids sneezed on him during his shift.

Back at Central Perk, Ross was throwing a fit after Monica had told everybody that she had also caved and asked Fun Bobby to be her date for New Years.

“Okay, so on our no-date evening, four of you now have dates!” he grumbled. 

Raising his hand, Joey said, “Uh, five.”

You raised your eyebrows, but you weren’t really surprised. Joey had an uncanny knack for getting random strangers to fall in love with him.

Rachel bowed her head, also saying, “Six. Sorry, Paolo’s catching an early flight!”

“Yeah, and I met this really hot single dad at the mall. What’s an elf to do?”

Before you could question him further, Ross buried his face into his palms. “Okay, so I’m gonna be the only one standing there alone when the ball drops?”

“Come on, Ross! We’ll have a big party, and no one will know who’s with who!” Rachel reassured him.

“Ugh, this is the last thing I needed right now! Marcel’s shutting me out, and now this.”

It took you a moment to realize that Ross was talking about a monkey that he had gotten, which you believed was really to fill the lesbian-wife-shaped hole in his heart, but you never vocalized those thoughts. 

“Why’s Marcel shutting you out?” you questioned.

“I don’t know, he’s moping around all the time, dragging his hands.”

You bit back the urge to say like owner, like pet, but bit down on your tongue and sipped on your tea. 

“That’s so weird,” Chandler added. “I had such a blast with him the other night when you asked me to petsit! We played, we watched TV—that juggling thing is amazing!”

Ross blinked. “What, uh… what juggling thing?”

“With the balled-up socks? I figured you taught him that.”

A muscle ticked in Ross’ jaw. “No.”

“It wasn’t that big of a deal,” Chandler said placatingly. “It was just a couple socks… and a melon.”

The party at Monica’s place was in full swing. 

You had shown up early with Connor, an assorted tray of nearly-burnt homemade cookies in hand. Everybody was fawning over Connor, and he was a doll the entire evening, constantly keeping a warm hand on your lower back and whispering sweet compliments into your ear that made you swoon like a seasick sailor. 

There was one point when he had excused himself to go to the bathroom, and Monica rushed to you, telling you that if you didn’t hold onto him for dear life, she’d smack you silly.

The rest of the guests were acquaintances that you barely recognized, and you could feel your social battery draining by the minute. You stood in the kitchen sipping on a glass of punch as you listened to Janice talk your ear off about a new diet that she’d been on, trying your utmost best to come up with an excuse to leave her. 

“Sorry, Janice, I gotta head to the bathroom real quick. Nice dress, though, you look amazing!” 

“Oh, thank you, you’re such a sweetheart! You know, if Chandler hadn’t already asked me, I wouldn’t have minded having a piece of you to myself—!”

You squirmed away before she could try to flirt with you any more, bolting into the general direction of the bathroom. Suddenly, you crashed straight into somebody’s chest, which you were utterly relieved to be Joey.

He grasped your forearms, concerned, before promptly letting go of you.

“Hey, Jo,” you said, strangely timid. This was Joey, for heaven’s sake, what were you being so shy for? “You look good!”

“Thanks,” he said, before giving you a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. A dark brown leather jacket was thrown over a tight white turtleneck, and his dark hair was combed to the side. “You look great, too. Dresses suit you.”

Tonight, you had decided to wear a silky dress that was a mottled shade of olive green, draping just right over your figure. It shone dimly beneath the lights, and Joey couldn’t help but notice how it brought out the brightness of your eyes. 

“Really? I can’t remember the last time I’ve worn a dress,” you nervously replied, tucking a loose curl of hair behind your ear. “I’m only wearing this because Connor told me it complimented my eyes.”

Immediately, Joey’s expression seemed to falter. “O-Oh, yeah. Well, he’s right.”

A knock on the door drew your attention away from Joey, and Monica opened it to reveal a man—and judging by Joey’s wave, you guessed that it was the hot single dad that he had mentioned was his date. Your inference was further confirmed when two small children walked in after him, much to your amusement.

“Oh, uh, bye—” you began to say, but Joey was already moving away from you.

Before disappointment could fester within you for too long, Connor was by your side, curling an arm around your waist. You smiled at him, leaning forward and softly pressing a chaste kiss to his cheek. Rouge dusted across his cheekbones and he returned the favor, before nuzzling his nose against the side of your temple.

It was sickly sweet—nauseatingly so. But you loved it, anyway.

 From across the room, Joey watched the two of you cozy up to each other and he cursed under his breath. He forced himself to tear away his gaze and focus on his date and… the two kids awkwardly following behind.

The door flung open not five minutes later, revealing Rachel. Only, she was covered in mud and dirt, and a mysterious goopy substance that dripped down her hair. Her lip was busted and swollen, and deep bruises littered her pallid complexion. 

“Oh, my God,” you whispered under your breath, whispering an apology to Connor before rushing to Rachel, who was being fawned over by Monica. “Rach, are you okay? What happened?”

“Fuckin’ Paolo missed his flight!” she spat out, a bit muffled and hard to understand because of her swollen lip, taking a seat on the sofa. 

Hurriedly, you grabbed a glass of water for her and dampened a small towel with warm water, and rushed back to her, cleaning away the speckled dirt on her face.

“And then your face exploded?” Phoebe asked hesitantly.

“I was getting into a cab at the airport, when this woman, this blonde bitch with a pocketbook started yelling at me! Something about how it was her cab first, and the next thing I know, she’s just pulling me out by my hair! So I start blowing my attack whistle thingy and then three more cabs show up! So as I’m getting into a cab, she straight out tackles me! And I hit my head on the curb and cut my lip on my whistle!” She burst into tears, before quickly composing herself, realizing that there were more than a dozen people watching her blubber bloody, dirty tears. “Oh. Everyone having fun at the party? Y/N, is that Connor? He’s very handsome!”

Connor waved hello, but you sighed, gently pressing the back of your hand to Rachel’s forehead. “Honey, you might’ve hit your head really hard and gotten a concussion. Can someone get some ice, please? Or a frozen bag of peas, or something?” When Chandler brought you a small pack of ice, you gingerly held it to her head. “Alright, this should bring down the swelling soon. Are you feeling sleepy at all? Is it hard to keep your eyes open?”

She shook her head. “I’m fine, I think. Thanks, Y/N.”

“No problem,” you replied, patting her leg softly. “No alcohol for you tonight, though.”

With a meek smile, she nodded, before heading into her room to get changed and clean herself up a bit more. 

You blew out a breath, before allowing Connor to sweep you away closer to the windows. “That was…” he began.

“What?”

“You’re really great,” he said, eyes softening. “I know this thing between us is really new, and I don’t want to rush anything, but I really like you.”

You swore you could feel your heart liquefying within your chest and drip down between your ribcage. “I really like you, too, Connor.”

Not too far from the two of you, you overheard Joey’s date purr, “When I saw you at the store last week, it was probably the first time I’ve ever mentally undressed an elf.” 

Disgust coiled within your stomach when you noticed that her kids were watching. 

“Hey.” Connor’s fingers lifted your chin up to meet his gaze. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” you replied. “I’m good. Let’s go get some more food, I’m starving!”

The next hour was spent mingling some more, and you were already hiding yawns behind a fist. Connor, ever so considerate, had asked you if you were feeling tired and wanted to leave, but you had waved him away. Though you were tired, you really did want to kiss him on New Years.

Before you knew it, it was five minutes before midnight.

You had bumped into Chandler, who had sullenly told you that he had broken up with Janice. Again. 

“Will you kiss me at midnight?” he asked you. 

You reared back in surprise, gesturing to an equally bewildered Connor. “I’m here with Connor, Chandler.”

He squinted. “Okay. Connor, will you kiss me at midnight?”

“Oh, go away, Chandler!” you swatted his arm, and he hissed, scuttering away to ask another poor soul to kiss him. 

From the corner of your eye, you saw Joey tuck in two kids on the sofa with a large blanket, passed out cold. You tilted your head, heading towards him. 

“Where’s their dad?” you whispered quietly, not wanting to awaken them. 

“Chandler told me he saw him in Monica’s room, getting it on with some chick,” replied Joey, distant. “I’m just watchin’ over the kids.”

Your gaze softened. “That’s real sweet of you. Happy new year, Joey.” A bit more hesitantly, you spread your arms out. You were tired of walking on eggshells around him—you wanted your best friend back. He looked at you for a second, gaze flickering to Connor, who was chatting pleasantly to Ross, and then back to you. Then he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around you tightly, blueberry perfume invading his senses, a tirade of overwhelming emotions winding through every nerve. All of a sudden, your glossed lips were on his cheek, nose bumping into his cheekbone. “In case you don’t get a new year’s kiss,” you whispered against him, before pulling away.

Throat tight, he nodded stoutly, watching as you sent him one last devastating smile, and turned on your heel to head back to Connor.

A minute before midnight.

“Looks like the no-date pact worked out,” Chandler huffed. “Except Y/N, the bastard.” He glared at you from afar as Connor placed his hands on your waist, tugging you closer, his nose brushing yours. 

“Everybody looks so happy! I hate that,” said Phoebe. Sure, she had been the one who urged her date to go to Russia for a big break in his career, but it still hurt that he’d left nonetheless.

As the clocks hit midnight, the couples around you cheered and began embracing each other. Connor pulled you flush against him and kissed you deeply, and you couldn’t help but grin into him when he skimmed his fingers down your side, tickling you slightly. Your hands cradled his jaw as if he were made of fine china, inching to the back of his neck to lace together.

You pulled away, breathless, just in time to turn and see Joey exasperatedly grab Chandler’s face and plant a firm kiss on his lips to shut him up about being forever alone.

Nora Bing was a delight, despite Chandler’s vehement difference of opinion. 

She was confident, a good conversationalist, and often divulged a bit too much information than needed, which made for a rather entertaining evening. She was a pretty popular erotica writer, and though you haven’t had the chance to pick up any of her books yourself, you’ve heard it to be rather… raunchy.

The entire group was out at a fancy Chinese restaurant, and she had asked you to bring your ‘little boy toy’ as she had called Connor. 

You sat between him and Chandler, with Nora being on the other side, and Joey across from you. 

Soon after you arrived, Rachel and Paolo rushed in, looking disheveled. 

“Hi, sorry we’re late. We kinda lost track of time,” the brunette said, breathless. Paolo was kissing down her neck from behind her and you had to resist the urge to gag. Down the table, you could see Ross discretely fist the tablecloth so tight his knuckles turned white.

The two sat down, and the food arrived shortly after. You shared a dish with Connor, who placed a warm hand on your knee.

“Mrs. Bing, I have to tell you, I’ve read everything you’ve written!” said Rachel as she fed Paolo a prawn cracker. His tongue dragged down her hand and the rest of the group watched in disturbed, awkward silence. “I mean it! When I read Euphoria at Midnight, all I wanted to do was become a writer.”

“Please,” the blonde woman smiled at the compliment, “if I could do it, anybody can! You just start with half a dozen European cities, throw in thirty euphemisms for male genitalia, and bam! You’ve got yourself a book!”

From beside her, Chandler gagged around a soup dumpling, pounding his chest. “My mother, ladies and gentlemen,” he hacked out.

Amiable chatter filled the rest of the dinner—Phoebe was telling a story about a homeless man that once chased her in the street wearing a full-body chicken suit, Joey filled Nora in with his upcoming auditions, and you and Connor told the group about what you’ve been up to at work. 

Both Nora and Ross had excused themselves to go to the bathroom, and you looked to Joey with a soft smile.

“How are your auditions going, Jo? Do you need any help practicing your scenes? You know I always love doing those with you,” you said, pulling a small plate of wantons towards you. 

“Oh, no, it’s fine—they’re more solo acts than anything,” he reassured, before falling quiet once more.

It was your turn to choke on your noodles when Connor’s hand began inching up your thigh. Irrational panic cramped your insides. 

Concerned, Monica asked, “Are you okay, sweetie?”

“I, uh… need to go to the bathroom.” Abruptly, you stood up from your seat, face practically set aflame. Connor’s hand fell away from your leg, but he stood up as well. “No, uhm, I’ll just be a second—you can stay here.”

As you rushed to the back of the restaurant where the bathrooms were, you were driven further into a mess when you saw Ross and Chandler’s mom making out against the wall, making obscene, porn-like noises.

You were just about to turn and leave when you saw Joey right behind you, concerned gaze fixed on you. “I was just makin’ sure you were alright, you looked a little—” He cut himself off when he looked back and saw Ross and Nora. “Oh, my God!”

The two sprang away from each other, staring wide-eyed at you and Joey. 

“We’ll, uh… just go pee in the street!” you uttered in an abnormally squeaky tone, grabbing Joey’s arm and yanking him away from the bathrooms.

When you returned to the table, Connor smiled at you kindly, but there was a glimmer of apologetic worry behind his hazel irises. 

“That was quick,” he commented. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah—no. I don’t know,” you whispered, still a little shell-shocked.

Lowering his voice, he leaned closer to you. “Was it about me touching you? If it was, I’m really sorry, I shouldn’t have done that and I should’ve asked if you were comfortable with it first—”

“Oh, Connor, it’s fine! That wasn’t what I was worrying about, I promise.”

With a sigh of relief, Connor nodded. “You’ll tell me if something’s wrong, right?”

“Yeah,” you replied distantly, glancing towards Joey, who’d been boring holes into you the entire time since you got back. “Of course I will.”

Early the next morning, you knocked on Joey’s door, greeted by him wrapped in a bathrobe and his dark hair a disheveled mess.

“Hey,” you said with a warm smile. “I brought you some croissants from that bakery down the street.”

With a grin, he took the bag from you and inhaled deeply, groaning. “Thanks, Y/N, these smell amazing.”

“So, uh, about yesterday…”

You were about to bring up Ross and Nora, but Joey asked before you could, “Was Connor bothering you?”

The mention of your doe-eyed partner made you rear back in shock. “What? No! I mean… he did kinda touch me in a suggestive way and I was just surprised, was all. He’s really great, but…”

“But?”

“I don’t know! Being in a relationship is terrifying,” you huffed, leaning against his kitchen table.

There was a beat of silence. “You guys are in a relationship?”

“Well, we haven’t really made anything official, but I think we are,” you said.

“Oh.” Joey swallowed heavily. “Don’t worry about it too much, okay? Just do whatever makes you happy. I… we’ll always be here for you. I’m one of your best friends, remember?”

Worrying on your bottom lip, you quietly murmured, “Lately it just hasn’t been feeling that way.”

Joey’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?” 

“I mean—there’s like this sort of weird tension between us. Do you not like Connor or something? Or is it something that I did? Because you know I love you, Jo—I’d never do anything to hurt you on purpose.”

