#The True Mike... ah crap i mean
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Cars vs. Monsters, Inc.
Monsters, Inc. is better. Monsters, Inc. has such a unique concept, the most unique out of its contemporaries, and a surprisingly deep theme around the electricity company, the emotional moments hit harder, the jokes are the funniest out of any Pixar movie, John Goodman, Billy Crystal, and Steve Buscemi is some of the best casting in general, and besides some of the textures (which is depressingly true for Monsters University as well) the animation holds up completely. The only thing Cars is better at is cinematography and direction, which is something not generally talked about in 3D animation films. Cars has a much deeper understanding of the language of cinema with its action scenes, montages, and editing. Cars is still a decent movie and, like the other first 11 movies, has deeper themes than American kids animation in the decades prior and after but the best aspects of Cars come from reading into the film. The story and moment to moment scenes are serviceable but the gesturing towards the erasure of smalltown America and the death of Paul Newman and Joe Ranft allow a deeper reading of the film. Cars is definitely the weakest film of those original 11 and doesn't hold a candle to Monsters, Inc. but it gets a lot of unfair criticism. A while back I talked about the idea of Cars' "Lazy Worldbuilding" and how it is false and a product of adults reading to deep into it. Not everything needs a complex and unique world like Dune, it's a representation of our world because it is a kids movie and it is a means to an end. Kids like cars more than humans in movies. This past week I've been thinking about the opening of Monsters, Inc., specifically the rhythm of the line deliveries. It's interesting the things that have been permanently etched into my brain and this opening is one of them. The lady saying "bup bup bup, ah" and "becaaaaauuse" and later Mike Wazowski speaking calmly then yelling than an airhorn to wake up Sully and then John Goodman's yell. So I decided to rewatch the opening and holy crap is it effective. The little 2D opening sequence, the bait and reveal, Mike and Sully starting their day. And the exposition is so effective. This is a performance review so no one is going to question them questioning each other about the way the world works. Mr. Waternoose's presence and how he demonstrates scream power in 2 shots is phenomenal, it should be taught in school. Monsters, Inc. may have the most effective opening in demonstrating how the world works. The next scene is Mike and Sully walking to work with little gags about how the world itself works. I love the detail of the door being a two for one, one for Sully and one for Mike. And then the cherry on top is Sully twisting the small door knob into the larger door, showing how the door works, and then shutting it completely, further demonstrating Mike and Sully's contrasting personalities. Then there's the scream shortage causing them to walk, Big Eye, the kid with the tongue being used as a skipping rope. But hold on, some monsters can sneeze fire so shouldn't newspapers be flame retardant? How can Ted live here, he doesn't fit in frame and I didn't see any houses big enough in the city? And sewer grates so that jelly monsters can lose their bodies? This is now actually shitty worldbuilding because it doesn't account for everyone's needs and just isn't practical. Do you see how silly that sounds? The point of those little additions is that their jokes. There are differences between monsters and humans so we're showing you via human concepts like sewer grates and newspapers and how they wouldn't work here. Monsters, Inc. doesn't get this bad-faith criticism because it's a way more beloved movie than Cars. "I don't like Cars but I have to pick apart every aspect of it and rationalise it so I sound smart and because I can't just admit that the story and characters just aren't that effective, there has to be something more for my distaste otherwise people may not respect me". Understand why something is effective beyond picking apart every little detail.
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Can I be a princess?
Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader
New girl meets THE freak
Warning: bad language, mentioning of bullying, mentioning of hitting, spelling errors (just tell me in the comments!:)) thatâs all <3
Have fun reading
Word count: 1099
You were walking through the Halls of your new High school. Gosh you hated that your mom decided to move away. You only had one year left of your Highschool journey so why move? Pssst it doesnât matter anymore. New school, new you. God you were so nervous! Okay..two more steps..just open the doorâŠ
Eddieâs POV
I was just looking out the window..stupid math class. I stopped counting a while ago how many damn times I did this shit of stupid math like why would I need it later? My head shot to the left side of the room, the familiar sound of the door opening had awakening my attention and..a pretty girl? A new girl?
great a new girl who will be taken by the dark side. How much time will it take? A week?
No oneâs POV
You stepped to your math teacher and had no idea what her name was.
âTell the class about yourselfâ she only said,
âUh..h-hi! My name is Y/N Y/L/N. I just moved here from Florida and I hope we all will get along this last year of Highschoolâ
No reaction
Eddie was looking at Y/N. She was..different. Nervous, shy and not to âI am better than everyoneâ like.
Your teacher noticed the âreactionâ of the class and stepped in âsit next to Mister Munson. But donât look to much forward to his actions. He wouldnât even be here anymore if he really wanted itâ
The boy with the long curly hair winked at the teacher and watched as you sat down next to him. You pulled out your school supplies and tried to understand what the hell was going on in math. You didnât. You just had a âwhy am I even hereâ expression on your face and Eddie couldnât help himself but to smirk at this sight. He found it funny how helpless you were because he knew soon youâll be like everyone else. A bully, mean and most of all boring. He looked back to the window trying not to think about you next to him.
He really thought he could maybe stop you from being like that. Little did he know you werenât like that at all. You got bullied in your old school for liking to read and write stories and it was a living hell for you but last year you decided to not give a fuck anymore and just jump through the years of horror. Thatâs why you didnât like to move here. You actually reached that state of focusing on school and not opinions and then you got taken away. Well maybe even for good. Youâll find out later.
The bell rang and everyone left the classroom with you being last. You were walking through the halls. Nervous again.. lunch time. You were wearing your black converse, shorts that were loose and down till your knees and a band T of AC/DC. Your brown tote bag was hanging on your shoulder and you had a book in your arms.
You looked right to left. Sitting..the next problem. You surely canât sit by the popular jerks. âYouâre a weirdoâ you thought to yourself. Ah crap.
Eddie was reading an article about D&D making it sound funny what horrible things were written in it. He looked up to see you standing there even more helpless than before.
âYou guys, you want a girl to join this club?â He asked not looking away from you.
How didnât he notice your shirt, good looking and a good music taste? Too good to be true..
âYou mean the new girl?â Mike asked with a weird look on his face.
âGot a problem with that?â Eddie looked at the freshman
âYou didnât hear?â Mikes eyes widened
âHear what?â
âShe beated up a girl who was uhhh I think her bully and she made her hospital readyâ
Eddie was amused and shocked at the same time. How could anyone so sweet do something like that? Wait..what did he just think? Ugh what ever.
âI donât careâ he jumped up and headed towards you
âMaybe she Wonât turn if I do this..â he whispered to himself
âY/L/Nâ your jumped, you didnât realize Munson was walking to you.
Eddie smiled âsorry didnât mean to scare you. You can sit with usâ
You looked at him up and down. You could tell he was an outsider..welp sitting there was better than eating in the girls bathroom. You simply nodded and followed him.
Everyone at the table was looking at you. The Hell?
âYou already know who she is, be nice sheâs joining our lunch âclubââ you sat down next to the boys with with the curls and weird teeth. You never were a person who judged others but you just felt that no one was liked by someone who sitting at this table.
âSo youâre new huh, tell something about yourselfâ Eddie grinned
âIâd rather not toâ you said while looking into your book you were reading.
âbecause she knows sheâll get judgedâ Mike whispered towards Dustin
âWhatâs that?â looking at the black haired boy.
ânothing nothingâ he simply answered.
âBetter beâ looking back down.
Eddie grinned. Damn he really liked that attitude. UGH stop this stupid thoughts he had.
âCome on Florida, we wonât bite.â the metalhead stated
âdonât. Call. Me. That.â you growled
Eddie frowned and then grinned even more.
âAnyways are you interested in the game D&D-â
âDungeon and dragons?â you were looking at him curious.
He smiled âyou already know about it do you?â
âKnow about it? It was basically in middle school. But itâs been years since I rolled that diceâ you were zoning off thinking about the good memories you actually had because at that age you even manage to have friends. But then everyone got into Highschool and changed and you were just you. You couldnât play alone and stopped thinking about it.
âThen you are very welcome in our D&D club. Hell fire clubs the nameâ
Should you really? Yes totally.
âLet me be Waesyarus and Iâm in.â
âDeal.â Eddie grinned and hold his hand towards you.
You shook it and got back to reading.
So Elfs huh? Maybe she could be Eddieâs Elf princess. HIS princess.
Maybe youâre not turning bad after allâŠ
To be continuedâŠ
ïżŒ
#eddie munson imagine#eddie munson#eddie munson x reader#eddie munson x y/n#eddie munson x you#eddie munson x female reader#stranger things#stranger things 4#joseph quinn#eddie munson oneshot#Can I be a princess?
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The Things You Give Pt. 11
Happy spooky season, my dear loves! Thank you for being so patient with me as I publish each part. I really hope you enjoy this next part. I love hearing from you guys so feel free to message or leave a comment <3Â
Steven Hyde x Reader
âEric!â Y/n said, completely frozen in shock. âW-what are you, uh, what are y-you doing h-here?â
      Ericâs face didnât change as he stared at the couple in front him, wide eyes and jaw slack. So many questions ran through his mind as well as different emotions. Rage, confusion, hurt, shock, and most of all: betrayal. He wasnât sure if he wanted to scream or strangle them both. His hands started to shake and he swore his heart was going to beat out of his chest.
      âUhâŠitâs not what it looks like!â Hyde said, trying to save the situation. âShe was helping me move some boxes and she found some of my nudie magazines.â
      âYeah!â Y/n cut in, catching on. âAnd I started making fun of him for it and thatâs why it sounded like we were talking dirty and thatâs why we look like this because of all the movingâŠand itâs hard work. And we smell like this because we got all sweaty. But nothing else happened!â
      Eric couldnât believe that his best friend and sister would think he was that stupid. He couldnât even say anything to them. All he could do was calmly walk out through the basement door without saying a word.
      âOh no,â Y/n said under her breath.
      âCrap,â Hyde sighed and looked at Y/n who looked like she was about to cry.
       Down at the Hub, the couple and everyone else, minus Eric, sat around their usual table as Y/n and Hyde relayed what had happened just a short hour prior.
      âHe was like a deer caught in the headlights,â Hyde said. âA very angry looking deer.â
      âYou know what this means?â Donna asked. âThis means that heâs going to rant for the next six months and guess who is going to have hear about it?â She pointed a finger at herself. âThatâs right, me. Over and over and over again.â
      âI know,â Y/n grumbled and hid her face in her hand. âThis is so not the way I wanted him to find out. Any of you really.â
      âYeah, I still think I found out the worst way still,â Donna commented and took a sip of her root beer, but not before she shuddered dramatically. âI still have nightmares about it.â
      âYeah it wasnât a thrill for us either,â Hyde said and took some fries from Y/nâs basket.
      âTo be honest, Iâm kinda scared to see him,â Y/n said after taking a sip of her coke. âHe justâŠdidnât say anything and stormed out.â
      âMaybe he didnât know what to say,â Jackie said. âI mean, he probably was disgusted.â
      âJackie, what the hell, man?â Y/n asked her frustrated.
      âNo, I mean itâs his sister and best friend. How would you feel if that happened to you?â she defended.
      âIt did happen to me!â Y/n said. âWhen Mike McCanât Keep It In His Pants over here and Easily Spread Butter started sleeping together.â
      âFirst of all, thatâs a good burn,â Kelso laughed. âAnd second of allâŠI totally nailed your sister! Now if I can nail you, Iâd done it with all the Forman girls!â
      Hyde didnât even hesitate to connect his fist to Kelsoâs shoulder. Kelso grunted and glared at him before scooting away from him.
      âSo, how did it make you feel? How did you react?â Donna asked.
      âWell, I was beyond angry because I felt so betrayed and disgusted and lied toâah crap,â Y/n said, realizing what the point was. âDammit, Jackie, I hate it when youâre right!â
      âWhich isnât very common,â Jackie stated, holding up a finger. âBut when I am, itâs a big deal.â
      âHave you guys seen Eric?â Y/n asked.
      âI havenât,â Donna answered.
      âMe either,â Jackie mumbled.
      âNada,â Kelso said.
      âSorry,â Fez finally said, shaking his head.
      âMan, Iâm kinda freaking out,â Hyde said. âNormally I donât, especially when it comes to Forman, but you shouldâve seen him. Iâve never seen him like this. Normally, heâs like, you know, all squeaky and twitchy, but this time, he was just quiet and walked out calmly.â
      âYeah, I donât what Iâm going to do once I see him,â Y/n said, leaning back and crossing her arms.
      âWell, you might want to figure it out soon because heâs coming in,â Fez said, panicking a little.
      Y/n and Hyde whipped around to see Eric stomping in, but the second he came in and made eye contact with them, the air around them suddenly went still.
      âHi, Eric,â Y/n said softly.
      âHey man,â Hyde said, trying to sound as casual as he could.
      The dirty blonde twin looked at them before turning away back into the parking lot.
      âDamn,â Kelso mumbled and turned back around to face the group. âHeâs really pissed.â
      âTrust me guys, Iâve known Eric our whole lives and Iâve never seen him like this,â Y/n said.
      âWell, duh, you shared the womb with the guy,â Fez piped up and everyone couldnât help but roll their eyes. âI guess you can say, you were wombmates.â
      Y/n couldnât help but giggle at that while everyone else groaned and rolled their eyes.
                                     â§â§â§
      The next day, things between the twins and Hyde were still eerily quiet. Eric couldnât even be in the same room as them. Even at the breakfast table, Eric refused to look up from his plate. Kitty and Red shared a look, knowing something was wrong.
      âWhatâs wrong with you?â Red asked. âYouâre usually annoying in the morning. Actually, I can get used to this.â
      âRed,â Kitty said sternly and turned to Eric. âEric, honey, are you okay?â
      âMâ fine,â Eric mumbled shortly without looking up and shoveled some eggs into his mouth.
      âDid you get into a fight with Donna?â she asked.
      âMom, I said Iâm fine. Can we please drop it?â Eric asked, trying to not raise his voice at her.
      She held her hands up. âFine, fine.â
      The table went back to ground breaking silence while everyone sat there tense and still, except for Red who was actually enjoying the silence for once.
       Outside later in the afternoon, everyone, minus Eric, sat in the driveway, shooting some hoops and talking on top of the Vista Cruiser.
      âWhereâs Eric?â Jackie asked.
      âHeâsâŠsomewhere,â Y/n answered and looked towards the house. âI think heâs been hiding in his room all day. Or he just goes where we arenât.â
      âProbably both,â Jackie said and shuddered. âI wouldnât want to be in his room either.â
      Donna laughed. âThatâs true. One time I just walked in and he was reading a nudey magazine and I swear Iâve never seen him jump up so fast. It wouldâve been funnier if he wasnât naked.â
      Y/n and Jackie shuddered in horror.
      âGross!â Jackie exclaimed.
      âWhat she said,â Y/n said and gagged. âThanks for that mental image.â
      Y/n  looked over to Steven, Michael, and Fez playing basketball and made eye contact with Steven. In that split second, Michael took advantage of it and swiped the ball from him. He made a slam dunk and stuck his tongue out at Hyde.
      Hyde quickly grabbed the ball and spun around, dodging Kelsoâs attempted swipe and slammed it into the basket.
      âHyde: two, Kelso: uno,â Hyde said, smirking and balanced the ball on his hip.
      âI love watching you play basketball,â Y/n said, her voice lowering.
      âYeah?â Hyde responded, staring her down.
      âYeah, itâs hot,â she responded before realizing they were in front of everyone and cleared her throat. âOr you know, whatever.â
      âGet a room!â Kelso shouted.
      âItâs my house!â Y/n argued.
      âExactly! So, you should go find one and get that out of here,â he responded.
      âShut up, man. We used to have to watch you and Jackie make out all the time,â Hyde said.
      âYeah, but it wasnât weird like this is,â Kelso responded.
      Y/n and Hyde rolled their eyes at him before turning back to each other.
      âSo, have you seen him?â he asked her.
      âNo, have you?â she asked.
      He shook his head. âWeâre going to have face him sooner or later.â
      âLater,â Y/n answered. âGives me time to think of ways to calm him down. Or by the time we do face him weâll be in Guadalajara.â
      Hyde shook his head smiling. âCome on, letâs get this over with.â
      Y/n  sighed and hopped off the car. âFine. Letâs go find him.â
      âI think I saw him go into the basement earlier,â Fez said and everyone followed Y/n and Steven to go to the basement.
      âCan we get some privacy?â Y/n asked when they noticed everyone was following them.
      âNo way!â Kelso answered. âWe arenât going to miss the show.â
      Y/n grunted, feeling annoyed. âIdiots.â
      Hyde turned around and slammed his fist into Kelsoâs shoulder. âWill you get out of here? All of you!â
      âOw!â Kelso yelled. âFine!â
      Everyone dispersed leaving Hyde and Y/n alone.
      Begrudgingly, Hyde and Y/n made their way to the basement where they did, in fact, see Eric sitting on the couch watching TV. But judging his body language, he was tense and still really pissed off.
      âEric?â Y/n called out gently, afraid to scare him off like a stray animal. âHow are you doing?â She rounded to the couch to face him and saw his chin resting on his thumb while his index finger held up his cheek. He wasnât paying attention to the tv and was just sitting there, seething.
      He looked at her from the corner of his eye to back to the screen. He stayed silent, refusing to speak to her.
      She looked at Hyde desperately, needing help.
      âListen, Forman. We need to talk about this,â Hyde said stepping forward.
      âThereâs nothing to talk about,â he said, struggling to keep his voice leveled.
      âYes, there is and itâs need to happen,â Steven responded. âI get it, youâre pissed. But this needs to be hashed out so it doesnât become another Kelso fiasco. So, come on. Letâs talk.â
      âTalk about what, exactly?â Eric snapped. âWhatâs there to talk about? Talk about you screwing my sister? Or that you guys went behind my back and have been lying to me this whole time? Or how âbout this, that you went after my twin sister? You know it was bad enough when Kelso did it with Laurie, but Y/N?â He shook his head.
      âEric, please,â Y/n begged. âTrust me, this is not the way we wanted you to find out.â
      He jerked his head to look at her. âHow did you want me to find out?â
      She shrugged her shoulders nervously. âI donât know, but somewhere along the lines we wanted to tell you.â
      âAnd how did you think I would take that?!â he yelled. âYouâre sleeping with my best friend! I canât believe you guys would do this to me!â
      âOkay, first all, Forman, weâre not doing anything to you,â Hyde defended. âIn fact, this isnât about you at all. And second of all, itâs nothing like that. Itâs more than that now.â
      Ericâs face darkened. âWhat do you mean by that?â
      Hyde cast his eyes down and looked to Y/n before turning his gaze back to Eric. âI love her, man.â
      âWHAT?!â Eric practically screamed. He dragged a hand down his face and started to pace behind the couch.
Y/n stayed seated as she watched her brotherâs breathing becoming uneven and shaken. She knew that he was about to lose his cool.
âWhat the hell do you mean you love her?â he continued shouting. âOut of all the stupid crap youâve pulled, this has got to be the dumbest one yet!â
âWhat do you mean by that?â Hyde asked offended.
âI think you know exactly what I mean,â he replied. âYou stringing my sister along for fun, making her believe that youâre in love with her and then when you get tired of her, youâre going to dump her for the next girl that comes along.â
âThatâs what you think Iâm doing?â Hyde was getting visibly angry. âYou think I would that to her? Iâm not freaking Kelso!â
âI donât see you denying it!â
âHang on!â Y/n shouted, standing from her seat. âDo you really think Iâm naĂŻve to fall for something like that again?â
âWell, you did before,â Eric spat.
Y/nâs blood started to boil. âThatâs nothing compared to what Steven and I have! What he is saying is true because I love him too!â
Ericâs face fell and flushed red, clenching his teeth. âHow long?â
âHow long what?â Y/n asked.
âHow long has this been going on?â
âWell, uh, since June,â she answered.
âSo, youâve been dating secretly for four months and never thought of when to tell me?! When were you going to tell me? After you guys secretly got married? Or after the birth of your first secret child?â
âItâs not like we wanted to hurt you,â Y/n defended. âWe didnât plan for anyone else to find out either.â
âEverybody else knows?!â Eric shouted.
âNice going,â Hyde grumbled, elbowing Y/nâs arm. Gently, of course.
âUhâyeah. They kind ofâŠfound out on their own. Except for Fez. Kelso told him, but other than that, yeah. They caught on.â
âHow do you think Mom and Dad are going to take it when they find out their daughter is screwing the townâs rebel?!â
âYou mean the one they took in?â she asked angrily. âThe one who they love like another son?â
âIâm warning you now when Dad finds out, youâre dead. Both of you. And I mean literally,â Eric warned and continued to pace.
âI know, but this a risk that weâre willing to take,â she said and walked over to where Hyde was standing and wrapped her arms around his waist. Steven wrapped a protective arm around her and held her close. âI love him and he loves me. Iâm actually happy.â
âI know this hard for you to get through your thick skull, but I really do love her, man. For the first time ever, Iâm happy,â Steven said, more calmly this time.
âStop saying that!â Eric screeched.
âItâs true, man!â Hyde yelled back. âWill you quit acting like a two-year-old and actually have a decent conversation?â
âYou donât get to tell me how to act when youâve been going behind my back like this,â Eric growled. âDonât you dare tell me how to act!â
âThis is why we didnât want to tell you!â Y/n said. âWe knew youâd act like this!â
âHow am I supposed to act, Y/n? I mean, for four months, four damn months, youâve been doing whatever youâve been doing in secret. I can barley understand all of this. I donât know how the hell you expect me to accept this!â
âWell, youâre gonna have to because this isnât going to end anytime soon!â Hyde said.
Eric finally stopped pacing and looked Hyde straight in the eye. âYou know what bothers me the most? That I gave you more than one chance to tell me the truth and you lied to me. Iâm supposed to be your best friend, your brother, and you couldnât even come to me to say, âHey man, I like your sister and Iâm thinking of asking her out. Just thought Iâd give you a heads up,ââ Eric said, doing an impression of Hyde.
Hyde unhooked his arm from Y/nâs shoulder. âOkay, first of all the impression, uncanny,â he said sarcastically. âAnd second, even if I did come to you first you still wouldnât be okay with it.â
âOf course not!â he said. âBut it still wouldâve been better than being lied to!â
Hyde and Y/n grew quiet and looked at each other. As much as they hated to admit it, he was right. They shouldâve at least said something to him before all this.
âYou know what? I canât even look at you two right now,â Eric finally said and walked over to the door, grabbing his coat from the rack.
âWhere you going?â Y/n asked, tears beginning to surface.
âAnywhere but here!â Eric shouted and slammed the door on his way out.
âDamn it,â Y/n groaned, rubbing her hands down her face. âI knew this was going to blow up in our faces.â
âLetâs just give him some space,â Hyde said and brought her in for a hug. âItâll be okay. He canât stay mad forever.â
âWhat was all that yelling about?â Kitty asked, coming down the stairs.
Y/n pushed herself away from Hyde and stood close to him. âWe got into a fight with Eric.â
âYou two got into a fight with Eric?â she asked surprised. âWhy? What happened?â
âDonna and Eric had a fight,â Hyde and Y/n answered quickly together.
âNice!â Y/n laughed.
âAlright!â Hyde laughed with her.
Y/n turned back to her mother. âWe sided with her and now heâs all pissed at us.â
âWhat about this time?â Kitty asked.
âIâm not too sure,â Y/n lied. âSomething about Star Wars.â
âOh, for the love of God,â she responded, rolling her eyes. âThose two fight over the dumbest things.â
âYou can say that again,â Hyde said, chuckling to himself.
âWell, when Eric gets back, make you sure tell him dinnerâs almost ready.â She trotted back up the stairs, leaving the couple along again.
They sighed together and collapsed on the couch next to each other.
âWhat are we going to do?â Y/n groaned and dropped her head on his shoulder.
Hyde kissed her head and sighed as he put his arm around her. âI donât know, but weâll figure it out.â
âI love you.â
A small smile crept up on his face. âI love you too.â
                        â§â§â§
The next day at the hub, the gang, again minus Eric, sat around a table eating burgers and fries. Y/n slurped on a milkshake while listening to Jackieâs incessant rant about God-knows-what.
âSo, then as Brittany took the position of head cheerleader from me, now the whole squad has been completely ignoring me and talking behind my back. That skank wad,â said Jackie, crossing her arms.
âI thought you quit cheerleading?â Y/n asked.
âYeah, but then I realized I needed to go back to my natural habitat. Snobby and bitchy.â
âAt least youâre honest,â Y/n said..
âSo, you talked to Eric, huh?â Donna asked.
âYeah, and he didnât take it well at all,â Hyde responded.
âWell what happened?â Fez asked.
Y/n and Hyde went into the details of what happened the night before with everyoneâs eyes glued to their faces.
âMan, heâs taking this a lot harder than I thought,â Donna said, leaning back and taking a sip of her soda.
âIâm not surprised,â Kelso piped up. âI mean, he hated it when me and Laurie got together, but yours is way worse.â
Y/n squinted at him. âHow is this worse, exactly?â
âWell, me and Laurie were just doing it,â he responded. âYou guys actually feelings for each other.â
âNo, you idiot,â said Fez. âIf he was just doing her he would be angrier because then Hyde would look at her just like a hot piece of meat instead of actually having feelings for her.â
âThanks, Fez,â Y/n said, happy that someone made that point.
âOr,â Kelso said. âHeâs madder because this is a thing thatâs going to stick and not just be a fling and get over with.â
âThatâs also a good point,â Jackie said.
Y/n gave a look to Donna and shook her head before continuing. âAnyway, I donât know what else to do.â
âThereâs nothing you really can do,â Donna responded. âHe knows now and thereâs nothing you can say or do to make him any less pissed.â
âExcept if you two broke up,â Jackie said.
âOh, I got it!â Kelso said, snapping his fingers. âYou two should break up!â
âKelso!â Hyde and Y/n said in unison.
âNo! I mean you two should fake break up and then Forman wonât be so mad at you anymore,â he responded.
âWell, thatâs not too bad of an idea,â Jackie said.
âWhatâs the point of that?â Hyde said. âHeâs already pissed off at us for lying to him. What makes you think this one is better?â
âYeah, good point,â Fez said. âWell, then Donna is right. Thereâs nothing you can do.â
Y/n sighed and leaned back, rubbing her temples. âThis sucks.â
âI know, but heâll come to accept it,â Donna said. âEspecially if this is going to last.â
âWhat Miss Kitty and Mr. Red?â Fez asked. âRed is a fireball. Heâs going to lose his crap.â
Everybody gasped.
âRed!â Kelso shouted. âI didnât even think about him!â Then he started laughing. âYouâre so dead, man.â
Hyde glared at him. âYou think we didnât think of that?â
âWell, weâre eighteen now. He canât tell us what to do and who to be with,â Y/n said, turning to Steven. âHeâs going to have to get over it.â
âYeah, after he sticks his foot in your ass,â Donna laughed.
âIâll take it,â Hyde said and put his arm around her shoulders. âIâll take anything for you.â
Y/n giggled as everyone aweâd at him.
âShut up!â Hyde yelled, but a smile formed on his face anyway.
A ding at the door caused the group to turn around. Zack stood at the entrance and made his way over to Y/n once he made eye contact with her. Y/n internally groaned.
âSo, youâre with the school burnout now huh?â Zack mocked. âI knew you wouldnât be able to find someone better than me.â
Y/n blinked at him. âGreat. Youâre back. Donât you have to be annoying somewhere else? Like in college? Or did you fail and disappoint them too?â
âBURN!â Kelso shouted, laughing along with the rest of the group.
âI didnât fail out,â he defended. âThey kicked me out.â
Y/n laughed. âFor what? For spiking the sorority girlsâ punch?â
âNo,â he said, growing frustrated at everyoneâs laughter. âI broke into the girlâs locker room and drilled a hole through the wall.â
Y/n through her head back and laughed. âYeah, you know what, I upgraded. And my guy maybe a âburnoutâ but at least he doesnât cheat on me with some skank.â
âI only cheated because you wouldnât put out,â he said, his cheeks puffing out.
âYeah, get lost, Loser,â Y/n said, throwing the word back in his face.
He pfftâd and smacked Hyde in the arm. âGood luck with this bitch, man.â
Hyde glared at Zack before slowly standing and winding his fist back and connecting it to his nose. Zack cried out and held his nose in his hand.
âWhat the hell, you prick?!â he shouted.
âCall my girlfriend a bitch again and Iâll make sure youâll be the first person to touch his chin to his ass!â Steven shouted. âGet the hell out of here!â
Zack didnât respond as he scrambled out of the building.
âThat was awesome!â Donna cried out, laughing.
âYeah, that was,â Kelso said, smiling. âIâve never heard a guy scream like a bitch before.â
âMe neither,â Y/n chuckled and looked to Hyde. âBy the way, that was so hot.â
âI gotta protect my girl,â he said and leaned in for a kiss. Y/n smiled into the kiss as she placed her hand on his face, scratching his sideburns.
âOh, God,â Eric called out from the door, feeling disgusted seeing them being affectionate.
Hyde and Y/n pulled apart and looked at Eric.
âHi,â Y/n said. âWhat are you doing here?â
âI thought Iâd come down and see my dear sister with our dear friends, to try and maybe to hang out and get some normalcy, but seeing you two makes me want to vomit.â
âOh, come on, Eric,â Donna said. âItâs not like this Kelso and Laurie.â
âThatâs what I said!â Hyde said, trying to deflate the situation.
âBesides, theyâre kind of cute together,â Donna said with a smile on her face. She looked to Y/n who mouthed a âthank youâ and winked at her. âYou canât stay mad at them forever.â
âMaybe not, but I can for a really, really long time,â he answered and was about to walk out the door when Y/n stopped him.
âEric, wait no,â she said and got up, grabbing his hand. âPlease donât go. Sit with us.â
âLook, Y/n. I canât. You have no idea how angry I am that you lied to me. Weâre twins and weâre not supposed to have any secrets between us. We share everything, but you know the thing that really hurts the most? Itâs that you felt like you couldnât come to me at all. I can understand Mom and Dad, especially Dad because heâs well, scary, but me? I thought we were best friends and you trusted me enough to come to me.â
Tears filled Y/nâs eyes. âEric, I do.â
âClearly not enough,â he said, hurt laced in his face and drew his hand back from hers. He looked to Hyde who looked like he felt deep guilt. âWeâre supposed to be best friends and you couldnât even tell me the truth the first time. You clearly donât care about anyone else but yourselves.â
âEric, thatâs not fair!â Y/n cried.
âYou want to talk to me about fairness?!â he raised his voice again. âThis isnât fair. None of this is fair! It wasnât fair that you went behind my back and started doing it! Or, that you couldnât even come tell me that you have fallen in love with each other! Thatâs not fair.â
He walked out the Hub, leaving Y/n in tears. She sat back down and rested her head in the crook of Hydeâs neck, face turned away from the group so they couldnât see her tears.
Hyde wrapped his around her waist and held her close, trying his best to comfort her.
âIâm sorry Y/n,â Donna said. âIâll talk to him later.â
âBut heâs right,â Y/n croaked out and turned her face back to them. âThis isnât fair to him and we did him wrong.â
âBut you canât help how you feel,â Jackie said sweetly. âItâs not like you did this to get back at Eric for something. You two truly do love each other and if he cared about you, he wouldnât be so angry.â
âNo, he has every right to be,â Y/n said, wiping her eyes. âYes, we have strong feelings for each other, but we still went behind his back and betrayed him. He has every right to feel the way he does.â
No one else knew what to say, but to look at each other.
âI gotta go,â Y/n said and ran out before anyone else could see more tears.
âI should go too,â Hyde said. âThis is my fault too.â
He got up and walked out after her, feeling the same guilt as she did.
Taglist:
@lieswithoutfairytalesâ @mdittyz123âÂ
#Steven Hyde#steven hyde x reader#that 70s show#That '70s Show#that 70's show fanfic#Eric Forman#Donna Pinciotti#Michael Kelso#jackie burkhart#fez#fez x jackie#i just love when fez sings this because it's so cute haha
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A Day (Or Six) in the Life
Note: This is from Richieâs POV sorta, so fair warning, there is some vulgar language from time to time. Hope you like it!