A troubled expression melded over his features. He shook his head. “You didn’t do anything—and Connor’s great for you! Nothing’s wrong, I promise. I’ve just been in a weird funk—but things are gonna go back to normal soon, I swear.”

“Oh, Jo,” you whispered, pushing off the table and stepping closer to him. Gently, you wrapped your arms around him in a warm embrace and he returned the hug immediately, resting his chin on your shoulder. “I care about you a lot, you know?”

Before he could respond, there was another knock at the door. You let go of him so Joey could answer it. 

Ross was standing behind, looking distraught.

“Oh, good, Y/N you’re here too. Is Chandler in there?” 

“Yeah, he’s sleeping,” replied Joey.

At the confirmation, Ross grabbed the two of you and yanked you out of the apartment, much to both of your dismay.

“Okay, about last night, you know,” Ross began, gesturing vaguely with his hands. “You guys didn’t tell Chandler, did you?”

With a sigh, both of you shook your heads. 

“Great, because I’m thinking… we don’t need to tell Chandler, right? It was just a kiss—just one kiss, it was no big deal. Right?”

“Right, no big deal,” said Joey. “In Bizarro-World!”

Disappointed, you prodded Ross in the shoulder, pointing an accusing finger at him. “You broke the code!”

“What code?”

“You don’t kiss your friend’s mom!” you said, a bit too loudly, which made Ross shush you with paranoid glances back to the apartment. 

Joey nodded his agreement. “Sisters are okay. Maybe a hot aunt, but moms? Never a mom! They’re off limits.”

It was then that the door swung open again, and Chandler appeared, yawning. 

“What’re you guys doin’ out here?” he asked as he bent down to pick up the newspaper on the doorstep. 

“Uh, the three of us had discussed getting in an early morning racquetball game!” squeaked Ross, before gesturing to Joey. “But apparently somebody overslept!”

“Yeah, well, you don’t have your racquet,” Joey shot back. 

Scratching the back of his neck, Ross nodded. “No, uh, no I don’t. It’s being restrung. Y/N was supposed to bring me one!”

You blinked in surprise. “Yeah, I, uhm, you forgot to call me yesterday and tell me what kind you wanted! So many different racquets to choose from, you know?”

Chandler rubbed his eyes sleepily. “You guys are spending way too much time together,” he quipped, before turning on his heel and heading back inside, closing the door behind him.

“I’m scum,” lamented Ross once Chandler was out of earshot.

“How could you do that to him?” you hissed lowly.

Ross threw his hands up. “I don’t know! It’s not like she’s a regular mom, you know? She’s sexy, she’s—”

“What, you don’t think my mom’s sexy?” asked Joey. 

“Well… sure, but in a different way.”

Joey scowled. “I’ll have you know, Gloria Tribbiani was a handsome woman in her day, alright? You think it’s easy giving birth to seven children?”

“I think your mom’s beautiful, Jo.”

“Why, thank you. See, no wonder she keeps saying you’re her favorite—”

Ross blew out a frustrated huff. “Alright, I think we’re getting a little off topic here.”

From the opposite side of the hall, the door swung open to reveal Rachel and a barely-dressed Paolo. 

“Hey, what’re you guys doing out here?” she asked, clearly in a chipper mood.

“Not playing racquetball,” you hummed in a glib tone, shooting Ross a dagger-sharp look.

A little confused, Rachel nodded, but didn’t care enough to ask more about it, leading Paolo out of the apartment and heading up the stairs to kiss him goodbye.

The three of you filed into Monica’s apartment. “Are you gonna tell him?” Joey asked. “You can’t just lie to him forever.”

“Why would I tell him?” asked Ross as he fished a carton of orange juice out of Monica’s fridge.

“Maybe because if you don’t, his mom might?” you chimed, cocking a brow. 

“Oh, God. Oh, man—you’re right. I have to tell him.”

With Chandler seated and Ross standing in front of him, you and Joey lingered in their kitchen as you listened in to their conversation. 

“You’re my best friend. I had to tell you,” said Ross, which made you roll your eyes. 

“I can’t believe it. I just can’t believe Paolo kissed my mom! I mean, I barely saw him leave Rachel’s side that night!” Chandler said in disbelief.

Joey crossed his arms and glared at Ross. Guilt welled up in your long-time friend’s face, and he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose with two fingers.

“Alright, no, I can’t do this. I was the one who kissed your mom. I’m sorry.”

Shocked, Chandler got to his feet. “What?” he asked, jaw unhinging. 

Stammering, Ross began to explain, “I was just really upset about Rachel and Paolo and I had too much tequila in my system and Nora—uhm, Mrs. Mom—I mean, your Bing, was… she was just being nice, you know? But nothing happened, I swear. Ask Y/N and Joey—”

Rounding on the two of you in the kitchen, Chandler asked incredulously, “You guys knew about this?”

“Uh… well, knowledge is a tricky thing,” Joey began to cough out.

“I spent the entire day with you!” gruffed Chandler. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Defensively, Joey retorted, “Hey, you’re lucky we caught them when we did, or else who knows what would’ve happened!”

“Not helping!” barked Ross.

A muscle jumped in Chandler’s jaw. “And you, Y/N? We spent the rest of that night together and you didn’t say a single word! Too busy making googly eyes at your boyfriend?”

“Don’t bring Connor into this,” you bristled, glaring knives into all three of them. “Listen, Chandler, I obviously wanted to tell you, but it wasn’t mine to tell. Ross had to own up to his mistakes and tell you himself.”

Lifting a finger, Ross said, “Mistake—as in, not plural. Just one. It was just one kiss—okay, I’ll shut up now.”

“I can’t believe this. What the hell were you thinking?” admonished Chandler. “Of all my friends, no one knows the crap I go through with my mom more than you. I can’t believe you!”

Despite Ross’ desperate attempts to get Chandler to hear him out, he turned tail and made his way out of the apartment, slamming the door on the way.

“See what happens when you break the code?” Joey huffed, before rushing out to catch up to Chandler. 

You sighed, slumping against the kitchen counter. 

“I’m sorry, Y/N,” Ross said, making his way to you.

“I shouldn’t be the one you’re apologizing to,” came your stout reply. You fixed Ross with a pointed look. “I know you’re hurting over Rachel right now, but that doesn’t excuse the fact that you’re hurting others, too. Give Chandler some time to mull it over, and then talk to him again. Okay?”

Ross pursed his lips. “Okay.” He slung an arm over you, pulling you into a side-hug. “Say, what were you doing with Joey so early in the morning?”

Your cheeks flushed with a surge of heat, and you ducked your head. “We had some things to talk about.”

Dubious, Ross narrowed his eyes, but didn’t say anything in response.

Later that night, you were sitting beside Connor, who was engaged in a lively conversation with Joey—something about how waffles were really just the ugly, older sister of pancakes. You were glad to see them finally getting along, despite the initial awkward stage.

Chandler walked in, sinking into the empty spot beside Connor, asking him how he was doing.

When Ross opened his mouth to speak, Chandler held up a finger. “I was asking Connor, not you, mother-kisser.”

Much to Ross’ dismay, Joey burst out into raucous laughter, which left Connor confused.

“I’m doing great,” your boyfriend replied, evidently puzzled. “How about you?”

Before Chandler had the chance to reply, Ross sat up straight. “Can I just say something? I know you’re still mad at me, I just wanna say that there were two people there that night, okay? There were two sets of lips!”

“What’s going on?” Connor dipped forward to whisper into your ear. The smile melted off of Joey’s face. 

You twisted to mumble back, “Ross kissed Chandler’s mom.”

Connor’s eyes widened, and he nodded in understanding before settling back to watch the two hash it out.

“Yes, well, I expected this from her, okay?” retorted Chandler. “She’s always been a Freudian nightmare.”

“If she always behaves like this, why don’t you say something?” Ross postulated. 

“Because it’s complicated! It’s complex! Hey, you kissed my mom!” Chandler exclaimed loudly, which made some of the other people in the cafe stop and stare at the two. You sank lower into your seat.

Placing a hand on Chandler’s chest, Ross said, “Hey, you have every right to be angry at me and I’m still really sorry. But you’re not gonna talk to her at all and tell her how you feel about all this?”

“Look, just because you played tonsil tennis with my mom doesn’t mean you know her!”

“I might not, but I still think you need to let her know that you’re upset with her, Chandler.” 

Chandler’s face hardened as he considered Ross’ words. With a stiff nod, he stepped away from the taller man, waving goodbye to the three of you on the couches, before heading out to presumably talk to his mother.

“Well,” you said, rubbing your hands together. “I think that’s my cue to head back home.”

“Let me walk you home,” said Connor, gently grasping your chin between his thumb and forefinger before dipping forward to kiss you, all soft and sweet. You pulled away to press another quick kiss to his cheek, then swiftly got up from the couches, his hand intertwined with yours. 

Ross watched as Joey barely said goodbye to you and Connor, his expression tight and closed-off.

When both you and Connor were long gone, Ross turned to Joey.

“You’re in love with Y/N, aren’t you?” he asked quietly.

Joey’s head snapped up so quickly that it was a wonder he didn’t get whiplash. His eyes widened a fraction. “What?”

“You are,” said Ross. “I can see it in your face. It’s written all over you.”

The Italian shook his head vehemently. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Y/N’s my best friend.”

“Yeah, sure. One that you’re in love with!”

“Well, how would you know, huh?” Joey crossed his arms, panic coiling within his gut. 

Exhaling, Ross lowered his voice, muttering out, “Because that’s how I look at Rachel… and that’s how I feel when I see Rachel with Paolo.”

A second of silence passed before Joey cuffed Ross on the shoulder, laughing. “You’re a funny guy, Ross. Just because you’ve gone and fallen in love with Rachel doesn’t mean Y/N and I are the same. You got it all wrong—Y/N’s like my sibling, if anything!” 

“You sure?” 

Joey sank his teeth into his bottom lip. “Positive.”

Ross couldn’t tell if his friend was telling the truth, or if he was just a really good actor.

[super-unpredictable98]

Prank Wars | Back to 15 (De Volta aos 15)

Word count: 1,7k

Pairing: Fabrício X OC

Warning: Strong language, mention of (fake) blood

A/n: Hello everyone! As many of you know, this blog is going through a transition period. As the end of The Eighth Child nears (hopefully very soon with the last chapter), I'm starting to write for other fandoms I care about. A reimagining of Hard Candy is in the works with another AU and other fics are also coming for my second blog (my David Tennant blog lol). This is one of the fandoms I'll be working with from now on and I encourage you all to watch Back to 15 on Netflix if you haven't yet. Thank you so much to @jozstankovich for writing this fun piece with me and being my fandom buddy once again. Oh and I know Halloween is gone, but I was only able to get around to it now, so I hope you all enjoy it!

[Masterlist]

"Okay, Carol, Anita... GO!" Lydia said, closing her eyes tightly as she stood next to the shower in a pink dress and brand new ginger hair.

"Are you sure?" Carol asked, hesitantly. "This dress will never be the same."

"It'll be way cooler, just go!" Bruna growled.  

Anita and Carol then started pouring two buckets of fake blood on Lydia while she laughed a little and tried to get it all over herself.

"Here," Camila chuckled, placing a cheap plastic crown on her head. "Prom queen."

"Knock knock! You guys in there?" Fabrício called, pushing open the door to República das Imperatrizes and stepping inside. "Lyds, are you ready?" he exclaimed, checking his phone before slipping it in the back pocket of his faux leather pants.

"She's ready!" Camila came out of the bathroom giggling with fake blood on her fingers.

"Hey, baby!" Lydia came out leaving a trail behind her (which Rafa would most definitely make her clean in the morning). Her eyes were still closed, but when she opened them, she grimaced at the sight of her boyfriend's costume. "What are you wearing?"

"What am I wearing? What are you wearing?" Fabrício scoffed, his brows knitting in confusion. "I thought you were supposed to be that chick with the huge--" he trailed off, making off a huge boob motion with his hands.

"I said Carrie and Tommy!" Lydia laughed. "Oh please tell me you didn't actually dye your hair black," she came closer and started analyzing his look.

He wore black faux leather pants and a white wifebeater, big chain, double grommet belt, sunglasses, black hair, dangling earrings, and some drawn on tattoos. "Tommy Ross! Not Tommy Lee!" She laughed harder.

"How was I supposed to know?" Fabrício exclaimed, frowning petulantly, jerking his chin away from Lydia's amused gaze. "And yeah! It's only semi-permanent though," he muttered, running a hand through his hair.

"It's fine, the girls are getting ready, we should get to República Tcheca if we don't wanna miss the party," Lydia chuckled. "Did you bring the car? This blood doesn't stain, it's mostly dry."

"It better not, or you're cleaning it up on your own," he huffed, though he smirked at her. "It's kinda scary how hot you look covered in blood," he chuckled, taking her hand to head outside.

"You look pretty hot yourself," Lydia stood by the door, waiting for him to open for her. "We shouldn't drink too much tonight, I'd like to remember what we do."

"Aw, alright, just enough for a little buzz," he agreed, pulling open the door for her. As she settled in her seat, he slipped in as well, making the short drive back to República Tcheca.

"Just a couple beers then," she grabbed his arm, laying on his shoulder while he drove. "You know, I really didn't think about the practicality of having some alone fun after the party with this bloody costume."

Fabrício smirked, glancing down at Lyds. “I don’t mind getting a little dirty,” he teased, pulling into the drive and parking.

"I have to admit this costume looks a million times better on you than the one I had in mind," Lydia stole a kiss from him. "Let's go inside."

"See, I knew what I was doing," he teased, slinging an arm around her shoulders as they headed into the midst of the party.

As soon as the door opened, the music surrounded them and Fabrício nodded to his friends, grinning.

"You want something to drink?" He asked Lyds, leaning in so she could hear him over the music.

"Make a caipirinha for me, babe?" She smiled, waving at the other boys in the fraternity. "I'm going to your room, okay?"

"Comin' right up," Fabrício said, pressing a quick kiss to her cheek before heading to the kitchen. Grabbing a red plastic cup, he made Lydia's cocktail, smirking as he added an extra special ingredient.

"She's gunna kill you, you know that right?" Joel said, watching him slip the little rubber rat into the cup, his brows climbing.

"Yeah, but it'll be worth it," Fabrício laughed, pouring himself a beer from the keg's spigot.

"You say that now..." Joel murmured, shaking his head, but Fabrício was already on his way to his bedroom with the drinks.

Lydia was waiting, trying to find the sexiest pose she could be in when he walked through the door. She kept moving around in his bed until she heard the door opening and settled on one of the poses.

"Hey, sweetie," she smiled, taking the cup. She initially didn't notice anything strange, but when she started drinking, she felt the creature hit her lips. When she pulled away to look, she screamed and threw the whole thing away.

Fabrício nearly fell over laughing. "Oh, I got you good!" he exclaimed.

"GO FUCK YOURSELF! Dickhead, you're such an asshole! How old are you? Five?" She gave him a shove to get out of the room.

"Whoa! Whoa, Lyds wait!" He exclaimed, hurrying after her. "It was just a fake rat! It wasn't real!" He cried.

"I know, but you know I'm scared of rats!" She cried as she marched back to his car. "Go back inside, I wanna be on my own!"

"Oh c'mon, it was just a stupid Halloween prank," Fabrício groaned.  "Lemme make it up to you," he said, pleading her with his eyes, his hands clasped together in front of him.

"How do you wanna do that?" Lydia folded her arms, tapping her foot on the pavement and trying to resist his cute puppy face.

Damn it... when he was like that, he looked exactly like he did as a little boy and he was the most adorable little boy in the history of Minas Gerais.

"I have my ways," he murmured, moving in closer, a hopeful grin tugging at his lips.

"Stop looking at me like that, you don't have the baby fat to make me melt anymore," she teased. "Without those round cheeks, you're no longer cute!" She lied.

Fabrício only pouted deeper, slipping closer, knowing she was lying. "You sure about that?" He teased.

"Hmmm yeah," she turned her face away in a petulant manner. "You were way cuter with that baby fat."

"Oh, I see how it is," he chuckled, holding his hands up. "I guess I'll just go back inside then, and leave you here all alone," he sighed, hoping she wouldn't actually let him walk away.

"No, wait!" Lydia groaned. "You are still cute..." she mumbled.

"Aha!" Fabrício laughed, pulling her into his arms. "I'm sorry about the stupid fake rat, okay? I didn't think you'd get this upset," he murmured, kissing her forehead and then her cheek and then the tip of her nose.

"Alright, this time, I'm gonna forgive you... if you make me another drink, a proper one," she smiled.

"Deal!" He replied, grinning widely before leading her back toward the house, his arm wrapped around her waist. "Wanna watch me make it this time?"

"Nah, I trust you," she kissed him quickly before rushing to his room. She had a plan to get him back. She used his old laptop and the printer every guy in the fraternity used to print their essays. She got a picture of the girl from The Ring with a black background and stuck it to the outside of his window, just in the corner, as if she was watching.

"One caipirinha for you, babe!" Fabrício exclaimed, holding up two cups as he pushed the door open with his shoulder, finding Lydia waiting for him on the bed.

"Thank you, sweetie," she took the cup. "Hmm you're the best bartender ever. Are you sure you wanna stay in law school?"

"Course, I can't make as much bartending. Just means you get my talents all to yourself," he said, plopping down next to her on the bed and taking a sip of his own drink.

"You should think of bartending part-time though, now that Cabra told me you quit the copy room again!" Lydia laughed, lying against the window.

"Ugh, he told you that?" Fabrício groaned. "Yeah, maybe it wouldn't hurt," he murmured, looking up at his girlfriend and frowning, noticing something dark on the window behind her.

"He did, it's the fifth time this month, your dad won't keep sending you money if you- what?" She asked, faking concern when she noticed the look on his face.

"Uh, I dunno, it's probably nothing," he said, shaking his head.

"Really? You looked like you've seen a ghost," she chuckled, still pretending to be wary.

When Lydia shifted slightly, tilting her head in concern, Fabrício gaze shifted fully to the window and he jerked back with a shout, nearly falling backwards off the bed, his heart leaping into his throat.

"What?" Lydia tried not to laugh, taking him in her arms. "What's wrong?"

"Don't see that?" He exclaimed, scrambling to his feet, his eyes wide as he stared at the window, his fear suddenly dropping off as he realized what it was. "Is that Samara?" he asked, frowning as he squinted at the photo taped to the window.

"Happy Halloween, my love," Lydia kissed his cheek.

"Okay, that's fair," he chuckled, turning to catch her lips.

"I just had to get you back cause there's caipirinha all over my dress along with the blood, but... you're a cutie," she said in between kisses.

"Nah, you're the cute one," he murmured, his hand squeezing her hip.

"Hmm I love how soft you are when we're alone..." she chuckled softly. "So so soft and whipped."

He groaned, pulling back to shake his head softly at her. "Yeah yeah, only for you," he sighed, grinning at her.

"Maybe before we get our private fun time... we could... get some of the others? I know for a fact your sister is terrified of spiders, we could steal one from the decorations, and slip it in her hair," Lydia laughed.

"Oooo, you're truly evil, I'm impressed," Fabrício chuckled, a mischievous grin stretching across his face. "Let's do it!"

[mayasdeluca]

You pretty much said everything I was going to say about the trailer. I think it does look like their bedroom and yes I spotted the bassinet behind Maya. Andy being kind of a hot head, Maya would never. I think the biggest difference from Capt. Maya to Capt. Andy is that Maya did the job at the risk of losing friends but as Ross said Andy still has a foot in the locker room. Also I think Maya in her class As was just a flashback to that scene Andy memorialized Pruitt.

People are starting to convince me that it is their bedroom, I think I'm just not used to seeing that angle of it lol. But it's definitely their bed so that's why I was thrown off. But yes seems like the baby is definitely already with them at that point and could possibly be in between them in the scene. ❤️

Yes it seems like Andy is much more impulsive as Captain from what we've seen so far...and somehow she still gets away with doing the most while Maya got punished for literally saving a life. But I do hope they actually show Andy struggling being a leader and it's not just sunshine and rainbows for her because that would be so boring. It's bad enough they had to completely eliminate every other character out of contention for the job in order for her to get it, her captaincy shouldn't be a walk in the park also.

Are you sure? Because it seems like in that same scene Theo is in the background behind them and he's not in Class A's...which is interesting. I'm wondering why she's doing that kind of speech though.

[komotionlessqueenmm]

Imagine # 1,015

Gif NOT mine.

If this gif is yours (or you know who's it is) please let me, so I can give you/them credit.

Gif credit goes to - @theliesmithsgifsets (Unless told otherwise.)

Year posted - 2022

Tags - @80s4life - @wafners-eternity-serum

"Seriously (Y/n), how the hell do you get any sleep at night?" Christmas asked before sipping his beer, the woman in question chuckled softly into her own drink. "He snores like a fucking bear." Ross added, making Gunner roll his eyes, despite the grin on his face. "Who said anything about sleeping?" Gunner mused suggestively, his hand beneath the table giving (Y/n)'s thigh a playful squeeze. "Didn't you say something about only lasting ten seconds?" Caesar taunted the Sweed, who scoffed angrily at him. "If Gunner only lasted ten seconds, then I would have time to work on my projects." (Y/n) cut in before winking to her lover. "But considering none of my projects have been touched in literal weeks, that is most definitely not the case. Seriously it's a wonder I can walk straight." (Y/n) snorted at the groans emitting from the others, and totally relishing in the smirk on Gunners face. "But to answer your question Christmas, I wear headphones to bed." Christmas and Ross both snorted in response to her words. "Otherwise I would have killed him ages ago." (Y/n) teased, before pecking Gunners pouting cheek. "I've been tempted a few times." Ross hummed before sipping his beer. "I don't snore that loud." Gunner huffed, now entirely fed up with the teasing. "You rattle the fucking walls." Caesar sassed, making everyone but (Y/n) and Gunnar laugh.

---Later at home---

"Do you really have to sleep with headphones because of me?" Gunner asked in a soft tone as he joined (Y/n) in bed. "Oh baby." (Y/n) sighed softly as she scooted closer to him, resting her head against his solid chest. "I don't wear them because of you honey, I've just always listened to music when I sleep, and I never wanted to bother you with it, so I wear my headphones." (Y/n) tilted her head up to look at him, smiling softly at the confusion in his eyes. "Why would your music ever bother me?" Gunner asked with a slight tilt of his head. "Well most people can't sleep with music playing." (Y/n) shrugged, tangling her fingers with Gunners larger ones. "Well I've slept through much worse Princess." He squeezed her hand a little. "So no headphones tonight?" He asked. "Are you sure Gun?" (Y/n) sat up to look into his eyes properly. "Yeah of course." He nodded his head. "And if your snoring starts to bother me?" (Y/n) asked playfully, snickering when Gunner rolled his eyes. "Then wake me up, so I can exhaust you to the point where you'll sleep through a hurricane." He sassed with a grin, pulling her more firmly against his body. "Oh really?" (Y/n) hummed as she turned to straddle Gunners hips. "On second thought, why don't I just exhaust you now?" Gunner mused with a grin, his eyes sparkling when (Y/n) not so subtlety grinded against him. "Maybe." She whispered with a smirk, giggling when Gunner kissed her hungrily.

*I personally have always slept with music playing, so I have to use headphones sometimes. Anyways Gunners snoring in the second movie, had me cackling all over again, and this little story blossomed from that. Hope you enjoyed! 💚

(Update : I realized I spelled his fucking name wrong again! Fuck I keep doing that! *Aggressively facepalms* Maybe one day I'll remember it's ar and not er.)

[omnidemidisaster]

Hatzgang + Spookeez fluff

I cant help it. ENEMIES TO HOMIES TROPE SOMETIMES JUST MAKE ME GO 😩. Also newgrounds references because I love that

"Candy"

Skid and Pump gleefully walked out of the Candy Club shop, holding two giant candy cans with delight. They began to walk to the graveyard when they turned a corner and heard some sniffling.

"Who's crying?" Skid asked Pump. Pump shrugged his shoulder. "Wanna go find out?" Pump asked, instantly getting pulled by the sleeve to go investigate.

They ended finding an ally with 3 figures where the sniffling became much more louder. Skid and Pump walked down the ally, oblivious to any dangers if there was any. They ended up seeing Roy, Ross and Robert on the ground, Ross and Robert trying to comfort a crying Roy.

"Oh- Hey dudes..." Ross greeted, barely looking away from his crying friend. "Is he okay?" Skid asked. He may not like Roy, but he isn't cold hearted. "Dont know, he won't say anything. He just wants us here for 'im" Robert explained.

Roy just continued to weep. Skid all of a sudden reaches in his candy can, pulls out a handful of sweets, and taps Roy on his leg. Roy looked up, wiping his eyes to be able to see, and saw a concerned Skid holding out candy to him.

Roy sat there shocked in silence. Didn't he hate him? Surely Skid would of ever since he hit them and stole from them. But here he is, holding out candy to him in an attempt to cheer him up.

Roy shakily took some of the candy off Skid's small hands. "T-Thanks I guess..." Roy mumbled out. Ross looked a little surprised. "Dude, he hasn't said a word to us for the past 10 minute" Ross commented.

Skid and Pump both sat in front of him. "Is he gonna be okay?" Pump asked. "Eventually" Robert responded. Roy started to eat some of the candy slowly. Robert noticed Roy's tears were drying and lessening.

"Hey, you feelin better?" Robert asked, his voice being breathy and softly. He sounded like he was trying to comfort a small child. Roy nodded, just eating the candy. Ross looked over at the two kids. "I guess you both calmed him down" Ross said.

The two kids looked happy to have stopped someone from crying. Roy repositioned his sitting position and put one of his hands on Skids head, softly petting him. Skid laughed a little as Roy pet his head.

"So, how ya feeling?" Robert asked Roy, hoping to finally get something out of him. "Better..." Robert smiled at that response. "That's good! Is it okay if you tell us what happened?" Roy looked down and shuddered. "Not in front of the kids but...its uh...you know..." Roy mumbled out.

Ross instantly caught on. "Oh shoot..." Skid and Pump looked confused. Robert moved closer to the kids. "Let's just say, his uncle is a very bad bully" Robert tried to explain to the innocent and obvious children.

"O-Oh. A bully?" Skid asked. "I don't wanna get hurt by a bully" Pump shakily said. Robert laughed a little, then picked them both up in his lap and held them.

"Well as long as your with us, we swear nothing will hurt you. Understand?" Skid and Pump nodded with a 'Mhm'. Ross looked over at the two boys on Robert's lap. "Heh, you were always better with kids" Ross compliment. "Its not my fault that you have social anxiety and the baby" Robert teased.

"I want you to look at me and listen to my voice and call me a baby again" Robert laughed at Ross's defensive words. "I ain't gotta see your face to tell your the baby. Your practically born with that baby face TM"

Roy started to laugh at their playful banter. Robert, Ross, and the two spooky boys looked at Roy, who was now laughing. "You two are so stupid" Roy chuckled out. Ross smiled. "Well, he's definitely feeling better" Ross commented.

"So, did we help him?" Skid asked Pump. "I think you both did" Ross said. Skid and Pump high fived each other. Roy suddenly got up, knocking both Ross and Robert unbalanced. "Cmon, I wanna go to that burger joint. I haven't eaten since breakfast"

"Since breakfast...Its 8pm right now!" Robert yelled. "Kay? How about we get some food?" Roy reinforced. "You both hungry?" Robert asked the two boys, still in his lap.

"Yea!" Robert lifted the two kids off his lap and stood up. As the 5 boys walked to the burger joint, Roy stopped, and took Skid and Pump behind him. Ross looked at him confused.

"You both go ahead, I gotta do something real quick" Roy said. He knelt in front of the two kids and hugged them.

"Thank you" Roy said, tightening his grip on the two. Skid and Pump were confused, yet happily hugged back.

"Yo! Roy, you still coming?" Robert yelled over at Roy. "Yea yeah, I'm coming" Roy yelled back. He picked Skid and put him on his shoulders while he held Pump in his arms. Skid grabbed onto Roy so he wouldn't fall off.

Bonus!

"So, what did you get in your box?" Skid asked Pump. "Oh! I got Steve! Who did you get?" Pump asked, holding the black and white army toy. "I think I got...Hominid" Skid asked himself, squinting to read the packaging.

"Yo! I think I have that one too!" Robert chirps in, looking at the toy. "I have that one and the one last year when it was released in rainbow" Skid looked at Robert with near stars in his eyes. "Woaah!"

Ross laughed at the 3. "Like I said, better with kids" Ross joked out, earning a punch on his shoulder from Robert. "Eh, its cute though. I'm surprised he wants to work in a floral shop instead of being a teacher or something. I feel like being with kids as a job would be heaven" Roy said, taking a huge sip of his milkshake.

"Same honestly. He seems like he would work with kids as a job but whatever makes him happy. What do you wanna do?" Ross asked Roy. "Eh, probably gonna end up working in an office or something. Never really thought of it" Roy shrugged. Ross sighed and looked back at the three.