Sometimes thereâs just too much shit going on in Richieâs head.Â
And like, donât get him wrong â he loves the weird crap his brain comes up with. Makes things entertaining, a little spicy, a little zesty. The only problem with it is that he canât find the damn remote that turns off the six different brands of Looney Tunes going on up there.Â
(Heâd once spent an entire lecture assigning different Voices to the markers his professor used on the whiteboard, to the point that he hadnât retained a single iota of anything the man actually wrote down.)
Man, that red little minx was pretty sexy though.
He snorts to himself as he comes out of his dozing, shoved back into the real world for the present. He can feel the hot line of Eddie at his back, leg hooked over his hip like a seat belt. His lil jet pack.Â
Richie reaches blindly for his glasses and pushes them onto his nose, sniffling. Itâs still fairly early by his standards, but he doesnât glance long enough at the digital clock to tell for sure, choosing instead to take one of Eddieâs hand and squeeze like itâs his own personal communications device. âGround control to major Eds, come in, major Eds?â
No response.
Richie huffs, squeezes harder. âPsht. Major Eds? Whatâs your mission status, major?â
Maybe Eddie understands what heâs saying, maybe he doesnât, but Richie receives a huff of hot breath at the back of his neck for his efforts, followed by what feels like a cheek smushed against his head. âSâtoo early, Rich.â
Flabbergasted, Richie turns over completely to grip a disgruntled, squinting Eddie by the front of his sleep shirt. âItâs never too early in outer space, Eds! Did the academy teach you nothing? Iâm ashamed.â
And Richie doesnât think heâll ever get used to seeing Eddie so ruffled in the morning. Slow, blinking away sleep from his eyes with those impossibly long lashes, yawning around perfectly white teeth that look like little moon rocks, and - and it definitely seems like thereâs a theme going on in his head today, doesnât it?
âWhat are you even talking about?â The question sounds irritated, but thatâs never stopped Richie before. If anything, it means that he has to go and run his mouth harder, because thatâs his default reaction to any indication that someone might be upset with him.
(Except they both know that if Eddie really felt like it, he could just pick up his hot little self and go back to his own bed across the room. Hasnât happened yet, so. Free game.)
âWhat am I -? Iâm talking about the great race, major!â He pokes Eddieâs side, smiling knowingly at the resulting yip and defensive curl. âSpace ainât some pre teen with a secret collection of skin mags, babe-be, itâs not gonna explore itself.â
Eddie wrinkles his nose but canât bury his smile in his pillow fast enough for Richie to miss it, sighing a long-suffering breath. âYouâre so gross.â
âI try.â
âWhere am I going, anyway?â
âHm?â Richie kinda shifted out of the moment there, itâs gonna take him a second to catch up.
âYou know,â Eddie yawns again, gesturing to the ceiling with a limp hand. âSpace. Tell me where Iâm going.â
âOh, yeah. Uncharted territory, actually. Forgot to mention that.â
âMmmâŠâ
A moment of silence passes between them, which is really fortunate for Eddie because it gives Richie an opening for just about the best joke ever.Â
Gathering him in his arms slowly, he kisses his cheek, nuzzles up to him, and whispers, âTo infinity⊠and your mom!â
Eddie, who had resettled peacefully in the crook of Richieâs arm, stiffens instantly and snaps one angry eye open to glare at him something fierce. Before Richie even so much as smirks, he finds himself pushed down into the squeaky mattress, two hands digging into any spot they can reach.
âWait- W-wait!â Richie tumbles back with the force of it so hard he thinks he might get whiplash, but it doesnât matter because heâs laughing around his next breath, tilting his head back and squeezing his eyes shut.
Eddieâs like a freight train when it comes to this, hands jumping from sides to ribs to neck to armpits to stomach - itâs all Richie can do to hold on to his wrists, tickle-weak and letting it happen.Â
âYeah, laugh it up, Trash mouth.â Eds hisses, though Richie can see through a few tears that heâs grinning, biting at his tongue in concentration. Richie loves it, loves how Eddie can just reach into his head and jumble his brain until his thoughts whirl around like confetti in a snow globe.Â
At any rate, those insistent little fingers wring every last one of them out of him by the time he stops, looking down at Richieâs flushed excuse for a face and beaming like he won a prize. Always a competition with him, hoo-wee. âYou done yet?â
Richie blinks, drudging through the mud pile that is his brain for a witty retort. âUh⊠IâŠâ
Eddie leans down and kisses his nose. âGood. Letâs go get breakfast, Iâm starving.â
ââââââââââ
âOh. My. Fuck.â Richie pulls off his hat and tosses it aside the moment heâs through the door. He stops only to kick off his shoes, one landing near the rack and the other hitting the wall. He doesnât care, though, limping into the living room. After an eight hour shift, he has no fucking business being vertical and wants no part of it, no sir.
He collapses face first into the cushions of their couch and breathes in. It smells like Billâs cologne. Richieâs back fucking hurts.Â
âOwchie mama, thatâs sore.â He complains out loud as he stretches to the full length of his gangly limbs, feet nudging the arm of the couch. He doesnât expect his legs to get lifted up though, hello?
âWhatâs sore?â A voice asks curiously as the couch dips under his weight, Richieâs legs falling back down across a certain someoneâs lap.
Mike. A godsend, for sure. âOh Micycle, is it really you? Itâs been decades since Iâve heard that macho voice, I almost forgot what it sounds like.â
âItâs nice to see you too, Rich. How was work?â
How was work? How was work?? Richieâs gonna combust, but heâs too tired to go all out, so he settles for a small tantrum, flailing. âNever mention that word to me again. If you do, weâll have to get a divorce, and then who would look after the children? The traumatized little lads, fuck.â
âThat bad, huh?â Mike chuckles, and itâs deep and fond and warm, and Richie looks over his shoulder just so he can picture it better. Mikeâs holding a book in one hand, and the glass sitting on the table means that he was definitely sitting there before Richie got back, but now heâs sharing his seat like the fine friggin Georgia peach that he is, holy shit.Â
Richie whines. âI thought being a barista would be sexy! Like, a wet dream soccer team of sweaty Brazilians asking me for juice and my number, but instead - pardon my French - I get a bunch of douchebaguettes complaining how I spelled their names wrong. Iâm gay and illiterate and I didnât fucking ask them, did I? Stop laughing at me, Mike n Ike, this is serious business.â
âIâm sorry,â he chuckles again, chest shaking with it. âDouchebaguettes?â
âYouâre making fun of me. Iâm wounded. Way to kick a man when heâs down, M- ah⊠never mind, I love you. Keep laughing at me.â He groans outright when a warm hand wraps around his foot and squeezes, eking out the ever-present ache that Richie had gotten used to ignoring.Â
âI love you, too.â Mike snorts, and Richie doesnât have to look to know heâs shaking his head. Fine by him, as long as he keeps touching him like that.
âMm, your hands are the best,â he slurs into the couch. He will abso-fruitly say anything to encourage him at this point, not that Mike seems to want to stop anyway. His palm pushes delicious friction along his arches, pulling satisfied purrs from Richie with each pass until heâs a good and proper puddle. He might actually be drooling, a little bit.
Itâs only when his touch lightens that Richie jerks, and the hand pauses. âIs this okay?â
Bless Mikeyâs farm boy heart, asking for consent. Richieâs heartâs gonna burst. âY-yeah, mâgood.âÂ
And he is. Mikeâs fingers trace, feather-light, and itâs like thereâs shivers buried underneath Richieâs skin, waiting for Mike to pull the trigger. It feels good.Â
It also really, really tickles.
He snags a cushion to bury his smile in, the muscles in his leg going taut every time Mikeâs fingertips venture down towards his toes. More than a few times, Richieâs foot twitches away from the tingly zaps before he can stop himself, choked off mirthful noises tightening in his throat until a few burble out.
Each time Mike waits patiently until Richie resettles his foot back in his lap, and then his drifting touch returns, slow like tree sap and unbearably electric. Itâs an awful game that forces Richie to expose how much he really wants it, but then again, Mike never plays like that intentionally. He just does what seems right because heâs perfect and a gentleman.Â
Richie loosens like an uncoiled spring when Mike rubs his thumb over his heel, whining his loss.Â
And because heâs a fucking gem, Mike picks up on it right away and huffs softly. âSorry.â He scribbles gently at the arch of Richieâs slender foot in apology, earning him a muffled snicker and scrunching soles.
âMihihike.âÂ
âMhm?â
âTickles.â
âDo you want me to stop?â
Pfft. Richie shakes his head, laughing harder into the cushion when Mikeâs fingers drag down to his toes, scritching repeatedly. Itâs not fair. Heâs still wearing his socks with the pineapples on âem, and itâs worse than if heâd gone bare foot. He guesses itâs true that standing around for too long makes them more sensitive, but then, heâs always been this way.Â
His knees jerk far more often now that Mikeâs put some gusto behind it, albeit a very small amount, but Richie thinks he does a damn decent job at keeping his feet from wiggling away, all things considered.
Still, eventually, he hears the sound of the book getting set aside. Mike stops his gentle tapping at his soles, and Richie realizes as he sags back into the couch that heâs⊠tired. Like, stupid sleepy. He yawns and stretches again, humming his surprise when two strong arms turn him over.
âWell hello, handsome.â Richie grins back at Mikeâs amused half-smile, more than happy to be the center of his attention for a while.Â
âCâmon, Rich. Itâs late, time for bed.â
âDonât gotta tell me twice.â
He doesnât fight it when Mike uses those absurdly strong arms to lift him up, despite being taller than him, wrapping his legs firmly around Mikeâs hips and holding on to his shoulders. âOnward,â he yawns with enthusiasm. âQuick now yunginâ, before we die of dysentery. Go on now. Git.â
Mike rolls his eyes and adjusts his grip as they head for the stairs. âYeehaw.â
ââââââââââ
Richie tosses his controller on the couch beside him with a pout, watching the letters âgame overâ flash across the screen. âManâŠâ
Behind him, he can hear the sound of the kitchen door opening and closing, and with a furrowed brow he gets up to investigate. âIf youâre here to rob us, take Eddie first. Heâs the easiest to carry.âÂ
Around the corner, Ben smiles up from where heâs taking off his shoes by the rack (careful, because Stan insists). Heâs beaming, actually, and still in his hot little karate outfit that makes him look like a formal dumpling. âYouâre so mean to him. What if I wanted to rob you instead?â
âEverybody wants to rob me, Benny boy, get in line,â He hops up onto the counter to watch Benâs face in the refrigerator light as he goes rummaging for a smoothie. âIâm just saying, if youâre any good at this, you gotta take the valuables first. Bottom shelf.â
Ben chuckles, leans down, and reappears, drink in hand. Richie nudges the door shut with his foot and grins back. âWho says you arenât valuable?â
âAw shucks.â
âBesides myself, I mean.â
âBenjamin.âÂ
Ben laughs at him around a sip of his drink, and Richie couldnât stay fake mad at him even if he wanted to. Itâs really nice that the cheeky fuck has some confidence now, since heâs been losing some extra pounds here and there. Heâs not afraid to brush past people anymore, doesnât shift uncomfortably when his thighs touch someone elseâs, and he hip-checks them on purpose with a sly look every now and then. Heâs not afraid to take up space now, and all of the losers are proud of him for it, including Richie.
(Heâs just, like, super jealous that he canât have that sorta weight transferred over to himself. Just a little bit, so heâs not all jabby angles and pointy bones. Also? Heâs going to miss Benâs love handles.)
âYou seem extra bold today. Care to share anything with the class?â
That happy look from a few minutes ago returns like Ben just remembered something important. âYeah, actually - hold onâŠâ He turns, fishing in his bag for something before turning back, fingers clutching a bundle of blue fabric. âI, uh, I got my blue belt today.â
âHoly shit!â Richie adjusts his glasses, leaning in to run his fingers over it when Ben offers it up. âYouâre pullinâ my leg.â
âIâm not.â
âYouâre making it up.â
âIâm not!â Benâs voice just brims with infectious joy, like a little kid excited to show their first ever drawing from art class. He even has the little jump in his step, too.
âBenny, thatâs awesome, dude!â He jumps down to punch Benâs shoulder, smiling wide at the otherâs shy but obvious pride. âAnd you know,â he thumbs at his upper lip and sniffs. âNot to fuck my own ass or anything, but Iâm something of a dĆjĆ master myself.âÂ
âReally?â Ben smirks, pushing back when Richie continues to push at his shoulder with his knuckles, bouncing on his heels anime fighter style.
âReally really. Call me Sensei, âcause Iâll teach you to mess with me.â He dodges with a surprised bark of laughter when Ben grabs for him, ducking and bringing his hands up to defend himself as they tussle right there in the kitchen, play-wrestling â Richieâs favorite thing.
Well. Almost favorite.
âOof!â Richie hurumphs when the quick scuffle ends with him caught in a headlock, twisting back and forth fruitlessly. âOi! Unhand me you fiend! You scoundrel! Iâll have you nicked, I will!â
Ben, not even winded, slaps his hand away. âAdmit that I won and Iâll let go.â
âIâd rather bloody perish.â
âYouâd rather perish?â
âAye.â Richie grunts, straining against the hold. Itâs like trying to empty a lake with a bucket. It just ainât happening.
âOkay.â
Benâs free hand digs into his side and Richie collapses back into him instantly, like a buck learning how to walk, except heâs really fucking bad at it and giggling maniacally. âBen!âÂ
They crumple to the ground together, though Ben anticipates it, wrapping a solid arm around Richieâs waist as his other hand snakes up under his shirt to scribble at his ribs.Â
Richie himself is a pale pile of squirming limbs, pushing back into Benâs chest and squeaking with each sneaky pinch to his side. He tosses his head back against Benâs shoulder in helpless snickering, tugging at his arm. âCh-cheater!â
âI donât hear you complaining!â Ben shoots back, fingers darting to where his shirt rucked up at his stomach to lay ticklish waste there. They move in a constant clawing motion, gentle because Ben is always gentle, but sadistic in the best worst possible way.
Richie convulses with how hard he laughs. Heâs trapped in the most backwards tickle hug to exist, socks slipping on the tile of his kitchen floor, getting tortured by the groupâs designated teddy bear.
A wayward finger brushes over the curve of Richieâs hip, sending him jolting even farther into Benâs lap, tittering.Â
âCâmon, Trash mouth. Fess up.â
If Ben thinks heâll ever tap out, he is sorely mistaken.
âNever!â Richie cries, and then dissolves into cackling when Ben goes straight for his momentarily unprotected armpit.
Neither of them notice when Stanley steps into the doorway and promptly turns to walk back out, not once looking up from his phone.
ââââââââââ
Every now and then, Richie forgets that he might actually come off as attractive to the other losers. Heâs always jokingly attractive, obviously. âWho wouldnât want a piece of me?â or âGolly, buy me dinner first!â Are a few easy phrases to throw around, usually with a suggestive cock of his hip or an over exaggerated flutter of his eyelashes, which gets him a laugh now and then.
But like, for realzies? Richie isnât hot hot, not like Mike or Bill with their big shoulders and mouth-watering biceps, Jesus Christ on a stick. He doesnât have that cute allure like Eddie or Ben, either. Richieâs just a scrawny friggin beanpole, lanky, unlike the elegant way that Stan and Beverly manage.Â
Being so gay is hard sometimes. Everyone looks hotter than you.Â
âRich?âÂ
He startles out of his musings and comes firmly back to himself where heâs reclined next to Bill on the trampoline, reminded of how his train of thought had gone that route; theyâd been messing around until they werenât, until Bill had cupped his face and brought him into a kiss, and then a fuzzy little parasite called insecurity reared its fugly head.
Richie squashes it down around a dazed smirk, seemingly quelling the momentary unease on Billâs face. âYowza.â
Bill snorts and rolls his eyes, plays with the hem of Richieâs âSupport Whale Sex: Use Shampooâ shirt. âI thought you werenât in the mood, for a second.â
âVat?â Richie cries incredulously, shifting upwards and straddling Billâs lap. âBullsheet. Lies.â As if Richie could ever resist a man with legs like that. Damn.
Billâs smile is genuine when he pulls Richie back down into another kiss, their lips meeting sparking a whole new wave of something in Richieâs chest, so intense that heâs pulling back within a few seconds, âVen you look like zat? You lift, yes? Vat kind of ââÂ
A hand covers his mouth, and Rich realizes that Bill is furrowing his brows at him. âWhy are you doing a Voice right now?â
ââŠIâm nervous.â He apologizes, muffled.Â
Bill snorts again as if to say âyeah right,â but his expression softens when Richie doesnât say anything else. âNervous, huh?â
Richie nods, then licks Billâs palm. He pulls it away with a disgusted chuckle, and then.
Then Richie is suddenly on his back, looking up at two dark, mischievous eyes. âHoo shit.â He whispers. They are not in Kansas anymore.
âYou should be.âÂ
Thatâs all the warning Richie gets before devilish fingers attack his sides, letting loose a bout of hysterical giggles from somewhere deep in Richâs stomach. Itâs like opening the floodgates every time. A head rush and a half. He squirms immediately, laughing harder when Bill drags him back down and pins him with one forearm against his own.
âWhere are you going?â He muses, fond, and Richieâs face blushes ten different shades of crimson.
âB-Bill, please!â He wriggles, fingers clawing uselessly against slick fabric. If he struggles any harder, thereâs a good chance the trampoline might start bouncing them for real.
âPlease what?â His fingers are skittering up his ribs now, because Bill knows Richie just canât stand that, and heâs smiling down at him like Richie makes him the happiest heâs ever been, and Richie canât stand that either.
He squeezes his eyes shut, laughter coming freely the more that Bill tickles up his sides and over his stomach, curling up. Bill doesnât seem to mind his lack of answer or the way Richieâs knees jerk into his hips, content to pull an endless amount of loud snickering from his partner.
Itâs only when Richie arches away with a desperate wheeze that Bill stops what heâs doing, hands rubbing firm circles into the hips heâd just been scritching at - probably a routine he knew well from getting revenge on another particularly bony little shit they knew.
âYouâre so - so mean. Gah. Iâm taking you out of my will, Billiam.â Richie breathes, reaching up to wipe behind his glasses.Â
Bill just chuckles at him and leans down, and they share a soft kiss that makes Richieâs heart flutter in his chest all over again.
ââââââââââ
 Kerplunk, sploosh. Kerplunk, sploosh. Kerplunk âÂ
âFuck!â Richie jolts with a quiet hiss of surprise, shifting his attention from the lake to the offending pen that had just jabbed his side. Bev, sitting next to him, giggles and points to his textbooks with it.Â
âFocus.â
Richie sticks out his upper lip, dropping his handful of pebbles in the grass at his feet. It took him, like, a whole twenty seconds to find those. âI was focused.â
âFocus on your homework, ding dong.â She gestures with her pen again, not looking away from her own book, which she holds easily in one hand. Show off.
Richie grumbles and hunches over, scrubbing a hand over his face. He makes it through two paragraphs before he fidgets again, making to reach in his shirt pocket for a smoke before he realizes, oh, yeah, Iâm giving those up. Shit.Â
Sometimes character development is just not worth it.
Bev appears to notice the gesture though, because she gently elbows Richie this time, gesturing to the book. âItâs really not so bad. Youâve already gotten through a few pages.â
âYeah, with like, a bajillion more to go.â He huffs, flipping through the pages one more time before sitting up straight and slapping the table. âThatâs it! I quit college.â
âMhm.â Beverly is far too nonchalant but she can afford to be, since sheâs heard the exact same statement fourteen times since the beginning of the semester. Two weeks in and going strong.
âIâm serious this time! I donât need a degree to be funny, Iâve got that part in the bag. Also, capitalism? Who needs it.â
âDo you really hate classic mythology that much?â
Richie groans and drops his head against the picnic table. âYes.â Heâd thought that it would be cool! Gods and Goddesses and monsters (oh my), but instead he has to bear through three whole paragraphs of a list of men, all sons of other men, because any of that is just so integral to the understanding of the Trojan war. Everyone knows that Achilles was the only real bitch on that battlefield, okay? Literally nothing else matters.
He jumps again, this time snickering, when Bev scribbles at his side. âHehehey!â
âCheer up, Tozier. Your vibes are ruining our study date.â
Richie eyes her up, adjusting his glasses. âAre you saying that my vibes are off, Marsh?â
She nods sagely. âTheyâre atrocious.â
âIâll have you know that Iâve never failed a single vibe check in my life.â And that isnât going to change today, no sir. Just ask Eddie, the last time he tried to pull something.Â
âYouâre gonna fail more than just this vibe check if you donât do your reading.â
âNot true! I know the stuff, I just⊠donât like it.â Heâs of the philosophy that memorizing shit just makes it harder to remember. Richie can go over some of the professorâs notes online and be just fine.Â
Heaving a sigh, Beverly gets up. She pushes at Richieâs back. âScoot in.â
âIf you say so, maâam.â Though Richie just complies because he wants to see where this is going. When Beverly slides in behind him, legs on either side of his, he can kinda feel her boobs pressing against his back. Nice.
âOh hello.â Richie grins, feeling free to press back into her. She smells nice - changed her perfume for some reason - and her presence is a welcome warmth, inviting and â
She blows a raspberry against the back of his neck.
â and a fucking trap!
âBev!â He jerks forward instantly, shoulders hunching. She follows, nuzzling into the space behind his ear, and Richie shivers violently. âO-oho my gawd, why?!â
âIâm just making sure you pay attention.â She teases, weaving her arms around his chest so that her fingertips rest at his sides, making Richie tense. But nothing comes, yet.
âWhat is that supposed to mean?â Tickling him is definitely not going to make him want to read more. Itâs going to make him want to be tickled. Itâs like trying to punish an addict with cocain.
Bev snorts, fingertips wriggling briefly enough to get a squeak and a weak squirm out of him. âJust keep reading. If you slack off, Iâll bring you back!âÂ
Ah! So simple! Haha! Wow. Genius.Â
Richie sighs heavily to indicate how much he turns his nose up at this frankly childish behavior, but reluctantly opens his book back up to where he was before. Admittedly, having Bev close might help his attention span, just slightly. He can feel her cheek resting against his back, ankles brushing his every now and then, and her arms are a soothing weight against his chest. Like the fancy weighted blanket that Eddie uses on his more fidgety days.
That doesnât stop his attention from drifting occasionally, of course. When he takes a little too long to turn the page, Beverly tweaks his ribs or snuffles at the side of his neck until he lurches forward in a bout of giggles, holding on to the wooden table for support. And sometimes, when his leg starts bouncing of its own free will, she smooths her hand down his thigh and starts squeezing his knee, earning stronger fits of squirming and yelping that even gets her to laugh. What a meanie.
âYou have your own stuff to read, you know.â He huffs after a brutal attack to his hips, having nearly torn his page in half. Richie immediately regrets it though, because he doesnât want her to stop. He silently prays that she doesnât move, and whoeverâs listening grants him a little mercy.
âI know.â She says, nudging his head with hers. Richie reaches for her hand, thinking he might off himself if she doesnât take his back, but she does, and they sit like that together for a while, listening to nature do its thing.
âHey, Rich?â
âYeah?â
She uses her free hand to get at his stomach, and Richie chokes.
âDo your fucking reading.â
ââââââââââ
Theyâre barely three steps through the door before Stan is on Richie like strippers to a pole, pushing him up against the wall and staring him down with so much intensity that Richie doesnât have enough breath left to ask the obvious question: what the fuck?
He grips his bag with his work outfit inside of it and tries to remember if he did anything particularly annoying on the drive home, but nothing comes to mind other than when he tried to poke Stanâs jaw and he swatted him away. Richie wasnât actively pursuing anything because that never works with Stan. Heâs like a fucking cat that way; if he gets even the slightest bit ruffled, he leaves the room, all indignant and huffy.Â
Hence, his confusion at this particular stunt.
That doesnât last long though, because Stan shakes his head slowly and pulls Richieâs hat off his head, tossing it aside without even looking to see where it goes, which is a very unlike-Stan gesture.
âStan â?â
âShut up.â
âShutting up.â
They look at each other, and Richie nearly trips over himself when Stan starts moving them both backwards, towards his room. Normally that might raise some flags, but theyâve been through scenarios like this before. Richie doesnât really mind getting pushed around (in fact he might even like it a little bit if his first childhood crush is anything to go by) but not knowing the reason is⊠fishy.
Stan kicks the door closed behind them, still walking Richie backwards, but grabs a hold of his shirt before he can go tumbling back on the bed. âHereâs how this is going to work.â
âUh ââ Richieâs already on board.
Stanâs grip tightens, and then Richieâs world goes scrambled for three seconds when he gets pushed - fucking pushed, the nerve - onto the bed, Stanley following after him easy as pie and hovering over him, predatory, focused. âIâm going to tickle you.â
Richie canât hide the way his body almost seems to curve up at that statement. If his body was a temple, it was a temple to some very traitorous limbs. Stan deciding he wants to do anything even close to roughhousing is a special treat, but this one in particular has Richieâs name on it
He realizes after a beat that Stan is waiting for him to say something, and Richie, in true Richie fashion, momentarily forgets the English language. âUhm - yes?â
âGood. Put your arms up.âÂ
Thatâs not going to last, but Richie does it, and Stan leans in like the sexy Mr. Rogers that he is and⊠plucks his glasses off his face, sticking them in his shirt pocket. Friggin thief. When did everyone in this house get so bold? âHey ââ
âCanât risk breaking them.â Stan answers, fingers already slipping under Richieâs shirt to flutter at his sides. Richie wiggles and his complaint trails off into a snicker. Canât argue with that anyway he guesses.
Stan tickles him like he does everything else: thoroughly, and with dedication. Quick and nimble fingers drill into the spaces between Richieâs ribs, blunt nails scritching down to his sides, then pulling at his jeans just enough to expose his hips, and Stanâs ducking his head and Richie can fucking see those curls, almost, through his blurry, tear-stained vision, helpless with laughter already, grabbing at the head-board -
â And they pause. Stopping is so much than starting. Richie can feel Stanâs breath against his stomach, where his shirt is rucked up, when he speaks. âWhenâs the last time you took a shower?â
Through giggle-heavy breath, Richie struggles to answer. âUhm, like, y-yesterday? Wh- fuhuhUCK!âÂ
He squeals when Stanâs tongue joins the mix, starting at his belly button until he meets the curve of his hip, nibbling along his V-line with so much enthusiasm that Richie thinks he must actually taste like the coffee he smells like. Thatâs the only explanation for such an assault.
Richie curls in on instinct, hands going for Stanâs hair, but he must anticipate this because he sits up instantly, grabbing Richieâs wrist and glaring at him. Or, heâs probably glaring. He looks like an angry blur at the moment.
ItâsâŠ. pretty hot. Not gonna lie.
âI said keep your arms up.â He growls. When Richie slips obediently back into place without question, Stan moves down even further, hoisting Richieâs calve over his shoulder and setting to work again.Â
The sweeping motion of his fingertips is not as aggressive as before, though itâs probably because they donât need to be. Even through the denim, that light swishing motion from his thigh to his knee and back again has him cackling, all reserve flying out the window as he scrambles, pulling at the sheets.
Stan pulls at him in response, taking a firm hold of his ankle and scribbling in a relentless, spidery motion at the back of his knee.
Richie 1. Screeches, then 2. Does his best impression of a hula dancer having a seizure.
Apparently breaking the arm-up rule no longer matters at this point, because Richie is just beside himself in the agonizingly sweet, tingly jolts running through his nervous system, spasming on the bed and doing anything within his physical power to get away from it.
Stan doesnât let go, though, only moves with him, tickling and tickling. Yes, Richie thinks. Please donât stop. This has to stop. Donât stop. Donât let go. Oh god, this is the fucking worst this sucks this is so good, donât stop, donât stop âÂ
By the time Stan has thoroughly decimated Richieâs thinking capabilities, having seen to it that both legs have received proper attention, Richie is a curled ball of silent, wheezing laugher in the center of the bed. He takes a deep breath only to let out another fresh peal of laughter, shaking, as Stan lays beside him to rub his shoulder.
âDonât.â He sighs after a few moments of cool down, as if exasperated, but it sounds fond.Â
âOh Iâm sorry, I didnât mean to laugh while you were killing me, Iâll take note of that for next time.â Richie snarks, sniffling and wiping at his eyes.
âNo, I mean donât whine like that.â
Richie whined? âLike what?â
âLike the minute someone stops touching you, itâll never happen again.â Stan explains patiently, like itâs obvious, twisting one of Richieâs curls around a slender finger and, for now, neglecting to mention how he needs a hair cut.
Oh, that⊠that â âYou donât know that.â He defends feebly, accepting his glasses when theyâre pushed into his palm. Sometimes he forgets how easy it is for Stan to just look at him and see him. Itâs unnerving how perceptive he can be, and possibly just as unnerving how much Richie wants to be seen, scary as that might be. Heâs had killer clown dreams that terrify him less, and yet.
âI do,â Stan disagrees, making room for Richie to turn over. Neither of them are surprised when Richie ducks his head to hide his face in Stanâs button-up, cheeks burning pink from more than just exertion. âYou make it painfully obvious, but itâs a ridiculous fear. Thereâs six other people in this house. No oneâs going to stop touching you unless you ask them to.â
Richie snorts into Stanâs chest. Fat fucking chance.
Still, thereâs always that lingering Voice - the one that sounds most like himself - asking him if six people will be enough. Richie Tozier has not one, but six partners and he still wonders if that attention is enough. Talk about high maintenance.
Richie closes his eyes and just enjoys Stanâs hand in his hair, trying not to think about that too much, even as he counts down the seconds to that touch stopping too. âIs itâŠannoying?â
âThat you like tickling? No.â Stan scratches at the base of his neck and Richie hums, pressing closer. âItâs only annoying that you think itâs going to go away.â
Well fuck him, Richie canât just control how he feels about it, okay? Itâs not like he hasnât tried before. Itâs hard, he doesnât want to think about it, he doesnât want anything good in his life to ever end, and he especially doesnât want Stan to stop tracing the curve of his ear like that.
Two fingers tilt his chin up, and Richie blinks back at Stanâs surprisingly soft eyes. âItâs not going to stop.â He murmurs, then kisses Richieâs forehead.Â
It hits him harder than a baseball bat to the gut. How did Richie Tozier die? It was the curly twink in the bedroom with unconditional love.
That being said, itâs not like he doesnât appreciate the reassurance, even if it makes him the slightest bit vulnerable. Just a little too open. A little too raw. Tickling allows him to be like that for a short while, and maybe thatâs why Richie likes it so much. Instant satisfaction, zero commitment, and itâs fun too. No arcade game or cold shower can scratch an itch for something like that.
He smiles back up at Stan and took his hand so he could kiss the back of it. A moment of mushy, romantic weakness if you will. âAw, Staniel. You make me blush. If you wanted to woo me so badly you could have put on some judge Judy and those cute little pajama pants, maybe with some ice cream - no, definitely with some ice cream -â
Stan sighs but indulges Richie in his rambling, fingers trailing through his hair all the while. Things have already shifted back into normal territory, but thereâs this new, unspoken truce between Richie and this obsession of his - the confirmation that each of his partners knows what he needs, when he needs it, and that theyâre not going to drop-kick him out of their lives for asking for it one too many times. Itâs nice to have something consistent in his life.
But if those six losers think they donât have the same exact fate lingering over their heads, they have no idea what force theyâre reckoning with. Richie is nothing if not a giver, and he intends to deliver their due retribution.
In full.
#submission#submitted fic#umbrella-babies#I LOVE THIS SO MUCH!!!!! UGH THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS#i love love loved it#everyone check out her blog and give her all the love and attention#fic trade#save#for me#tickle fic#ticklefic#poly!losers#poly losers#polylosers#the losers club#it#it 2017#it 2019#it fic
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Cremation Charlie
Title: Cremation Charlie (COMPLETE)
Characters/Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader, Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester
Summary: A lot has happened since Vegas. Dean meets up with you in Albuquerque. Takes place in Season 7, after Plucky's.
Word Count: 14,000
Warnings: fluff, flirting, angst, explicit language, smut, heights
A/N: Â Originally posted on AO3. So, I have to thank Winchesters_queen (on AO3) for this story idea. Seeds were unknowingly planted when I chose Albuquerque as the reader's place of residence. It took me a while to get a feel for how the story should progress. And, I do like the idea of trying to follow the canon of the show. Hot or not, I feel like if the reader found out Dean had been on the FBI's Most Wanted List, there'd be a little hesitancy in meeting up again. I mean, yeah, everyone's got a type and to each their own. I just don't think this reader would find serial killers hot. But the pieces and plot fell into place. Happy with that.
Dean peeled out of the back alley of the restaurant slash playland. It was the perfect mix of a young kidâs fantasy and an adultâs hellhole. He was still chuckling, feeling the remnants down deep in his belly. He hadnât laughed like that in a long time. Not since the time he spent with you in Vegas.Â
He wasnât sure where he and Sam were headed. One thing he was sure about. Even though he missed Baby, ached to run his fingers along her steering wheel and rev her engine, he was relieved to be driving this â73 Mercury Cougar right now. He would have never gotten the glitter bomb Sam was covered with out of Babyâs passenger seat. Hell, Sam wouldnât have been allowed inside her with his sparkly ass.Â
They would hotwire another POS car soon enough. Would have to in order to stay under the radar of pretty much everyone at this point once they made it out of Wichita, Kansas. Or got a lead on exactly what Dick Roman was planning from Frank. Something had to give soon. Romanâs toothy grin, hiding the leviathan underneath, required some serious restructuring under Deanâs hands.Â
Dean gripped the steering wheel and floored the gas on the dark open road. Fields spun out for miles, merged with the horizon in every direction. Heâd missed Kansas. Wanted to hug these back roads for as many hours as he could. The peace and quiet. He rolled down the driverâs side window. Memories triggered. Not memories as much as... snapshots. Before Sam. With Mom in the passenger seat. Him behind Dad in a booster seat. Tiny. Looking up. Seeing her blonde wavy hair bouncing in the wind. Her smiling profile, directed at Dad. Her turning back to tap his little knee with a soft caress.Â
Movement beside Dean broke him out of the slideshow recall. Sam shifted, his lengthy frame crumpled like a broken pretzel in the seat. Head lolling, dreaming or nightmaring about God knew what. Dean got distracted by Samâs occasional sparkling. The glitter reminded him of strippers. Strippers reminded him of Vegas. Vegas reminded him of you.
âWeâre gonna find a motel, Sammy. So you can wash all that shit off.â Dean decided.
âHm?â Sam grunted. His eyes blinked slow, pried open with a wide yawn.
âAll that clown jizz. You need to wash that crap off. Pronto.â
âSure. Whatever.â He groaned and rubbed at his eyes. âAh, shit.â His eyes blinked with a rapid concern. âI got fucking glitter in my eyes.â
Deanâs chuckling started up again. From deep down, genuine. Most of his chest got in on the laugh.
âItâs not funny, Dean. I could go blind. And, this isnât plain glitter. Itâs supernatural, fear manifested glitter.â Sam stared at his offending hand and continued blinking.
âJesus. Thereâs some bottled water in the cooler. Rinse it out.â He thumbed behind his seat.
Sam turned to him, âWhat about theâŠâ he stopped himself.
Dean knew Sam remembered they werenât in Baby just then.
âBend forward and flush it out.â Dean directed.
A minute passed. Dean pulled a hand towel out of his duffel in the back seat. Splashes of water dampened Deanâs jeans. He pushed the towel in Samâs face, his eyes closed. âPat. Donât rub. Better?â
âA little.â Sam sighed and shook his head like a freshly washed dog.
Dean blinked his own eyes at the droplets hitting his face. âWell, donât get it on me for Christâs sake!â
âNot as funny, huh?â Sam huffed.
Dean sighed.
*
Dean took a shot of whiskey from Bobbyâs flask, tapping away on the laptop. Browser windows opened and cascaded on top of each other on the screen. Dozens of articles on Dick Roman, his enterprise, his holdings, his ventures. Dean was sick of seeing that pompous, arrogant ass. But couldnât stop searching. He needed to find the thing that killed Bobby.
His fingers dipped into the duffel resting on the nearby empty seat. He rummaged through, found the shape he sought out by touch, and pulled out one of Bobbyâs cells theyâd kept with them after heâd died. Well, Dean had kept it for a specific reason. One he hadnât shared with Sam. Sam was currently occupied in the bathroom; scrubbing himself under the shower stream for what was going on a half hour.
Heâd heard the message for the first time a month after Bobbyâs death. And youâd left it a couple months before that. He should have reached out to you then. Talking to you might have helped. Heâd be able to confess, explain, as crazy as everything would sound. It might have grounded him for an hour or so, talking to someone normal, outside of their circle of crazy. And, if youâd hung up and never reached out again, so be it.Â
But? What if you didnât? What if you were just a little crazy enough to give it all a listen? To be open to all of the things under the veil of normal? Heâd gotten a feeling, maybe more of a suspicion, you might during those few hours you shared on that October night. Hell, maybe he would have taken off without Sammy and driven to Albuquerque to meet up with you. Finish what youâd both started in Vegas five months ago, a lifetime of pain ago. Escape. Even if it was only for a little while.Â
But then he got sucked into 1944. Then heâd hooked up with the Amazon Lydia, and Sam had to kill Deanâs teen daughter, Emma, the result of said hook-up. That was a whole thing. And hours earlier theyâd taken care of an employee of Plucky Pennywhistleâs Magical Menagerie, whoâd been using manifestations of childrenâs fears to play judge, jury, and executioner to whoever he thought deserved it. Dean grinned at the still wrapped giant Slinky on the kitchenette counter. At least one good thing came out of it.
He listened to ensure the water was still running in the shower. Heâs gonna be a fucking prune when he comes out. Dean hit the speaker button on the phone.
âUm, yeah. Iâm looking for FBI Director, Mike Kayser.â Your voice was hesitant. Dean smiled at the way you stated your full name, all formal. You even added your middle name, a new piece of information he hadnât heard the night you spent together. âThis is insane.â You mumbled. âLook, anyway, I got this number from a guy. He said his name was Dean Winchester. I was told to call this number if I couldnât reach him.â He frowned, anticipating the next part of the message heâd listened to a dozen times. âBut, Iâm calling because, well, Iâm a little, no, a lot concerned. So, I met this Dean Winchester after he apparently had died. From what I found out he and his brother had themselves a murder spree across the country. Ended up on the FBIâs Most Wanted List. Got captured in Ankeny, Iowa, and were killed trying to escape.â You sighed into the phone. âLook. I really just need to know what the hellâs going on. The guy I metâŠâ You stopped. âWell, he didnât seem like a serial killer.â Dean pictured you rolling your eyes. âOf course, thatâs what everyone says after the fact. But, he didnât. And, I find it odd that of all the phone numbers heâd give me to contact would be that of an FBI Director. If thatâs even true. So, if someone could call me back and let me know something. At the least, Iâd like to know if I need to be put in Witness Protection and get an alias.â You laughed that laugh that made Dean grin. You left your number. âThanks.â
Dean exited and scrolled through the call list. Again. For the tenth time after heâd noticed that Bobby had called the number youâd left. And, it had been a long talk for Bobby. Fucking twenty minutes. And even more curious, you had called him back a couple weeks later. Talked to Bobby again for another half hour. Chatty fucking Cathy, huh Bobby. What the hell did you talk to her about? Whatever it was had some finality to it, because there hadnât been another call from you. And Bobby had died soon after that.
Must have been why she never tried to get in touch with me after that last time. Sheâs got some sense. But, I could already tell that. He knew he should leave it alone. Leave you alone. But he really wanted to know what Bobby had told you. And why the hell youâd called Bobby back.
The shower cut off. Dean yelled. âSammy! Want me to grab us some grub? Iâm starving.â
âYeah. Something not artery clogging for me.â He sounded even more exhausted.
âItâs two am. Your kale eating ass will have to settle for whatever greasy joint is open.â Dean grumbled and grabbed his jacket off the chair back. He slipped Bobbyâs phone in a pocket and headed out.
*
Dean put in the order at the diner counter, paid in advance, and stepped out in the cold March night for some privacy. The misty drizzle prickled his cheeks. His breath steamed out from his mouth. He scrolled through Bobbyâs call list and pressed your number. Stared at it. Hesitated to dial.
Dean had been properly buzzed that Vegas night with you. But parts of your conversations, especially back on the rug at his motel were clear and vivid. One fact youâd told him was that you had terrible insomnia. Stayed up late most nights and existed on not much sleep. He could definitely relate to that.
He shrugged. âWhat the hell. I can chalk it up to a Friday night drunk dial.â Dean called your number. He felt his eyes widen when he heard you pick up on the second ring.
âBobby?â
He could feel his eyes bug out even more. Sonava bitch gave her his real name. âNot Bobby.â
Silence for some seconds. âDean?â
âLong time no talk, sweetheart.â
You were shifting, doing something. âHow-how are you doing?â
âBeen better. How about you? I know itâs late, butâŠâ
âYou knew I wouldnât be asleep.â Your laugh was a delightful mix of soft and scratchy to Deanâs ear.
âYeah.â He smiled. âAre you playing hard to get with me or donât want to be found altogether?â
âMe? What about you?â You tossed back the question.
âHey, I havenât heard from you since those few texts a week after Vegas. Then, come to find out youâve been chit-chatting with Bobby. You didnât seem like the Sugar Daddy type to me.â He leaned against the side of his parked car. The bright interior of the diner and neon sign above lit up his waiting spot. It would be some minutes before his bag of food would appear on the counter.
âDo Sugar Daddies own junk yards? I didnât realize how lucrative a business that was. Impersonating federal agents can only get someone so far, I guess.â
Dean held up a hand. âWait. Wait a minute. How do youâŠâ
âBobby told me a lot, Dean.â
Dean swallowed. âHow much?â
âYou should ask him. My mind is still trying to process most of it.â
âYeah, wellâŠâ Dean trailed off.
âWhy are you calling me on his phone, anyway?â Silence again. âOh. How long ago?â
âItâs been a couple months.â
âIâm so sorry, Dean. He sounded like a decent, upstanding man. And, I could tell⊠he cared a lot about you and Sam.â
âYou could tell that over a couple phone conversations?â
âYep. Men of little words say a lot when itâs important. You have to pay attention. And, catch them on a good day, I guess.â
âI heard that voicemail you left.â
âAh. So, you know how freaked out you had me? Thanks, by the way. You owe me two months worth of sleep.â
âSorry.â
âBobby didnât mention talking to me?â
âNo. I guess he figured it was better you didnât have anything to do with me.â
âOr he was occupied with more important things. It sounded like you all were working on saving the world again.â
âWhat the hell did heâŠâ
âWhere are you?â You switched gears on him.
âWichita, Kansas.â
âHow far is that from Albuquerque?â
Dean smiled. Heâd already Googled it back at the motel. âAbout ten hours.â
âThink you can make it here around midnight tonight? I mean, if you have time...â
âI donât think the worldâs going to implode between now and then.â
âIf thatâs a joke, you have a fucking twisted sense of humor, Dean Winchester.â
Dean chuckled. âKind of goes along with the job.â
âYeah.â You sighed. âSo, do I send you the location to meet me on this phone or the original number you gave me?â
âYou still have that?â
âYep.â
Another smile. âSend it to mine, sweetheart.â
âWill do. Oh, and bring a bottle of champagne.â
âHuh?â
âBottle of champagne. Can be a cheap bottle. As long as it pops and fizzes when you open it.â
âOkayâŠâ
âSee you in a few hours, handsome.â You hung up.
*
Of course. The early morning nap at the motel after the greasy diner food turned into a passed out until two in the afternoon snooze fest. Samâs unwillingness to let Dean up and leave without a detailed explanation delayed the trip as well.
Dean tapped a Sorry, gonna be late. Still okay or should we try another time? to you before he attempted to pacify his brother. âWhatâs the problem here, Sammy?â
Sam raised his hands. âAre you serious? Youâve had nothing on the brain but Dick since Bobby.â
Dean raised a finger along with his brows. âRephrase.â
Sam pursed his lips before continuing. âAnd now, itâs âIâve got something to do Iâll be backâ and you expect me to believe youâre not going off half-cocked to take care of it without me? Did you hear from Frank?â
Deanâs phone buzzed back a reply from you. Still okay. You got my directions?
âIs that him?â Sam rose from his bed and stormed over to Dean.
âNo.â Dean sighed. He typed a quick Yes. âOkay, look. Itâs a woman, alright.â
Samâs brow furrowed. âI thought you were done with the ladies, after Lydia. Thatâs what you told me three days ago, Dean. Accidental fatherhood, uncle having to kill his niece and all that.â
âI am. I just⊠Sam.â Dean slipped the phone into his pocket and went back to packing his duffel. âThereâs always another job to keep our minds off how badly weâve screwed up until we find a way to save the world.â He zipped the bag. âI met this woman back in Vegas. That night before you went all bonkers for Becky and I had to attend your wedding.â
Sam shivered at the memory.
âIâve got a second chance to justâŠâ He dropped his arms in defeat and exhaustion. âJust be, man.â
âGet laid, you mean?â
Dean shrugged. âMaybe that, too. But, I didnât have to work at being anything but me with her.â
Samâs eyes widened. Dean could tell he was ready to call bullshit with that grin. âSo, she knows all about us, huh? The hunting? The apocalypse? You going to hell? Me following you a year later, stuck in Luciferâs cage? Castiel? The leviathans? You tell her all that?â
âBobby told her something. Before he⊠I just donât know what.â
Sam shook his head. The confusion and incredulity washing over his face. âWhat?â
âLook, Iâm going, Sam.â
Sam nodded. âIâm coming then.â
Dean shook his head.
âThereâs no way youâre going anywhere without me. Besides, if we get a lead on Roman, weâll need to move. Fast. And, we need to be together. We donât have the back up like we used to.â Sam nodded again. âYou know Iâm right.â
Dean rolled his eyes and tilted his head back. âFine.â
He sent you a message. Hope itâs okay but brother wants to tag along.
You wrote back a minute later. The more the merrier.
*
The Midwestern plains transitioned into Southwestern mesas and red rock landscapes over the trek. Sam and Dean approached the city of Albuquerque eleven hours after the start of their drive. Theyâd taken turns at the wheel, with Dean a much more willing passenger without Baby as their mode of transportation. Multiple signs greeted and pointed out they were on Route 66 as it became one with Central Avenue in Albuquerque.Â
The urban stretch of the route through this city covered around eighteen miles, according to Mr. Walking Talking encyclopedia aka Sam Winchester. The temptation to swing into a casino they passed was great for Dean. He smiled to himself, wondering if youâd gone in there since Vegas to try your luck on roulette again. Always bet on black. A funky, pueblo style motel, named the Tewa lodge, got Deanâs attention. Note to self in case I ever find myself in the area again. He read the amenities under the VACANCY sign. â$29.95 and Up. Free Cable TV and FREE Local Callsâ. Oh baby, you had me at âKitchenetteâsâ.Â
A diner called Loyolaâs, decked out with a large neon steaming cup of coffee, served breakfast burritos when it was open according to the window stenciling. Deanâs mouth salivated at the large number of diners on the strip. My kind of city. He had to pull up to read the menu of yet another tiny restaurant called The Doghouse. The long rectangular neon sign resting atop the boxy building had an animated brown weiner dog wagging its tail. Dean slapped Samâs chest. âFoot-long chili dogs, Sammy. Foot. Long.â
âDude, I would never get in the car with you after you ingested something like that.â
âThis is definitely my kind of city.â Dean beamed in the dark under the flashing neon. âHey, what do they call those food tours, where you taste tons of different things?â
âGastronomy.â Sam chuckled.
âI wanna gastronomy all over this bitch.â Dean pulled back onto the road.
âThey certainly like their neon.â Sam pointed to a bright cowboy riding a horse as it lassoed the âEl Donâ in the name of the El Don Motel sign. âLots of history here.â
âYeah, Iâm guessing EMF is off the charts in a lot of these places.â Dean added. Â
Modern and Spanish mission style mingled together on every street. For every building with crisp edges and straight lines there was another with stucco, a red tile roof and rounded edges. They took in as much as they could in the early morning drive, ticking past two am. They drove over the Rio Grande River. But the city wasnât their ultimate destination. At least not according to your directions. Once through the city, it was another twenty minutes of solitary travel through grassland and barren, desert vistas. Mesas cut silhouettes against the night sky. The Mercury Cougarâs wheels finally spun onto the dirt road theyâd been in search of after Sam had to pull out a road map when the GPS gave out.
Sam caught the beacon of activity first. âDown that way. Looks like truck lights.â He pointed. âSure weâre not walking into some sort of trap, Dean?â
He patted Samâs shoulder. âWell, I guess itâs good you came along to protect me from myself, little brother.â Deanâs stomach flipped. But not with unease. It was in anticipation of seeing you again. âSheâs cool, man. No weird vibes, even if we are in Breaking Bad territory.â
âYou donât have a stellar track record with the ladies youâve picked up lately.â
âShut up.â
On approach, the headlights of four 4x4 trucks came into focus, parked in a neat row one next to the other by the road. A group of people were assembled around the back of the vehicles. A couple seated on the open tailgates, some standing, and all looked to have beers in hand.
Dean slid the Cougar alongside one of the trucks, parked, then smiled when you walked over to greet him and his brother. Every shitty moment of the past five months slipped away when your figure was spotlighted in his headlamps. Whatever, wherever this was, you looked in your element here. Relaxed and confident in faded jeans and the kind of t-shirt Dean liked on a woman. The kind that grips all those dangerous curves and leaves nothing to the imagination.
âCome on, Sam. Letâs make our introductions.â Dean hopped out without waiting for Samâs response.
You strolled up to the open car door and met Dean on the other side, an open beer bottle gripped in one hand; two dangling by their necks between fingers in the other. âYou found it.â You smiled.
âCould have warned us itâd be a huge pain in the ass to get here.â
A grin this time. âWhat would have been the fun in that?â
Damn, he didnât realize how much he missed that look on your face until he saw it again. Dean made the introductions between you and Sam. You offered the beers.
âI hear you like desert treks, Sam.â
Samâs eyebrows rose. âReally?â
âWell, thatâs what you were off doing when I met Dean in Vegas. Whereâd you end up, anyway, that night?â
âMarried.â Dean answered for him.
Sam spit out some of his beer. He wiped his face with the back of his cuff. âQuickie wedding. Quickie divorce.â Sam explained.
It was your turn to raise eyebrows. âWow. How come that wasnât on your agenda of things to do that night, Dean?â
Dean leaned against the side of the car. âIf weâd been together a few more hours, who knows, sweetheart.â
You laughed. âSure.â
The cold beer slid easy down Deanâs throat. His lips smacked together. âSo, whatâs the deal?â He pointed to the group. A huddle of three eyed the newcomers. The other two were kissing in the truck bed and didnât take much notice of anything.
âThatâs my crew. Weâve got a job at sunrise. Testing out the equipment.â
âJob? This doesnât look like an office job.â Dean grinned.
âLittle side business I started a couple years back. More of a passion you might say.â You shrugged.
âAt three am in the morning Iâd say so.â Dean quipped.
You stepped into Deanâs space, your sneaker tapping his boot. âMaybe I can get some free labor out of you boys?â
âDepends.â He licked his lips, staring at you.
âOn?â
âIf I get some alone time with you later.â His eyes looked dead straight into yours, unblinking, waiting to see if youâd cave. He remembered how good you felt, so close, when heâd gotten the nerve to do his Luke Bryan impersonation in the motel room. He wanted to feel your lips pressed to his again. See if they were as soft as he remembered.
Sam cleared his throat a few feet away.
You backed away. Dean smiled in victory over the blush heâd caused. âCome on over.â You sighed, shaking your head, as you released the statement.
Dean eyed the curve of your hips leading the way. Sam elbowed him and gave the âDude, take it down a notchâ expression.
âEverybody,â your voice was loud, in charge, and Dean appreciated the change. âThis is Dean Wilton and Sam Jackson.â
What the hell? Dean could feel Samâs quizzical look burrowing down at him, even without turning.
A younger guy, tall and almost Samâs height but with a buzzcut, thrust himself in front of them with eager handshakes. âItâs an honor to even be considered for an article in the BFA journal.â
Sam and Dean stared wide-eyed at each other and then you.
âDonât pay Stan much mind. Heâs still wet behind the ears.â A tubby man spoke up in a baseball cap, his arm around a cute little blonde sitting next to him in the truck bed. Theyâd been the two kissing earlier. âYou lucked out. Itâs gonna be a nice morning to launch.â
Sam mouthed the word launch? to Dean.
âSo, you two are freelance journalists?â Stan asked.
Dean gave your grin only a second of his attention. âUh, yeah. You know, love the open road⊠love to⊠freelance.â He waved the beer around in a dramatic gesture. âGo where the wind takes us.â
Stan tapped his biceps and let out a chuckle. âWhere the wind takes you. I see what you did there.â
âSo,â you continued. âalong with Stan, we have Marvin,â she pointed to the man on the truck, âCleo,â the girl under his arm, âand over there is Gen and Gabe.â A female and male, both Native American, gave a quick nod.
Sam waved. âNice to meet all of you.â
âI told them youâd basically be observing and might help out if you felt so inclined.â You clarified to Sam and Dean. âWe want to get two trucks out over there to shine some light on the situation, give us a little halo to work with?â
âOn it.â Stan raced away to the farthest truck. Marvin and Cleo hopped off the bed and got into their cab.
âGabe.â You nodded. âHow about you and Gen over there in the middle, and start to unload the equipment?â
âGot it, boss.â
Once it was the three of you, alone, Dean was the first to speak. âJournalists, sweetheart? And, what the hell is going on?â
Your eyes stared back at him, innocent with a little hint of mischief. âIsnât this what you boys do? Go undercover a lot? I thought the FBI thing would scare them. And, Marvin might actually try to look like heâs working if he thinks someoneâs writing a story on us. This might be his last launch if he canât get it together.â
âShit, you really do know a ton about us.â Sam blinked his eyes in rapid succession.
âBobby told me about the ghosts, monsters, angels, demons, and those nasty suckers you're dealing with at the moment. The reason you ended up being on Americaâs Most Wanted.â You shrugged. âYour last names were apparently everywhere along with those cute mugs of yours. I didnât want to connect all the dots for my crew, in case any of them care about whatâs happening in the world and actually track the news.â
âThoughtful, I guess.â Dean tilted his head. âBut, still. What the hell is going on? Whatâs the BFA?â
Sam added, âAnd, what exactly, are you launching?â
You smiled. âBFA is the Balloon Federation of America.â
Deanâs mouth hung open. âBalloons? You're launching balloons?â
âOne very big balloon, Dean.â
*
You smiled at how agreeable and accommodating the boys were at taking directions. And it was kind of fun bossing Dean around. You got a sense he was enjoying it as well.
Dean assisted Gen and Gabe with pulling all the heavy equipment out of one of the truck beds. The propane tanks and inflation fans were the most cumbersome. Dean helped Gabe with the four passenger gondola, much lighter made of wicker, but awkward in size and shape for only one to maneuver. He worked from atop the truck, guiding it down to Gabe. He was wearing way too many layers for what was to come. But, for now, the March temperature was chilly enough that you didnât bother to mention it. Heâll find out soon enough.
âGondola, huh?â Dean hopped down. His boots hit the ground. His body, silent and agile, like a cat. âI thought only boats in Venice or at The Venetian were called that.â He brushed his hands together and wandered over to stand beside you.
âYou can call it a basket. You arenât an official part of my chase crew, so Iâll give you a pass.â
He shook his head. âWe talked about a lot of things that night. Why not this?â
âCould say the same about you.â You tilted your head, studying him in the dark. His jaw clenched at the call out. That scruff begged for you to run your nails over it. You wanted to hear the scratch and feel the grit under your fingers, like fine sandpaper. Focusing, even on your train of thought, was a true struggle with him in such close proximity. You did your best to continue. âThis is sacred to me. Not a lot of people understand why I love it so much. Or, why I have to do it. So, Iâm a little protective.â
âSo, why show it to me now?â His voice was low, tentative.
âCause you called. And, you were close. And, who knows when Iâll see you again.â Another question was begging to be asked by Dean. The expression on his face was pained and confused, like a little boy. How does he go from sexy to cute in a fraction of a second? âWhat?â
âI still donât understand why Bobby would tell you⊠everything.â
Stan and Marvin placed the large canvas bag, with Samâs help, by the gondola, resting on its side. Gabe and Gen positioned the inflation fan and readied the burner.
âIf you do a good job, Winchester,â you lifted onto your tiptoes to whisper in Deanâs ear, âmaybe you and I can go somewhere private later and talk more about⊠everything.â
His lopsided grin fueled the flirting. âIâm up to any task. Here to learn all about ballooning, right?â
You smiled back. âSo, right now, we are in the putting up phase.â
âPutting out?â Dean questioned for clarification and licked his lips.
You giggled. âPutting up. This is the setup and inflation phase.â
âAh.â He pointed to Sam, holding the large bag open while Stan and Marvin unpacked the contents. âKidâs a natural.â He nodded to the first part emerging from the bag. âWhatâs that?â
âThatâs the skirt of the envelope. Envelope is the balloon. Thatâs in the bag, too. Those wires are what connect the envelope to the gondola.â Gen and Gabe fastened the skirt in place. Stan and Marvin began to unfold the balloon out to its full length.
Deanâs eyes widened as they continued unfolding. âHow tall is it?â
âAlmost 70 feet.â
Dean whistled.
âSam?â You called out to the younger, but taller, of the brothers. âWould you mind meeting Stan and Marvin down by the other end? Tell Stan I asked you to help with the crown line, please?â
âCrown line. Got it.â Sam was all smiles. He really looked like he was enjoying himself.
âWhatâs the crown line?â
âYouâd make a really good journalist, Dean.â You waited for his Okay, Wise Ass look to form before answering. âThink of it like an anchor. Sam will be in charge of holding that rope nice and taut while we inflate the balloon.â
âWhat am I going to help with, boss?â Dean mused and watched Stan pull at the balloon, unwrapping the folds with great care like a present on one of the sides.Â
You appreciated Stanâs excitement in ballooning even if he could be a little over the top. Marvinâs lackluster attempt as he unfolded the other side to match Stanâs light bulb pattern produced a frown on your lips.
âBoss?â Dean waved a hand in front of your face, pulling you out of your internal staff assessment. âWow, this really is a passion, huh?â Deanâs narrowing eyes studied you.
You nodded. âI told you it was.â
He smiled and shook his head. âHere I am trying my best to compete with a bunch of polyester fabric.â
âNylon, actually, and fire resistant material to boot.â Dean sidled up closer in the dark that wasnât that dark, with the bright moon low in the sky and the truck lights criss crossing over the scene. The heat of his body broke through the chilly March morning, entering your space.Â
God, you had missed him more than you thought was possible. In the space of a few hours that October night, heâd imprinted a want that you hadnât been able to shake. It had been nights and days of thoughts of him. And, then, when you came across the rather terrifying information that Dean and his brother had been serial killer fugitives on a murderous crime spree - one that had ended up in their deaths - well, the thoughts had turned ominous and life threatening. Thank God Bobby called me back. Youâd been saddened by the news of the gruff and sweet hunter whoâd helped so much in such a short amount of time. You were debating when to hit Dean with the other information you had been holding back. If there would even be time to do that tonight.
A finger tapped on the side of your chin. âWhat do we do with you, Dean?â
His brows rose in one uniform gesture. âIâve got some ideas.â The voice crept out low with a ton of possible innuendos ready to spill out.
âSince you canât keep that mouth of yours shut... you and Gabe can hold the mouth open while we inflate.â You resolved. âMay want to lose a couple layers. Itâs gonna get pretty hot up in here. Go help Gabe with the fan and ready the burner for me.â
âSassy and bossy.â
You nodded. âItâs my night to call the shots. You had your fun in Vegas.â
âAw, come on. You had fun, too.â Dean peeled the jacket and button up off together in one deft motion. The discarded clothes draped over the side of your truck bed. âRemember Cherie?â
You cleared your throat. âHow could I forget?â
Dean tilted his head, looking a bit taken aback at your enthusiasm. âI was there, too, remember?â
The self-deprecation made you giggle. âHow could I forget?â You repeated. Pointing to the balloon, you reminded, âLess talk, more action.â
*
A half-hour had passed and the inflation process was almost done. Stan and Marvin had released some small helium balloons to gauge the wind conditions, chasing them in the dark sky with their flashlights. Sam did a great job at the top of the envelope with the crown line. You could hear him conversing with the men and Gen with genuine interest in the launch preparations. You took special note of how animated Gen was with Sam, the very opposite of her normal broody demeanor. Massive mountain of a man with flowy mane and mutton chops is her type. Code is finally cracked.
Youâd manned the burner, shooting fire into the mouth of the envelope like a dragon in staccato bursts. Dean had spent a lot of time talking over the roar of the flame and the fanâs motor. His questions were directed at Gabe on the other side of the opening. Your silent sympathy went out to both of the men. Their arms had been extended and their bodies positioned in awkward stages for a long time to tent the envelope in order to get her airborne. You remembered your own burn and fatigue endured as part of a chase crew growing up. Their muscles might be screaming in agony the next day.Â
Gabe was pleasant enough to the so-called reporter, answering Dean in short statements. But his attention was elsewhere. He kept peeking down the other end to the crown line where his sister Genessee had wandered to talk to Sam. The protective older brother was emerging.Â
Your gaze kept going back to Dean for much of the process. His initiation began with burrowing into the balloon's mouth, head first, on his hands and knees. It provided a sweet view of his even sweeter ass before he gathered the fabric over his shoulders and rose up in victory.Â
He was quite the distraction with all of the delicious little details you got to inspect. His biceps bulged and stretched the sleeves of his white t-shirt. The sweat that caused the shirt material to stick to random parts of his torso also drenched his forehead. Being so near to the burner and its heat had every patch of exposed skin glistening in the fireâs flame. He licked the perspiration pouring down his face and onto his lips. Your heart stopped a few times when he tugged his shirt up to wipe at his face, giving you a glimpse of the firm chest and undulating tummy you had only dreamed about on occasion.
He called out to you once, his grin bright in the orange glow, âLike blowing wind up my skirt, sweetheart?â
You smiled back and nodded, relishing the flirting just enough without making Gabe uncomfortable. Your assessment of the inflation continued even with the distraction. It always brought butterflies to your stomach, watching the rise of the fabric, bowing bigger until you could stare into the tunnel ahead, like some psychedelic acid trip. You directed Dean to change position and follow Gabeâs lead when the envelope hinted its impending lift off the ground. You checked in with Stan, your point person walking back and forth from the crown line to the gondola, screaming over the fan and burner. âGet Marvin here to hold her steady! Wonât be much longer before we launch!â
Stan saluted and ran off in search of Marvin.
âGabe, I think Sam can ease off the crown line. Want to get him and Gen back here.â
Gabeâs wary glance went from you to Dean.
âDeanâs got it.â You calmed his concern.
Dean gave Gabe a thumbs up. Gabe nodded and hurried to pass along the instructions.
âDean, can you help me pull the gondola back and then tilt up when I give you the word? Donât let her go or you owe me forty grand.â Deanâs surprised expression made you chuckle. You shut off the fan and flashed the burner steady. The balloon was rising up like a drawbridge, quicker and quicker. âNow.â
He nodded, staring up in awe, so close to the imposing object and its dominance of the sky above them. The sheen of her metallic panels were muted and dulled in the dark.Â
âSheâs even prettier in the daylight.â You answered Deanâs silent inspection. âPink, purple, and blue. She sparkles in the sun.â
He gave you a smile right as Marvin and Stan returned to your side.