Robert was now in the middle of the kids showing the boys something on his phone, clearly interesting the kids as they looked star struck and charmed. "Thats so cool Rob!" Pump yelled out. "I know right!"

Roy smiled and took another bite of his burger, just watching Robert mesmerizing the boys with something he doesn't see. Meanwhile Ross hummed to the music that played in the restaurant and drummed his fingers, clearly enjoying the food and his surroundings.

God he was glad he had these people in his life.

[crowdedimagines]

Worse Days - Aaron Hotchner

The faint dripping of water pulls me back to reality. The same sploosh happening over and over. Minute after minute. I pull my eyes open blinking, forcing them to focus. The swaying back and forth, left to right, doesn’t help ease the dizziness I feel.

“Looks like your girl is finally up.”

I look around, searching for the source of the voice.

“Wake up, sunshine!” He finally sits in front of me, taking my head in his hand. His fingers are coarse and strong. He forces me to look him in the eyes, his grip tight on my cheeks. He tilts my head to the tripod over his shoulder. The red light on the camera blinks back at me.

“Smile for the camera.”

This is not at all how today was supposed to go…

Twenty-Two Hours Ago.

“Alright, we’re looking at four women, murdered and found on the beach in Miami. All from different classes and backgrounds, but similar age groups” JJ hands us each our files.

“He takes them for three days, before brutally dismembering them. The morning of the fourth day, the woman is always found.”

“He takes risks. Each of these women were taken from high traffic areas.” I comment.

“There’s more.” Garcia suddenly takes over.

“He also sends a live feed to the family of the victim.” She reluctantly pulls it up on the TV, a live feed of the women pleading for their lives. Saying their goodbyes.

“He’s definitely a sexual sadist. He finds pleasure in knowing that families are watching their loved ones last moments.” I clear my throat, pulling my eyes away from the screen.

“That’s what he gets off on.” Derek agrees. “He likes knowing that there’s people in distress on the other end of the camera.”

“Wheels up in thirty.” Hotchner simply says before excusing us all.

As soon as we land we start the process to find the unsub. It begins with all of us splitting up and going to the scenes where the bodies were found. All of them were ditched on the beach, early morning before anyone was out.

We get nothing from the populated beaches other than sand in our shoes.

We sit down and look at the profile and determine the man is bold and try to analyze the footage we have from the previous victims. Penelope is trying to find any identifying marks from the videos to see where they come from. Based on the way he treats the bodies, we’ve determined he’s likely a white male in his early thirties. 

“It looks like they’re on a boat.” I say, we’ve been watching the videos on an endless loop. Trying to catch any new details. 

“The camera is steady.” Morgan argues, looking at the TV now too.

“But look at her hair, it’s moving when she’s not. It’s like the rocking of a boat.”

“It’s possible considering he’s ditching them on the beach.” Reid comments. 

“That’s why no one sees him dragging a body all across the beach. He already had them on a boat.” Ross puzzles together. 

“The most recent body was found this morning, that means he’s going to take his next victim tonight.” Morgan says.

“We should visit where each of the women were taken. Try and get an understanding of how he was able to do so in such populated areas.” Hoctchner announces, “Prentiss and Morgan, go to the grocery store where Hannah Lane was taken, Y/n and Spencer, go to the parking garage where Amy Bryant was abducted and Rossi and I will go to the last two locations.”

We all nod and go off in our separate directions. Spencer and I get in the car and drive to the parking garage where Amy was taken. We drive around until we reach the second level and get out.

“Even for a parking garage, it’s bold. It’s packed with cars on this level. Anyone could show up at any time.” I look around.

“You’re right, they could.” A voice calls out behind me before everything goes dark.

Present time.

“Morgan, you owe me twenty bucks. I told you it was a boat.” I stretch out my neck that has a kink from hanging loosely while sitting up in the chair for so long. It feels heavy, like I’ve been in this position a long time.

The man in front of me rolls his eyes, huffing loudly.

“You picked the wrong girl if you were counting on me melting like puddy in your hands. You forget that I know exactly what you want. You want the tears and the begging.”

“Trust me. You’ll get to that point.” He smirks. “They all do.”

He leaves the room, loudly pulling the door shut behind him as he goes.

“I promise, it’s not as bad as it looks.” I plead with the camera, knowing that my team is on the other side of it. I can only imagine what they’re all feeling. We’ve had close calls with team members, it’s not any easier to be in their position right now. You feel helpless. 

“Definitely on a boat, but I think we’re just at a marina or a pier. I can hear seagulls, we aren’t rocking that much.”

I lean forward as best as I can while still being tied to a chair. There’s a small window along the ceiling allowing me to see blue skies.

“It might be a ship. I’m above sea level, I can see the sky.” I try to give the team as much information as I can possibly gather. Anything could help.

“Sorry that’s about all I have right now to help.” I look around the bare room for any other details that could help, “I think I have a concussion, and maybe a cracked rib. I can’t take a deep breath.”

Suddenly the man comes back in, just as quickly as he left, he takes the camera in his hands.

“That’s all of your Y/n time today. You should get to trying to find me, because I am going to have a lot of fun in the meantime.”

Back with the team at the Miami police department...

The feed cuts out leaving the team in silence and shock.

“There’s nothing we could’ve done. We couldn’t have known-”

“We could have waited.

Spencer looks down at the ice pack in his lap. As if the guilt wasn’t eating away at him enough before. He also received a concussion. Only he woke up on the ground, relatively nothing compared to the person he was sent out with.

“There was no way for us to know that the unsub was going to come back to visit the last scene of the crime.” Emily defends. She can see the pure anger in Aaron’s eyes. Completely unwavering, and only focused on getting Y/n back to the team.

“But that’s the thing. He wouldn’t, that’s not in his MO. He moves on to his next target. Once he kills these women he feels nothing, it’s all in the buildup, he feels nothing at the scene of the crime.” Rossi says, thinking out loud.

“Y/n helped JJ talk to the press. The unsub could have seen her then. It’s likely that he would follow the case, especially once it was announced that the FBI had joined the case.” Spencer rapidly explains.

“She’s the right age, she fits his type.” Rossi nods.

“So, he sees her as more of a challenge. He’s escalated. He knows that she is a higher risk person to take.” Emily comments. 

“Y/n, said she’s on a boat.” Morgan says, bringing up the clue that Y/n gave them before the feed cut out. 

“We’re in southern Florida, there’s thousands of boats within just a hundred miles of us.” JJ sighs, looking around to the group around her.

“Four thousand, seven hundred and fifty-two within 75 miles of here.” Spencer pipes up.

Hotchner cuts him a look. Still trying to find anyone to blame, but himself. He’s the one who sent her in to that parking garage. 

“Garcia, can you locate her based on the feed the unsub has sent us?” Aaron asks, looking at the plain black screen, hoping to see it come back on so he can see the girl behind the camera. 

“No sir, he’s using a different routing server, just like he did with all of his previous victims.”

“Y/n is not a victim.”

---

It takes some time while the team continues to try and work out locations and who the unsub could even be. He wasn’t afraid to show his face on camera, which makes things a little more difficult. He has no record, making Garcia’s life a little harder. 

The TV in the conference room lets out a crackle before the familiar room comes into their view. Everyone sets down what they had been working on and halts all conversation. It’s been several hours since we’ve seen anything from him. Y/n has been gone for eleven hours at this point.

“Welcome back to the show!” The unsub grins. 

He moves out of the way to finally put Y/n in the frame. She’s hunched over, she doesn’t look as good as she did before. It’s evident that things have changed off camera. 

“His name is Nick.” Y/n mutters, picking up her head as best as she can. “He’s five ten and approximately a hundred ninety pounds.” 

“Don’t you learn to shut up?” Nick pulls back on the hair at the back of her head. In doing so it reveals new bruises that have taken home on her. 

“Baby, we talked about this. No more sharing with them, or else you know what happens.” Nick brushes her hair out of her face now. 

“This is his dads boat.” Y/n looks at the man who has taken her with spite in her eyes. It seems in his hours spent with her, he hasn’t learned that Y/n doesn’t like to be told what to do. And that she’s tougher than she looks. 

He lands a sharp fist into the side of her head and takes a step back. He lets himself take a deep breath, trying to gain control. He doesn’t want to kill her yet, that would be over too soon. Now he can step closer again, he lets one hand wrap around her throat, halting any oxygen of reaching her lungs.

He waits for Y/n to start to struggle in her chair before he lets up. 

“You just don’t like to learn, that’s okay. I’ll fix you.” Nick takes her hand, which is still tied to the arms of the chair she’s sat in. He pulls her pointer finger with care, before sharply pushing it straight up, breaking it. 

“Garcia-” Y/n picks up her head struggling to fight against his hands, she’s coughing now still trying to gain her breath back, “You don’t need to see this. Please. Turn it off.”

“Of course, Y/n is the one being tortured and she’s worried about other people.” Morgan turns away, himself unable to watch this continue. Listening to Y/n’s screams and shouts are going to be enough to stick with him. Rossi forces himself to watch the girl he’s grown so close to since joining the team, brutally tortured in front of him. 

Everyone on this team has love for this girl. She’s managed to worm her way into everyone’s life in some way or another. Y/n always knows exactly what each person needs, and she meets it. She holds the team together when they’re all falling apart. If anything were to happen to her, it would destroy them all. 

Especially Aaron. As reluctant as he would be to admit it, this girl has wormed her way into his heart. Different to everyone else on the team, though. He saw her beauty and kindness. It was hard to him to imagine a woman ever entering his life like Haley did, but Y/n did it with such grace, and without even trying. Y/n helped him out with Jack when he needed it, and made them meals when Aaron just needed to catch a break. She didn’t even need a thank you, it was just part of her.

Without even trying, Y/n became his person and all he can think now is that he never got the chance to tell her, never even got the chance to thank her, and that he won’t let happen.  He wants to see Y/n’s face in person, not bruised and bloody through the screen on the wall. He needs to get out to save her.

“Garcia, does that help you narrow your search.” Hotchner asks their tech who is still on speaker. 

“We’ve got twenty-two Nicks with boats in the Miami area.” She explains. 

“What about Nicks who have wealthy fathers? Or boats that weren’t originally in their name.” Spencer asks. 

“That leaves me with one. Nick Hoffman.” Garcia cheers, “Sunset Harbour on 1928 Sunset Harbour Drive” 

The team takes off without a second thought, quickly trying to save their girl. They manage to get there in record time and find the boat with success. Y/n was right, it’s more like a ship with its size. 

“Morgan, Rossi, work your way around the main levels and then below. Emily and I will lead the upper level.” 

The team takes off to clear the boat. It took a few empty rooms until Emily finally opens the door to where they are. Nick holds a knife to Y/n’s throat. He’s essentially using her as a shield, ducking behind her. 

“If you take one more step in here, I will slit her throat.” Nick shouts. 

“We don’t want that to happen.” Emily negotiates, Hotch finally stepping into the room. 

“Hey! I told you guys not to move!” He presses the blade down tight against Y/n’s neck while she lets out a shudder. 

“Let her go.” Hotch declares. 

“I want a deal.” Nick grovels. 

“Men like you don’t get deals.” Emily says, her eyes trained on him and all of his movements. 

“Not even for your precious Y/n’s life?” He grins, looking down at the girl below him now. 

“Go to hell.” She mutters as best she can., 

“Maybe killing you would be worth it.” He smirks, “Then we could go out together.” 

“I’ve got better plans.” Y/n throws her head back into Nick’s disorienting him enough that Hotch has a clear shot, and he takes it. Nick’s body falls and Emily kicks his knife out of reach.

“Get me out of this chair.” Y/n shakes, squirming to get out of the spot she’s been constrained to. “Get me out of here, please.” 

Hotch and Emily both holster their weapons and rush to help her. They quickly untie her and when her legs fail her, Hotch scoops her up. He quickly walks her down the stairs and doesn’t stop once he reaches the dock, he takes her all the way up to the ambulance. 

Without hesitation, Hotch gets in with her. There isn’t anything that could keep him from leaving her now. 

“Wow, that was a dramatic ending, huh?” Y/n grins. 

“You can’t seriously be cracking jokes about this now.” He sighs. 

“I mean come on, aren’t you going to even ask how I figured out his name was Nick? I figured it out when he ow-” 

Y/n cuts herself off when the paramedic starts feeling her ribs to see which are cracked and if any are broken.

“Y/n, we can talk about this later.” Aaron smiles. 

“Am I hallucinating? Is it the lack of oxygen, because you’re smiling.” Y/n comments, finally turning to look at her boss who has a smile that she knows he saves for Jack. 

“You’re back. That’s reason to smile.” 

They make it to the hospital to find out that Y/n has a concussion, one broken rib and three cracked ribs, and one broken finger. Not to mention the trauma to the trachea. 

“The gangs all here.” Y/n smiles, noticing Garcia has flown down to join the group. Everyone has been gathered in the room since everything settled down, “What are you doing here?” 

“Y/n, you were kidnapped.” Garcia states, still in shock, “You could’ve died.” 

Tears fill Penelope’s eyes and Y/n opens her arms from her hospital bed for a hug, which she easily accepts. 

“Ehh, I knew you guys would find me.” Y/n grins. “I’m fine Pen, I’m getting discharged in the morning and we can all go home.” 

“Yes, speaking of, we should all get some rest. Especially Y/n.”

Slowly, the rest of the team clears out, giving hugs on their way. 

“Not taking your own orders?” Y/n asks, noticing her boss making himself comfortable on the small couch in her hospital room. 

“I don’t think I could leave if I tried.” Aaron admits. 

“And why’s that?” Y/n asks, carefully turning to lay on her side to face him. 

“Because I love you.” He confesses, “I have for a while now, and it’s alright if you don’t feel the same, or if my position with this team makes you uncomfortable. I just don’t think I can go any longer without you at least knowing.”

“You love me?” Y/n asks, her voice cracking. Aaron finally has the courage to look over and she has tears in her eyes. 

“Yes.” He clears his throat, “The way you have become a part of my life, and Jack’s for that matter. You bring so much light with you everywhere you go, even after a day like you’ve had today. You manage to still be the brightest person I have ever met.”

“Please don’t make me get out of bed to kiss you, because I think I would crack another rib.” Y/n sighs. 

Hotch lets out a soft chuckle before getting up from his spot. 

“Only if you promise to go to bed after this, you need rest.” 

“Promise.” 

He leans down to connect their lips, it’s soft. Y/n can tell that he’s being gentle with her. She reaches up a hand to thread them through Aaron’s short hair, using it to her advantage to hold him there and pull him a little closer. They pull away eventually, Y/n stealing one more peck before fully letting go of him.