âClear out the fan and get that extra propane tank.â You called to the men and tugged the flame bright again. âShort ride still needs some backup fuel.âÂ
Soon the whole crew was back, hands clamped on the sides of the gondola, keeping your baby in place, tethered to the ground for a few more minutes. Sam and Dean smiled at each other like kids. That alone made your whole night.
âWalkie-talkies on and ready?â You tapped yours on, snug on your belt buckle, and confirmed the nods from Gen, Stan, and Marvin. You grabbed one of the rails and hopped onto the edge, then swung one leg in followed by the other and slid into the gondola. Gabe secured the tank into its holding spot beside you. âAlright, Mr. Wilton? Ready for that ride?â
*
It took Dean a couple seconds to realize the question was directed at him. âWha-what?â
âHow are you going to write that article if you donât get in?â You asked, perplexed and confused, smiling through the question.
Deanâs mouth rounded into an âOâ and then he shook his head. âOh. Yeah. No. I canât.â
Your heart dropped.
Sam whispered somewhere behind you. âHeâs scared of flying. Airplanes.â You looked at Sam, who shrugged. âProbably heights, too.â
You shook your head at Dean. âI can guarantee you, Dean, that after a couple minutes youâll be fine. No relative altitude, if it's a height thing. And, we donât have much of a choice but to work with the wind, not enough power to fight an air current. I promise not to take you higher than 3,000 feet.â You smiled.
His look was filled with dread and apprehension. âIs that all?âÂ
You thought back to your first night together and opted for the flirty approach. You waited for his eyes to land on yours as they glanced everywhere in worry. âYouâll be glad you took the chance.â
That cracked the surface of worry. âAnd if Iâm not and want to jump out?â
You nodded. âIâll lower this baby enough for you to skydive out.â The seconds ticked by. A sigh left your mouth. âMr. Jackson might be better suited for this part of the reporting.â
Sam chuckled. âOh, Iâm up for it. But, I think Dean will be kicking himself if he doesnât take you up on the offer.â
Dean shrugged. âWe could both go.â
You looked at Dean in amazement. Geez, he really is scared if heâs turning down an opportunity to be alone with me.
âWe canât both go. Somebodyâs gotta interview and be a part of the chase crew.â You caught Samâs slight nod to Gen, standing behind him as he spoke directly to Dean across the gondola. âDonât be a wuss.â Sam egged.
âIâm not a wuss.â Dean mumbled. More moments of indecision worked over his face. âFine.â He hopped into the gondola before he could debate any further with himself. It teetered with the additional weight and Dean looked ready to bolt out again.
âKeys, Dean?â Sam questioned
âIn my jacket, on the truck.â He leaned forward, wedging his ass into a corner of the wicker basket and staring at its floor. Fingers white knuckled the side edges, his arms locked and splayed out. He looked like he was bracing himself for a rocket launch. Or perhaps anticipating motion sickness.
You shook your head to yourself. There didnât seem any point in trying to comfort him at the moment. Heâll just have to see for himself. âGabe, you drive my truck and lead the chase.â You readied your hand on the burner.
Gen raised a hand to alert her brother. âIâll ride with Sam. Answer some questions.â
Sam seemed quite happy with the decision. Gabe, not so much.
You pulled out your trusty baseball cap, out of your secret stash pocket with essentials, and grabbed an extra one for Dean. A slight shove placed it in his sight line in the armâs length of space between the both of you. âPut this on, going to get hot.â
He hesitated with a grunt, then hurried with a swift and snug placement of the cap on his head. The death grip returned to the basket. He still didnât look up. His eyes scrunched shut nice and tight.
When you turned back to Sam, you whispered. âHeâll be fine.â
Sam nodded.
You nodded to the crew, gave the thumbs up, then tugged at the burner. The flame roared. Everyoneâs hands lifted up at once, releasing your anchor to the ground. The balloon rose up soft and steady, an almost imperceptible shift, like you knew it would. The slight hiccup in your stomach from the elation reminded you of all those countless balloon rides growing up. A tilt to glance down over the edge saw your crew shrink below, awash in the headlights, their necks craned up to survey the flight.
Dean asked, disgruntled and impatient, eyes still closed, once the burner silenced for a bit. âAre we doing this or what?â
âDone, Dean. Open your eyes if you want. Tiny Sam down below.â
âWhat?â His face shot up. One eye popped open, staring at you, then the motion of the scenery behind you. âWeâŠâ
âWeâre in the air.â Pilot mode was second nature to you at this point. Scanning the environment for any potential hazards, changes in wind conditions, flaming so you could rise were just a few of the dozen things you multitasked as you calmed your nervous and oh so handsome passenger. You had to admit some of the elation you felt was due to his presence this early morning. âHow are you doing?â
His other eye opened and his head rotated left, right, up, down. Wide-eyed under the baseball cap, he ventured out of the corner. His boots slid with care along the basketâs side as if he was scaling a wall. A quick lengthening of his neck allowed him to peer down at the group on the ground. âHoly shit!â There was more awe than fear in his voice.
You radioed to Gabe, âLooks good up here. I donât think Mr. Wilton will be joining you all down below just yet. Over.â The look on Deanâs face was priceless as he took in the atmosphere. You could see the hesitancy fading away and the relief building.
âCopy that, Silent Lucidity. Which direction you headed? Over.â
âLooks like sheâs going where the little ones headed earlier. So, Northwest. Keep an eye on her and Iâll check in at fifteen. Over.â
âGot it. Over and out.â Static punctuated the end of Gabeâs statement.
âIâve got a little lantern light I can flip on, if you need it.â You offered to Dean. âBut, it can mess with the view. So, let me know.â
âWill it make it hard for you to steer or whatever?â Dean asked.
âNot steering, but no, not really. We picked this launch site for a reason. There will be a beautiful sunrise view for the job. Not a lot of things to stare at but sky.â
He chuckled. âSo, youâre really gonna be up here again in less than a couple hours with a guy whoâll be proposing to his girlfriend?â
âYep. Still doing okay?â
âYeah. Iâm good. Surprisingly good, actually. Nothing like being in an airplane or staring out of a 40th floor window.â
âTold ya.â
âYou did. Iâll never doubt you again.â He was working his way closer to you, edging with care. âWhatâs it take to become a pilot?â
âHundred clocked flight hours, FAA certification.â
His features came into bright focus under the burner flames, only a foot away from you. Heâd taken off his baseball cap. âWow. Thatâs impressive.â You could tell he meant it. Then, the gears of some random thought fell into place. âQueensrĂżche?â
You smiled. âYeah.â
âSo, her nameâs Silent Lucidity?â
Another nod. âSometimes I like to play the song when she launches.â
âNice. You really are full of surprises, sweetheart.â
âSo are you, Dean. How can someone whoâs battled Lucifer be afraid of heights?â
He shrugged. âHey, Iâm still human.â
âFrom the stories I heard, you leveled up beyond most of us mere mortals a long time ago.â
His eyes flashed in the flame. You were the only thing he was focusing on now. âSo, what did Bobby tell you? Exactly?â
âHe told me that your dad got into hunting because a demon killed your mom. You and Sam were brought up in it. Youâve dealt with pretty much every monster anyone could think of. Nothing much surprises you anymore. Not after Heaven and Hell.â You stopped, watching him study you. âTold me that you went to Hell and came back. Then, there was the impending Apocalypse. Thanks for saving the world, by the way.â Your mind was a swirl of impossible details as you tried to recall things in the correct order. âThen, you tried to save your brother from Lucifer. But, he ended up in some cage with the devil and the archangel Michael. Sam came back to the surface, not quite whole after that. When you tried to put him back together again, well Lucifer decided to scramble his egg instead. And, that now, Samâs dealing with some major PTSD. And, that you lost a good friend recently.â
He couldnât hide his confusion. âWhy would he tell you all that?â
âHe said he heard how scared I sounded when I left the message. That the only way he could explain the crazy was with even more crazy. That if I wanted to believe my life wasnât in danger, Iâd have to believe what he was going to tell me. And, that if I ever told anyone else, theyâd more than likely have me committed. He also said you never, ever gave anyone outside of the hunting circle that particular number. So, you must have wanted to stay in touch with me. Or, he guessed, youâd want to be there for me if I needed help. Bobby said if that was the case, youâd want me to know the truth if it would make me feel better.â
Dean shook his head and smiled. His eyes were glassy in the burst of another flame.
âHe cared about you a lot Dean.â Your thoughts reversed with your own past. âHe sounded a lot like my dad.â You shook yourself out of them to focus on Dean. âSo, Sam isâŠâ
âPutting up one helluva fight to keep Lucifer at bay.â
âAnd, you?â You didnât ask for permission and tapped on the lantern light. His features glowed in the amber light cascading into the gondola behind your right shoulder.Â
Those murky green eyes stared back with a set, clenched jaw. His tall frame dipped down, you guessed to get a better view of your reaction from under the rim of your baseball cap. âWhat about me?â
âIt sounds like you sacrifice a lot for the good of the mission. For the good of Sam. Always.â
âReally? You got that out of a couple phone calls with a drunk old coot?â The smile teased. His low voice dripped with sarcasm and exhaustion.
âMaybe. You left me that night in Vegas. For Sam. When he called.â
The smile was gone in an instant. âSweetheart, if I could haveâŠâ
âBut, you couldnât, Dean. Because of Sam.â Both shoulders rose. âAnd, hey, I get it. Family and all. Itâs not like you were bailing your brother out of jail after another night of hell raising.â You shook your head. âBad choice of words. But, you know what I mean. You both have had monumental, earth shattering decisions, universe affecting choices to make. Whatâs a night with a woman youâd just met in Vegas mean in the grand scheme of things?â
His hand lifted up over both your heads. His fingers draped over yours on the burner control. The touch was light, delicate, electric, and warmer than the flame. âIt meant a lot to me.â
You swallowed hard, tilting your chin up to stare. The propane smell was thick in the air. You sighed. âAlright, Cremation Charlie.â
That broke him from his swoon worthy stare. âHuh?â
âCremation Charlie was a nickname for a poor sap, back in the day before theyâd invented inflation fans. The guy in the chase crew who put his life on the line. He was the one that would stand in the mouth of the envelope, hold it open while the burner heated the air to get the damn balloon off the ground. Risked burning himself to a crisp for the mission. Over and over again.â
Dean closed his eyes and grinned. âYeah, that sounds like me.â His fingers skimmed over yours. You took the moment to spy and pay homage to his physique. His body still damp in spots with perspiration. His smell. His heat. âItâs pretty quiet up here.â He mumbled, eyes still closed, his frame swaying a couple inches back and forth.
You didnât want to disrupt the silence. But youâd need to warm the air again to stay in the current floating you to where you hoped to end up. âGive it a tug.â You whispered.
His eyes jolted open at the soft command. âHuh?â The green in his eyes sparkled.
You slipped your hand out from under his. âLetâs get a rise out of you.â You grinned. âHeat us up, big boy.â
Dean smiled and tugged at the burner, looking up into the mouth and watching the flame burst alive. âWhat happens if we get too high?â
You wrapped your fingers around another dangling rope. âI pull on this and a vent opens to let air escape. Helps us descend.â
âSo, if I get too carried away, you can put on the brakes?â
âSomething like that.â
He shook his head and stared down at you. The fear was gone. The Dean you met that Vegas night was back and in full force. âYou, in charge. Sexy as hell.â
You giggled at the tease. âYou like bossy women?â
âDonât tell anybody.â You gasped at the other hand pushing into the small of your back, pulling you into his embrace. His hand on the control, your hand on the rope, tangled against each other in a dance of commands and directions. âI wish Sammy had stayed on his desert trek that night.â Dean licked his bottom lip, inspecting yours. âThings might have been a lot different.â
âDean?â
âYeah?â
âShut up and kiss me already.â
He smiled, bent down, tilted at just the right angle to fit under the rim of your cap, and pressed his mouth to yours. It was eager and investigating, searching with his tongue, making you moan. You felt him tug on the control, the flame roaring above you.
You broke for a second. âEasy there, tiger.â Your eyes scanned the area around you.
âHey, I was just following orders.â He smirked.
âYeah.â You sighed. âOkay, thatâs enough playing pilot.â
He chuckled and released his hold from the burner, but not from you. âWhen are you done with your job this morning?â
âWe should be done and packed up no later than nine. Do you have to leave right after?â Your mouth dropped into a frown.
âWeâre waiting on some word about theâŠâ He censored his information even though you already knew about it all. âTrailâs gone cold for a bit.â He tugged the walkie talkie from your belt without asking and brought it to his mouth. Your mouth opened in protest, but he began to speak before you could voice anything. âSam? You there? Dean, here. Over.â
A few seconds passed. âDean? Whatâs up? Over.â
âI think weâre going to need more hours of... investigative journalism after the job. Over.â The smirk on his face and naughtiness in his eyes made your core ache.
Sam cleared his throat over the radio. âIâll get a room. Over.â
Dean smiled down at you. âCopy that. Over and out.â
*
Never would have thought. Bossy looks damn good on her.
After swallowing down the panic for the first part of the balloon ride and realizing how skilled of a pilot you were, Dean switched into his autopilot mode around a beautiful woman. Flirty, feisty, and all fingers. It was as necessary as breathing for him. And, he missed it. Especially how easy it flowed with you, regardless of the environment. Whether the chaotic energy of the Vegas strip or the sublime floating dream that he was in right now, in the air above Albuquerque. You were the constant he was craving to touch.
Your eyes were shy to hold his gaze one minute, then challenging him in a staring contest the next. Youâd roll your eyes at a cheeky joke, then blush at a flirty turn of phrase. And your voice. It was light and airy, not bouncy or super peppy. With just the right amount of conviction and authority when you needed it to be. And those lips. Damn. I gotta find out all the things they can do.
He tested the waters again. Snaked his fingers around your waist and pulled you close. Heâd pulled the cap off your head without asking. The questions thrown out were due to his interest but also his wanting to distract you. He needed to get at the skin under that tight sky blue t-shirt. He held back a sigh and clenched his jaw at how warm and welcoming you felt. He thought you might be onto his ulterior motives but were more than willing to go along for the ride.
Turns out you had been ballooning for as long as you could remember, growing up in Colorado. Your parents had been what one would call enthusiasts when it came to hot air balloons. And as their only child, well there was no way you werenât going to get the balloon bug. Your dad was a pilot, your mom a part of his chase crew. They held balloon rallys, hosted events and it was just another Sunday for you to be up in the Colorado air surrounded by a dozen other balloons.
Youâd moved to Albuquerque right after college. Dean smiled when you told him the city you called home was known as the Ballooning Capital of the World. The International Balloon Fiesta was held in the Rio Grande Valley every October. It had been one of the main reasons you settled there. You were geeking out with the facts, explaining more about the intricacies of piloting, talking about balloon glows and mass ascensions, while his grip on you tightened. Goddamn adorable.Â
Then he asked about what your parents were up to now. A frown replaced his smile, finding out your parents had passed away a year after you moved. They had been on a hunting trip at their cabin in the mountains. Authorities deemed a horrible bear attack had been the cause. That had been eight years ago.
He wanted to ask if that had been the impetus for Bobby telling you so much; if you had mentioned that before his truth spilled out. Bobby knew, had known, loss better than anyone. And, if he knew you had no close family? Well, he was a softie when it came to helping out a lady in distress. Hell, isnât every hunter that appreciates a pretty woman? But Dean held it in, stared into your eyes, and told you how sorry he was. You gave him a soft peck on the lips in thanks.ïżœïżœÂ Â Â
You didnât play when it came to your balloon, Dean learned quickly. Youâd found a field to touch down at after a half-hour in the air and radioed to the chase crew. Dean gave you some space to pilot for the all important landing. He watched with great interest at your actions, venting and burning, guiding your baby. He felt a pang in his chest, missing Baby, squirreled away under a tarp in a barn miles away.Â
You were working with the wind to get to your hoped for spot. Patience. She has a ton of it. Accepting what she canât control and working with what sheâs given to get to her destination. Maybe she needs to give me some lessons.
The four trucks and Sam in the Cougar roared up the nearest road from down below. Headlights bright in a caravan formation. The sky was starting to lighten. Dawn would arrive soon. Got a ride in a fucking hot air balloon with the prettiest pilot there is. Dean smiled at you.
You caught the look on his face with a turn of your head. The balloon was careening downward at a nice clip as you vented. âWhat?â
âCrash landing?â An eyebrow rose.
âNot if I can help it. But you might want to hold on to something.â
Dean pressed himself to your back, trapping you between his arms as he gripped the edge of the gondola. âThis good?â
You cleared your throat and he chuckled.
The chase crew made good time, ejecting from their vehicles to rush over. The gondola swooped down. You tried to keep her parallel to the ground as she propelled forward. Her front end hit first, bouncing like morse code. Dean leaned back like a counterweight. Gabe and Stan caught up to the back end and grabbed a hold, braking and slowing the motion.
Marvin appeared to hold the basket down as well. You pulled the vent open all the way. The fabric of the envelope began to puddle like a discarded dress. Dean spotted Sam grab at the crown line with Gen as they helped to guide it down.
You were directing and ordering again, reminding everyone you didnât have a lot of time to deflate and pack up to get back to where you had launched. The blush and heat in your cheeks was noted by Dean in silence as the crew pushed out the remaining air in the balloon and folded it up. Dean helped get the gondola back onto one of the trucks and secured all the other equipment. The entire event had exhilarated and lit up all of his senses. He wanted to take you in his arms and kiss that energy all over you. But the crew would only have more questions.
Everyone had hauled collective asses back to the launch site to start the putting up process all over again. Dean rode with Sam, discussing the balloon ride and how much time he thought heâd need alone with you. Sam shook his head and laughed, extolling all of the fun things heâd learned about Gen. There was a lighter feeling in the air of their car. No talk of leviathans or hunts or Lucifer or the loss of Bobby. For a short amount of time, they were two guys comparing notes about pretty girls and having some goddamn fun with a group of people.
When Dean closed the passenger side of the car, he ran to your truck for his next order. He gave you a cheeky salute. âCremation Charlie, reporting for duty.â
You smiled back, cool and deliberate. Sam slid up to Deanâs side. âI can go and help with the crown line again.â He offered.
âYou guys have been great. Really.â You nodded. âBut, weâve got this round. And, after this next part, youâre going to want to head out.â
Dean frowned. âNot leaving yet, sweetheart.â The tone in his voice was insistent.
âNot leaving Albuquerque, yet.â You agreed. Another smile. âYou bring that champagne like I asked?â
Dean tilted his head toward the car.
âGrab it.â
He sighed. Sam shrugged and stood his ground. A quick trip to the car and a reach into the open window of the back seat found the bottle. Dean jogged back only to find you and Sam had moved to the rest of the crew, even Cleo, now beside the gondola. The envelope had already been unpacked and unfurled on the ground.
âIf youâd be so kind and open that, Dean.â You motioned to the champagne.Â
Dean fumbled with the wire cage over the cork.
âWe have a tradition for first time riders. Sam, even though you didnât go up, you certainly proved an invaluable part of the crew. So, I think you should get to partake as well.â You continued.
Dean eased the cork out of the bottle with a satisfying pop and a small bit of fizz leaked out, down his hand.
âMay I?â You reached for the bottle.
Dean passed it over with a smile.
âOn your knees, boys.â You ordered.
The entire crew chuckled at Dean and Samâs expressions.
You pointed to the ground.
Dean cocked his head to his brother. Sam sighed. They knelt down in unison, staring up at you.
âThis is what we call your initiation, a baptism you might say.â The seriousness in your voice made Deanâs eyes narrow as he stared at you. âLet us pray.âÂ
The crew bent their heads. Sam elbowed Dean to do the same. But all he wanted to do was keep his eyes on you. You lifted your eyelids at his gaze and coerced Dean to follow suit with the rest. His grin rose one side of his mouth upward before he gave in.
âSam and Dean.â Dean spied your sneakers strolling closer, the earth crunching beneath your steps. âMay the winds welcome you with softness.â Your voice was low, reverent. âMay the sun bless you with its warm hands.â Dean thought back to when it was only the two of you, up in the air, free. âAnd then set you gently back into the loving arms of Mother Earth.â You finished.
He couldnât wait to be alone with you again. And, then, Dean felt the cool bubbling liquid pour over his head. Son of a bitch.
*
The entrance bell dinged when you stepped foot in Loyolaâs. Your eyes lit up when you chanced upon Dean, sitting in one of the booths, digging into a breakfast burrito at 11:00 am. He waited. The sign by the register encouraged you to seat yourself. You made your way over to the Winchester brother that made your insides somersault.
He glanced up at your approach, looking adorable and sinful at the same time. He chewed with gusto and reverence. To your surprise, he dropped the burrito and bolted out of his seat to stand by the table. It gave you the opportunity to inspect his sturdy frame. The change of clothes confirmed heâd found somewhere to shower. A faded denim button-up draped over his shoulders. Amazingly, you thought he might only be wearing one layer atop the wide span of his chest. He was doing the entire city of Albuquerque a civil service, swaddling those fine bow legs and ass into a tight pair of dark jeans. Do not drool. âHey.â The dab of a napkin wiped away some scrambled egg from his chin. âYou finally made it.â His smile extended from ear to ear.
You gripped the shoulder strap of your bag. The soap scent filled your nostrils. Damn. How did his smile make your mind cease to function? âYeah. Sorry. Wrap up took longer than expected.â You shrugged. âAnd, I needed to clean up, too.â You grinned.
âHm. Well, you didnât have someone pour champagne all over you. You're lucky I donât have Baby with me.â He motioned for you to sit.
Your bag hit the bench seat before you slid in across from him. âBaby?â
âAll that storytelling and Bobby didnât mention my pride and joy?â
You frowned, wondering who or what in the hell Baby was.
âMy car. Was my Dadâs.â Dean frowned as well.
âWhere is it?â
âWe had to stash it when the leviathans made those murder Xeroxes of us. They even drove around in an exact copy of my wheels.â
âIâm sorry.â The whole subject matter was surreal; made you feel like you were talking to a sci-fi character from a television show. If that nagging, gnawing suspicion hadnât been with you for years, you knew you wouldnât believe a stitch of the yarn Bobby had told you months back. You looked over the laminated menu. You already knew what youâd order. You needed something to distract you from how pretty his green eyes shined in the sunlight streaming through the diner window.
Dean tilted a shoulder a fraction, making you look up. Heâd trapped you in that gaze again. âHopefully, I get to see her again soon.â He tapped his fingers on the tabletop. âI mean, hey, I got to rendezvous with you again. Things are looking up.â He grinned.
The waitress swung by and took your order, dropping off a glass of water and pouring you a cup of coffee. Deanâs eyes widened when you told her youâd have the Southwest Sizzling Sampler and to please keep the caffeine coming. âWhat?â You questioned with a raised eyebrow when it was only the two of you.
âNot for nothinâ, but a woman with a healthy appetite is kinda hot.â He licked his lips and went back to his plate of food. A finger pointed to his burrito. âWant some?â
You chuckled. âIâm good. Thanks.â You suddenly realized you were down a Winchester. âWhereâs Sam?â
Dean gulped down his mouthful. âWe got a room at the Tewa lodge. Heâs doing some Roman research.â
âAh. Should I tell Gen of his location?â
A gruff laugh left his throat. âI think Sam beat you to it.â
âI guess research is a big part of the whole hunting thing.â You turned behind you, noting the other patrons within earshot. You recognized Stella from the bookstore. She immediately said hello, chatted you up for some seconds, only to put you more on guard. You turned back to Dean and took a quick swig of your water. You resumed your topic. âSo, research?â
He raised a brow and donned a smile variation you hadnât quite seen from him before. âYeah. The boring part of hunting. But, necessary. Jobs donât actually fall into our laps. Not often.â Dean shot into another thought. âDid Bobby give you my new number? At least, the number I had when you made contact with him?â
You shook your head. âHe didnât want to put you in danger. Thatâs what he said, anyway. In case I really wasnât who I said I was. Heâd done some research of his own on me before calling back. See if the info I left about myself in the voicemail checked out. But, he said, he couldnât be too careful.â
Dean nodded. âSounds like Bobby.â His eyes narrowed. âMind if I test you?â
âTest me? Like multiple choice?â
He plopped a trial sized plastic bottle of mouthwash on the table. But, the cloudy white liquid was most definitely not mouthwash. âPour some of that on your hand.â
âWhat?â Your entire body stiffened up on defense. âWhat is it?â
âJust a household cleaner with Borax in it.â He responded like they were discussing the weather. âIf youâre a baddie, itâll burn you.â
âIt could burn me, regardless. Ever read the warning labels on the back?â
âNot skin irritation. Talking, eat your skin away if youâre a leviathan.â
âJesus.â You shook your head, opened the bottle, placed a stack of napkins from the dispenser under one hand, and then dripped cleaner over your knuckles. You wiggled your fingers and patted away the liquid. âDid I pass?â
He smiled. âYep. Demon test, too.â
âHuh?â
He secured the cap and snuck the bottle back into his leather jacket resting next to him on the bench. âI snuck some holy water in your glass.â
You ran your tongue along the top of your mouth. âEw.â
âCanât be too careful. A lot could have happened since Vegas. And, I would have had to add avenging you to the top of my to do list if those fuckers got to you, too.â
The thought of him extracting violent revenge on your behalf gave you a weird sense of comfort and safety. You smiled. Â
He smiled back. âAnyway, with the thoughts Iâve been thinking, gotta make sure youâre not going to gank me when weâre alone later. My guard will be down.â
Your mouth dried up. âAre we going to be alone later?â
He nodded with certainty. âOh yeah. Youâre taking me back to your place.â
God, you loved that cocky assuredness. Any other man would come off as a smug bastard. But, there was so much charm covering it up in Deanâs whole being that you couldnât resist. âAm I?â
âYep.â Another slight nod. The waitress disrupted your flirting and dropped the plate in front of you. âWow. Thatâs beautiful.â Dean commented on the piles of breakfast food.
You rubbed your hands together and shot back. âFueling up for later.â
He chuckled. âMy kinda woman.â
*
He followed you back to your apartment in his Cougar. You were distracted for most of the ten minute ride. Thinking about what he was going to do with that gorgeous body of his; that this was actually happening. Glancing in your rear view mirror at a red light pulled you into a long study of his perfect face. His cocky grin followed a horn tap on his steering wheel when the light turned green. He probably knew youâd been staring. Son of a bitch.
Your palm was a sweaty mess turning the knob of your apartment door. It didnât help that he was breathing down your neck, looming over you.
Tyrion greeted you with his usual rumbling of purrs. âYou have a cat?â Dean queried from behind. He sounded disappointed. You heard the click of the door closing.
You scratched the top of your buddyâs head. Tyrion eyed the new male in the room with a proud tilt up of his long-haired chin and twitchy whiskers. âI do.â You confirmed the obvious.
âIâm allergic.â Dean sighed. At that, Tyrion strolled up to Dean and did a figure eight between his bow legs.
âSo am I.â You stated and flung your jacket across the back of your, and Tyrionâs, favorite chair.
âSo, youâre a masochist?â Dean chuckled and pinched his nose shut.
âOkay, Ew. First, donât pull my cat into some sexual kink. Second, I donât derive gratification from pain and humiliation...â
Dean raised an eyebrow. âIâm intrigued and aroused that you actually know what a masochist isâŠâ
You shook your head and forced yourself not to focus on how sexy his voice sounded wrapping around the word aroused. âThird,â you continued, âTyrion is a Siberian. Heâs hypoallergenic. Us cat allergy sufferers can usually tolerate being around this breed.â
âReally?â The genuine surprise on his face went to inspect the furball, plopped onto his back, displaying a belly to Dean for some rubbing.
You nodded. âBut, to be on the safe side, I keep him out of my bedroom.â
Dean shot his stare back up at the word bedroom.
You cleared your throat.
He grinned and bent at the knees to give Tyrion a few pats for good measure.
âWant something to drink?â A quick dash around the breakfast bar gave you a chance to escape. You grabbed a bottled water from the fridge and sipped away, trying to cool the burning of your cheeks.
âIâm good.â You heard him respond from the living room. He was still bent down making friends with Tyrion.
You tapped at the bottle with your fingernails and stared at the fridge door and your assortment of magnets. What the hell? What am I supposed to do now?â
âNice little place.â He leaned against the edge of the breakfast bar. His leather jacket had been discarded.
âThanks.â
He stuffed his hands into front jean pockets and mosied over like a gunslinger. âAm I gonna have to make the first move again?â
You smiled. ââFraid so.â
He stared down at you with a smile. âSomething tells me you donât mind it.â
You shook your head and swallowed down a sigh.
He pulled the bottle from your grasp and dropped it somewhere. Your stomach tumbled in excitement at the grasp of his warm hands around your waist. He lifted you like you weighed a feather and sat you on the bartop, right in front of him. You were almost at perfect eye level. He pried your knees open and wedged into your legs. He was hot and so close, face inches from yours. âI donât have a lot of time to do everything I want.â His breath snuck into your open mouth. âIâd need days.â
And, then, his lips were pressed into yours again. Firm, decisive, and a little needy. Not quite as needy as yours, returning the want and the build from your alone time up in the air together. He released your lips, kissed along your jaw and cheek. Rubbed his scruff against your skin. Encapsulated your earlobe with a glorious suck between those billowy lips. He ran his tongue against the diamond stud. Moaned a breathy, âDo you taste good everywhere?â into your ear.
You gripped the edge of the breakfast bar. He was making you unsteady, drunk with desire. Your eyes widened. His fingers snapped the button of your jeans open and worked the zipper down.Â
He broke from his work and stared at your face. âI shouldnât be having all the fun.â He grinned. âPut your hands on me, sweetheart.â
Your shaky hands lifted off the bartop and rested on the lapels of his denim shirt. You snuck a squeeze at his pecs and he chuckled.
âWe good?â You knew he was asking for permission to dip his fingers under your panties. He was currently skimming the band of it, lighting up the skin around your belly button. âOnce I start, Iâm not stoppinâ.â
You nodded. âWeâre good.â
His mouth went to your neck, licking, pecking, sucking. He moaned against the skin when his fingertips found your wet warmth. âDamn.â
Your breath hitched with the prodding and searching. He teased the sensitive nub with his thumb, hand sandwiched tight between you and the denim as he cupped your sex. His mouth was at yours now, examining every inch with his tongue.
Senses came back to you in bursts and blips. You undid the buttons of his shirt as he continued his own exploration. Once youâd freed the last button you danced over the ridges and planes of his chest. His body reacted with a twitch when you scraped nails over his perky little nipples. He groaned into your mouth. You moaned when his hand pulled out of your panties. He kissed through his request and stared into your eyes. âHow about we go somewhere we can be alone?â
You followed his gaze to the floor where Tyrion was darting between Deanâs legs again. You laughed and nodded. Dean tried his best not to trip over the cat, stepped back, and helped you off the bar. You grabbed his hand, wet with your excitement, and guided him to the bedroom. You couldnât resist turning back at the sight of him, shirt unbuttoned and peeks of tummy, chest and pecs. There was a tattoo on his chest above his heart that got your attention for a split second. Walking backward, you lost your balance at the hunger in his eyes. He leaned in, pressed you into the bedroom door, then tumbled you both through after fumbling at the knob. Once inside, he flung the door shut with a kick of his boot heel.
He wasted no time, grabbing at the hem of your t-shirt, pulling it up. He cursed and gave it a firm tug when it caught on your chin to release you from the confines. The giggle from you was more to calm your unease of what he was actually capable of when he put his mind to it. The strength behind his movements was unquestionable. He quashed the sounds of your laugh with his mouth, gulping down the vibrations leaving your throat. He was literally taking your breath away.
Fingers squeezed at the bra cups, finding taut nubs and rubbing over the fabric in circles. He guided you down onto the bed with the push of his mouth. His arms were around you in an instant, cushioning your fall onto the mattress. He leaned above, one knee between your legs, all smiles. âNever done it with a pilot before.â His knee settled against the warmth and rubbed you through the layers.