“Ok, maybe I’ve had worse days.” 

---

AHHHHHH my first time writing for criminal minds! i hope you guys liked it! 🥺

[onlydreamofmysoul]

Nice Nat (Ficmas #9)

Aight, welcome back my dudes! Okay so this is my first O’darwin (I think... wow I can’t even remember but I’m pretty sure it’s my first... anyways) so I hope it’s alright. This is not the direction I saw it going in, but someone mentioned something along the lines of this fic once and it stuck in my head since. I’ll definitely be doing more of them though so I’ll have some more... idk lively I suppose is the word? Yeah, lively content. 

Credit for characters and their world to @lumosinlove

CW: This is centred around Natalie on her period. There’s nothing graphic, there’s not even details of symptoms other than tiredness but it is the central theme 💕

Natalie sighed, turning the key in the lock, her handbag slipping off her shoulder awkwardly as the door swung open.

“Hey guys,” She called to the empty hallway, kicking off her shoes. “I’m home.”

She wandered to the kitchen, tossing her bag on a chair and grabbed herself a painkiller and a glass of water. She had gotten her period unexpectedly at work and her day just hadn’t been great. Nothing had been wrong per se, but she was just tired and a little too world weary to deal with many people.

“Babe?” She called, wandering through the house. Both of their cars had been there and their shoes were still at the door, so where were they?

“Kase? Al? Anyone home?” 

She found them in their home theatre, the walls were soundproofed so there was no wonder no one had heard her. She opened the door to see Alex straddling Kasey, the pair in a full on make out session teenagers would be proud of. Any other day, Natalie would probably have gone and joined in. Or at least have watched. Today though, she just wasn’t feeling it.

“Well would you look at what we have here.” She drawled, raising an eyebrow. 

The two boys pulled apart, looking over at her immediately, red lipped and panting.

“Hey baby.” They both said at the same time, making Natalie smile. “Wanna come join?” Alex asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Natalie rolled her eyes smiling, but shook her head. “Nah, I’m not really in the mood right now but you two go ahead. I’m gonna change my clothes and just watch a movie in bed maybe.”

Alex frowned, sliding off Kasey’s lap. Kasey’s face didn’t change, but Natalie could see the cogs turning in his mind. He held out his arms, “Want a hug?”

Natalie huffed a laugh even as she crossed the few steps between them, taking Alex’s spot on Kasey’s lap as she rested her head on his shoulder, Alex pulling her feet onto his thighs, stroking her calves soothingly.

“Sorry guys, I’m not trying to bring down your vibe.”

Alex looked at her like she was crazy. “What? Nat don’t be dumb, we’ve been waiting for you to come home, we just want to be with you.”

“Unless you want to be by yourself for a while.” Kasey added, kissing her hair. “That’s okay too.”

Natalie’s heart fluttered a little at how perfect they both were. “No, no I wanna be with you guys.” She said, burning her face in Kasey’s chest for a moment. He was wearing Alex’s shirt and she could breathe them both in. 

“Okay I’m gonna go get changed.” She mumbled, pulling herself reluctantly away from their warmth, but desperately needing to get out of her constricting jeans and into sweatpants.

“Alright darling, we’ll see you in a minute.” Kasey murmured softly, letting her slip out of his arms and pad upstairs. Natalie smiled as she got changed, wearing Kasey’s pants and Alex’s hoodie, letting both her boys surround her. She heard them both coming up the stairs and hid her amusement at their attempt to be quiet. Try as they might, they were also two full grown hockey players and silence wasn’t always their strongest point. But they were trying and that was all that mattered.

“Hiya,” Alex greeted softly as he pushed the door open, peeking his head in. “You still good with us joining?”

Natalie chuckled a little. “Yeah, guys I love you and I love this, but I’m just tired, not a delicate little doll. Now get in here and cuddle me please.”

The pair came into the room, both armed with supplies. Natalie laughed when she saw many of the items came from the list she had given both of them respectively when they had started dating. She called it the ‘Nice Nat’ list and contained all the tips and tricks of what she liked on her period. 

“You remembered.” She chuckled, mostly to Alex, Kasey was quite experienced with the whole situation.

“How could I forget?” Alex said, setting a mug of tea and a bar of chocolate on the night stand. “You marched up to me and instructed that once a month you were gonna need some TLC and if I couldn't deal with that then I shouldn’t bother being in this relationship in the first place.” He raised an eyebrow and met Natalie’s gaze. “That’s not something you forget very soon.”

Natalie giggled a little as Kasey slid onto the bed next to her, passing her a hot water bottle and Leaning back into the plush cushions.

“That does sound like me.”

Even so, Natalie was touched. She was actually pretty lucky in the sense that for the most part, her periods were pretty non eventful. Once every few months she felt a little more like she did today but on the whole she escaped a lot of the major pains. Plus, they hadn’t been dating Alex that long and with his training schedule, he wasn’t there a lot. His visits had only coincided with Natalie's periods once and it had been a good month so nothing had even been affected, this was his first time having to put his ‘Nice Nat’ knowledge into practice.

She curled into Kasey’s side, resting her head on his chest, glancing back at Alex once, who seemed unsure.

“C’mere sweetheart.” She beckoned, and she could see the tension leave him as he wrapped himself around her, his warm chest pressed against her back, wrapping an arm carefully around her middle. She caught his hand in hers, lifting it to her lips once before lowering it again. Leaving their fingers linked. Kasey covered them both with one of his own big hands and Natalie smiled, unable to stop herself from noticing how small her own hand looked sandwiched between theirs.

Kasey grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, scrolling until he found ‘Friends’ and flicked on a random episode in early season three.

“When Ross and Rachel are together.” He mumbled for Alex’s benefit, carding his fingers through Natalie’s hair. “They’re the best episodes.”

Natalie sighed in contentment, relaxing into her boys. It was nice with them both, different but amazing. With Kasey there was that lovely familiar relationship dynamic. Not boring, god never boring, but there was the fantastic intimacy about knowing everything about your partner. It was different with Alex - there was still the new thrill of excitement and a little uncertainty but they were all quickly learning how to adjust to this little dynamic they found themselves in and Natalie loved every minute of it.

[hinatas-sunshine]

Request: can i request a little something with izuku and shouto with a shy artist s/o? 👉👈 - @beanst0ck

Genre: Fluff

A/N for Requester: Omg thank you for requesting - ilysm and I hope you’re having a good day! She’s an amazing writer too so check out her work!

A/N: THIS KINDA SUCKS IM SO SORRY FISHCOWNFOWNFIWJ! Requests are open! Have a good day! KITHES ❤️

Izuku:

• You two have been dating for only a few months now

• He loves watching you draw it DOESNT MATTER what it is

• You love drawing people, so when he sees sketches of himself he blushes as red as a tomato

• Your other classmates try to get you to draw them for sure!

Denki: Y/n paint me like one of your French girls 🥺🙈👉🏽👈🏽

• Iida scolded him for Deku for sure

• He LOVES going to supply stores with you when you splurge on yourself buying all the coolest art utensils

• You’re really creative so when you have an art project you want to try he’s automatically going to the nearest store with you to buy everything

• If you two decided to paint something he’s always trying to paint something for you

• YUP you got a whole wall of Deku’s toddler looking amazing paintings it’s the thought that counts

• You don’t let ANYONE touch your art supplies but him

Bakugo: oh here’s a blue colored pencil-

Y/n: *rips it out of his hands glaring at him and hands it to Deku*

Deku: Oh! Cool a blue pencil ☺️

Bakugo: OI WHAT THE HE-

• You gave Deku a large painting of him and all night for his room

• He cried like a baby so did all might but we ain’t ready for that convo

• Sometimes when you’re painting you spend hours on end painting and frantically mixing colors - and you forget to eat

• When Deku notices he buys you your favorite takeout and leaves it in your room while you’re trying out different shades of whatever color with your headphones shoved in

• When you smell the food you look around and see neatly wrapped up and a water bottle next to it

• All in all, he supports your passion for art, He’s the cutest

Todoroki:

• HOLY CRAP HE LOOKS SO HOT IN THAT GIF K ANYWAYS ONTO THE HEADCANON

• You LOVEEE painting, and you have since you and Todoroki were kids

• You were often finger painting while he was next to you watching - he refused to get his hands dirty

• He would join you though when you had a coloring book, he colored one side and you colored the other

• As You grew Older You loved painting, shading with colored pencils, drawing with pens, pro-create EVERYTHING

• He loves buying you gifts and what better way to spend daddy Endeavors money than buying you the best art supplies 😘

• When he found sketches of him you did during the Sports Festival he got shy, homeboy didn’t know what to do knowing you drew him

Y/n: It’s because you’re so pretty Shouto 🥺

Todoroki: No ❤️

• He refuses to believe you love drawing him

• He doesn’t really like doing arts and crafts but if it’s for something you want, like a cute painting with your hand prints he’ll do it for you

• When you go out and he’s not training/isn’t busy he definitely sharpens your pencils, organizes your art supplies, and cleans you brushes/your paint water for you

• When you throw yourself into a piece of art and work for a long time he physically drags you out of your room

Y/n: No! I have to finish it I was almost done

Todoroki: You weren’t, You weren’t even half way

• He knows your art habits inside and out so you can’t fool the boy you definitely can but you would rather not

• He also gets a tad bit sad when you focus more on your art rather than him, and you notice because he sits on your bed pouting

• He’s watched a few Bob Ross tutorials because he’s a man of culture he wants to learn some basic painting techniques so he could join you in painting :’)

• He just loves doing the little things for you and definitely loves seeing your happiness when he does said little things 🥺

Tags:

[lambourngb]

If you are still doing this, to make it through (with hearts and wrists intact)

combining the wip ask with WIP Wednesday ! Alright, so there’s two remix challenges going on right now, but I didn’t sign up for either of them because I have enormous anxiety about deadlines and I’m also kind of a control freak about my work. I do love the concept, so I decided to remix my own work.

to make it through (with hearts and wrists intact) is a remix of Last Years Wishes. It is completely the fault of @haloud who mused aloud about what if Jesse got to use the shed on Michael. You guys remember what I did to the shed in LYW right? Yeah. Poor Michael. So while Alex is waiting at the Airstream, talking to agents Ross and Rollins, this is how Michael’s day is going....

[warnings: canon divergent within 1x13, mention of Michael’s feelings for Maria, but nothing happens past the discovery of Rosa’s body in the cave ]

“Old man, you are calling me on my day off,” Michael yelled into the receiver of his cell phone speaker over the rushing sound of air after picking up the call. 

The windows were down because his AC in his truck went on the frizz again sometime during when Max had stolen-borrowed it to drive Liz home from Texas, leaving him behind to share a long awkward ride with Maria in her classic Chevy. Awkward because he had been buzzing from the encounter in the desert. He hadn’t slept with anyone in weeks, not since Alex, and that had been a ridiculous attempt for him to pine in celibacy considering just how little the other man had missed him. Some things end in a whimper.

Texas had been about hope, about maybe finding someone who was connected to him on a species level. He hadn’t realized how deeply Max’s enthusiasm had sunk into him until the fraud had been revealed and disappointment had set in. Between Alex’s brusque brush off and realizing they really were alone on this planet, Michael hadn’t thought he could feel even lower with the weight of Isobel’s salvation fully on his shoulders (and Liz’s). Then shining like a bright star in the night sky, he had found Maria. 

She had effectively chased away the touch starved ghouls that had haunted his skin that night, he could still barely believe they had dropped right to the rocky ground and scratchy blanket to fuck. It was the type of raw passion he had with- no, in that particular moment he hadn’t thought about Alex but afterwards? He couldn’t avoid the connection the next morning, particularly when she had sworn him to secrecy, and then had reinforced it when she had fully kicked him out in the cold after he had returned her repaired necklace. 

It was unfortunate for her that he was already wired to enjoy a push-pull hot-cold dynamic.

Ten years of Alex Manes meant Michael had learned to read past a blustering denial to see the real truth. She really liked him, she just didn’t want to admit it, and good god, if that wasn’t a déjà vu moment for Michael, he didn’t know what was. Maybe it was stupid to believe it would work out any better with her than it had with Alex, but with Noah dead, his m- his reason for building his ship gone, what did it hurt to try again?

His healed hand curled around the grip on the steering wheel with a shiver of disorientation at the new flexibility, but he pushed it down to concentrate on that meager bubble of hope of what was ahead for him. Maria. Normalcy. When he had offered to leave her alone at the gala, she had refused to take him up on it. That's the problem, I never do. 

It had felt good to hear that, that he was wanted, even as he heard the conflict in her voice over what she desired versus what she thought she deserved to have. That was also painfully familiar to Michael as well.

Caulfield had seeped into his skin, three layers deep in the worst type of burn. That brief moment of his mother, wrapping around his mind with her love and sorrow and hope, and then she was gone. The screaming, that he had heard from outside the chain link fence, suddenly disappeared as the explosion moved outward in a shockwave. For a few minutes he had stood on solid ground in that prison, for the first time since a sweet boy had returned his kiss at seventeen under a galaxy of plastic foam planets, and then it was over. His mother was gone, and in her stead, he had Alex telling him that -

Michael forcefully pushed that thought away and returned his attention back to the cranky drawl of Walt Sanders, “I know kid, but I’m already out with the wrecker in the other ass-end direction, so I need you to go help this cry baby who can’t change a flat. Help me make some money, so I can afford to keep your ass employed.” 

“Fine, tell me the location, but this is holiday pay, not overtime.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Sanders muttered, before rattling off the mile marker and the highway. “It’s a Lincoln sedan, black. Probably some old geezer out on a drive to church who ran into trouble.”

“You calling someone else a geezer is funny to me, I hope you know that,” Michael replied, hitting his turn signal to make a left to pick up the state road. It wasn’t as if he had a planned time to see Maria, the lunch hour and official opening of the bar was still an hour away. A little delay that made him some extra cash was doable. 

“Shut the hell up kid, and get going,” Sanders griped good-naturedly, before hanging up on Michael. 

The sun was bright overhead, the storm from the night before having washed the land and sky clean of clouds. Across the pavement ahead, the heat and the brightness, cast a mirage of dark shimmering water that creeped just out of reach as he drove toward his new destination. His mind ticked over the set of priorities ahead, to make a little money with a tire change, then to drop in on Maria to make his case, and finally, he knew he needed to swing by Isobel’s to check on her in the aftermath of Noah’s betrayal. Somewhere in all of that, he knew he would need to make it home to see Alex for that promised talk, but there was plenty of time for that because Alex rarely came by during the day to see him.

“I’m still fighting his battles, not mine.”