You lifted up on your elbows and leaned up to suck at his bottom lip. It provided him the opportunity to unclasp your bra. You released his lip and fell back on the bed. âNever done it with a monster hunter before.â
He removed your bra. His eyes widened and he licked his lips. âI guess weâre both in for a treat.â
God, his mouth. The way it worked over each inch of your body. He talked about not having enough time but seemed in no hurry to get on with the actual task of fucking. At least not with the package you had yet to unwrap. But, you got a hint of what he was working with at the bulge tenting his jeans.
His tongue lolled about the dip in your neck, your collar bone. He nipped and tugged at your flesh. Circled your nipples, sucked and tweaked them into bliss. Stoking the heat in your core and readying you.
He slipped out of his shirt like a snakeskin, slithering down, peeling your pants and panties down to your calves. He popped off your canvas shoes, finished your disrobing, and then stood to take you in, completely naked.
It was the middle of the day. Sunlight crept into your bedroom through sheer curtains. Any other man, any other time, you would have covered up in embarrassment. But, you let him take you in so you could do the same. The creamy, bronze kissed skin of his chest made you ache. The scars all had some history behind them. Dappling of freckles here and there ground him into some sort of reality; confirmed he was in fact human and not some god, come to earth to ruin anyone he touched for anyone else.
He bent down, forced you to maintain eye contact. His tongue flicked out and teased your folds. He savored the taste, smiled, then went to work on you. He talked you through everything he was doing and was planning to do to you. Stopped talking long enough to follow through on his promises. His fingers found that spot deep inside he said would make you crumble for him, come for him, into his mouth. And, you did. Twice. Cause thatâs what he said heâd make you do. Â
You were panting, trying to catch your breath when he rose up and fished his wallet from his back pocket. He tossed a foil wrapper alongside you on the sheets. âGonna feel so good inside you.â He murmured, taking off his jeans.
âShit.â You gasped when you finally saw all of him.
He smiled in pride. âThank you.â
âDean, IâŠâ
He nodded. âI can already tell itâs gonna be a tight fit, sweetheart.â He bent down and kissed your lips. âWeâll get there. Trust me. Gonna be so much fun getting there.â
He snatched the wrapper, ripped it open, and worked the condom over his hard length. He slid over your body, capturing you between those muscled forearms and kissed you in languid waves.
And, then, he was pushing against your entrance. Steadying atop of you on one forearm while his other hand assisted, seeking a way to penetrate. His held breath released, slow, when he finally breached and made some headway inside.
âGoddamn.â He settled in, listened to your moans. âAlright, sweetheart?â
You nodded and tried to control your breathing. The searing and stretch of him in you was like nothing youâd experienced. âYouâre amazing.â
He smiled and kissed your chin. âYouâre awesome.â
*
You made him work hard that afternoon. And he loved every second of it.
Heâd come down from the high of his second orgasm a half hour ago. He thought maybe it had been your fourth, but he wasnât going to ask. You snuggled into his side, the both of you now under the covers, dozing in and out. Tyrion, on occasion, would scratch and meow on the other side of the closed bedroom door. He played with your hair, delaying the inevitable for as long as he could.
You spoke first. âHave a clue where youâre headed next?â
âUh-uh. Weâve got someone trying to help track Roman. ButâŠâ He pinched his nose, âWild goose chase. Who knows? Maybe Sam will have something when I get back.â
He felt your fingers trace over his anti-possession tattoo. âDean?â
âHm?â He was ready for you to ask for details on his tat.
âDo you and Sam ever go on those run of the mill hunts anymore? Or is it all leviathans and angels and demons now?â
He smiled. âAll the time. I kind of look forward to a simple ghost hunt every now and then.â
âDo hunters have cold cases they work on?â
âSometimes. Why?â You felt so good in his arms. Like you fit just right.
Your head lifted up. Your eyes stared into his. âMy parentsâŠâ Your voice trailed off. âIâve always had this feeling. The way they died. It didnât seemâŠâ
It was all you had to say. His arms wrapped you up tight. âHow about once Sammy and I take care of these leviathans, I come back and we figure out what happened. Together. Supernatural or not, we get you some answers.â
He wiped a tear from your cheek. You nodded, burying your head back against his chest.
For another hour, Dean closed his eyes and drifted away. In that tiny one-bedroom apartment of yours in Albuquerque that felt like something he could call home. With you.
Sam could wait. The work he had to do on the road could wait. The inevitable sacrifice heâd have to make, again, could wait.Â
What he wanted, what he wished for, what he dreamed was to be up in the air with you again. In your Baby.Â
And let you pilot them wherever the wind would lead you both.
THE END
MASTERLIST
#dean winchester x reader#dean winchester fluff#dean winchester angst#dean winchester smut#spnfanficpond#dean x reader#dean winchester pov
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S11 E1
Thanks to @kitkatwinchester for getting me this far Weâre in season 11 already? Oh yeah, here we are, giant smoke monster. Who is that? That isnât Rowena. LAY OFF THE HORN DUDE! Oh, itâs broken. Now itâs REALLY broken.
WEâRE GOING TO OZ, BITCHES!! The Darkness is a lady? Okay then, weâll go with that. Oooooooooh, nice title card. âWe know jack.â Not yet, you donât. Hiii Cas! Hiii flashback!Crowley! Oh shit, Crowley! Oh? Shit? Crowley? Yeah, heâs not dead. *as Foghorn Leghorn* Boy donât you point a gun at him! Poor city workers... they were just doing their job. Poor people. They just wanted to go on vacation. Hello, hot lady officer. Consider me horny. âShow me some skin!â STRIP, BOYS! Okay, this hospital is freaking me out. I am scared. SAM! STOP THAT GUY! âThis job is supposed to be about saving people.â And doesnât that just hit home for Dean? Excuse me what? Hello again, Darkness Lady. Consider me horny AND scared. SAM HURRY THE FRELL UP! Poor guy. Sam please help them. Hiii Crowley. Crowley, you are not Q, you cannot snap your fingers and do stuff. These people are kinky. Crowley, you can absolutely get down with that, right? Poor guy. Okay, so Sam and Dean can take the baby and raise her in the bunker, and Cas can babysit. Or Jody can take her, because whatâs one more kid, right? Or the hot police lady can take her? Poor guy! Poor baby! Poor hot police lady!đ More proof of the Destiel! So the Darkness is the Mark of Cain except everyone can have it? GOD DAMN IT CROWLEY! âThatâs the menopause, sir.âđ âOld and farting sawdustâ lol what? âDean, if we donât change-right now-all our crap is just gonna keep repeating itself.â THATâS WHAT IâVE BEEN SAYING THIS WHOLE TIME, SAM. EVERY. DAMN. SEASON. âHunting things-weâre good at that. Sure, weâre great at that. But thatâs only half of the bumper sticker, man.â SO METAđ âSaving people means saving all of the people, Dean, not just that baby. Not just each other.â So true. SAM NO. I know what youâre thinking, and the answer is no. ...Damn it guys, every single time! So the infected dude is using something to beat down the door, which shows that the infected are not just mindless JESUS CHRIST THERE WAS ONE IN THERE WITH HIM ...annnnd it bled on him, wonderful. Ah, heâll be fine, he just needs some Listerine. Poor Mike! Oh, hi Crowley, nice to have you back. The cage? Michael or Lucifer? Oh yeah, those guys. Why are most of the angels in this show complete dicks? âGodspeed.âđ Sam, donât lie. OH WAIT WHAT The BABY has the mark???
#supernatural#spn#dean winchester#sam winchester#castiel#reactions#what the hell is this show#i should have asked that sooner#supernatural reactions
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The Proposal (Part 3)
âźPrevious
(Itâs 6:55pm at Angeloâs. The place was hard to find seeing that it had only opened two months ago. It wasnât that far of a drive since it was in Magnolia Promade and John was making good time until he hit rush hour/dinner traffic. Speaking of dinner, the restaurant was in the thick of dinner rush.Â
John keeps his head on a swivel, even as he heads upstairs. He begins to text pull out his phone to text until he sees the outside area.)
Eli:Â âNephew!â
(John turns his head to the left at the booming voice.)
John:Â âYo, Uncle Eli!â
âLookinâ like a mob boss sitting in the corner.â
âWhatâs up with the schmedium sweater?â
Eli: âWhatâs wrong with it? Look, boy, I had to dig this out of the closet. Iâve gained a little bit of weight.â
(John laughs as he sits down.)Â
(John looks around.) âThis place is nice. Really nice.â
Eli:Â âExpectinâ a hole in a wall?â
John: âActually, yeah.â
Eli: âSince you wanted a âman to manâ talk, I thought it would be better to... yâknow, be somewhere more relaxing. That and your aunt wanted me to check this place out; told her Iâll bring something back. May put it on the date list. By the way, foodâs gonna be a minute.â
(John groans. Should have eaten an apple or something before he came over. Never mind that he went ahead and ordered for him, but knowing his uncle, itâs going to be a BIG meal.)Â âHow is she, anyway?â
Eli:Â âSheâs doing fine. Just got back from Del Sol from a photo shoot last night.â
(Eliâs look changes and Johnâs stomach drops.)Â âSo, you needed to talk to me man to man. Whatâs bugging you, nephew?â
John gulps. The sudden change of his uncleâs demeanor catches him offguard and he doesnât quite know what to say or even how to say it.)
John:Â âWell, I...â
(God, itâs like heâs 16 again, trying to summon the courage to come out. But this time, Brian isnât here to back him up.)
(He toys with his fingers.) âI... need some help. I mean, I need help in...â
Eli:Â âWhat?â
John: âI need help to... ask Brian a very important question.â
Eli:Â âAh. You plan on marrying him, huh?â (He grunts.)Â âIâm surprised you havenât done it earlier.â
John: âThatâs the thing. I want to, Iâm going to, but... how?â
Eli: âJust tell him how you feel.âÂ
(John sighs.)
Eli: âAh, donât give me that sigh crap. Listen, thatâs what I did with Bea. Why are you so nervous, John?â
John: âThatâs the thing! I donât know why. I donât know what to say, o-or anything like that. Maybe... thereâs some weird thought in the back of my head that he doesnât feel the same way about me or he doesnât want to change. I mean, weâre pretty stable. We just bought a house, heâs thinkinâ about going back to school, our cat has room to run around and kind of playinâ with the idea of adopting more cats... but getting married? Thatâs a BIG change, Uncle Eli and Iâm not sure if heâs ready. Or Iâm ready.â
Eli: âJohn.â (The way he says it, itâs almost fatherly.) âNot to state the obvious, but Brian is perfect for you and you, him. I donât think you realize it, but heâs changed you for the wildly better. He loves you and you love him. Dare I say, to death. That shitâs beautiful. I saw that from the very beginning. I told Bea you two were going to end up together one day. Thatâs how strong your relationship is. I wasnât going to deny both of you of that. Why would I?â
(John is shocked.)Â âDid you really say and think that?â
Eli:Â âOf course. I know I put on an act sometimes, but I know a good thing when I see it. Like I said, surprised you havenât yet.â
John: âIâm nervous. But can I ask you this -- how did you propose to Aunt Bea?â
(Eli laughs.) âSimple really. I got her the biggest bouquet of roses I could afford after her performance of Swan Lake. She was thrilled. She didnât believe I sat through the whole thing. I told her that I was trying to add a little more culture to my life. But thatâs when I knew I was in deep. I was in love with Bea. She knew it too; I saw her eyes time to time to find me. It was like... a dream I didnât want to wake up from.â
âShe was... very beautiful that night. Extravagant. Rapturing. All those nice, big words, yâknow? I had the ring on me too, and I could have dropped on one knee then and there and told everybody there. But, decided not to ruin her moment. Besides... she was very hungry.â
John:Â âDid you take her out to a fancy restaurant?â
Eli: âNo. Couldnât afford it, so we went to Mikeâs. Got her the fattest bacon cheeseburger. Iâve never seen this woman eat so fast in my life. Was gonna take her to the nearby park to walk it off, but she was understandably tired. Crashed soon as we got home. I held on to the ring that whole night, but I said âfuck itâ and just slipped it on her hand and waited until morning.â
John: âYou stayed up the whole night?â
Eli:Â âYep. When she found out, she cried and all of that. I dropped down to one knee, told her how I felt; she told me yes, and that was that.â
John:Â âWow.â
Eli:Â âIs that the ring?â
John:Â âYeah. Just in case. Sometimes Brian has random urges to look through things.â
âI was practicing last night. I donât know what to say. I could have done it last night, but I ended up chickening out. I like your idea, but, Brianâs a light sleeper. Heâll definitely know. You know Iâm not the sneakiest person, Uncle Eli.â
Eli:Â âYeah, you do suck at that sort of thing.â
John:Â âI was thinking about proposing at Worlds when I win the whole thing. Yâknow, become Brianâs champion.â
Eli: âHmm. Marriage contingent on you winning Worlds?â (Beat.) âThatâs real dumb, boy. And presumptious. Donât make Brian wait that long. Not that I have any faith in you.â
âYou can always elope like Elle did.â
John:Â âUncle, Iâm serious about th--â
(He stops.) âWait, what did you say?â
Eli:Â âElope like your mom did.â
John: âHang on. She eloped?! She never told me that part!â
Eli:Â âOh? You donât know?â
John: âShe told me that she and Dad got married at the courthouse because they were broke and couldnât afford to have the wedding they wanted. I mean, itâs not real eloping if you know about it. Or approve of the marriage in the first place.â
Eli: âThat is true, but the complete truth is that she eloped. I didnât know about it for six months.â
âOr the part where she hid you and Jake from all of us for almost two years...â
John: âTwo years?! Holy shit.â
Eli: âYou have no idea how much I wanted to strangle your father.â
John:Â âFor keeping us secret?â
Eli: âNo, for knocking your mom up, but at least... ah, well, anyway, Iâm sure you can ask her for the details since youâre an adult. That was such a goddamn mess, finding out I was an uncle.â
(John covers his mouth. Here he was thinking his mom didnât wild out in her younger days. Heâs really tempted to ask what else did she do, but thatâs not what he was here for.)
(Eli pauses.)Â âSpeaking of... Brianâs not... yâknow?â
John: âNot wh-- (a little too loudly) âNo!â (He laughs, nervous.) âNo, no, Brianâs not. Brianâs not a Seahorse. Otherwise... we would have had kids long ago.â
Eli:Â âJohn, calm down, itâs just a question. Do you two plan on it?â
(John clutches a hand over his heart to calm himself down.) âWell, I gotta make sure heâll even marry me in the first place, Uncle Eli, let alone have kids. One step at a time.â
Eli:Â âAh, good.â
(Eli jabs a finger at John.) âI know you came here for advice, but you said something interesting. Worlds. Being Brianâs champion.â
âYouâre a drama king, you know that? Grandiose, but a good head on your shoulders. Are you saying that just to be saying that or do you actually mean it? Are you ready to go through everything that entails? Physically, emotionally, mentally? This will be different than Juniors.â
John:Â âI mean it.â
Eli:Â âYou donât look like it. Tell you what -- the deadline isnât for another month. Thatâll give you time to tell Brian. Maybe make your move early and tell him you want to be his World Champion.â
âMy advice to you, from your uncle... tell him. Tell him everything. Whatâs on your mind. Tell him whatâs in your heart. Tell him what you feel in your soul and all of that mushy shit. Donât hold back.â
âYou two have been together long enough to understand each other. Hell, you may not even need to go through all of that.â
âWhen you know itâs the right time, go for it.â
(John smiles.)Â âAlright. Deadlineâs next month? Thatâs plenty of time.â
Eli: âThe sooner, the better. That way I can get a head start on conditioning. Iâm not gonna go easy on you, nephew.â
(John offers his fist and Eli meets it.)
Eli:Â âYou ready?â
John:Â âHell yeah.â
(Both slam their fists together with a mighty krrack!!)
//NEXTâ
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Animal Magnetism - Ch 2. Jacob Black.
Edward Cullen was not a normal teenager; of that I was certain. But knowing that did nothing to stop the pull I felt towards him. And if what he was saying was any indication, he felt some strange pull towards me, too. It was like we were magnets struggling against hope to stay apart. I only wondered what would happen when we inevitably collided.
Chapter 2. Jacob Black. Fanfiction.net / AO3 Intro/1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/
"Are there any cute boys in Forks?"
I made a face at my phone and had the benefit of watching my best friend Madison laugh at me. It was Friday, which made it a whole entire week since Renee and I had shipped out from Phoenix to Forks.
She clearly took my reaction to mean that there weren't any cute boys around but, in all honesty, a certain face came to mind at her question. Edward Cullen, who had looked ready to murder me at lunch on Monday, wasn't in school for the rest of the week. I was beginning to think he had transferred out, but I figured something like that wouldn't stay secret for long in a town this small. His siblings were all at school every day, sitting at that same lunch table. I knew because I had made a habit of checking. Purely for my own physical wellbeing, I tried to tell myself. Because I needed to know if I was going to have to spend Biology next to a boy who hated me for no reason.
In reality, I just wanted to see him. There was something about him⊠I looked at the eerily lifelike sketch of his face I had made on my Government syllabus on that first day. He was beautiful. He was alluring. Apparently, he wanted to kill me. I wanted only to see if that was true. Maybe I had imagined the whole thing. Maybe he was just a normal boy who had gotten ill and left school early and was still recovering. His father was a doctor⊠maybe he was just a very thorough doctor.
"Hello? Bella?" Madison sang, drawing out the words in a pretty, taunting melody. "Don't tell me you're already crushing on someone."
"No!" I insisted, my face going bright red. "I was just thinking⊠there are a couple guys at school who I think like me."
"Nice. And which one will you be dating?" she asked.
"None of them!" I laughed just picturing it. "There's this guy named Mike⊠super boyish looks⊠blond hair, blue eyes⊠he's pretty popular. I don't know, maybe he's kind of cute⊠not my type. Anyway, this girl Jessica, I guess we're kind of friends now⊠she's half in love with him. He keeps walking me to class and going out of his way to talk to me and be on my team in Gym."
"Wow, he really does like you if he's willing to put himself in harm's way just to be near you," she snickered.
I ignored her, and quickly continued. "Every time he comes to talk to me, I bring the conversation around to Jess. If she's around, I try to just shove them together."
"Ultimate wing woman, as ever," Madison said with a giggle.
"Speaking of, how's Conner?" I asked. Conner was a good friend of mine back in Phoenix. His best friend Dylan was dating Alana, one of the girls we hung out with and at first they had tried to set me up with Conner, but there was nothing there but friendship. My last few months in Phoenix, I was working on getting Conner to ask out Madison, who thought he was really cute.
"Oh, you know⊠we're going out tomorrow," she said nonchalantly.
I gaped at her. "Wow. Way to bury the lead."
"I know! I've been choking it back ever since you called!" she squealed.
"When did he ask you?" I said.
"Yesterday!" Even if I couldn't hear the excitement in her voice, it was plain as day on her face. "I wanted to call you right away, but I decided to let it marinate."
"Wow," I said. "That's great."
"Bella, what's wrong?" Madison reined in her excitement with some effort, to study my face closely.
"I just miss you guys," I said with a weak smile. "I miss the sun."
"Even though it burns the crap out of you in three seconds?" She said, referencing the reason for my alabaster skin.
"It's better than being wet constantly," I grumbled.
"Well, at least it sounds like you're making friends!" Madison said, trying to cheer me up. "Hey, who's the other guy?"
My mind immediately went to my mysterious, handsome Biology lab partner, who I had yet to actually meet, but I knew she couldn't be talking about him. "What other guy?"
"You said there were two boys who liked you, but you only mentioned Mike," Madison said.
"Oh. Well, there's this other guy named Eric. We only have one class together, and lunch. He and Mike are friends⊠only the kind of friends who seem like they hate each other half the time? I don't even really sit near him in English, but he always tries to walk with me to class, and then he started sitting with us at lunch on Wednesday," I told her.
"Is he cute?" Madison asked.
"He's uh⊠Well, Eric is very⊠nice. He's a very nice guy," I said diplomatically, but Madison laughed, clearly understanding that I meant no, Eric is not cute. At least, not in my opinion.
"Bells!" Charlie called loudly up the stairs. "Billy and Jacob will be here soon!"
"Do you have to go?" Madison asked, pouting.
"I guess so. Sorry," I smiled sadly. "Dad's friend and his son are coming over."
"Ooh, cute son?" Madison asked.
"Mads!" I laughed, shaking my head. "There are more important things than cute boys!"
"That has yet to be proven," Madison said primly, then raised an expectant eyebrow. "Is he?"
"Um. I haven't seen Jacob Black since we were both kids, so how would I know?" I said, and then frowned. "I think he's only fifteen."
"What's two years, if the boy is cute?" Madison said.
I rolled my eyes.
"Bella!" Renee called.
"Go," Madison said. "I have to start getting ready anyway."
"I thought your date was tomorrow."
"It is," she said, and I could see that she was standing up from her bed now, starting to move around her room. "We're all going to that state fair tonight, remember?"
I did remember. It had originally been my idea to all go together as a group. Then my parents had sprung the move on me. I forced myself to smile by the time Madison turned her attention back to me.
"Oh, yeah," I said. "Have fun!"
I could see by her frown that I hadn't fooled her. "BellaâŠ"
"I should go before my parents yell at me again!" I said. "I'll talk to you later!"
With the click of a button, her face disappeared from my screen. Suddenly, I was feeling more depressed than ever about this move. All of my friends back in Phoenix were going off tonight to have fun at the fair that I had wanted to go to.
"Bella!" Renee called from just outside my door. "If you're not down here in five minutesâŠ"
I tossed my phone on the bed and crossed my room to fling the door open before my mother could think of a suitable threat. It probably would have been another generic 'you will regret it' anyway.
"Oh, honey," she said, her expression fading from stern to sympathetic when she saw my face. "What happened?"
"We moved to Forks," I said, trying for deadpan, but even I could hear the slight venom in my tone. Knowing I should apologize and explain myself, but not really wanting to, I slipped past Renee and down the stairs.
Jacob Black, as it turned out, was a pretty cool kid. He lived with his dad, Billy, down in La Push on the Quileute Reservation. Billy was one of the tribe elders, and he was also Charlie's best friend. Apparently, they used to go fishing a lot, but as far as I could tell, this was the first time they had gotten together in a while.
Jacob was nice, and sweet, and effortlessly funny. He acted like we were old friends instead of two teens thrust together by their fathers. Really, we kind of were old friends, but when you hadn't seen a guy since we was eleven and you were thirteen and your clearest memory of him was the two of you making mud pies together, you could be forgiven for thinking the reunion could be a little awkward.
"Hey, Jacob?" I said.
We were washing dishes together after dinner while our parents were catching up in the living room with a few cans of beer.
"Yeah?" he asked.
He was two years younger than me, but he was maybe an inch or so taller than me, and his thick black hair about as long as mine and hung in a long, straight ponytail down his back; the end of it swished as he moved around the kitchen putting away dishes after I'd washed and he'd dried them.
"How come Billy and my dad haven't seen each other in a while?" I asked.
"Caught that, did you?" he said with an embarrassed laugh. He sighed and shook his head when I only nodded and watched him expectantly. "Well, it's kind of a weird story."
"I can handle weird," I said, more curious than ever.
"Ah. Well, have you met the Cullens yet?" he asked as he rearranged the dishes in a cabinet so that he could fit another bowl. "They're a family who moved here a couple years ago."
"Yeah, I know them. Well, sort of. I go to school with the kids," I said awkwardly, wondering why everything had to circle back to Edward Cullen. "Haven't actually met them yet."
"Well. There's this legend. Down on the Res," he said haltingly. "It's stupid, I'm not supposed to talk about it."
I saw that the back of his neck and the tips of his ears were flushed and considered. Was this yet another boy who might like me? Or was this just a kid embarrassed by his tribe's superstition?
"I can keep a secret," I said, trying for the flirtatious tone that Sasha, a friend of Madison's, used often to get boys to do her bidding. It sounded awkward on my lips, forced and unnatural and horribly fake, but Jacob turned to me with slightly wide eyes. I looked back down at what my hands were doing in the soapy water, partly to hide my face from Jacob and also partly so that I didn't accidentally cut myself or break anything.
"Okay, well⊠the Cullens just don't have a very good reputation down on the Res," he said carefully. I could tell he was leaving something out, but I didn't trust myself to be able to pull off that flirtatious tone again. "People think they're strange."
"Well, can't argue with that," I said quietly. I dried my hands when I was finished washing the dishes, and leaned against the counter to watch Jacob finish drying and putting them away. "But what does that have to do with Billy and my dad?"
"Well, I guess my dad warned Charlie about them," Jacob said slowly, and I got the feeling he was measuring each word carefully. "Said they might be dangerous, and that he ought to keep an eye on them."
"Are they dangerous?" I whispered, thinking of Edward's murderous black glare and unprovoked hatred.
Jacob shrugged and shot me a pained grimace. "I don't know, Bella. Not in Charlie's opinion, and he's police chief, so it's his job to know if someone's dangerous."
"Jake, you ready to go?" Billy said from the doorway. I could tell by the way he was looking at us from his wheelchair that he had heard enough of our conversation to think his son had already said too much.
"Sure, sure," Jacob said, hurriedly putting away the last plate. I could see that he knew his father had caught him, but he didn't seem too worried about it as he smiled at me and said goodnight.
"Don't be a stranger, Billy," Renee said, leaning into Charlie's side when he wrapped his arm around her on the front porch. "And you, Jacob. You're welcome over for dinner anytime."
"Thanks, Mrs. Swan," Jacob grinned.
"Renee," she corrected.
"Careful what you offer. Jake here could eat a whole horse," Billy warned as Jacob lifted him into the passenger's seat with more ease than any fifteen year-old should, and folded up his wheelchair to stow in the back of the car. Charlie pretended not to notice when Jacob climbed in behind the steering wheel.
"Yeah, well, maybe Jake needs to be careful too," Charlie joked. "Renee has a knack for making some really inedible meals."
I smirked at that, and Renee elbowed him in the side with a scoff. He was right; Renee couldn't cook to save her life. Jacob and Billy only laughed and drove away as we waved them off.
The weekend passed slowly. Renee and Charlie went into town to look at a few properties to rent that Renee could use as an art studio on Saturday because there wasn't any room in our house for her to work. I spent much of the day texting my friends in Phoenix, and catching up on some reading for English. On Sunday, I woke up to a phone call from Madison, who wanted to walk me through her date with Conner. She went over every minute detail of the night, from her outfit to the cologne he was wearing, to the nervous kind of smile he sent her as he walked her to her door, right before he kissed her. After she finally let me off the phone, I texted Conner to congratulate him on finally taking my advice, and got back an emoji rolling his eyes in response.
And on Sunday afternoon, I headed out to the porch to see what the commotion was when I heard a monstrous rumbling outside. There, in the driveway sat a behemoth of a truck. It was red and solidly built, and in the driver's seat was Jacob Black. He jumped out quickly, probably so that Charlie couldn't actually see him behind the wheel again, though it was pretty clear who had driven as he went to retrieve the wheelchair from the bed of the truck and helped his dad out of the passenger's seat.
"Hey, Jacob, Billy. What's up?" I asked as my parents came to the door behind me.
"Bella," Charlie said, and he sounded excited. I glanced back at him over my shoulder to see him grinning at me. "This is your new truck."
"Loose interpretation of the word 'new,' Charlie," Jacob said, laughing, probably at the look of disbelief on my face.
He wasn't wrong. The truck was ancient, probably older than I was, and the paint job was nonexistent. It was red, sure, but so faded and uneven that it was almost pink in some spots, and a very light almost orange in others. And boy was it loud, but I didn't really care. It was a truck, and it was mine. It meant that I didn't have to get Renee to drive me to and from school every day, and I would never have to be dropped off in Charlie's police cruiser.
"Are you serious?" I asked. "You bought it for me?"
I knew that this was just one more thing to mark how permanent this move was, but I couldn't help but be excited. It would be nice to be able to drive myself to school every day. And I could go into town whenever I wanted, if I ever wanted. I could go to the grocery store for myself. I could even drive up to Seattle, just to get away from Forks for a day.
"Yes, Bella, it's yours," Renee said. When I turned around, she was beaming and I knew it was because it was the first time she'd seen me smile since we came to Forks. I didn't think twice as I hugged my parents, thanking them profusely, before I ran down the walkway to inspect. I slipped when my foot hit the concrete and Jacob caught me, very gallantly deciding not to tease me as he began to give me a tour of the truck.
Before they left to head back to the Reservation with Charlie in his cruiser, Jacob warned me not take the truck over fifty. When I laughed, he told me he was serious.
"I rebuilt that engine. It's sturdy, but it will die if you drive over fifty," he reiterated.
"Good thing I know a good mechanic," I told him, and pretended to ignore his pleased flush.
On Monday, I drove my new truck to school, high on the freedom of being alone. I parked in front of a silver Volvo, by far the nicest car in the lot, and hopped cheerfully out of my truck. I wasn't even annoyed when Mike and Eric both walked with me to English, and joined in on their conversation about the weekend.
The day was smooth sailing until lunch.
I had just sat down with my tray of food at my usual table with all of my new friends when Jessica leaned over, her face right in front of Mike's, to hiss at me.
"Edward Cullen is staring at you."
I paused, my bottle of water halfway to my lips, and felt terror clawing in the pit of my stomach. "What?"
"He is," Mike confirmed, frowning. "I wonder why."
I was too much a coward to look, to confirm that he was back. After an entire week, I had gotten used to his absence. It was an absurd thing, really, to be used to the absence of someone I hadn't even met. But I knew who he was, and I knew that for some reason I couldn't grasp, he hated me. Fervently.
"Does he look mad?" I whispered.
Mike and Jessica gave me twin odd looks.
"No," Mike said slowly.
"Should he?" Jessica asked with a small, confused giggle. "I mean, how badly could you have offended him? You never even met him."
"Oh, yeah," Mike said. "He was out all last week. He's probably curious about the new girl."
His grin was teasing, and he waggled his eyebrows at me so I rolled my eyes if only because I knew I should react in some way.
"He's still staring," Jessica informed us a few minutes later.
Mike went sullen again, and stopped in the middle of what I was sure was an inflated story about the last time he went surfing. When he looked in the direction of the table I knew the Cullens occupied every day, I rammed an elbow in his side none-too-gently.
"Stop looking at him!" I hissed at them both.
Jessica giggled at my reaction, but did as I asked, her gaze dropping to the table. Mike frowned, clearly not liking that another boy was giving me attention, or that I was so affected by it. I saw the moment Jessica noticed Mike's mood: the smirk slid off her face and she propped her chin up on her fist as she pushed a pile of corn indolently around her plate.
I sighed, and pushed back my chair. I didn't have the energy for this. "I'll see you guys later," I said, and walked away.
I was dreading going to Biology and having to endure the most uncomfortable hour of my life with Edward Cullen for a lab partner. Idly, I wandered the school. Lunch had only just begun, so I had a lot of time to kill. I stopped when I came to a building I'd never been in. I didn't have any classes in Building two; I didn't even know what kind of classes were held here.
Curious, I pushed open the door and walked down the hall. I peeked in the door of the first room I passed and saw a few easels set up with paint still drying on canvas. So this building held art classes. It was comforting in a way, to be surrounded by all of the things that used to litter Renee's cramped little in-home studio back in Phoenix. I walked a little further down the hall until I came to another door. Peering inside, I was surprised to find that this was clearly the music classroom.
There was a piano in the front of the room, and several guitars and other various instruments in cases I couldn't identify. I was surprised that Forks High offered music classes; it seemed like a small town high school with only four hundred students wouldn't be the type of school to support the arts.
I stepped inside, cautiously glancing around to make sure there was no one in the room, and walked to the piano. I couldn't play very well. Aside from the embarrassingly basic Happy Birthday to You and Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star, I only knew how to play a few notes. My mother enrolled me in classes back in Reno when I was about eight or nine. I made it through four lessons before I threw such a tantrum that she caved and allowed me to quit. She played a bit, but not very well. Better than me, at least. It was something that calmed her busy mind, she'd told me once. She bought a cheap, used upright when I was ten and used to sit and play poorly at night. I would tease her for her clumsy mishaps, but secretly I enjoyed sitting and listening to her play.
I sat on the bench and laid my fingers on the keys, splayed out as if I actually knew what I was doing. Quietly, I laughed to myself. What was I going to do? Play Happy Birthday? I shook my head and let my fingers smash a few keys at random, discordant notes filling the room for a split second.
A movement caught my eye and I looked up, embarrassed, ready to apologize to some teacher I hadn't met yet.
And my heart began to race when I saw him.
There, in the doorway was the bronze-haired boy from last week. Edward Cullen. I stared at him, wide-eyed, terrified, waiting to see that inexplicable hatred on his face. He stepped into the room, looked around cautiously and kept a safe distance between us. He didn't look angry. He looked confused and almost concerned.
"Hello," he said slowly. His voice was velvet on the air, soft and smooth and luxurious and as melodic as anything I'd ever heard.
Wordless, too afraid to speak, I nodded.
"I apologize. Am I interrupting?" He asked, standing rigid against the wall as far from me as he could be in this room. His guarded, almost pained expression did not match his dulcet tone.
"No," I said slowly, wondering why he was behaving so strangely.
He nodded his head and took several slow steps into the room, towards the piano and me. He looked poised to turn and flee even as he came to a halt so close to the piano that he could reach out and stroke the propped-up cover if he felt like.
The sudden return of my tension that his presence had wrought made me uncomfortable. I was sure my heart had never raced so fast. I was impossibly aware of every small movement of his body. I realized I was holding my breath, so forced myself to exhale. When I cleared my throat, he looked at me like he was concentrating really hard.
"I was just leaving," I lied.
His expression was almost completely neutral, but I sensed just the slightest edge of frustration in his gaze as he studied me. Finally, one corner of his mouth turned up, just slightly, as if he was forcing himself to smile at me. Heart pounding and hands trembling slightly, and trying to pretend I was completely unaffected by his presence, I stood, then bent to pick up the bag I'd dropped at my feet.
"Goodbye, Bella," he said as I walked carefully past him, willing myself not to trip over my own feet. I paused at the door and glanced over my shoulder. How did he know my name? Probably, I reasoned internally, he'd heard it from a classmate. He was already seated on the bench, right where I had just been, and his fingers began to move across the keys, slowly, tenderly, coaxing the most beautiful notes I had ever heard.
I looked at his face, wondering what I would see there. With a jolt, I realized he was watching me as he played, a small, accomplished smile on his lips. Flushing, I smiled weakly, and walked away.
FFN / AO3
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Take It On The Run (Part 3)
Summary: Dean and the reader realize what Emilyâs up to but it might be too late...
Masterlist
Pairing: Detective!Dean x reader
Word Count: 2,700ish
Warnings:Â language, violence
A/N: Ah, Iâm sure nothing will go wrong...
Dean was fast asleep on his bed after lunch and a quick rundown of how to use his weapon. The point and shoot part was pretty self explanatory but he showed you where the safety was, how to reload and most important, how to hold the damn thing so you didnât cut your own skin like he did back at the academy on his first day. It was a bit silly to hear him say how nervous he was back then. He dropped his fake gun about fifty times, heâd cuffed himself by accident and he managed to get on the wrong side of the strictest instructor within two minutes of getting there. He was ranked the bottom of his class during his first week, told heâd never be a cop and he should quit and save them all the hassle.
He graduated as valedictorian six months later.
That was as far as you got before Dean hit the sack, his light snores giving the too quiet room some noise.
He was restless though, waking up after only two hours to use the bathroom. You thought he might lay back down but he simply took a seat next to you on your bed and leaned back against the headboard.
âPlease tell me you got that TV to show more than just the home shopping network,â said Dean. âI can only watch this torture for so long.â
âWould you like me to lie,â you joked, Dean groaning as he slumped down. âSo this robbery Emily and Derek committed...whatâd they steal?â
âA crap ton of money,â said Dean. You raised your eyebrows, Dean shaking his head. âBut not cash. Well...you know how they have those Swiss bank accounts or whatever that people hide their money in? She and Derek hit up a bank here in the states and dumped everything from every account they had there into their very own Swiss account. It was millions. Enough to last a few lifetimes over and then some. Iâm surprised theyâre still in the country honestly.â
âHow the hell did they do that?â you asked.
âYour evil twin and this Derek guy are smart. Extremely smart. They didnât rob the bank all heist style like you would think. They went to the bank managerâs house. No fancy alarms apart from the one for the house one they deactivated. The guyâs family was there. He gave them the access they wanted in under two minutes apparently. Emily was very convincing from the report I read,â said Dean.
âI really donât like this chick,â you said. âShe just steals and threatens people for fun?â
âYour dad...he never mentioned her at all? You never got a weird vibe or anything that he was keeping something from you?â asked Dean.
âDad...he said mom died giving birth to me. If that was a lie then, alright. I have to live with it. He never...it wasnât like he spoke bad about her but Iâm not sure that he actually loved her, not the way you would expect two people who had a child together would be. Heâd answer questions when I asked, show me pictures every once in a while but I donât think he was trying to hurt me, just keep me from the truth,â you said.
âMaybe they knew you had a demon spawn for a sister and wanted to keep her away from you,â joked Dean, frowning when you turned away. âSorry, thatâs not funny.â
âShe killed our parents,â you said, Dean keeping quiet. âI mean, odds are she did. Even if she didnât, she tried to kill us and Sam.â
âI wonât let anything happen to you. Promise,â said Dean, squeezing your hand, pulling it away quickly to rest on his thigh. âWhere do you think Derek is? We havenât seen him around yet.â
âHe probably does exactly what she tells him and thinks itâs love,â you said.
âEmily didnât get her shot at us last night like she wanted. She probably figured she could handle it on her own. My guess is she called in Derek for backup to help find us,â said Dean. âWe have to be extra careful.â
âDerekâs rap sheet, what was the worst thing he did?â you asked, Dean scratching his head.
âSmall stuff until about a year ago. It used to be breaking and entering, minor theft, stuff like that. He upped the game the past year with a few assaults with a deadly weapon, armed robberies, ransom...â said Dean, eyes wide. âRansom. He pulled a few ransom jobs.â
âWhatâs-â
âI know how Emily is going to get us to come out,â said Dean, reaching for his phone, dialing Sam. âCall Jack.â
You dialed but only got a whole lot of ringing before his voicemail kicked in, Dean hopping off the bed and pacing around the room.
âRansom,â you said, Dean nodding his head. âSam and Jack. You think theyâre going to trade Sam and Jack for us.â
âOdds are theyâll probably kill them too,â said Dean, shaking his head.
âWhy havenât we gotten a call yet then?â you asked. Dean glanced at the window, late afternoon from the lack of light shining through and then the clock.
âThey must be waiting for night. She wants to use her fancy sniper rifle again I bet,â said Dean. He grabbed his coat and pulled off his sling, reaching out a hand for you. âWe have to let the chief know.â
âNo,â you said, brushing past him towards his computer. Dean caught your arm but you shoved him off, opening the login to his police login. âI want to look at Derek Evans record first.â
âY/N, we donât have time to mess around,â said Dean, clicking off the TV and putting his gun in itâs holster. âWeâre going now.â
âYou had a bad feeling last night and I ignored it and look what happened. Well I have one of those now. Sam is a good cop and Jackâs new but so is he. No way Derek gets the jump on them both without some help,â you said.
âY/N,â said Dean.
âTrust me. Please,â you asked. Dean stared at the door a moment, groaning before he walked over and typed in his password.
âYou tell anyone I let you go poking around in a police database, I am so fired,â he said, pushing the computer back to you.
âIâm pretty sure youâre a softie when it comes to me, Dean,â you said with a smile, searching for the chief, finding him a few names down. His record was clean like you expected, Dean reading over your shoulder.
âThe chief? Whatâs...â said Dean, watching as you scoured through page after page. âWait. Go back. Yeah there. Look. He received marks for not showing up for his shift three days in a row back in the day.â
âHave you never played hooky at work before?â you asked, Dean rolling his eyes.
âYeah but I call in sick like everybody else. He didnât though which meant he was busy enough with something to not call. Cops donât do that. We just donât,â said Dean.
âI still donât understand,â you said.
âDerek is 31, right? Take the 31, tack on nine months, tack on a few more since his birthday was a few months back and Iâm guessing Derek became a bun in the oven right around those three days the chief went missing. Timing adds up. Not to mention the chief seeming to have it out for you,â said Dean.
âIf thatâs true, then why havenât Emily and Derek burst through that door already? Wouldnât they know where we are?â you asked.
âTheyâd know someone at the station leaked if they did. We donât have anything but a guess anyways. A far fetched guess at that. The guy could have just gone on a bender for three days for all we know,â said Dean.
Your phone suddenly rang, Jack calling back. Dean tapped the speakerphone, waving for you to speak.
âJack?â you asked.
âHey, you called? Everything alright?â asked Jack, Deanâs face scrunching up. âWeâve been in a meeting. We found Derek. Heâs holed up on-â
âHey, rookie,â you heard Mike say in the background. âLet the chick talk. Something might be up.â
âWhereâs Sam?â you asked.
âThe bathroom. Are you okay, Y/N? Is something wrong?â asked Jack.
âNo kid, weâre fine. We thought...maybe Sam might be a target and you since youâre Samâs partner,â said Dean, rolling his eyes.
âEveryone is accounted for. The Rhoverville force got here not long ago. The chief is trying to divy up search quadrants for Emily since Derek is...sort of holding someone hostage. But we got that covered so you guys hang tight and Iâm sure weâll find Emily soon,â said Jack. âYou guys need anything?â
âNo, weâre just awesome. Keep safe,â said Dean, hanging up. âSo theyâre fine. Howâd we get that so wrong? Isnât going after Sam an obvious move?â
âSon of a bitch. Dean, we need to leave, now,â you said, grabbing his computer and shoving it in his backpack, slinging your own on and heading for the door.
âY/N, slow down. What-â
âUs calling to check if they were okay was the obvious move,â you said, Dean pulling out his weapon and grabbing his bag. âShe must know weâre close by and was waiting for us to call so she could get a fix.â
âDammit. Come on, we need to move fast,â said Dean, his backpack on as you rushed outside, a shot ringing out just barely missing Deanâs head. You tackled him to the ground behind a truck, a hiss of air from tires all around you going off. âSheâs shooting the tires. We canât drive out of here.â
âElk Forest,â you said, glancing over to the edge of the motel parking lot and the thick trees right beside it. âWeâre on the outskirts of the county. We have a shot in the forest, right?â
âTake this,â said Dean, shoving his gun in your hands, pulling out another one from the back of his pants. âKeep your head down and sprint for that tree line. Donât shoot me. Understand?â
âI got it,â you said. Dean grabbed hold of your hand, giving it a tight squeeze.
âOn three. One...two...three!â he said, Dean and you doing your best to use the cars as cover, more shots overhead until you were sprinting across the small bit of open parking space. You felt Dean stumble, his arm raised as he shot back. You pulled him along with you until you were well into the forest, slipping down a hill and catching your breath behind a tree.
âWe just have to hike back to town and...â you said, Dean grunting beside you. His shirt was stained red, splatters of blood on his face and neck, your own body covered with some of it.
âItâs just a shoulder hit,â he said, taking a deep breath. âWe have to keep moving.â
âYouâre bleeding. A lot,â you said, Dean cursing under his breath. âDean, thatâs a lot of blood.â
âFirst aid kit. Needle. Thread. Clean your fingers and dig out the bullet. Stitch it up and then we go. You got two minutes before we start moving again,â he said, dropping his bag. He pulled out a flannel shirt and wadded it up, shoving it in his mouth as you flung open the first aid kit.
âDean,â you said, Dean nodding his head. âWhat if you pass out?â
âLeave me then and get out of here,â he said, quickly shoving the shirt back in. He tossed aside his jacket and unbuttoned his dress shirt, letting it fall off his torso by the time you were ready to go.
âSorry,â you said, carefully shoving two fingers into the wound. Deanâs eyes went wide and squeezed shut, his hand shooting to your wrist, barely stopping himself from forcing it away. âSâokay. Just a little...I can feel it. I got it, just one more second...â you said, pulling it out, Dean shouting into his shirt.
You quickly stitched his wound together, Dean squirming just as much at that before you slapped a bandage over top.
âWe live, you want to go on a date?â he asked, fumbling to get the flannel heâd bit down on unrolled and on with your help. âIf any woman can handle me, itâs definitely gonna be you.â
âWho said you can handle me?â you shot back, Dean scoffing as you buttoned him up, helping him with his bag.
âI just took a bullet for you sweetheart,â he said. âDoesnât that count for something?â
âWe live, you can have as many dates as you want,â you said, grabbing Deanâs hand when he stumbled forward. âDonât pass out on me. We have a psychopath on our tail and I am so not carrying your ass all that way.â
âOh, youâre so meant for me.â
After an hour, Dean looked less pale and had changed out of his slacks and shoes into jeans and boots during a brief break.. Heâd stopped bleeding too which was certainly good for leaving less of a trail but it was starting to get dark and you knew youâd be sitting ducks once the sun went down.
âHow far until we hit town?â asked Dean. âAnother few miles?â
âProbably. Less than that Iâm guessing,â you said. Dean stopped to lean against a tree, staring at your feet.
âHow bad do those hurt?â he asked.
âI can run,â you said. âThe painâs pretty much gone at this point.â
âGood. Take off your pack, keep the gun and book it for town,â he said, sliding off his own bag, cocking his gun.
âDean,â you said, earning a sad smile.
âWeâre both hurt and slow. Sheâs got the advantage. Iâll hold her off, try to bring her in while you get back safe,â said Dean.
âIâm not leaving you out here to-â
âY/N. Youâre tough. Youâre a badass and I respect that. Itâs still my job to protect you. Odds are she wants you dead more than me so youâre the one that has to get away. This isnât up for debate,â he said. He was nervous, for you or himself or the both of you, you couldnât be positive. But his eyes were hard, glancing away. âGo while you have the light.â
âYou owe me a date, Winchester. You better not wind up dead,â you said. Dean chuckled, sliding down the tree to his backpack, tossing a flashlight over to you.
âIâll do my best to stay alive then. Donât use that unless you have to,â he said. You helped him back to his feet, Dean taking a deep breath. âIn case I do though...â
He cupped your cheek, a dirty hand grazing the skin, your nose smashed against his while he touched his lips to yours. He barely moved them, just let them rest for a moment before moving back.
âTell Sam Iâm sorry about his bike in third grade if I donât make it back,â said Dean.
âTell him yourself,â you said.
âYou got to go. Iâll see you soon,â he said, kissing the top of your head, pushing on your shoulder to get you going. You only looked back once, Dean counting the bullets he had left, slamming the clip back in his gun.
You were a quarter of a mile away when you heard the shooting start.
A/N: Read Part 4 here!
TAG LIST CLOSED
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#dean x reader#spn#supernatural#dean winchester#supernatural fanfiction#spn fanfic#dean winchester x reader#supernatural reader insert#spn reader insert#au#winchester#series#detective!dean#cop!dean
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Rico chillinâ with the gals.Â
For @quietcelt who is amazing always. The garrison is wonderful, that anon is just mean!
Cheekbones
RicoIan. Canonverse.
981 words.
Rico sometimes thinks that they gossip too much when they should be working. How are they going to get anything done if they fool around all day? The rest of her comrades think she spends too much time working though, so they always pull her into their conversations and she ends up getting distracted by them no matter how silly she thinks the subject is.
âWhat do you think is Ianâs best feature?â Hanji asks suddenly. She points Rico, a stern expression on her face. âPhysical feature. Donât spout any of that crap about his sense of humor or determination on the field. Iâm talking about real things.â
âAre intrinsic features not real enough for you? How very shallow of you to say,â Anka says wryly. She sighs and leans against the wall. âAlthough inside or outside qualities, Commander Pixis doesnât really have many good ones unless you count an incredible tolerance for alcohol.â
âYou shouldnât be talking about your superiors in that way, Anka,â Rico mumbles, but she canât say that her friendâs words arenât true. The liquor cabinets always seem to empty so much faster whenever Commander Pixis comes around for a visit and every bar owner knows the man by name.
âNo changing the subject,â Hanji says. She wags a finger at Anka who only rolls her eyes at the energetic squad leader. Â She turns once again to Rico. âYou never answered.â
âWell, thatâsâŠnot really an appropriate question to ask, is it?â Rico says, flustered over the simple question. Itâs not that she hasnât noticed anything about Ian, but itâs not something she wants to discuss with the present company or anyone ever actually.
âItâs not like weâre asking you if youâd want to marry him,â Hanji snorts. She looks at Nanaba. âWhatâs something you appreciate about Mikeâs looks?â
Nanaba answers much more easily than Rico. She only takes a second to ponder her response before she finally replies, âHis height, isnât it? Heâs very tall.â
âHmm, you wouldnât say his nose?â Hanji asks curiously, tapping her own nose.
âMaybe,â Anka says, âbut isnât his ability to use his nose far more interesting than how it looks?â Although usually far more reserved than the rest of them when it comes to frivolous conversations such as these, it seems that this topic has piqued her interest.
âThen wouldnât you say Leviâs height is also a very noticeable feature?â Hanji asks.
âYou said âbest,â not ânoticeable,ââ Nanaba points out. âIf weâre talking about Levi, maybe itâd be his hair? Not a lot of people have hair that dark.â
âItâs his death glare,â Anka replies. She tries to mimic it, but she only looks cross-eyed. Even Rico laughs at the funny expression on her face.
Hanji wipes a tear from her eye. âYou look like youâre constipated,â she cackles. âAlthough thatâs also a word to describe Leviâs expression. Donât let him know I said that though. Heâd murder me.â
âThen with Ian, itâs his jaw, right?â Nanaba asks, tracing her own.
âNo, no,â Hanji disagrees. âItâs his chin, isnât it?â She strokes her chin, but her expression says she doesnât think thatâs the right answer either. She looks over at Anka who only shrugs at her.
âIs it that heâs rather slim?â Anka asks. âSome people might find that attractive.â Sheâs not trying very much, Rico thinks, and is only offering words to describe his physical features rather than acknowledging his best outward characteristics.
Rico clears his throat. âItâs his cheekbones,â she tells them. She pokes her own round cheeks that make her look younger than she is. âTheyâre very sharp. Prominent.â
They all look at her and then at each other before pausing for a second to think about it. Itâs finally Hanji who says, âAh, yes, youâre right. Theyâre quite high too, arenât they?â
âIâve never noticed,â Anka yawns, âbut I suppose youâre right, Rico. You would know anyway. You spend the most time with him after all.â
âItâs just that itâs very obvious,â Rico mumbles, thinking that theyâre all making too big of a deal out of this. Itâs not even his best feature by a large margin, she thinks. Canât they move onto another person or, better yet, another topic entirely?
Nanaba startles her by wrapping an arm around her neck and ruffling her hair. âIan,â she calls out, waving to someone in the distance. âDo you know what Rico thinks your best feature is?â she calls. She points to her cheek and gives Ian a wide grin as he jogs towards them. âCheekbones.â
Heâs a little out of breath when he reaches them, but he smiles. âIs that so?â he asks, looking down at Rico.
Hanji leans in far too close to him to inspect his face. âThey are quite good,â she murmurs. Leaning away, she smacks Rico on the back a little too enthusiastically, pushing her towards Ian. âWhat about you, Ian? What do you think is Ricoâs best feature?â
âDonât answer that,â Rico hisses, but of course he does anyway.
âHer cheeks, isnât it?â Ian asks, looking at all of them like this is obvious. He reaches out to pinch one of Ricoâs cheeks. âTheyâre cute.â
âVery cute,â Hanji teases, reaching out to pinch one of Ricoâs reddening cheeks only to have Rico smack her hand away. She sniffs at her friend and waves Ian away. âNow shoo, shoo! We need to discuss everything bad about you and everyone else too!â
âEr, okay,â Ian says. He attempts to say goodbye to them, but Hanji shoos him off before he can say anymore.
When heâs left, the rest of Ricoâs comrades smirk at her with amused expressions.
âCute,â Anka says. She turns to Hanji and Nanaba. âDonât you think?â
âThe cutest,â Nanaba says.
âRicoâs adorable,â Hanji coos.
Rico spends the rest of the day smacking their hands away so that they stop pinching her cheeks.
#ricoian#rico brzenska#ian dietrich#nanaba#hanji zoe#anka rheinberger#snk#canonverse#i think i forgot to take my allergy medicine#i'm so sniffly#and it's so toasty today#stop this
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OMG YAHS/ 5 / 6 / 7 / 14 / 16 / 21 / 22 / 23 / 29 / 35
Thanks for making this game, Shayna! Iâm super excited to answer these. đ
5: Drinking Bourbon with John Wick at the Continental or slurping down slushies with Ted âTheodoreâ Logan outside the circle K?
John, I love you but Ted is a bit closer to my age! So, I definitely get a slushie with Ted any day if he wanted. On top of that, Iâm too wimpy for bourbon.Â
6: Hunting demons with John Constantine or fighting the matrix with Neo?
AHH, this is so hard! One part of me wants to side with John because I love DC comics and Constantine is so cool. Plus, heâs *technically* in the same universe as Wonder Woman, The Sandman,and Zatanna Zatara. But Neo is so awesome and so cool, I mean heâs the Chosen Oneâą. Plus, heâs my username! I think in the end, Iâd choose Neo because I really love the story of the Matrix and the allegory of the cave concept the movie has. Also, Trinity is cute as heck. AND my soul would be safe even if I did die in the Matrix, so thereâs that too!
7: If you could spend one night with any Keanu character, who would it be and what would you do?
Uh, Iâd spend time with Scott Favor, and Iâd kick his ass for being a dick to Mike.Â
Just kidding, although that does sound appealing. I think even though I love all of Keanuâs characters, Iâd spend time with Ted. Ted was the character I first fell in love with, and because of that, I fell in love Keanu himself. Â
As for what weâd do, I think it would be cool to hangout at the mall or the waterloo with Ted. Maybe Iâd tutor him with history since thatâs my best subject! The options feel endless with him.Â
14: If Immortal Keanu Reevesâą asked you to life a life of immortality with him, but said you could never contact your friends or family again, would you accept his offer or run for the hills?
AH, this probably the hardest question ever. I love Keanu to death, but I also love my family to death too. I canât imagine not being able to contact them if I know theyâre alive. So, Keanu, you better make a better deal or Iâm running for the hills!Â
16: Things you associate with Keanu?
When I think of Keanu, I think of:Â
Love. I associate this with him because 1) I love him, and 2) I feel like he represents this in a way with his kindness and his overall nature. Heâs such a sweet dude.Â
 that ONE meme where Keanu is portraying Ted and he looks baffled.Â
being âold fashionâ because he probably still has a landline and he has zero social media accounts.Â
 I also associate him with being able to kick ass!!Â
I associate him with being humble!Â
Motorcycles! Heâs always doing invents involving motorcycles and he loves them.
 The Beach Boyâs âWouldnât It Be Nice,â the Turtleâs âHappy Together,â A Flock of Seagullâs âSpace Age Love Song,â The Cureâs âFriday Iâm In Love,â and Modern Englishâs âI Melt With You.â I associate Keanu with these songs because he makes me so happy, and these songs make me ridiculously happy too.Â
21: Which song do you better imagine Keanu walking towards you in slow motion, surrounded by smoke from a smoke machine, about to kiss you? A) In The Air Tonight; B) Take My Breath Away; C) I Want To Know What Love Is; D) True; E) Careless Whisper; ?
I feel like In The Air Tonight is sensual, which is fitting, but itâs also too slow of a song for me? I feel like True and Careless Whisper, no matter how much I love the song, is goofy because all I think of is memes. So, I feel like I Want To Know What Love Is or Take My Breath Away are my choices!Â
22: John Wick is after you; What the fuck did you do this time⊠and how do you get out of it?
I feel like if I was in the same universe of John Wick and heâs after me, I must be significant. Idk, maybe Iâm like Lucy Liuâs O-Ren Ishii from Kill Bill, and heâs after me for business reasons.Â
That, or itâs a hilariously awful âwrong place, wrong timeâ situation! Iâm just my normal self, and I accidentally got mixed up with Johnâs rivals. How would I get out of it? Hopefully alive, whether if Iâm a Yakuza boss or a normal civilian. I mean, how does one defeat John Wick?Â
â
âWho are you?â John demands, the gun pressed against your skull.Â
You yelp in fright, rambling out loud, âIâm the pizza delivery person!â
23: You get to star in a movie with Keanu, what is it and what roles do you both play?
First of all, Iâd DIE of happiness if he was my costar!Â
So, this movie would be silly! I imagine either Keanu or me as a comic book character, and we magically come âto lifeâ and out of the book. Now, the owner of the comic book has to deal with the now-real fictional character adapt to the real world, and perhaps fall in love in the process.Â
Itâs like a weird smash up A-Haâs âTake On Me,â Weird Science, and Disneyâs Life Size. I also Keanu being young for this role, so around the Bill and Ted days! Or maybe around the age when he filmed The Brotherhood of Justice.Â
29: Hanging out at the Sunset strip with Keanu and friends or cruising down the winding hills of Malibu on the back of his bike?
As cool as it is to ride with Keanu, it would be my first time riding a motorcycle, so Iâd be frightened to go on. Plus, I figured we couldnât talk much and Iâd be cold from the wind.Â
So, Iâd rather sit down and talk to him on the Sunset Strip with him and his friends. Who knows, maybe River or Alex is with him, and thatâs a bonus to me!Â
35: Your last used gif is your reaction to officially finding out Keanu is Immortal, what is it?
Crap, I have to find the last gif I used. I RARELY use gifs, so Iâll just pick one.Â
âImmortal? Thatâs hilarious. Even the internet thinks youâre immortal.âÂ
âIâm not joking, [Name].âÂ
Thank you so much for sending me #âs and making this ask tag! It was SO SO fun, Shayna!Â
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Guilty (Of Love in the First Degree)
Suits100 prompt #98 ~ Written by Loyalty2WayStreet
- Donna goes all lawyer on Mike or Harvey and puts her case forward, proving that they love each other.
Rated M.
Harvey doesnât do sentimental. Â He enjoys trophies, yes. Â Objects that show off who he knows or what heâs achieved. Â He doesnât exactly parade around advertising that heâs wealthy, that would be crass, but you can tell by looking at him that he indulges in the finer things in life. Birthday and Christmas cards, love letters from Scottie when they were at Harvard, old tickets to Yankeesâ games, itâs all clutter to Harvey. Â He likes his life organised and free of all the crap. Harvey also preaches that caring only makes you weak and that he himself is all business. Â He knows itâs not entirely true. Â He does care about his family, about Jessica, Donna and Louis. Â He cared about Mike too; he liked the kid, he felt like Mike just got him. Â Well, that was until he went and betrayed him and sided with Jessica. Now all he felt was pissed at him. Admittedly, Mike had tried everything short of grovelling on his knees to get back into Harveyâs good books, even bribing the likes of Benjamin and Jessica. Â But what Mike had done cut him deep, and although he didnât understand why he wanted to punish him, he knew that he did, and Harvey could be colder than the Arctic Circle when he wanted to be.
Read more on AO3 here.
If Mike were an actual puppy his ears would have been dragging along the corridors of Pearson Darby for the last few days. Â Even Donna, despite being a little biased, could see both sides of the story. Â Yes, Mike had made the wrong call, but he made it without all the information. Â Information that Harvey hadnât supplied. Â So, while she was firmly Team Harvey on this one, she did feel sorry for the puppy who looked more kicked every time she laid eyes on him.
It finally seemed as though Mike had accepted the rift between them, and moved on. Â Maybe he gave up a little too quickly in Harveyâs opinion, but that thought was between him and Miles Davis. Â He kicks his feet up on the desk, quite satisfied that no-one has barged into his office uninvited for at least 24 hours. Â Louis is loitering outside with Donna, whispering like they were back in school. Â Harvey flicks the switch on his intercom and hears Donnaâs accusing voice, ripping Louis a new one for putting the moves on Mike behind his back, and Louis denying it before he flicks the switch off again. Â Donnaâs got this covered.
Only a minute or so later he realises that Donnaâs failed to contain the situation because Louis is in his office, smelling of sausage and doing his usual agitated jig before he gets the courage to ask for something, usually sliding more toward the insane end of the scale. Â Harvey throws Donna the âWhat the hell do I pay you for?â look. âI want to ask Mike to be my associate?â Â Louis blurts.
Harvey smirks, not the evil smirk, the âIâm superiorâ one, and he watches Louis press his lips together to keep himself from saying something that could derail his carefully assembled proposal. âYou can ask him, Louis, but I doubt Mikeâs into slavery.â âIâm not some kind of animal, Harvey!â Â Louis bursts before clamping his lips together again, looking peeved at having taken the bait. Â Harveyâs eyebrows raise in amusement, shit-eating grin taunting Louis. Â What can he say? Â It makes his day riling Louis up, but today he has work to get done.
âLouis, if Mike even wants to be your associate, which I doubt, youâre welcome to him.â âSo⊠I have your permission?  No backsies, dealâs a deal?â âLouis, you have my blessing.â  Then why all of a sudden is his mouth so goddamn dry? âYes!â  Louis hisses, pumping his fist.  Of course, Louis would celebrate a victory that was a sure thing by being a schmuck.  Heâs strutting toward the door when he does an elaborate spin, pulling a neatly folded letter from his pocket.
âOh, and seeing as though Iâm saving Mike from you, I wonât be needing this,â Louis smarms, placing Mikeâs resignation letter in front of Harvey with a flourish.
âMaybe this will remind you of what an ass you can be,â he declares petulantly, then shuffles out of the office leaving Harvey staring at Mikeâs signature at the bottom of a resignation letter he didnât even know existed, until now. It hit him then. Â Hard. Â Mike was prepared to quit over this.
They are done. Â All the good times heâd had playing Batman to Mikeâs Robin, the way he only felt comfortable enough around Mike to open up about his family, how much he admired and loved the challenge of Mikeâs mind, and being the reason that Mike laughed. Â Gone.
Had he overreacted? Â Was he being a prick about it? His morose thoughts were interrupted by Donna quietly entering the room and settling opposite him, her face a picture of understanding. Â Harveyâs poker face might be legendary, and to anyone else he might be able to hide the turmoil heâs feeling, but Donnaâs no idiot. âYou donât have to let him go; youâre allowed to change your mind, Harvey.â Harvey straightened his shoulders and gave her a nod. Â "Thank you, Donna, but I donât want to talk about it.â Â Usually, that was all it took, a clear dismissal in hopes that sheâd understand that he didnât want to talk about his feelings, or that he was happy to pretend he didnât have any. "Well, I do!â Â She said crossing her arms over her chest and fixing him with a stare. Â âI know you care about him much more than you let on, and quite frankly Iâm sick of you moping about these past few days.â Harvey saw red, he doesnât mope. Â He closed his eyes and took a deep breath until the anger was replaced with a nonchalant directness.
âDonna, thatâs enough. Â I have work to do.â âFine,â she retorted, standing up briskly. Â âYou canât admit you care. Â Thatâs okay because I have proof!â âYou donât have shit!â Â Or does she? Â His brain supplies. Â No, he kept his caring to a minimum. Â Old habits die hard and all. âSo, if I can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that you care about him, youâll make up with him?â Â Sheâs leaning over his desk now, eyebrows raised in a challenge and an unnerving glint in her eyes. âAbsolutely.â Â He beams a bright, âIâm not scared of you, sweetheartâ smile at her, âBecause you, have diddly squat!â âDeal.â Â They shook hands, smirking at each other.