Michael flexed his hands on the steering wheel again and pushed down the heaviness in his heart that accompanied thinking about Alex. Ten long years of waiting and wanting him. If Michael cared to count up all of the trips to Roswell that Alex had made on leave, the two weeks together after the class reunion that frankly felt like a hallucination to Michael, all of those hours spent together would add up to a month. A month that stretched out over ten years, 520 weeks, or 3,650 days.

Counting the distance to the nearest star was in light years, but when it came to counting the distance between the stash of wedding rings he had purchased for Alex over the years and what he had been actually allowed to have with Alex, well, that was a calculation beyond the redshift spectrum. It would take energy to transverse that distance one more time, and Michael had nothing left inside to fuel that journey. He couldn’t afford to be lost in the black again, not with Isobel in free-fall from Noah’s years of manipulations, not with the prospect of telling Liz they had found Rosa’s body on the horizon. It was just too hard to believe that this time, with Alex calling him family, with Alex throwing back the closest declaration to love that he had ever made, actually meant he was ready to move toward Michael and work to cut the distance between them on his own.

It was better to head forward in a new direction, than to look back like Max had said. Besides, every other time he had failed to be enough of a reason to help Alex bridge his own chasm between what he wanted and what he had allowed himself to have. What could have changed? Caulfield had just cemented the complications for them both. 

A dark shadow in the distance, parked just off the road caught Michael’s attention. He glanced down at the odometer to mark the mileage and started to ease up on the gas. That must be the motorist Sanders had fielded a call from earlier, he realized. The ‘old geezer’ in the black Lincoln with a flat tire. He glanced in the rearview mirror to check for traffic but the road behind him was devoid of other vehicles. 

Michael hit the turn signal and hazard lights on his truck, turning briefly to the side to check that he had some spare water bottles for the customer and his toolbox within reach and then turned onto the shoulder of the highway. Mentally he was already five steps ahead of himself as he stepped out of the truck to approach the car, thinking about the size of socket to fit over the lug nuts for the Lincoln’s wheels, whether his torque wrench was even in his box, or if he would have to camouflage his telekinetic efforts to change out the tire, that it took a moment to realize the tires on the Lincoln were whole and unharmed on the driver’s side.

Puzzled, Michael slowed his approach, and started toward the passenger side of the car. The windows were rolled up and dark, the tint was straddling the threshold of legal for New Mexico. There was still no sign of defect in the tires, he noticed as he was halfway around the passenger fender. Faulty tire gauge, he mused before he noticed the engine was rumbling almost inaudibly. Fucking hybrid, which meant whatever issue it had been definitely beyond the parts available at Sanders.

It was a little odd that the driver hadn’t stepped out to greet Michael, but not terribly unusual when it came to elderly customers who seemed to have a healthy paranoia about everyone they encountered. Still, Michael pasted a smile on his face and tapped on the window. 

The automatic window slipped downward in an expensive whisper, but it wasn’t a helpless old man on his way to church at the wheel. 

Jesse Manes smiled at Michael flashing his teeth, “Surprise.” Before Michael could do more than step backward, Jesse lifted a large gun-shaped object and fired. Yellow particulate matter exploded into the air, enveloping Michael completely. Pulling his arm to his mouth to attempt to block the pollen, did little good as he felt the sedating effects almost immediately.

He coughed into the open air, scrambling back toward his truck on weak legs as he tried to clear his lungs of the fast-acting poison. Behind him, he heard the car door open, and the crunch of boots on the loose gravel from the road’s shoulder as Jesse approached him. Though his powers were gone and his strength was waning fast, Michael had never backed down from a fight in life.

Certainly, not a fight for his life.

Swinging with all of his might, he hurled his heavy toolbox at Jesse blindly. There was a thump and a curse, but the footsteps kept coming. Animal-like terror set in as Michael crawled now on his knees toward the cab of his truck. He had to move, he had to live, he wasn’t going to die here on the side of the damn road- Suddenly a black boot came down on his hand, pinning him place and lighting up a fierce agony of pain in its wake.

“I like the fight, Guerin, I do,” Jesse remarked with a quiet menace. “Shall I make this hand match your other-” 

It was on the tip of Michael’s tongue to point out the obvious, but then Jesse saw it for himself. His left hand, healed and pristine, clutching at the hot blacktop surface. 

“I see.” He barked out a laugh that chilled Michael. “I knew it. I knew you weren’t the only one in Roswell. I thought about killing you right here you know, but now, you might finally serve a purpose in your useless life. You thought you could use my son in your perverted schemes? Well now it’s your turn to be bait.” 

Michael’s vision was already fading into blindness with the pollen taking hold, but he managed to spit out between numb lips, “Go fuck yourself.”

“Not today. You’re the one who is fucked.” A hand grabbed a tight hold of Michael’s hair, wrenching him backward, and then it was merciful darkness. 

*** 

[coveredinsweetpea]

me and you [ross butler imagine]

A/n: This is cheesy don't mind me. I finally have time to write again and I'll probably be here A LOT so hmu! Let's talk, tell me what you thought!

Summary: Ross comforts you after you receive online hate due to the age gap in your relationship (requested)

"What're you doing over there?" Ross asked, mindlessly walking through the living room. He didn't get you a chance to answer before he walked into the kitchen, only to pop his head back into the room and call for you again, "Babe?" "Hm?" you mumbled, tilting your head in his direction, even if your eyes never actually left the screen of your laptop. "What are you reading?" he questioned, now leaning against the wall, eyes trained on you. "I wanna cook something" you said softly, your attention divided between your boyfriend and the recipes displayed in front of you. "Why?" Ross laughed. "Stop" you scoffed, amused, "Our cheat day turned into a cheat month, and I'm really in the mood for something home cooked and healthy." Still unconvinced about your motives, he reluctantly accepted to help you choose a dish. Eventually, you settled for some fancy stake with brown rice. About half an hour later you were both in the kitchen, laughing your asses off. It all started with Ross trying to fake an Italian accent as he read the instructions for the sauce, and it ended with him posting three different videos of you two to his Instagram story. In the first one, he wasn't completely prepared, and his shyness came to light. His cheeks bright red and the room filled with his nervous laughter - it was definitely your favorite of the three. In the second one, he had gotten a little bit more in character, and he may or may not have done an adorably sweet impression of The Godfather. "He's Italian, right?" Ross laughed over your shoulder, as you watched the videos on his story.

"Yes, he is, babe" you laughed, leaning your head back, "Or was" "Did he die?" he asked, genuine curiosity visible in his eyes. "Haven't you seen the movie?" "Nope" "Well, then I'm not gonna tell you!" you exclaimed, turning around. You discarded his phone, carefully placing it on the counter. Your hands met behind his neck, your fingers intertwining. Ross looked down at you with a smile that was hard to read, but it warmed you up nonetheless. "Tell me" he begged, grabbing your waist and pulling your body flush against his, "I wanna know" "What kind of an asshole girlfriend would I be if I spoiled one of the best movies ever made for you?" Ross cocked his head to the side, and pursed his lips, "Pretty sure you'd still be the best girlfriend...." "Sweet talking won't get you anywhere, babe" you giggled, pulling yourself up on your tip toes. He met you halfway, leaning down to press his lips to yours. It was really sweet at the beginning, even though he tasted like the garlic he swore he didn't steal from your plate. But you didn't really care. The taste faded away quite rapidly, and soon, you were already clinging to his chest, your body asking for more. His tongue pushed past your lips and you welcomed him with no intention to hold back. Much to your dismay, things didn't go any further. At least not until you feasted on the food you worked so hard to make. This was probably one of the most relaxing nights you've had in ages, and were beyond thankful for it. For the past few months, your schedules had been hectic, but you just enjoyed a night in, and in the morning you were ready to head out for breakfast. You and Ross were supposed to meet your parents at a café nearby. Despite the short distance, you two were again running late. You ended up brushing your teeth at the same time, bumping shoulders and playfully bickering until you were actually too late for your own good. Ross had to physically drag you away from your make up table, "Babe, it's just our parents, they won't care when color your eyelids are" "Oh my god" you laughed, and hurried to apply the last touches of mascara, before he wrapped an arm around your middle and pulled you to your feet. "Ok! I'm done, I'm done, let's go!" Giggling, your sprinted to the hallway, hurrying to slip your shoes on. "Where the fuck is my wallet!?" you heard Ross's muffled voice echo through the apartment. "Jeans?" "Which ones?" he yelled back. "Jesus-" you laughed, rolling your eyes, "I have mine, leave it" "What if I need my ID?" Ross asked, finally coming back into your line of sight, eyes all mopey and shoulders all slumped. "What are they gonna do?" you taunted, "Assume you're not old enough to have alcohol for breakfast" "Good, point" he shook his head, and started putting his shoes on. To be fair, this was what most of your days were like, and you loved it. There was a specific air of comfort and acceptance between the two of you that you never had with anyone else. The safety he provided and the love he had for you, were the only things you needed to keep going. About 30 minutes later, you and Ross were seated on a small terrace, across from your parents. It was their idea for all of you to go out today, considering the last season of 13 Reasons Why just dropped, and even if was just a croissant and a cup of tea, it called for celebration. "I've only ever been once to the set" his mother shook her head, sipping on her smoothie, "And I feel like I'm gonna miss everything about it" "I know what you mean!" you smiled, "I've gotten the chance to meet most of the cast and they're all such amazing people!" "They love you, you know?" Ross grinned, elbowing you in the side. "Oh god" you giggled, feeling your cheeks catch a new shade of pink. "It's true" he shook his head, looking at everyone around the table in turn. A devilish smirk popped up on his lips, "Apparently we're perfect together, or something?" Everyone at the table ended up shaking their heads and chuckling at Ross's attempt to make a joke, and it only warmed your heart. Unconsciously, you leaned into him, and cuddled against his side, ignoring the looks yours and his mother gave you as he turned and kissed the top of your head. "We get it" your dad playfully scoffed, "You're young and happy and all that crap. But where are my grandkids?" Although he didn't really have a very exquisite sense of humor, you all laughed, some out of amusement, some out of nervousness. You're sure the parents didn't take it seriously, but the thought of a little Ross running around your apartment brought a ridiculous smile to your lips. The breakfast date didn't last much longer after that. About 30 minutes later, you were in the passenger seat of your car, as Ross drove the two of you home. Out of habit, you pulled out your phone, your thumb mindlessly tapping the Instagram icon. That was when you saw the amount of tags and mentions you had. Thousands of them. Your stomach filled with dread in an instant. This was never good. And even so, you still always checked what people had to say. You were not a celebrity, having people talk about you still made your skin crawl. When the comments were good, you'd just get a rush of anxiety that you started to manage better and better over the last few months, but when the comments are bad, it feels like your lungs are on the edge of collapse. And that was the case now. You only got a chance to read a few comments, all of them, without exception, picking at the age gap between the two of you. Your eyes watered instantly, forcing you to lock your phone and turn your head towards the window. "Hey, baby girl" Ross called lovingly, placing his hand of your thigh, "You good?" You just nodded. "Tell me, love" he pushed, squeezing your leg, "Come on" "I'm fine" "Obviously you're not, angel" "I'm good" you repeated yourself, and forced a fake smile. You did your best but it wasn't enough to fool him. However, he did drop the topic. The rest of the car ride was spent in perfect silence. But once you got inside, you felt him eager to pick the topic back up. So, you did the only thing that you felt was able to help you dodge the situation, and excused yourself, claiming you needed a shower after spending so much time in the sun. It would have been a great lie, but it was 11am on a cloudy July morning, you all had breakfast under a big umbrella that kept you cool in its shadow, and the AC in the car kept the unwanted high temperatures away from you. As you jumped into the shower, you hoped Ross wouldn't look too much into it. As the water poured down your body, you let your mind wonder. It was not a wise choice. If his fans managed to only find flaws about you and bring them forward, you had the upper hand - you knew yourself, and knew all the other flaws you had, the ones they couldn't pick apart. But you could. And that was what you did. For at least an hour, you soaked yourself in hot water, feeding all the negative thoughts that consumed you. When you finally decided to get out of the shower, you were by no means in a better mental state, but you didn't want to let Ross see that. Even though you had some specific opinions about yourself, you felt like opening up about them only made you a victim. So you decided against it. You got dressed up, put on one of your own shirts instead of his', something you never did inside the house, and then walked in the living room. Although you felt like ignoring him, you knew that would only raise suspicions. "What're you up to?" you asked, as you stopped right before you headed into the kitchen. Ross hadn't heard you come in, and only looked up when your voice reached his ears. "I was productive" he grinned, standing up from the couch. "Oh, what did you do?" He laughed, and walked over, "Literally nothing" Quite impossible for you to understand how his little dumb lines like these, could always make you loosen up. Of course, he noticed your faint smile hid a lot, so he leaned down to kiss your forehead and placed his fingers under your chin to get you to look up at him, "I'm not gonna ask what you were mad about earlier, because I know" "Ross-" you tried to excuse yourself, and pull away from his hold, but he was by no means having it. "You know you're my whole fucking world, ok?" he said softly, his breath fanning over your skin, "I'm the only one that gets to decide who's good for me. Falling in love with you is only up to me. Not them, ok?" "I know..." you sighed, your insecurities overwhelming you again. "But?" he nudged you, obviously aware of how much you were holding back. "But what if you're wrong?" "What do you mean, wrong?" Ross questioned, his eyebrows furrowed. "What if you only think I'm good for you? What if they're right, and you just can't see it?" He sighed, obviously deeply hurt by the lack of trust and confidence you showed, "They're not right, I'm 100% sure. But even if they were, I'd have to see for myself, wouldn't I?" "Even if what they're saying is more rational?" you asked, voice all choked up by the lump in  your throat. "I'm not gonna listen to anyone talk shit about the woman I love" he explained, "I really do see myself living the rest of my life by your side, what's a stranger gonna do? Convince me otherwise? Right now, in my life, you come first. Anyone could come and tell me anything they wanted, and still, it wouldn't change the way I feel about you. My opinion on you is based on what I know, on who you are, and you're the only one that could ever change it" His words managed to get to you, and although your knees were weak, you were still not quite there yet. "What if that's what's gonna happen? More time will pass and you'll see I'm not right for you" "That's how relationships work, love" Ross shook his head, "And it certainly does not have anything to do with you being younger than me." Too many things were coming at you at once. He made a good point, but your mind was already drunk on all the possibilities, and on all the things that could go wrong. Accepting that he might actually be right, and acknowledging the fact that in your current state, you couldn't possibly think straight, you hoped he'd understand you when you ask to continue this conversation later in the day. "We can talk about this whenever you want, baby girl" he said, and unlike before, now he sounded defeated. As if he realized he did not manage to et his point across, and that you were still down. If you had your eyes open, you would've probably noticed hurt in his expression when he failed to lift your spirits, but your vision was clouded and all you did was leave the room without a single word. What was hard now, was the fact that deep down, a part of you knew he was right, and that he made a legitimately fair point, and that of all things, breaking up was the last thing you wanted. But you backed out of situation like these before, and all you did in the end was regret your choices. Regret the fact you didn't fight and didn't believe the person next to you, who spent their days proving just how much you mean to them. Exhausted and in need of a break, you opened up your phone to call your best friend. When the screen lit up, your Instagram feed popped up, refreshing as it hasn't been used in hours. Out of habit, you allowed the posts to load, and thank god you did.