âIâll gather my evidence and present it along with your morning coffee, tomorrow,â she proposed, turning on her heels. âIâm busy.â âNo, youâre not. Â Your 9 am asked to see Mike specifically, not you. Â So, I rescheduled them to tonight over dinner.â Â She smiled like an assassin. Harvey grimaced. Â But only because he was out of excuses, not because the client Mike was seeing was stunning, and had been flirty and handsy with him every time theyâd had meetings in the past. âFine,â he snapped. Â âNow out, I have work to do.â
Heâs sitting in the conference room still ruminating on what Ava had just said to him about her number two, Nick.
âBut he did it for his own survival.â
âHe still did it,â Â Harvey had argued.
But that doesnât mean Iâm not going to miss him.
He looks up just as Mike walks past and he knows, he canât keep this up much longer. Â Mike might have done the wrong thing, but Avaâs right, he did it for his own survival. Â
His thoughts of Mike dissipate at the sight of Donna exiting the elevator with an evidence box, and itâs now about three hours after she left the office. Â Heâs under no misconceptions that when he goes home tonight, there will be something delicious cooking in his oven that sheâs made either before or after the snooping happened. Â If there were something there to be found, sheâd sniff it out. Â Sheâs resourceful like that, something Harvey has always admired about her.
Most people would be uncomfortable with their secretary going through their home, but then again, most people didnât consider their secretary to be their closest family. Â Donna is his best friend, she knows him better than anyone else, even Jessica, and he trusts her judgement even when she has landed them in hot water.
They tried the âmore than friendsâ route once. Â It was an unmitigated disaster that was never spoken of ever again, and since that day Donna was 100% behind Harvey being with anyone but her, and preferably with someone who had a dick. Â Yep, the âmore than friendsâ outing had made that preference abundantly clear.
He speeds up his steps, catching up and falling into stride with her.
âWhatâs in the box?â Â He asked attentively, giving her a killer smile.
âNah ah,â she said, adjusting her grip on the box, âyouâll just have to wait and see, pretty boy.â
She gave him a cheeky look as she placed the box on her desk. Â Harvey rolled his eyes.
âFine, whatâs in my oven then?â
âShepherdâs Pie, your favourite. Â Now scoot, you need be across town in 30 minutes.â
She turned his shoulders toward the elevator like he was a kid and gave him a poke.
Harveyâs stomach rumbled. Â âThanks.â
âDonât thank me yet, I have a feeling youâre going to want to strangle me tomorrow,â she stated.
âYeah? Â Wouldnât be the first time now, would it?â
Harvey sleeps terribly for the fourth night in a row. Â Heâd thought he could sweep his emotions under the rug, ignore the pounding of his heart when Mike walked by his office, and just get on with it. Â He thought they would be back on track by now, but after seeing Mikeâs resignation letter, he felt uneasy.
Heâs at work by six. Â He may as well work if he canât sleep. Â At 7.30am, Donna strolls into his office with a puzzled-looking Mike in tow. Â She places the evidence box and tray of coffees on his desk and points Mike to the couch. âSit,â she directs, then turns on Harvey, âyou too.â âDonna-â âNo, Iâm presenting this evidence to both of you, so unless you want Mike sitting in your lap?â
Harvey makes a face, whether itâs to cover up that heâd love Mike in his lap, or that he despises being told what to do, is debatable. Â He stays where he is, out of protest.
âHarvey,â Donna chides, moving her eyes from him to the direction of the couch and back again.
It was like watching a Western movie, where two gunslingers had a stare down before one shot the other. Â Mike sat and watched in silence, knowing full well that Harvey might be the best closer in New York, but Donna feared no man, least of all her best friend.
âYou agreed to this,â she reminds him, tapping her finger against the Dictaphone. âAnd Iâd let you back out because I love your ass, but arenât you just the least bit curious?â Sheâs baiting him, and they all know it.
âCurious about what?â Mike asked, still completely lost. Â Eyes flicking from Donna to Harvey.
âFine!â Â Harvey conceded grumpily, crossing the room and thunking ungracefully down on the couch next to Mike.
âHarvey, whatâs this abo-â
âORDER!â Donna belts out, cutting Mike off and making him straighten in surprise. Â Now that she has their attention she clears her throat and begins the proceedings.
âWe are gathered here today⊠no, wait,â she chuckles, delighted at the death rays Harvey is shooting her, âoops, wrong officiary.â  She smirks at Harvey, and he gives her an over-exaggerated eye roll for her troubles.  Mike looks like one of those show clowns that swallow balls, head swinging back and forth between them, with his mouth open, wondering what the hell is happening.
Mike only catches up when Donna poses her first question.
âHarvey, on the charge of caring about one Mike Ross, how do you plead?â
âNot Guilty,â Harvey answers with a bored tone.
âThatâs a bit harsh,â Mike mumbles to himself. Â He can see that Harvey doesnât bother hiding the slightly guilty look at having answered so quickly.
âBurn,â Donna snorts, looking back and forth between them before snapping back into character.
âPlease take the stand,â she says, motioning to the chair at the end of the couch, âand state your full name for the record.â
Harvey crossed his arms over his chest, much like an insolent child. Â âPlease, spare us the dramatics.â
âObjection! Â How dare you sir, I am a lady of the theatre,â she gasps, sounding faux affronted, while gracefully swanning her arms around in an over the top manner.
âNow before I find you in contempt, please sit as instructed, raise your right hand and pretend you have a bible.â
âJesus Christ,â Harvey mutters under his breath, sitting in the seat and raising his hand as demanded by Her Highness. Â Itâs always amused Mike how much Harvey listens to and lets Donna get away with; heâs almost jealous of how close they are.
âDo you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?â
âSure,â Harvey shrugged, giving the answer no weight at all.
âItâs âI doâ Harvey,â Mike interjects gleefully, âDo you have a problem with those two little words?â
Harvey fixes him with a look that is supposed to be withering, but Mike just finds it hot, as he voices the words, âI doâ, staring right into Mikeâs soul. Â And the bastard doesnât even look mad anymore; he appears sincere.
The sound of Mike swallowing could be heard from the bullpen.
âI move to strike the heart eyes from the record; the defendant is clearly trying to coerce my witness,â Donna interrupts, breaking them out of a staring competition bordering on eye sex, that neither of them had been expecting.
âCoerce him into what exactly, prosecutor?â Â Harvey asks.
Without skipping a beat, Donna grabs her air guitar as she sings, âBow chicka wow wow,â grinning from ear to ear as the tip of both Harvey and Mikeâs ears turn pink. Â Harvey, of course, recovers first.
âAre you about done? Â How about the prosecutor makes her case before Paramount pictures get their shit together, and make a âTop Gunâ sequel?â
âThatâd be awesome,â Mike whispers, and Donna play shoots him death rays.
Ignoring them both, Donna walks over to the record collection and selects one from a middle shelf.
âDirecting your attention to Peopleâs Exhibit A in evidence, can you tell the Court what Exhibit A is?â Â She points her finger at the record dramatically.
âMy Arctic Monkeys record?â Â
âDoes my witness also recognise Exhibit A?â Â she asks Mike, handing it to him for inspection.
Mike honestly hasnât seen it since he gave it to Harvey but he notices now how worn and well used it is, and he feels a familiar warmth spread through his chest. Â âSure, I gave it to Harvey after my first year here.â
Donna smiles warmly at Mike, and Mike sees now why heâs here. Â Donna is showing him that all isnât lost, that he needs to make Harvey understand how sorry he is because Harvey does care.
âHarvey, would you say this is your type of music?â
âNo.â
Mike rolls his eyes at him and stage whispers âold man.â
âBut you like this particular record, right?â Donna continues.
âI disagree, I tolerate it,â Harvey replies. Â Although, yeah. Â He has grown to like it.
âIf you only tolerate it, as you say, then why do I have these?â Â Donna whips out her cell and presses play. Â Itâs Harvey singing âMaybe Iâm too busy being yours to fall for somebody newâ, recorded through the intercom.
Itâs not that heâs a bad singer, in fact, he held the tune nicely. Â Itâs that she had to record THAT line, the line that deeply resonated with him that first time heâd listened to it. Â Plus, once was bad enough, but the evil genius had caught him singing it three times, and the record wasnât even playing in the background the last time.
Mikeâs grin is wider than the Atlantic, and he looks happier than Louis does after a prunie.
âObjection, irrelevant.â Â Thatâs all Harvey can come up with at this point because another line of that song, âIâm sorry to interrupt itâs just Iâm constantly on the cusp of trying to kiss you. Â I donât know if you feel the same as I do, but we could be together, if you wanted to,â is invading his thoughts. Â And now heâs staring at Mikeâs lips.
âIrrelevant? Â You, singing a song from an album that Mike gave you, and specifically that line, over and over until even I was sick of it, is irrelevant? Â How so?â
Donna learned from the best, press until it hurts.
âIt just is,â Harvey replies grumpily, emphatically mouthing âenough.â Â She sees it and makes a heart with her fingers and points back at him.
âTake notes, Mike,â Donna says sweetly, ââIt just is,â is Harveyâs go to defence when he knows his goose is cooked.â
Harvey scowls and draws a heart in the air with his middle finger, then flips her the bird. Â Mike covers his face, containing a laugh.
âMoving on,â Donna dictates, âDirecting your attention to Peopleâs Exhibit B in evidence, can you tell the Court what Exhibit B is?â Â she asks, motioning for a confused Harvey to stand up. Â She digs her hand into his back pocket and pulls out his wallet.
âObjection, the prosecutor is feeling me up,â Harvey teases, smirking at Mike.
âPfft. Overruled,â Donna laughs. âSaid prosecutor, would have the good sense to knead your butt cheeks if she were going to grope you! Â Now please resume your seat and answer the goddamned question.â
Bossy Boots, Â Harvey thinks as he straightens his jacket and takes his seat.
âThis is your wallet, correct?â
âNo, thatâs my decoy wallet in case I get robbed,â Harvey replies sarcastically.
Donna groans, and recites in a robot-like manner, âThe jury will disregard the heavy sarcasm, let the record reflect that this is, in fact, your wallet.â
âWhat record?â Mike asks, looking around the room for a hidden camera like heâs on a reality television show.
Donna points innocently to the Dictaphone on the coffee table between them.
âYouâre recording this?â Â Harvey asks. Â And wow, his voice was about three octaves higher than usual.
âDuh, Iâll probably use it at your wed-â
âPlease proceed,â Harvey interjects, deliberately cutting her off, âI donât have all day for this!â
âGeesh, okay. Â Now, as the prosecutor was saying before the defendant got his panties in a bunch, is it fair to say that you are aware of the contents of your wallet?â
âYes,â Harvey confirms, throwing his hand into the air in frustration.
âHmmm,â she hums, opening the wallet, âAww, this is a cute photo of you two,â she says sweetly, showing Mike the printed-out selfie of him and Harvey on Mikeâs couch, the night theyâd gotten stoned. Â Heat blossoms on both Mike and Harveyâs cheeks, because they do look very cosy in the picture, and in all honesty, Mike had forgotten it existed. Â He wants a copy now though.
âIs there a question here, counsellor?â
âNope,â Donna exclaims, beaming, âitâs just a sweet photo of you two, which happens to be in your wallet, that you carry around with you everywhere.â
âOh, wait!â Â Donna adds like sheâs just remembered something but quite clearly had this planned from the get go. Â She grabs the wallet back off Mike and gives Harvey a wink.
âMike, do you recognise this?â Â She holds the object up to Mike, just out of Harveyâs view, so he has to crane his neck to try to see.
Mike bursts out laughing and takes it from Donna. Â He looks over at Harvey, holding up the Pearson Darby business card bearing his name. Â Only this card has âassociateâ crossed out and âfailed drug dealerâ with a winky face, written in Mikeâs chicken-scratch handwriting instead. Â âWhy on earth do you still have this?â Â Mike asks.
Harvey flushes a deep shade of red, âI didnât know it was in there,â he mumbles, not looking at Mike.
âBullshit,â Donna fake coughs.  âYou know, I know youâre not sentimental, and yet when it comes to MikeâŠâ
âCalm your farm, Donna; youâve proved that once, and it would have been rude to throw the record away,â Harvey rebuts, kicking his feet up onto the coffee table. Â He wasnât going to give her an ounce of satisfaction.
Donna sits next to his feet and leans into his space. Â âWould you like some more examples?â
âNO!â
âI would. What else do you have, Donna?â Â Mike perks up from beside them.
Donna grins at him and shakes her head. Â âOh, Mike, you are going to love Exhibit C.â
Harvey groans, heâs sure sheâs not joking, and Mike is loving this, which okay, yeah, it is nice to see the kid smiling and laughing again but heâd prefer it not to be at his expense.
Donna takes pity on him and calls for a recess so they can drink their morning coffees, then subtly slips off to use the ladiesâ room.
The office is still relatively quiet, Harvey guesses itâs still shy of eight and most of the partners donât start filtering in until half past. Â At least he hopes this dog and pony show will be over by then. Â He looks up from the coffee in his hand to find Mike considering him carefully. Â Harvey raises his eyebrows and shrugs.
âYou know this would be a lot easier on you if youâd just get over yourself, and admit that you care about me.â
âMike,â Harvey murmurs, his voice quiet and low, âcaring only mak-â
âI know, I know, caring only makes you weak, right? Â Thatâs complete bullshit, Harvey. Â Why did you still have that business card, huh?â
He wants to tell him, he really does. Â âMike, I-â
âNo, Harvey, donât you dare give me some bullshit line, tell me the truth!â
Harvey looks away from the anger blazing in Mikeâs eyes and focuses back on his coffee, the silence dragging out between them.
Mike drains his coffee and throws it at the bin, itâs a three-metre throw, and in all the times heâs tried to land the shot, he never has. Â But this time it lands in the bin perfectly, doesnât even hit the rim. Â Itâs a first. Â Harvey meets Mikeâs eyes in disbelief, and they both crease themselves laughing, the tension leaving the room immediately. Â When the laughter starts to die down, they are left grinning at each other, and Mike gives Harvey an affectionate nod. Â Thatâs all it takes for Harvey to start talking, and it just spills out of him.
âEvery year, I go and visit my dadâs grave.  And every year itâs a shitty day for me, the whole day I feel lonely and angry, and I hate the ride home on that stupid train.  I have all the happy memories on the way there, you know?  But on the way homeâŠâ
Harvey sighs and rubs his temples. Â He leans forward and picks up the business card, running his fingers over Mikeâs writing slowly as he speaks.
âLast anniversary, I found this in my pocket, on the train after. Â I donât know when you put it in there, but when I read it I burst out laughing, and I knew that even though this train ride would always be shitty, that Iâd found someone who got me, and who knew how to make me laugh.â
Harvey searches Mikeâs face and sees that he understands.
âThatâs why I kept it. Â Because it means something to me.â Â You mean something to me.
âIt was at the train station,â Mike squeaks, mouth still dry and faculties lost as Harveyâs declaration of feelings for him bounces around in his head.
âAh, Donna texted me, and I know how it feels, you know, on that day, and I didnât want you to feel alone. Â So, uh, all I had was a file, business cards and a pen on me, so I improvised.â Â Mike shrugs like it was nothing.
Harvey nods, and a soft smile settles on his face. Â The light from the morning sun catches his eyes, and Mike gets lost for a minute watching him.
After a moment, Mike hesitantly asks, âAre we good?â
Harvey doesnât answer immediately, weighing up his options. Â They seem good, but what got them here in the first place hasnât been resolved yet.
âYeah, weâve been better though,â he eventually answers.
Mike gets it, he hears that heâs not entirely forgiven but considering the circumstances Harveyâs starting to build a bridge.
The building is starting to come alive; they can hear the thud of file boxes being piled up by couriers, and voices drifting along the corridor.
âLook, Mike, I donât know what Donnaâs plan is here but can we just-â
âHave fun with it? Â Not take it too seriously?â Â For Harveyâs sake, Mike will make out like this is a game, but they both know a lot has been revealed about their relationship this morning.
âSomething like that,â Harvey agrees.
âSure thing, boss. Â Truthfully, Iâm just glad Donna didnât decide to ransack my apartment and discover the Harvey Specter doll I got Joy to make, you know, to keep my little Mikey doll company.â
Mikeâs eyes are glistening with laughter.
âIdiot,â Harvey jokes, giving him a playful shove, and trying to hide his smile.
âOkay boys, where were we?â
Donnaâs been watching them from outside the door, delighted to see that Harvey is unconvincingly trying not to smile but instead look unaffected, and that Mikeâs body is turned toward him. Â She grabs a picture from the box on Harveyâs desk and places it on the coffee table in front of Harvey, and oh boy, if looks could kill.
âAre you familiar with the item in this photograph?â she says sweetly like she isnât about to make him seem like a lovesick teenager.
âYes,â he answers, in the most bored tone he can conjure up. Â âItâs a picture of the answering machine in my home office.â
âAnd do you keep any of the messages you receive on it?â
Fuck. Â No, double fuck. Â âJust the one, I donât get many, and I rarely delete them.â
Harvey shifts so he can lean on his hand and hide half of his face from Mike because he knows exactly where this line of questioning is going.
âIs that your sworn testimony? Â Because I seem to recall that you almost always let the machine take messages when youâre home so you can screen calls.â
âFine, I get a few messages. Is there a question here?â
Mike is staring inquisitively at Harvey now. Â Heâs never seen anyone Harveyâs size try to make themselves invisible in a chair.
âHarvey Reginald Specter, this particular voicemail is two years old. Â All the others got deleted. Â Could you please explain why that is?â
âNope.â Â Well, yes, he can, but heâs hoping that Donnaâs interpretation will be less âlovesick teenagerâ and more âhaha thatâs funny.â
âNope? Â Well, letâs hear it then.â
Harvey groans as Donna grabs her phone and for the second time today, hits the play button, signalling his doom.
The recording starts with heavy breathing, Mikeâs heavy breathing. Â Then a drunk Mike slurs, âHarveeee, lemme housesit your condo. Pllleeeeeassse! Iâll love you forever. Pllleeeeeassse.â
Mikeâs eyes widen in mortification, and then he bursts out laughing. Â Harvey looks at him incredulously, wondering how him keeping this message could possibly be funny, while instantaneously trying to fabricate a decent excuse for still having it.
âI donât even remember leaving that message, man I must have been wasted!â Â Mike is still laughing as is Donna, so she replays it again for good measure.
âIt was during the insider trading case; you were wasted. Â You came to my door drunk off your ass, I shut the door in your face, and you must have called me on your way home. Â I planned to use it to bribe you someday.â
Mike seems to consider that. Â Itâs not a great cover-up, but it will do. Â Well, until Donna throws her ten cents in.
âMaybe you kept the voicemail because Mike says heâll love you forever, Harvey,â Donna interjects.
âObjection, calls for speculation.â
âYouâre a stubborn pain in the ass; youâre aware of that, right?â Â Donna might have kept her cool for the most part, but Harvey can tell sheâs getting frustrated.
âI object to the name calling, you have known Iâm a pain in your ass for over ten years. Â Now, are we done here? Â May I make a closing statement?â
âSure, okay,â Donna agrees, sounding defeated as she perches next to Mike on the couch and waits for Harvey to crush her evidence.
âDonna,â Harvey says softly, reaching out a hand over Mike and squeezing her knee, âI know that you are just trying to help me get over this, and I love you for that, I do. Â But you should know better than anyone, that I do things in my own time, and on my own terms.
âYou know I respect you, but youâve failed to produce any evidence that suggests I care about Mike, all you have produced is proof that I did care, nothing you have shown me is current and would stand up in court.â
Donna frowns at him and crosses her arms.
Harvey sighs. Â âTo speed things up Iâll admit, I did care about Mike. Â But things change, and you havenât proven shit. Â And if you continue with this,â he gestures to the evidence box, âthen this seasonâs Balenciaga bag is going to be in jeopardy.â
Donnaâs eyes bulge at the mention of her beloved yearly Balenciaga bonus. Â She stands, walks around the coffee table and squats down by Harveyâs side and grabs his forearm.
Mike is ready to see the apology of the century, but then Donna winks at him, and makes the closing argument Harvey certainly didnât see coming.
âOn the contrary, Harvey, the evidence might not be current, but it is overwhelming. Â Iâm your secretary and your best friend. Â I know you better than anyone else. Â I wouldnât waste my precious time gathering all this evidence up just to throw it in your face and have you come up with excuse after excuse as to why it was inadmissible, irrelevant, open to interpretation, blah blah blah. Â I did all of this so Mike would see it. Â Now I might just be a legal secretary, but even I know that Mikeâs interpretation of the evidence will be that you more than just care about him.â
Harvey looks genuinely shocked. Â She played him. Â This whole bet was supposed to be between him and her, but sheâd snuck Mike in knowing that Harvey wouldnât kick him out. Â Then presented this all for Mikeâs benefit, not for Harvey to defend himself. Â Jesus.
Mike is trying his hardest not to laugh at Donnaâs little victory dance, as Harvey realises that sheâs just outwitted the best closer in New York.
âWhatâs so funny?â Â Harvey asks, side eyeing Mike.
âNothing,â Mike replies, holding his hands up in surrender, âI just thought that Donna would make a pretty good fake-lawyer too.â
Harvey can admit heâs kind of proud of her; sheâd played the man and won.
âOkay, thatâs enough from the peanut gallery,â Harvey exclaims, smiling and shaking his head at Mike.
âSo, am I done here?â Donna interjects smiling, and then puts on her best performance yet, nailing a Harvey impersonation. Â âNot, âYou and I, weâre doneâ, done, but âcan I leaveâ done?â
Mike, a fully-grown man, cackles. Â Harvey groans and puts his head in his hands.
âDid I really say it like that?â Â he asks, dreading the answer.
âYes,â they both say in unison.
âYou even licked your lips, you asshole,â Mike elaborates, but thereâs no sting to his words.
Donna sees Harveyâs dimples, as a genuine loving smile, the one that only Mike can bring out, graces his face and she knows theyâll be okay from here.
âWell, I think the prosecution rests,â Donna declares, looking genuinely happy.
Harvey gives her a smirk and signals with a look that she should go.
âGood, Iâll leave you two to think about your closing arguments to each other.â
Donna winks, then heads for the door, stopping after a few steps and turning back and looking at Mike.
âYou might want to check out that box, Mike. Â He kept a birthday card that you called him old in, your first ID badge is marking the page you quoted verbatim from his personal barbri legal handbook, his phoneâs home screen is a photo of you two-â
âDonna!â Â Harvey warned, but she ignored him and continued like he hadnât said a word.
âAnd I havenât even mentioned the queued episodes of âDifferent Strokesâ on your television, a show you have claimed to hate on more than one occasion, and a show Mike loves. Â Or the Tom Ford suit hanging in your wardrobe in Mikeâs size, waiting for what I wonder, the occasion he may need it after sleeping-â
âObjection, badgering,â Mike barks, standing up between Harvey and Donna, protecting his own.
ââAttaboy, puppy,â Donna says, as she walks over and kisses him on the cheek.
Then she is gone, and the room is deathly silent, Mike still staring at the glass door of Harveyâs office.
Mike rubs his hands together nervously and sits back down. Â âSo?â Â he says slowly, hoping that Harvey will start the conversation that they obviously need to have.
âYeah,â Â is all Harvey voices in response, though internally he curses to himself and curses Donna for her parting remarks.
âThis,â he comments eventually, gesturing to the evidence box, âit doesnât mean what you think it means, Mike.â
âNo? Â So, the thing about the suit in your wardrobe, in my size, was bullshit?â
Mike sounds sceptical, almost as if he knew it was true the moment heâd heard it.
Harvey doesnât want to lie, he really doesnât. Â âAhh-â
âYou know what, donât answer that. Â Iâm just going to assume that youâve wanted to get into my pants since the day we met,â Mike teases, licking and biting his lips and wiggling his eyebrows.
Harvey snorted, âI donât think thatâs the case Donna just argued, plus Iâm pretty sure if I wanted to sleep with you, rookie, youâd have your pants off quicker than Superman.â
Without missing a beat, Mike answers delightedly, âSo itâs a Superman suit hanging in your wardrobe, I didnât know you were into cosplay, Harvey?â
âMike, itâs not like that,â Harvey says weakly, but even he doesnât believe it.
Mikeâs having none of it anyway.
âYes, it is! Â Donna was quite clearly arguing that you love me, and youâre too much of a chicken to tell me I hurt you that much more because of it,â Mike explodes.
Mike might have hit the nail on the head, but heâs still hurt, and they canât do this now. Â âMike, we shouldnât be having this conversation here.â
âBullshit, Harvey, itâs now or ne-â
âYou were supposed to trust me,â Harvey cuts in, his voice showing all the hurt and anger heâs been hiding, "I thought you did, but you proved me wrong. Â You should have come straight to me and we could have worked it out, together, like we used to.â âHarvey, Jessica threatened me,â Mike pleads, âI thought I had no other choice.â Harvey sprung to his feet and shouted, âNo other choice but to betray me?â
Mike physically deflates in front of him, and Harvey realises heâs standing over him and sits back down immediately. Â Taking a deep breath, he lets Mike see the whole truth.
âPeople think because I say I donât care, that they canât hurt me, but this did, Mike, this,â he waves his hands between Mike and himself, âyou hurt me.â Mike stays silent, the corners of his eyes wet and threatening to spill over. He feels winded by Harveyâs words. Â Heâs hurt the man who gave him everything. Â When he does speak, his voice is a feeble whisper.
âHarvey, Iâm sorry, I didn'tâŠâ âExactly, you didnât know,â Harvey finished for him.  âI thought we were different, I actually thought youâŠâ  Harvey doesnât finish the sentence, because itâs too painful to think that he loved someone that didnât love him back.  Instead, he stands.
âI need to go,â he explains, heading for the door. Mike springs to his feet and grabs for Harveyâs forearm, spinning him around, âNo, you donât get to leave it like this,â he argues. âWe are different.â
Mike tightens his grip because he needs Harvey to stay, he needs him to listen and to see.
âAt first Louis thought youâd want me back, he said that Batman needed Robin,â Mike huffs out a half-hearted laugh, âbut you didnât want me, so I wrote my resignation letter and I agreed to help Louis out on one last case, because, Harvey, I donât want to be here if Iâm not with you.â
He meets Harveyâs gaze, and his hands start shaking. Â Heâs certain that this is the moment for him to lay it all out, and heâs scared fucking shitless of being rejected. Â He closes his eyes, breathes in and says the first thing that comes to mind as he stares into Harveyâs trusting eyes when he opens his own again.
âJesus, Harvey, youâre everything to me.â
Harvey tilts his head slightly and takes a slow, deep breath in, as a mish-mash of unrehearsed, blatantly genuine words continues to pour out of Mike.
âWhen Grammy died, they only person I trusted was you. Â I even changed my emergency contact to you, for fuckâs sake.â
Mikeâs chest heaves. Â Heâs offloaded everything heâs been keeping to himself. Â He lets go of Harvey, throws himself back onto the couch and watches as Harvey starts pacing the room. Â Itâs all on him now and they both know it. Â Mike tries not to hope too hard. Â Tries not to think about whether he said everything he could to make Harvey see that this was it for him.
It takes Harvey a solid five minutes to say something, and Mike has bitten three fingernails down to the quick in that time.
âI knew.â
Mike has no idea what heâs talking about. Â âYou knew what?â
âHuman Resources called me to check if it was okay that I was your emergency contact,â Harvey explains. Â He crosses the room and stands in front of Mike.
Mike looks up and into Harveyâs soft brown eyes. Â âAnd it was? Okay?â
Harvey calls him an idiot for the second time that day as he grabs Mikeâs hands from his lap and pulls him up and against him in one swift move, and of course, Harvey is smoother than Barry White. Â âIdiot,â Harvey mutters again as he presses his lips softly against Mikeâs.
Itâs over in a heartbeat, but itâs soul binding, and Mike wants more immediately, once heâs over the shock, that is.
Harvey observes Mike as he breaks the kiss and he canât help but smile at the slack-jawed, shocked look on his face. Â But after a second to compose himself, Mike grins and laughter erupts from deep down inside him. Â The reaction baffles Harvey.
âMike?â
Mike explains himself immediately, âDonna was right, you care about me,â he teases in the most annoying voice he can manage, purposely trying to rile Harvey up.
Harvey rolls his eyes. Â âWow, who made you a lawyer, Captain Obvious?â
Mike licks his lips, leans forward and whispers into Harveyâs ear, âJust some dude that wanted to get into my pants.â
Harvey smirks and gently pushes Mike away, âThatâs it, lippy, I told you not to call me âdude.ââ
His poker face when it comes to Mike Ross needs work, he thinks as he struggles to hide an affectionate grin.
Mike pounces, scruffing him by the shirt front, no doubt leaving wrinkles, and whispers, âPlease kiss me some more.â
Harveyâs hand rests against his cheek, and he slides his thumb across Mikeâs jaw.
âRooftop in five minutes, rookie, and if you promise never to mention today again, Iâll sweeten the deal and get into those pants.â
âDeal,â Mike agrees, already headed for the door. Â He flies down the hallway, heading for the stairwell, faster than the speed of light.
The End
Thanks for reading! X Â Â Link to AO3 here.
#suits100fanwork#suits100#marvey#suitsedit#harvey x mike#my fics#bamf donna#snark master harvey#human puppy mike#mock trial#harvey specter#mike ross#my gifs#suits edit#mike x harvey#marvey network#prompts#98#i finally finished it#wooohooo
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Do dan/amy with #1
1. Things you said to me at 1AM | Post s-6, in which Amy is eight months pregnant, there's a crib that needs building, and Dan is a complete fucking tool.
(Bitch, I went well over a thousand words with this, so⊠thanks for that.)
-
Arriving home, she hadnât expected to see a couple dozen boxes - some smaller, some larger - littering the rooms of the apartment.
âDan!â Sheâd called out, hoping to find her roomate-come-baby-daddy-but-definitely-not-partner nearby. Heâd called to say heâd be home early. And itâs gone twelve, so where the fuck-
âIn the other room.â
Sheâd found him crouching down on the floor, all jeans and crinkled shirt, holding up two pieces of white wood.
The crib. Right.
Sheâs been here ever since, in a room bound to become a nursery, watching him toy around with the unassembled pieces of the childâs bed.
âYou know, Catherine and Marjorie just ordered theirs. And it came pre-built.â She clicks her tongue, types some shit into her phone, looks over at Dan, âThen again, they arenât as fucking extra as you.â
âIâm not gonna be fuckinâ upstaged by a sophomore lesbian and her backup sperm donor.â
Amy rolls her eyes, tries to avoid cracking a smile, âAt least she chose the babyâs genes.â She doesnât bring up the fact that Dan was the original donor, âThis babyâll probably come out with a head full of gel, clutching a fucking iPad.â
She holds her phone until her knuckles turn white - nothing new there - as if to demonstrate her point. Then she crosses her legs, and lets it drop (odd) into her lap, keeping a straight face as she watches him.
Itâs past midnight, and theyâre still no closer to having the fucking crib built.
âRemind me again why you didnât just let the delivery guy do it instead?â
Thereâs a hex key, a couple dozen pieces of varnished white wood, and some bits and pieces laid out on the floor. Theyâve been there for about an hour and half, and Dan doesnât seem to have even built one side of the fucking thing.
âIâm not having some white trash truck driverâs grubby hands all over my kidâs bed, alright? Fuck, do you really want those kinda germs hanging around the apartment?â He scowls.
Yeah. Sure. Thatâs it. Heâs such a cheapskate when he wants to be.
âI can build a fuckinâ crib, Amy. Jesus.â He grumbles, tosses down a wrench (sheâs pretty sure he doesnât need a wrench), and rests his hands on his hips, untucking the shirt from his pants. âYou wanna give it a shot?â
âBecause you canât?â The blonde raises a brow, smirks, âNo. Itâs actually kinda fun watching you struggle.â She reasons, crosses her legs comfortably, sitting Indian style.
âOh, yeah?â
Amy hums, nods her head and leans back in the rocking chair. Itâs uncomfortable as all hell, but Sophie suggested they buy one. (And she listened why?)