Words could not describe the storm of emotions taking place inside your belly. You knew Ross, knew he would never lie, deceive or manipulate, and the fact that he posted that for his 8.5M followers to see, had to mean something. And when you checked the time, you saw that the picture was posted while you were still in the shower, before that little conversation you tow had. As cliché as it sounds, it really did it for you. Him standing up for you in front of his own fans, meant everything in that moment. You only realized you stormed into the living room when you were already slumping down into the couch, grabbing Ross's hand into your own. "Thank you" was all that came out of your mouth, despite the monstrous battle of thoughts that was going on inside your head. "For what, baby?" he asked, voice all soft and loving as he leaned his head to the side. "I saw the post and I wanted to th-" "Don't thank me for that, ok?" he cut you off, his free hand coming up to guide your chin. He searched for you with his stare, and only continued to talk after your eyes met his, "I didn't do it because I thought that was what you wanted. I felt like doing it. I did it for you, because you're my girl, and I hate seeing you down. And I did it for me too, because there is no chance in hell I'm ever allowing anyone to poke into our private business like that" As stray tears roamed down your cheeks, a small giggle came out too, "I feel kinda stupid, you know?" you snorted, "I don't know why I needed to hear you say this to everyone. It should have been enough that you said it to me. I'm sorry" His eyes softened even more as he opened his arms. You crawled over, and rested against his chest. In this position, where we felt the safest in the world, you started to wonder how on earth you even doubted him. "Listen to me-" Ross said sweetly but with an affirming tone. "Fears and insecurities? We're working through them. Together. Whatever it is, I got you. You're my world, Y/n, the love of my life, I really want the best for you. I have a lot to learn, but I really wanna make you the happiest. I am always here for you, and always will be, ok? I really need to know you know that" "You're an angel" you nodded, cuddling deeper into his chest, "I love you" "You're the angel" Ross laughed, playing with your hair, "And no more hiding, ok? It's me and you, that's it" "Me and you"

[scorlettimagines]

Pregnancy: A Ross Lynch Headcanon

Request from @ficrecsandmore​: Heywo! If your requests are open would you write a ross Lynch fic where the reader is pregnant with his baby. I’m horrible at requesting sorry

First Ross Imagine/Headcanon! Hope this is okay for you lovely, and enjoy x

When you first tell Ross you’re pregnant, he laughs. It’s not quite the reaction you were expecting, but then again, a lot of things you haven’t expected have been happening recently. Like the little life you’re growing in your stomach right now.

He stops laughing when he sees your face, his eyes widening.

“Oh wait, you’re serious?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh my God.”

“Oh my God.”

All seriousness disappears from his face after a moment of silence, and the light reaches his eyes, a smile stretching across his face. Next thing you know you’re in his arms, being spun around and feeling slightly nauseous as Ross starts laughing again.

“We’re gonna be parents, Y/N,” he puts you down, and places his hands on your cheeks, “We’re going to be actual parents.”

You smile back at him, pleased that he is.

“Yeah, yeah we are.”

“I love you so much.”

He kisses you then and even though you’ve had the surprise of your life, even though everything is about to change, you can’t help but feel it’s for the best.

There are ups and downs over the next nine months, as to be expected. When your boyfriend is Ross Lynch, when the press get hold of the fact that his girlfriend is pregnant, it’s big news as both of you were sure it was going to become. For a while, it’s a bit difficult to deal with, being in the spotlight for once, but Ross is always there to hold your hand after you’ve had a particularly gruelling day.

“You know everything’s going to be okay, Y/N, I promise. For you and for,” he places a hand on your bulging stomach, “her.”

“How do you know it’s a girl?” You made a decision early on to wait until the baby was born to find out whether it’s a boy or a girl.

“I just know.”

The baby kicks then, and you and Ross can’t help but smile at each other. You’ve bought countless toys, baby grows, all the essentials and yet it hasn’t felt real until this moment. You’re going to be a mother, and Ross a father.

And you know he’s going to be brilliant at it.

Ross likes to sing to your bump, trying out new material, or old songs that you both love. Apparently, your baby clearly enjoys it, as you feel her, or him, kicking more when they hear their father’s voice.

“I reckon she’s going to be a rock star, just like her dad.”

“Again, how do you know it’s a girl?”

“Like I said, I just know.”

He places a kiss on the top of your head.

“Hmm, of course you do.”

The due date arrives sooner than you thought it would. As it looms closer, you notice that there’s tension littered among the excitement Ross shows. You don’t blame him; you’re going to be young parents and your life is going to change.

It’s terrifying.

But it’s also amazing.

When you go into labour, Ross is by your side all the time, holding your hand and hiding his pain when you squeeze his hand just a little bit too much. You both smile through the pain when you hear the first cries of your baby, and Ross wipes the hair back from your forehead before kissing it.

“You did it, Y/N.”

“We did it.”

You almost cry when your baby is handed to you, as Ross looks upon your child with more love and adoration than you thought was possible.

He was right.

But you don’t remind him, not wanting his smugness to ruin the moment. The first moment as a family, with your lovely little daughter.

Life definitely changed for the better.

HARVEY KINKLE MASTERLIST

MAIN MASTERLIST

[twstedbeauty]

Hii lovely! ✨ Congrats on the new blog, I hope you get a bunch of requests! 😊 Speaking of, since its the tweels birthday and I’m a humongous simp for the both of them, would I be able to get some relationship headcanons for Floyd and Jade (separately). Thank you! 🌸

Let it be known that this sweet person requested this while it was STILL the tweel’s birthday sO THIS STILL COUNTS. IT’S A LATE BIRTHDAY PRESENT OKAY. Also, thank you so much lovely!! I hope so too! 💕

Jade Leech

Jade is ever the calm, sophisticated gentleman so just know that he would treat you right. It would be unbecoming of him not to!

He always seems to be around right when you need him to be. He’s very perceptive and can tell right away when something is troubling you.

Very doting. Would definitely spoil you with gifts and give you all the attention you wanted. All you would have to do is ask!

Granted, I don’t think he’s as comfortable with copious amounts of PDA like his brother is, but he would still indulge himself. He always seems to be touching you in some way; a hand on your back as the two of you walk together, a fleeting touch to your hair as he walks past your table at Mostro Lounge. Very subtle but still very effective.

One hell of a teasing bastard. Don’t let that smile fool you. He’s JUST as bad as Floyd. And he would so enjoy flustering you simply because your reactions amuse him. He’d never take it too far though.

Definitely the old-fashioned type to open the door for you or make you breakfast in bed. Likes to slow dance after hours at the Lounge to some soft jazz just to have your head on his chest.

You’d have to indulge in his rather strange fascinations, but it wouldn’t be so bad. I imagine Jade likes to go hiking in the woods on weekends, so of course you’re coming with him. The two of you would collect any species of mushroom you happen to find to add to his collection!

I don’t know why, but I can just see Jade painting in his spare time and his work looks like something Bob Ross would make; a lot of landscapes with mountains, sometimes even fantasy-esque forests with glowing mushrooms. So if you happen to be the artistic type, you two could paint together!

Floyd Leech

Oh lord, this wild child....you’d definitely have your hands full with him.

Unlike his brother, he is VERY comfortable with copious amounts of PDA and you WILL be tackled into a hug in the middle of the hallway with only a loud “Koebi-chaaaaaan!” to warn you if he sees you.

Oh yes, you’re still Shrimpy even if you two are dating. He doesn’t call you anything else. You are his one and only Shrimpy. If you two got married, he would call you Shrimpy at your wedding. This boy has no shame whatsoever.

This goes without saying; you’re basically going to devolve into a stuffed animal around Floyd. Any time you’re around, he’s just going to pull you into him and hug you tight, snuggling his cheek against your head like a puppy. But he’s so incredibly happy! He lives for when he can hug you close. You’re so warm and you smell good!

LOTS AND LOTS OF PDA. Expect lots of kisses, hugs and cuddles from him at any given moment. He does not care where you are or who’s around. Floyd needs his daily dose of Shrimpy kisses and by the Great Seven, he’s gonna get it!

You’ll come to learn as you progress in your relationship that Floyd likes to hug you so much because he’s rather touch-starved himself. He doesn’t realize that he is, however, and doesn’t know what it means so you’d have to explain it. Moray eels don’t tend to their young. They just lay eggs and then the baby has to fend for itself upon hatching, so he and Jade only had each other growing up. Part of it is also because he doesn’t really know or care much about social etiquette.

The mood swings are still definitely a thing. When he’s in the mood, Floyd is like an excited puppy. You wanna go on a date? Let’s go right now! He’s down to do anything you want simply because there’s so much about the human world that he doesn’t know. He’s curious by nature, so he’ll definitely tag along in whatever you want to do! But when he’s not in the mood? Good luck dragging his tall skinny ass anywhere.

Unlike his brother, he’s not as perceptive to your feelings and can come off as a little insensitive. I feel like Floyd’s a very ‘spell it out’ kinda person. You have to tell him exactly how you feel or he’s not gonna realize anything’s wrong. And it’s not because he doesn’t care about you! He just gets too caught up in his own world and has to be brought out of it sometimes.

That being said, if you guys need to have a serious talk, he can be serious and tone it down when the time calls for it. He’s silly, but not immature.

[power-of-plot]

Armin Arlet x Fem! Reader. Oneshot. -Strong-

The first paragraph is purely a small introduction, just in case you wanna go straight to the fic :)

First of all, thanks for reading this! So! i often considered posting but i'm insecure, today i somehow got the confidence and courage to post -definitely not due to watching anime motivational speeches-. I wanted my first post to be something special so i dived deep down into my thoughts for a couple hours, i'm pretty happy with my choice so hope you enjoy it! My apologies if this sucks.

WARNINGS: Some sadness ig? -Armin being a pure soul. Fluff

Summary: Armin suddenly gets an injury during ODM gear training. After Reiner and his protective nature lend a helping hand, you see beyond the walls of his stoicism, people around him made his lack of strenght clear as day and he seemed to accept it but you never wondered if that caused him any pain at all. He needs to know everything has more than one meaning including what is called strenght, you gladly stay by his side to remind him different doesn't mean wrong.

Year 848 three years after the Colossal titan's misterious appearance, in Paradis Island Keith Shadis trained and yelled his lungs out at what soon would be the 104th Cadet Corps. Like any other day, the young cadets rutinarily trained to master the ODM gear, it all would have been the same as other sessions if it wasn't for Armin Arlet, your close and femenine looking friend who in a reckless (and failed-) attempt of proving himself strong to his group discretly tried performing a complex manouver resulting in him crashing into a tree. The few people ahead of him who stopped momentantarily to admire the manouever slowly resumed their way to the target they've had been assigned, just after a couple minutes of trying to walk bearing the pain the silhouette of someone along with the sound of gas and wires pulling something was getting closer by the second at the injured male. "Who's t-.. oh no.." Being around that person for so long made his oceanic eyes know who that brawny body and short blond hair belonged to inmediately, his deep voice shouting erased all the doubt. "Armin!" Reiner said rushing towards him as soon as his feet touched the the grass. As he looked for injuries, finding a twisted ankle, scrapes and bruises; Armin confirmed his suspicions: Reiner had dropped on what he was doing again just to help a single person. Right when he thought the guilt couldn't turn bigger he heard another familiar voice, this one belonged to a female. "Reiner! I saw you going back, what happened? Wait- Armin?!" Your voice turned alarmed after your (e/c) eyes catched a glimpse of your friend's characteristic golden hair, as if that would magically heal his injuries you rocketed towards your comrades at full speed. The crash- landing was rather ungraceful but it was merely trivial compared to an injured friend "(Y/N) are you-" Reiner held out his arms as he walked towards you but you ran past him leaving him standing alone with his arms opened like a rejected boy "Armin!!" You crouched down to him as it seemed he couldn't stand up, worrying you even more "...Hey (Y/N)... what are you..." His glance went lower as the guilt and shame's hand pushed his head down "What do you mean what am i doing? I noticed Reiner was going back from the front and i couldn't find you!- Hey what's wrong?" You asked after noticing a hint of sadness in his eyes, tilting your head and resting your forearms on your knees "Nothing, i must have hit my head that's all.." -because i dared prove something even myself knew full well- He replied blunty, making an adition mentally. His analytic mind was acting as a double ended weapon, either overnalyzing each and every one of his flaws or making the weight his frail shoulders were already carrying heavier. "Armin get on" Reiner said kneeling down turning his back to Armin so he could get on "Hm? It's not necessary, i-i'll just take my time to- ah!" Without further asking the muscular soldier turned around scooping your friend up from the ground into his arms bridal style, his eyes fixed on the grass and his lips released a soft sigh as embarrasment was displayed on his face. In other situation you'd have joked about how he looked cute being held like a baby but a hunch plus his face kept you completely from doing so. "You want to recover fast, don't you?" Reiner asked preparing his equipment to propulse himself again "Y-yeah but why.." "You'll only worsen your condition if you try walking, bear with it just for a while. Besides, what kind of soldier would i be if i left a friend behind knowing i can help him?" His hazel eyes noticed you were about to say something so he remained still to let you get close "It's okay don't be so hard on yourself i just crashed on the ground a moment ago, how did you call it the other day..? You didn't make a mistake, it was a happy accident! (Armin is Bob Ross.) How did you even find out about that manouever anyway?" "I've been analyzing the instructor's movements for a while now..." You deduced Reiner would take him to the infirmary wich he confirmed with a nod after you asked and so, it didn't take a single second for you to decide you'd go with them. The three of you flew and swung across the forest though it seemed like it only was you and Reiner, Armin was so quiet for a moment you even thought he was asleep.

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

"..Thank you very much Reiner" The blond thanked him now lying on his bunk, his ankle was bandaged up and his minor injuries were treateed "No problem, don't do anything until you're sure it won't hurt you got it?" "Don't worry Reiner i'll keep an eye on him 'till he's good as new!" You said cheerfuly with a smile as you sat by Armin's side, not caring a bit you were of the few girls in there. Once Reiner walked to his own bunk with Bertholdt you turned to Armin with a curious look "So what're you thinking about, you've been very quiet so it must be serious. Any new interesting thing about the outside world?" "Not really." His response was blunt again, something was definitely on his mind otherwise you couldn't explain why he wasn't as talkative as always. As he quietly stared at the matress above him you tried figuring out what could be bothering the boy since it was a lost cause trying to make him say it, you learnt this after countless tries, thankfully you could always ask for some help with Mikasa; her skills at everything including reading people were so good it was almost frightening. She wasn't there at the time and you couldn't rely on the others forever, a small leap of faith wouldn't do any harm, would it? There was only one thing you could think of. "Armin you are not weak." Your (e/c) eyes looked straight into his blue ones, silence reigned between you two before he hummed softly as if trying to deny "Why so?" It was as you suspected, he was blaming himself for making a simple mistake (-rolling girl vibes- sorry xd). You sighed resting your back on the headboard as your hand gently grabbed his forearm "You know it's not a bad thing to make mistakes, it's an everyday thing" "If we do become actual soldiers we'll risk our and the other's lifes everyday. This training is hard to make us strong, to make sure we don't make a single mistake that could lead to a tragedy" "You are not weak Armin." Your voice reasured in a firmer but gentle tone, he believed in what he had proof of, you would give him the proof he needed. Before he had the chance to turn on his side your hand grabbed his shoulder, making you two lock glances again, for your surprise small tears were forming on the corner of his eyes "I'm sorry.." "D-don't apologize it's okay! Come on let me help you what are you..?" He sat up shaking his head refusing to let a word out even when the tears slipped down his cheeks, it was painful to see Armin weep yet not ask for help, you've had been told he was like this since his childhood but it still was hard to believe and who knows if his overthinking made dealing with things on his own easier, he wouldn't try comforting himself. You sighed placing your hand on his shoulder and moving your thumb caressing the skin beneath his clothes, small muffled sobs could be heard coming from him "After that day on Shinganshina.. hundreds of people were sent there as if they were able to fight the titans, they didn't care if they were kids or elders- my grandfather went in my place, i know it wouldn't have made much of a difference but" He made a pause to try making his breathing go back to normal and hold back his tears, leaving just a small trace under his eyes "But he raised me, he gave me a name.. and i simply let him go straight to his death- i didn't make any effort to tell him i would go because i was scared.." You had to lean closer to listen clearly to what he was saying since he didn't want to drag anyone's attention besides yours "Sometimes i wonder what kind of things must have he felt when he realised he'd die alone..? I want to become a soldier to keep that from happening again, even though i'm just one it'd make a difference if only i.. wasn't such a weak coward" As he spoke you could almost feel the weight of his guilt resting on your shoulders for a moment, had he always been hiding in a shell? Ever since he was a child? A tear sprouted from the corner of your eye imagining how many times he suffered silently. You put your finger to your lower lip as you analyzed what your next move should be, after all it was Armin you were talking about, not all words would have effect on him "Strenght... physical strenght is not the only important thing, YES it is important in a soldier but the mind also matters! I can't lie, you get scared easily but so do i!. What about the snake from the other day? Someone had to remove it from your leg after you paralyzed but you were brave enough to not kick or scream in panic" Let's accept it you sucked at motivational speeches, your attempts usuallly ended up making him chuckle but it was some progress taking in mind you had no idea how to comfort him at the beggining. This time was no exception, he grew a tender smile but it faded away in matter of seconds "Come on Armin, you may be a little slim but what you don't have here-" Your hands abruptly dropped on his arms specifying you refered to muscles, then, your middle finger poked his forehead making him flinch "You have it here" "..What was that f-" He was cut off by your finger presisng against his lips "Shush- you are smart, incredibly smart you just have to see it! We all fall on our butts and feel scared of small things sometimes but that is what makes us humans, if we didn't feel fear or anything at all we'd be just like the titans!" You felt impressed of your own words, the look on his face made it clear he echoed the feeling. You wathed him move with his hands towards you before pulling you into one of the warmest hugs you've ever experienced; he held you so close and tightly you could feel his heart beating against you. "Thank you." His head rested on the crook of your neck, the gold strings of his beatiful hair falling over his face and tickling your nape slightly. You corresponded the gesture by eveloping him into your arms, slowly moving your palm up and down on his back "No problem....... Christa-"

Oof! That was long, congratulations if you read the whole thing!

[hobeymakar]

Disco Love | M. Rantanen

Words: 2,129

This is dedicated to my girl @grenawitka​

A/N: I randomly had a dream about a future significant other taking me out to a 80s-style roller disco as a date because I’m a freak who loves 80s disco a little too much. Since I’m single af and my attraction to the male species mostly revolves around hockey players, I figured I would make it about a player. Mikko was suggested by my girl @grenawitka​ and thus, this was born. In this, COVID-19 never happened and the season and offseason take place at their normal scheduled times

Warnings: excessive amounts of disco, swearing, references to sex, and light sexual content

-

You’re in your room curling your hair to try and make it look as 80s as possible. There’s a new roller disco that just opened up in Denver and you haven’t shut up about it since they announced they were opening it. It literally got to the point where you were talking Mikko’s ear off about it and since he’s a great boyfriend, he agreed to take you there on a date.

You finish curling your hair before throwing a headband over it to keep it in place and putting it into a high ponytail with a colorful scrunchie. You also put on very colorful makeup. You have a rainbow-colored leotard on with a pink skirt over it. You have leg warmers and armbands on and look like you belong in an 80s music video. You put on hoop earrings just to add to the look and take a picture to send to the WAGs group chat. The older girls definitely appreciate the look more than the younger ones who think you look lowkey ridiculous.

Before you can defend your look to the younger girls, Mikko comes out of the bathroom dressed in a dark t-shirt and shorts.

“Really babe, that’s what you’re wearing?” you scoff, not believing he didn’t even put an ounce of effort into it.

“What’s wrong with my outfit?” he whines.

“It’s basic and not 80s enough!” you huff in frustration.

You drag him into his side of your walk-in closet and you give him a whole wardrobe change. After a while, you’re satisfied with his new look, which consists of a bright muscle tank, dark 80s style joggers, and sneakers.

“Alright now go look at your look,” you inform him, gesturing to the mirror.

He takes a look at himself and grimaces. This is definitely something he would never wear on his own accord.

“You look great, baby and it’s one night to make me happy,” you assure him.

“I just hope no one recognizes me,” he grimaces thinking about being caught dead by the media wearing what he has on.

You roll your eyes at how dramatic he is and get ready to leave. After a few minutes, you leave the condo and make your way to the car. Mikko insists on driving, which is better for you because you get to control the music and like the pest you are, you play nonstop disco in the car. The entire ride you subject Mikko to the likes of Evelyn Champagne King, Donna Summers, The BeeGees, Gloria Gaynor, Chic, KC and the Sunshine Band, Fire, Diana Ross, Earth, Wind, and Fire, and more. 

After what must feel like an excruciating long time for Mikko, you finally arrive at the roller disco. The parking is shit, as it usually is in the city, so you have to park a few blocks away in a parking garage. You make the walk to the roller disco, braving the chilly air of the early September night in the city. You make your way inside the building and Mikko pays the fee for two. You then head over to the rentals to rent out old-fashioned roller skates. Mikko had wanted to bring his rollerblades, but you told him that it defeats the purpose of going to a roller disco, since it’s with old-fashioned roller skates.

“What are your sizes?” the guy working the rental booth asks, before recognizing Mikko and his face drops.

Mikko talks to the guy and lets him know their sizes. The guy wishes he could get an autograph but settles for a picture with him instead. After the exchange is done, you put on your skates with Mikko tying the laces up for you. You both then head to the hardwood rink holding hands. Since your skating isn’t the best, Mikko leads you at a much slower pace than he would go normally.

The song Stayin’ Alive by the Bee Gees starts playing and you feel like you’re being taken back in time to 1979 or something. You start singing along to the song as you skate alongside groups of friends and other couples.

“Aren’t you glad we’re back in Denver?” you ask him.

“Yeah, being back in Denver means a new season is starting and another shot at the cup,” he replies.

“I really believe you guys can win it this year, babe,” you assure him.

“That’s what everyone said last season and look what happened,” he replies bitterly, referring to their latest 2nd round exit. 

“Yeah well that was last season and this season is different! You guys are a year older and wiser and you’re going to make it out of the West this year!” you assure him again.

“I sure hope we do,” he smiles weakly.

“Anyway, we need to start planning our halloween outfit for this year!” you suggest, already coming up with cute couple ideas.

“Babe, it’s September,” he replies, throwing you a look.

“Yeah, I know, but we need to be the best dressed couple at the party,” you reply.

“Why don’t we just dress like we’re dressed now? I think being a 80s roller disco couple will make us best dressed at the party!” he teases.

“As long as I get to see you in tight pants,” you giggle.

“I’m not wearing tight pants, babe,” he replies.

“You’re going to wear tight pants,” you add.

The song Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough by Michael Jackson comes on and you start singing and swaying to the beat. As you get more comfortable with your skating, you start picking up your speed. Mikko starts showing off by moon-walking on his skates and doing fancy moves.

“You’re such a show off!” you whine.

“You act like you don’t love it!” he adds.

“Whatever, I’m hungry,” you reply, dragging him out of the hardwood rink and towards the concessions area. 

You both look at the menu and decide to split nachos, as well as ordering two slices of brooklyn style pizza and drinks. You wait for your food while I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor plays, with you managing to sing all the lyrics into Mikko’s ear. Your food is ready and you sit down to eat it in old-school booths that remind you of old pizzerias.

“Have you been having fun?” you ask him, afraid that he’s only pretending for your sake.

“Surprisingly it’s been fun. I’m not really into disco like you, but it’s been really fun. The old-school vibe is nice. I feel like it’s 1989 or something,” he admits with a small smile.

“Not gonna lie, I was scared you were only pretending to like it because I do. I always wanted to go to a roller disco and get that old school nostalgic experience,” you inform him.

“Well I’m glad I brought you here tonight. Does that mean I get the boyfriend of the year award?” he asks hopefully.

“You still need to stop leaving your clothes thrown all over the floor, leaving the toilet seat up every time you use it, and put in a new toilet paper roll instead of just leaving it on top of the holder for me to give you the award,” you explain, shooting him a look.

“I’m sorry,” he replies sheepishly, kissing your cheek. “I’ll be better about those things.”

He’s lucky he’s hot because you honestly would’ve killed him already from how much you have to baby him, like as if you’re his second mom. 

“Thanks I know I’m hot, but it’s great to hear you say it,” he winks, before taking a bite of his pizza.

Clearly, you said the “you’re lucky you’re hot” part out loud and you curse yourself for inflating his already huge ego.

You two finish your food before throwing out your food and heading over to the old-school arcade area. There’s a couple skeeball machines, pac-man, super mario, and a few other old-school games.

“Babe, I hope you know I’m gonna kick your ass in these games right?” you ask, as you make your way to the ticket machine.

“I don’t think so, my love. I hope you know I’m not gonna go easy on you,” he retorts, buying the tickets from the machine.

“We’ll see about that Rantanen,” you smirk, confident in your ability.

“You’re on, Y/L/N,” he adds, not backing down.

You head over to the skeeball machine and manage to kick his ass in that game.

“I thought you said you weren’t gonna go easy on me, babe,” you smirk, knowing how much he hates to lose in anything.

“I was, but I won’t be this time around,” he lies, trying to play it off.

“We’ll see about that,” you scoff.

You head over to the pac-man machine and battle against each other and Mikko manages to beat you in a very close match.

“I thought you were gonna kick my ass,” he teases, making fun of you.

You just shoot him a look and take him over to the Super Mario machine to redeem yourself. After a very close match, you manage to beat him. You two go back and forth and after playing a few more games, you record more wins and therefore are crowned the ultimate champ.

“I’d like to thank God first and foremost,” you say, giving a fake award acceptance speech.

He just shakes his head in amusement and hip checks you lightly.

“I don’t think that’s how you treat a champ, babe,” you tease, still rubbing the victory in his face.

“Yeah yeah yeah, I’m still the better skater,” he retorts, causing you to laugh in response.

You both head back over to the hardwood rink as the song Love Come Down by Evelyn Champagne King comes on and you literally start singing your heart out to the song, as you skate along with him. That song can definitely express your feelings for Mikko perfectly.

“Babe, did you know?” you ask, stifling a giggle.

“Know what?” he asks in confusion.

“That you make my love come down,” you add, before laughing.

“That was corny, babe,” he chuckles, kissing you.

“It’s true! I just can’t help the way that I feel!” you add, referencing the song again.

“You’re lucky I love you,” he groans.

“I love you more,” you smile, kissing him.

You skate for a little while longer listening to all the jams and even watch as some guys start having a battle right in the middle of the rink. After a while, you decide to head home and you return your skates back. 

You leave the roller disco and walk down the streets of Denver, getting the occasional weird looks by people for your 80s style attire. You eventually make your way back to the car. You take the aux once again and play Dancing Queen by ABBA causing Mikko to groan.

“Really ABBA? I hear enough of them from Gabe,” he groans.

“You’re acting like this isn’t a great song!” you retort, as you start heading back home.

You torture Mikko with more disco music durignt he whole drive back home. Eventually, you arrive back at the condo and go straight to the bathroom. You remove your makeup and tie your hair up before changing into one of Mikko’s old team Finland shirts with nothing underneath and heading into the room to see Mikko in bed and scrolling on his phone. He looks up and smiles when he sees you wearing his shirt. You join him in bed and straddle his waist, his hands going automatically to your hips.

“Have I told you before that I love when you wear my clothes?” he asks, his fingers running under the seam of the shirt.

“You may have mentioned it before,” you tease, running your fingers through his curls.

His hands go to your butt and he grabs both cheeks in his hands.

“Someone’s being handsy,” you tease, before rolling over onto his side.

“Such a tease,” he groans in disappointment.

“Quit whining you baby! We’re watching a movie tonight and I’m picking,” you inform him.

He hands you the remote and you choose Saturday Night Fever, the iconic 1977 disco movie.

“Really?” he groans, shooting you a look.

“Just shut up and turn off the lights, Mikko,” you order him.

He gets up begrudgingly and turns off the lights before climbing back into bed. You start the movie and Mikko gets over the movie choice after a while. You two don’t even watch the entire movie, abandoning it halfway because he got too handsy, which was part of his agenda from the second he saw you wearing his shirt. The soreness that you feel the next morning was worth it when he wakes you up with breakfast in bed.