âEven Mike can handle a little DIY, for fuckâs sake.â
âYeah, well, that neanderthal was around when they were still making tools out of wood so thatâs not surprising, Ames.â
She grins, âHell, Iâm sure even Jonah could do it if you gave him a tutorial.â
The daggers he shoots her make her smile widen, and Amy raises both brows at his retort, âFuck you.â
Dan bites at his bottom lip for a second, wipes the bridge of his nose with his wrist. (As though heâs been working hard. Please.)
There are two slats of wood at his feet, perpendicular and screwed together. Itâs the most heâs done so far. (Is that even right?) She could probably have the thing built in ten - no, twenty - minutes or so, but she wonât lend a hand. Fuck no.
He said he could do it. He can prove himself. Besides, itâs really kind of amusing to her to watch him fail miserably. Then again, he hasnât exactly been trying very hard.
Reaching down, Dan picks up the instruction sheet, balls it up in his fist before tossing it in the box the unbuilt crib arrived in. They had a bunch of furniture unloaded several hours ago, but so far none of it has been constructed.
Luckily sheâs only eight months along, and theyâve still got some weeks to go before the little fucker arrives.
âWell, thatâs good. Now what are you gonna do?â Amy teases, leans back so the chair sways back and forth, creaking against the hardwood floors of their apartment. Damn him for making her move in with him. âI mean you couldnât even build it with instructions, so now-â
Dan holds up a finger, lifts both brows confidently. âIâm waiting for a moment of genius.â
âWe donât have all night.â
âYou got a better idea, Mom of the Year?â
âYeah. You could call the store, and theyâd send someone out to do it.â
âItâs one in the fuckinâ morning. What kinda service do you think theyâre providing, Amy? Fuck.â
âNot right now, you fuckwit.â Amy frowns, rolls her eyes and head back so sheâs staring at the ceiling. How did that mark get- âIâll call them first thing in the morning.â
âNo.â He damn near cuts her off, walking over until heâs stood in front of her, resting both hands on the sides of the chair. âNo, you wonât. Because Iâm gonna get this thing done, even if it kills me.â
âWow, you really donât like sucking at stuff, do you?â
âDonât act so surprised. You knew that already.â
âTrue.â She agrees, lowers her gaze to meet his, but she keeps her head titled back, hands running along the armrests of the chair, carefully avoiding touching his hands, âI donât want you to overexert yourself to death, though. I mean, you didsay youâd help out with the kid. And you did promise that I could be the one to kill you when youâre ninety if you havenât already died of natural causes.â
âWell, Amy, this is me helping out with the kid.â
She snorts back a laugh, âReally? Because it looks like this is just you trying to prove yourself. No need to compensate for anything, Dan. Iâve already seen your dick. It just about does the trick.â
âJust about?â He stands up straight, traces of a smirk beginning to form on his face.
Ah, yes. One of his three facial expressions. Disgust, confidence, terror. She likes imaging which face heâll make when she gives birth.
Amy shoots him a look Ă la âShut the fuck up and get on with itâ. Looking up through long lashes, she notes how he hasnât moved, is still towering over her. âAre you going to fucking build it or not, asshole?â
âAre you gonna fuck me if I do?â
âGod, youâre a child.â
âNo, Amy. Iâm a man who would like some recognition for his hard work.â
Wait. Did he- That fuck weasel.
âHave you been screwing me this whole time?â
Dan smirks, wider than before, and he shrugs, nonchalant, âMaybe. That doesnât answer my question.â
âIâm gonna ignore the fact that youâve wasted over an hour of my life by pretending to be bad at something you can apparently do, because it was kind of fun to witness your would-be emasculation anyway. But, no. Iâm not going to fuck you. Jesus Christ, you were just playing me like one of your little college bimbos.â
âAmes, you know I gave up sleeping with other women for you.â He tilts his head to the side, all proud and smug, like itâs a massive accomplishment. She wouldnât believe him if it werenât for the fact that she threatened to chop his dick off, and she knew just how much he treasured King Danny - God, that name - and he knew just how serious she was with her threat.
âBut I still donât wanna be upstaged by Catherine and her side-bitches.â His eyes crinkle then - is that a fucking smile? - and Amy can only frown. âI guess I just have more interest in getting our new bed up and ready instead.â
They donât even have a new bed to build, so what the fuck is he getting it ready for-
âOh, fuck, no.â
She pulls a face, shakes her head, stands up and goes to walk off all in the flash of a second - because fuck him - until his hand catches her elbow. Itâs gentle, and she kind of hates him for it. Then again, sheâs eight fucking months pregnant and heâs not a complete animal.
âAmy.â
âFuck, Dan. I canât believe you ever roped me into this in the first place.â
âInto fucking?â
âInto moving in with you, you goddamn unflushable turd.â
âYou love it.â He smirks - because of course he does - and Amy hates herself for smiling back.
âI donât love you, though.â
âYou like me more than you like anybody else.â He reasons, steps closer until sheâs flush against him, all bump and breasts. Fuck.
âYeah, well, Iâm the only person that you like, so-â
âYeah. You are.â
Itâs one o'clock in the fucking morning, which means they should be sleeping, not having a heart to heart. Or, well, a⊠discussion pertaining to matters of the heart had either of them possessed a heart?
âI do like you, Amy.â He grins, reaches for her chin.
âYouâre an asshole.â
âAnd you love me.â
âFuck you.â She steps back, wills herself to ignore his lingering gaze, âBuild the fucking crib, asshole.â
âAre you going to bed?â
âYeah. Youâre not welcome to join.â
âAfter I build this fuckinâ IKEA piece of crap?â
She comes back into the room to pick up her abandoned phone, shoots him a brief look before spinning back around, knowingly letting his eyes dance along her back and ass, âIf you can build it in the next twenty, no⊠ten minutes.â
âI can do it in five.â
Amy rolls her eyes down the hallway, waves a hand behind her, rests her free hand on her stomach, âYour dadâs a fucking moron.â
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â
FILL IN THE QUESTIONS AS YOUR MUSE BEING INTERVIEWED FOR AN ARTICLE.
TAGGED BY: @reckeless TAGGING:Â feel free to take this & say I tagged you ;0c
1. WHAT IS YOUR NAME?
â Iâm the Scout, pal. â
2. WHAT IS YOUR REAL NAME?
â Benjamin Jeremy Begay. Whatevah youre gonnaâ say âbout my last name- donât worry, Iâve already heard it. Itâs not funny. â
3. DO YOU KNOW WHY YOUâRE CALLED THAT?
â Well, Iâm called Scout âcause thatâs my class name. And its easier to say âScoutâ than âBenjaminâ or âJeremyâ durinâ the middle of the battle. And my real name is âcause all of my seven oldahâ brothers had two names, and eventually my Maâ ran out of ideas. Lucky me, I know. â
4. ARE YOU SINGLE OR TAKEN?
â Are you askinâ âcause youâre interested ? Iâm single, pally. â
5. WHAT ARE YOUR POWERS AND ABILITIES?
â If youre askinâ if I can make some Houdini crap, no, I canât. You gottaâ ask Merasmus if you want stupid green magic stuff. But if youâre askinâ âbout real powers, then hey, I donât wannaâ brag but Iâm fast. Really fast. Docâ ân Spy may be almost as fast as me, but I can go for longer. And yâknow, bashinâ in heads with a baseball bat every day really dies wonders to someoneâs arms, just sayinâ. â
6. WHAT COLOR ARE YOUR EYES?
â Blue. Bright blue, I think. One of my brothahsâ said theyâre grey, and they kinda are, but they are more blue than anythinâ. â
7. HAVE YOU EVER DYED YOUR HAIR?
â No, nevahâ. Donât tell anyone, but I was curious to paint my hair. I mean, itâs such afancy thing to do. Thereâs this new company whoâs encouraginâ to start paintinâ your hair. I think their slogan is âBecause Youâre worth itâ. Anyway, those ladies actually look really cool. I wonder if people will actually paint their hair more often in the future. â
8. DO YOU HAVE ANY FAMILY MEMBERS?
â I got seven older brothers and a Maâ. Out of my uncles and aunts, I have 1 livinâ aunt and 2 livinâ uncles. My dad, he... He died before I.... sigh, itâs Spy. Heâs.... Heâs family I guess. â
9. DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS?
â Iâve got Chucklenuts, a squirrel, and Audrey, my Corgi. Beautiful animals. I love âem so much. â
10. TELL ME ABOUT SOMETHING YOU DONâT LIKE.
â Lemmeâ think... Oh, yeah. People callinâ me a kid. I ainât no kid pal. Hell, Iâm almost 30 years old ! I donât understand why everyone keeps mistakinâ me for a kid. I guess that means I just look really young and really good, though. â
11. DO YOU HAVE ANY HOBBIES OR ACTIVITIES YOU DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME?
â I like to go jogginâ, dance, listen to music nâ draw. Whenevahâ we donât have to fight, the first thing Iâll do is go jogginâ- or hanginâ out with my pals. â
12. HAVE YOU EVER HURT ANYONE BEFORE?
â And you didnât ? I know the hippie movement is goinâ strong right now, but listen, we gave peace a chance and it didnât work. â
13. HAVE YOU EVER⊠KILLED ANYONE?
â Oh yeah, of course. Itâs kinda my job, pal. Hired mercenary ? They even give us cool hats if we kill enough people. â
14. WHAT KIND OF ANIMAL ARE YOU?
â I once read a thing goinâ all like philosophical sayinâ that all humans are animals. So I guess Iâm a human. â
15. NAME YOUR WORST HABITS.
â Spy says itâs when I interrupt people or start tappinâ my feet, but I think itâs bullshit. I donât got any bad habits, pally. â
16. DO YOU LOOK UP TO ANYONE?
â There was this girl once - Marlene - and if thereâs anyone Iâm lookinâ up to, itâs her. â
17. GAY, STRAIGHT, OR BISEXUAL?
â This will not leave this room, but- there are some boys that are.... kinda cute. I love girls, but.... some guys just... yâknow. â
18. DO YOU GO TO SCHOOL?
â Been there, done that. And my prom was awful, before you ask. â
19. DO YOU EVER WANT TO MARRY AND HAVE KIDS SOMEDAY?
â Oh, absolutely. I already have a big family, I wouldnât mind makinâ it bigger with a wife and a kid by my side. Or... maybe a husband. Haha, yeah, it was a joke. No, absolutely a wife. N-no husbands. â
20. DO YOU HAVE ANY FANS?
â Uh, and who ainât my fan ? Everyone loves me ! â
21. WHAT ARE YOU MOST AFRAID OF?
â Alright, you listeninâ ? My biggest fear is.... none of your damn business, pal. â
22. WHAT DO YOU USUALLY WEAR?
â Usually ? I got this red shirt, brown pants, knee high socks. And the hand wraps and baseball cap. When Iâm off duty, really, no matter what I wear, Iâll look great in it. â
23. DO YOU LOVE SOMEONE?
â Oh, I love many people. I love my team. I love my Maâ. I kinda love my brothers. I really love Miss Paulinâ- I want to see her happy, man. Nothing else matters. And I love Mund-... ahem. Next question ?â
24. WHAT CLASS ARE YOU?
â Huh, yâmean like, the Scout class ? âCause Iâm the Scout. â
25. HOW MANY FRIENDS DO YOU HAVE?
â Everyone is my friend ! Everyone loves me, pal. But on that, my real, true friends ? My best friends, my closest buddies ? My team. I love my whole team, pal. We are the best of the best friends. â
26. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON PIE?
â I really like pie. Though the last pie I ate was in Prison and that was made by Maj- by Mike. He put a damn file in the pie as a joke ! I couldâve broken my teeth ! â
27. FAVORITE DRINK?
â You ever drink anythinâ bettahâ than BONK! Atomic Punch ? â
29. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE?
â Hope this doesnât sound cheesy, but itâs where I feel welcome. Any place Iâm with my friends at is my favourite place. â
30. ARE YOU INTERESTED IN SOMEONE?
â Oh yeah, Miss Paulinâ and Mund- Oh God, I need to stop doinâ this. â
31. WHATâS YOUR DICK SIZE?
â Donât listen to anyone else- Itâs big. Actually big. Itâs like, huge. Gigantic. â
32. WOULD YOU RATHER SWIM IN THE LAKE OR THE OCEAN?
â The ocean. Itâs bigger and I can swim further and faster. â
33. WHATâS YOUR âTYPEâ?
â Ah, yâknow. Pretty face, quiet, secretly strong, always wearinâ glasses, classy and nice. Just like Paulinâ and Sniper. Â â
34. ANY FETISHES?
â Why dontchaâ call me tonight and you can find out ? â
35. TOP OR BOTTOM? DOMINANT OR SUBMISSIVE?
â Usually, Top and dominant. I do know I got the right person when they switch places and dominate me. â
36. CAMPING, OR INDOORS?
â Campinâ ! Just imagine, you and your buddy, out there, hikinâ and eatinâ dirt for dinner. Thatâs the life, pal. - Okay, fine, I nevahâ went campinâ, but it must be cool, right ? â
37. ARE YOU WAITING FOR THIS INTERVIEW TO BE OVER?
â Wait, what ?? But Iâm just gettinâ started ! Thereâs so much left to sa- Wait, donât get up, ask me more stuff, I promise it- Hey, Iâm talkinâ to you, donât you dare slam the doo- I DIDNâT FINISH ! CONTINUE THE INTERVIEW ! At least come back to get my phone number !!! - â
#ă mirror / scout â â ( take daâ flank; get daâ rank ! ) ă#ă behaviour & mannersâ â ( is anyone even payinâ attention to me ? ) ă#ă musings â â ( I heard them calling in the distance; so I packed my things and ran. ) ă#ă fun & memes â â ( thankâs for the ride ! ) ă
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I apparently write for more than one fandom at a time now? Weird for me but Long Exposure is so good! If you havenât already please go check it out, itâs so so good and iâm already in love with those dumb boys!Â
Mitch/Jonas | 1k+ | T+ | Future!Fic / Fluff
The fic is also on AO3 here!
-
Jonas gets home late, stumbling out of his shoes and getting in a tangle with his jacket as the flat door slams shut behind him. The frame shaking. Not that it matters, the whole building shook whenever there was a strong enough wind.
Heâd gotten used to it.
âBabe? Sâat you?â And crap, Mitch had been asleep.
âNobody else would want to break in.â Jonas canât spare much energy to feel bad, instead he manages to stumble into what they called the living room. âWhy arenât you in bed if youâre gonna sleep?â
âDidnâ wanna sleep withoutchya.â Mitch shifts onto his back, yawning wide with his arms open as Jonas just collapses.
Mitch barely makes an âoomphâ sound and Jonas appreciates it as he snuggles into his boyfriend's bony chest.
âIdiot.â
âHmmm, hey baby.â He feels a sloppy kiss to the top of his head âRough day Spots?â
âYouâve got no idea.â Jonas doesnât say anything for a few minutes, letting Mitchâs arms settle properly around him, one hand going underneath his work shirt, thumbs massaging circles into his back and hips.
âYou gonna fuckinâ tell me eventually or?â Mitch has a smile in his voice so Jonas just buries his face in deeper, huffing to himself.
âJust a long day.â
âSâalways a long fuckinâ day.â Jonas feels another kiss to his curls and he smiles despite himself, kissing Mitchâs chest in return âAnâ you still always tell me anyway.â
âTrue.â Jonas turns his head, facing their old TV set up and water stained wallpaper.
Mitch waits as he resettles himself, shuffling so his hands are up by his chest, curled under his chin, one of his hands tangling in the collar of Mitchâs ridiculous shirt.
âSorted baby?â
âHmm.â Jonas hums, leaning up a little to kiss Mitchâs jaw which getâs a low chuckle from him and a kiss to Jonasâ forehead in response before Jonas starts on his mini rant. Mitch chiming in when he feels itâs appropriate. Jonas appreciated it.
âI get there late, because of the stupid bus-â
âFuckinâ stupid.â
âYeah! But you know the boss, he likes me and all-â
He getâs a quick squeeze for that as Mitch snarls a little âBetter not be likinâ you too much.â
Jonas just giggles, âHeâs like 90, youâve met him! Shut up, stop being weird.â Laughing into Mitchâs chest Jonas just blindly slaps at his boyfriends arm. Knowing that Mitch would be blushing the brightest of red right now at being called out.
âYeah well-â Bashful, Mitch sounds bashful as he shifts âDonât want anyone stealinâ my baby now do I?â
Shaking his head Jonas leans up again, kissing Mitch properly this time.
âNobody could steal me. Now can I get back to my story?â He flutters his eyelashes, delighting in how Mitchâs blush comes back in full force, one of the fancy âdecorativeâ pillows on the couch hovering a little with his powers.
It happened sometimes, the hovering when Mitch was too happy for just words. It used to just be when he was angry, but that had been changing.
âSure baby.â Mitch had stopped looking ashamed for the actions.
âWell, then of course itâs just the boring old work. Nothing special. But come lunchtime, the asshole, you know who iâm talking about, goes and steals my lunch so iâve got nothing to eat.â
âMike.â Mitch hisses under his breath, frown appearing over his features as he says the name.
Mike had been hassling Jonas for a while now, stealing his lunch, giving him extra work. Excluding him from meetings he needed to be in, that sort of thing. âYou want me to stab him? You know iâde do that for you baby. Iâde go back inside for you, especially if heâs harassing you. Donât want you getting hurt.â
âOh no donât worry.â Jonas canât help the pink light that starts dancing around the room. He shouldnât be so happy and so in love, especially with that threat hanging in the air.
But Mitch meant well, it meant he loved Jonas. And Jonas loved him right back.
âIâm gonna get him fired.â
âYou what?â The anger fades, leading to a splutter and a surprised chuckle.
âYeah iâve got a plan! Iâve recorded everything heâs done, taped a few conversations all sneaky. Iâm gonna get him fired because of homophobic discrimination. He called me a uh- you know. Iâm not gonna but you can guess? Right? I told you?â
Jonas remembers. How he came home crying one day, and had to physically restrain Mitch from going and beating the guy to death.
He had had to stand there and hold him, sobs probably heard down the halls as their possessions had gone flying around the room.
They had been lucky a window hadnât broken.
âYeah, wanted to kill the fucker.â Mitchâs arms tighten again, a deep frown on his face, as if he wants to get up right now and go find the guy. âCould still-â
âNo need baby. Iâm gonna get him fired. He wonât work around here ever again.â He pats Mitch gently on the chest, kissing where he had just pet before leaning up to kiss his boyfriend again.
They melt together, and Jonas lets himself be dragged into the warm haze of Mitchâs mouth, hands warm and comforting on his skin, legs tangling slowly as Jonas deepened it with a lick to Mitchâs bottom lip.
They stay there like that for a good few minutes, sleepily making out, both too tired to really do anything more despite the semi Jonas thinks he can feel at his thigh. That is until Mitch pulls back in a somewhat panic, eyes snapping open and lurching forwards.
Jonas barely manages to stay in his lap, clinging for dear life to Mitchâs shoulders.
âSo ya havenât fuckinâ eaten today? Like? At all?â
Thereâs a beat. âN-no?â
âAh fuck. Come on Joey. Iâm makinâ you beans on toast.â
Mitch is up in a flash, somehow manhandling Jonas in the process, gently settling him back down on the couch before he flits into the kitchen, limbs awkward and dead from sleep, and Jonasâ head spins a little as he hears him crashing about the kitchen.
âBabe, you donât have to make me anything-â
âNo iâm doinâ it. Youâre outta luck, iâm making you some damn dinner. Canât believe you didnât eat all fuckinâ day. You gotta take careâa yourself babe.â
Jonas gets up, slumping to the kitchen. âThought that was your job?â He leans against the door jamb when he gets there, lazy smile playing on his lips as he watches Mitch move about with an ease that only comes from being comfortable in your surroundings. Even if he does nearly burn himself on the toaster. Which, shouldnât actually be possible.
But wherever Mitch was, there was some sort of trouble.
Jonas had gotten used to it.
In between heating up the beans and making the toast, Mitch steals kisses, shark-like grin on his face whenever he âinnocentlyâ sidles over to where Jonas was leaning.
âYouâre gonna let the food burn.â Jonas puts up a false protest, smirk on his face as Mitch comes over, hands out until Jonasâ hips are filling them.
âItâs all on a timer Spots. Ainât got nothing to worry about.â And then heâs leaning down, nosing at Jonasâ cheek before pulling him in, hands squeezing hard as he wastes no time in licking into Jonasâ open mouth.
Itâs the gross kind that has Jonas reeling a little, but heâs tired and hungry and they have a bed thatâs waiting for them in the other room. So he leans back, breaking the kiss a little to something softer.
Thereâs a question on Mitchâs tongue he can feel it, but then the toast is popping up and heâs back into âmust protect Jonas modeâ so he flies over to it, grabbing some plates from the cupboard as he plates everything up.
They eat in silence, legs knocking together on the couch. Itâs quiet and comfortable and Jonas nearly nods off a few times.
âBed?â
Mitch just slings an arm around his shoulders, practically hauling him up as they make their way to the bedroom.
Both strip once they get in there. Jonas was past the point of any insecurity, and Mitch had a good body, one Jonas was very fond of looking at. So it wasnât an issue.
What is, is that once Jonas crawls into bed, head screaming for the pillow underneath his head, Mitch climbs into his lap, hands squeezing at the pudge on his hips, grinding down a little, erection making itself known as Mitch smirks above him.
Heâs soon kissing Jonasâ face, his eyelids his forehead his nose and his mouth before he moves onto Jonasâs neck. The kisses down his neck tickle, the sucks aching and stinging with every bite. But Jonas just... Canât tonight.
âHmm, not tonight baby iâm sorry.â And that makes Mitch freeze.
They hadnât really been in tat situation before, Jonas was always generally up for it, and the only times Mitch wasnât was when he was drunk and Jonas didnât want to take advantage of that.
So this is different. And his breath catches in his throat, instantly afraid of something. Something he couldnât quite place other than it being an overwhelming feeling of anxiety.
ââM sorry. Fuck. Shit.â Mitch rolls off, and then off the bed entirely, before he starts to pace. âShit baby âm sorry I-â
âMitch-â
âI didnât mean to pressure ya, I just. Fuck!â And finally Jonas seeâ the fear and panic in Mitchâs eyes and he gets it.
âHey no, baby come here.â He holds his hands out, waiting patiently as Mitch reluctantly takes them.
âIâm so sorry baby- Fuck iâm a fuckinâ stupid idiot. Joey âm sorry-â
âMitch. Stop.â And Mitch does. âYou didnât do anything unwanted okay. Iâm just really tired.â
âYou sure?â Mitch looks like heâs about to bolt, shifting from foot to foot, and Jonas really doesnât like it.
âIâm sure. Now get back into bed. I miss you. Need you to protect me okay?â
Mitch looks away, uncharacteristically shifty before he hunches in on himself, nodding. âI just donât ever wanna hurt ya baby is all.â
âAnd youâll be the first to know if you do.â Jonas lets Mitch climb over him, dragging his boyfriends arm around him as soon as heâs close enough, snuggling right back into Mitchâs chest, breathing deeply. âYou need to shower in the morning, you smell awful.â Jonas looks up, smiling as Mitch slowly starts to settle himself again.
âDo I now huh?â And thereâs the smirk that Jonas loves so much.
âYeah, but I can see you lifting your arm, you donât have to prove it.â Mitch lifts his arm higher anyway, laughing loudly as he shoves his armpit into Jonasâ face. And they both hear the tension that drains out of Mitch through his laughter.
Jonas just squirms, burying his face into his pillow.
âStop it- Come on babe I wanna sleep, stop being a jerk.â
âYou love me though.â Mitch does stop, a little out of breath from trying so hard but heâs beaming.
âYeah. Yeah I do.â
âLove you too.â
âI know dweeb.â
Jonas leans up, kissing Mitch one last time before he turns over, safe in Mitchâs arms as he finally falls asleep.
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Impossible love pt. 3
Word count: 1,992 Rating: pg-13 because of language Pt. 1 PT.2 A/N: I'm on mobile so I'll add the links later. "Where the hell were you last night?" Karma asks. I smirk, I knew she got the information from Jazi because she wasn't here today so that must have meant Jazi told Karma over text. "You don't wanna know," I answer and chuckle a little. Karma nudges my shoulder. "Who did you fuck?" She whispered in my ear. "Nobody you know," I smirk. "Oh really? Was it Peter?" She asks as she raises an eyebrow. "No, why would you even think that?" I blush loudly. "Whatever you say," she smirks and I give her an evil glare. "I have training tonight, so I won't be able to text tonight," I state trying to change the topic. "Oh okay. The bell is gonna ring soon so I'm gonna head to biology," she says and I nod, then she leaves and I slam my locker and there Peter is. I jump a little. "Stalker much?" I ask and he realized that he scared me. "Sorry, your friend just saw me so I assumed you saw me, anyway, why did I come over here?" "I don't know. You tell me," I say to him. "Oh yeah, are you going to training tonight?" "Yes, I'll be staying the night too, my uncle decided that his business trip needed to be one day longer," I comment. "Oh awesome. Aunt May will freak if I stay one more night so I'll be leaving afterwards," he replies. "Awesome. I'll see you there. I have to go to my classes," I leave. All of my classes seem slow today. Maybe I was just dreading this training because I am sore. My back, my shoulders and my calves are super sore. As the day dragged on the training got closer a d I got more anxious. I don't want to do it but I still got nervous. Finally the day ended and Nat was in a nice, black, car. She rolled down the window when she saw me. "Hey could you help me find someone I'm looking for. She's a little too energetic and a superhero," she jokes around and I shake my head then get in the passenger seat. "Oh come on, I think I'm funny," she chuckles. "Well I don't think so, I mean you try too hard, it's like dad jokes but worse and not in a good way," I admit," like someone says "what time is it," and you say "time for you to get a watch," see that's funny." "No, that's just annoying," she replies and I give her a skeptical look. We leave the parking lot and I sit in silence. "Why do you do the things you do? I mean no regular teenager would even think about saving the world," she asks and I smile. "Because I know what it's like when no one is there to help and it is important to be what you want in the world. I was given the opportunity and I took. I learned from my and other people's mistakes," I explain. "When have you needed someone and no one was there?" "Most of my life. I'm very independent because I have to be, not because I want to be. If it was my choice I'd have someone there who would take half of my load. I had a friend, his name was Mike. He told me that when you have no one else in the world that you still have yourself. Even if it's just a shadow or a reflection of yourself you still have you." "Wow, that was optimistically pessimistic." "Yeah, well it's true, that's why I learned that I can't lean on anyone, but I will let others lean on me." "Ah, well we are almost here," she states and I see the tower. I smirk a little and then sigh. "What's the sigh for?" She asks as she raises an eyebrow. "I'm sore. I normally don't do this much training," Â I admit. "Oh," she parks and looks at me and smiles," well, welcome to being an avenger," then she gets out of the car like a supermodel and I get a tad bit jealous. I akward get out of the car and pull my backpack with me. We get into the first floor and she swipes her identification card, I haven't gotten mine yet. She gets off a few floors below me and I get off around floor 30. I go to the bedrooms and start on my homework. After about an hour I get up and change. I have tight, black running pants and an overlarge white shirt that you can kind of see through so my black sports bra shows. I go down into the training room and there was no one in there. I get onto the blue exercise mat and I start doing some karate moves and my warm up. I am practicing my roundhouse kick routine when Steve and Bucky come in. I stop practicing and realize it's been an hour and a half since I finished my warm up, I am extremely sweaty and my white shirt sticks to me. I walk off the mat and go to my water bottle. I get a swig of water and Steve looks at me. "How long have you been practicing?" He asks. "About an hour and a half. I've improved on some of my moves," I state proudly. "Are you able to go against anyone because I don't want to overwork you, I know sparring with someone can be overwhelming, especially after an hour and a half or training." "Yeah, I feel like I could move a mountain right now so of course." I smile and I walk over to them. Bucky has been silent this whole time," so who am I gonna fight?" "Peter because he is your size," he answers. "Oh, I'm guessing I'll be fighting him a lot," I guess. "Yup," he replies. "But that's not fair. I have much more practice from hand to hand combat and I'll beat him," I state because it was unfair for Peter. "You'll be good for him. Don't worry," Steve assures. "Fine." I cross my arm then Peter came through the door," speak of the devil," I mutter and look at him grumpily. Even though my body was still feeling the surge of energy from my workout I stretched. Steve and Bucky fought for 30 minutes which gave me time to cool down from my workout and warm up for the sparring session I was about to do. When Steve finished he motioned for us to get on. I stood nervously in front of Peter, scared that I was going to hurt him but also anxious about the fight. I needed someone just one on one without any powers, just a nice sparring session without being in a life or death situation. I brought my hands up and waited. I let him get the first punch but he didn't take it so I went for his head. He blocked it and we fought from there. It was all really just a blur. I would kick and he would hit back. Somehow he ended up halfway up the wall, like both hands and feet holding himself up and I was close and personal. I was going to punch him and I pulled back the punch when Steve yelled. "That's enough, I think both of you need a break," he yelled and I backed off. Im breathing heavily and extremely sweaty. I walk off the mat without saying anything to Peter. I walk to the bench and stretch for the final time. After a 5 minute cool down I walk to the showers. I take a long, hot shower, I know I'm supposed to take a cold shower but I hate those. I finally stop when all the I can see too much steam but I also knew someone else was taking a shower because I can hear the water. I got distracted by my own thoughts so I don't know who. I dried myself quickly and threw on clothes. I wore black pants that hug my defined legs, sports bra and a baggy hoodie that I stole from one of my friends. It still smells like them after many washes. I snuck out and headed to my bedroom where I closed myself off from the world. I went onto Pinterest and Tumblr for a while, not really doing anything and I wrote a little and I changed my position so many different times that I lost count after 12. Currently my feet were on the bed and my back was on the ground. I knew that it wouldn't last long because my arm started to get tired and then my door opened. My hoodie was riding up on my stomach so it was exposed. I looked up and saw that it was Peter. I got up quickly and realized that my hair is probably a mess, and I look like crap. "FRIDAY can't you warn me please," I yell at the air. "Oh sorry, I didn't mean to barge in. I just wanted to say goodbye. You seemed a little mad at me, I just wanted to see if I did anything wrong," he states and looks at me with those eyes and I realized I have been a jerk lately. "You didn't do anything. It's just one of my off moods. Your aunt is probably worried sick about you. You should go home," I reply to him. "O-oh yeah. You're probably right, well hopefully I'll see you tomorrow," he waves and leaves. There wasn't anything going on tomorrow, my uncle is coming back so I'll have to talk to him. I was still standing so I fell onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. I closed my eyes and passed out. I woke to mummering, it was quiet but outside my door. I pretend to be asleep so I can overhear the conversation. "I'm not doing it. I don't want to get punched in the face. I don't know how she sleeps," Tony's voice comments. "Fine but if she's mad at me I'm gonna blame it on you. She hasn't eaten since yesterday probably," Steve replies and walks into the room. "Hey, it's time to wake up," Steve says and I open one eye and look at him," I know it's late but you need to eat." "Okay just give me like, uh, two minutes. I'll be down," I mumble and roll over. I hear them leave and I get up. I fix my hair and check the time. It's almost 9, I run down the stairs and see most of the avengers at the table. Nat has her leg in Clint's seat and and Clint has his leg on her seat. They all looked tired. The only avenger not there is Thor and he has an excuse. I sat at the empty chair near the end of the table next to Tony and Bucky. I sat quietly and ate in silence. Finally, Tony finished his food and put his glass of water on the table loudly and cleared his throat. "Alright, we have made a decision," he calls out loudly and many people look confused," this one," he comments while pointing at me," is now, officially," he emphasized officially," an avenger, card and all." Suddenly a yellow envelope is in front of me with a bow on top. I open it and there is some paperwork, an ID card and a congratulations card. I read it and it was the cheesiest card I have ever read. I smiled and got out of my seat then hugged Tony. "Thank you, thank.you," I cried out. He awkwardly patted my arm. "No problem kid," he replied and then I proceeded to hug every avenger in the room. I started filling out the paperwork and finished quickly. I am officially an avenger.
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